• DOs and DON’Ts for FCE PAPER 1 READING
DO make sure that you choose the correct option(s) when you find similar
information in different sections of the text in Parts 1 and 4.
DO read and re-read your answers in Parts 1 and 3, and be prepared to change
your mind. If you find that none of the choices you have left fits, you may
need to think again about the choices you have already made. Always be
prepared to go back and check.
DO read through the main text in Part 3 so you have a good idea of what it is
about before you look at the extracts and choose any answers.
DO think about the text before and after each gap in Part 3 and try to guess what
is missing.
DO pay careful attention to references to places, people and things (pronouns) in
the extracts in Part 3. They must refer correctly to the nouns in the text before
and after the gap.
DO fill what you think are the easy gaps first in Part 3, and leave the problem
areas until last.
DO read through Part 3 after making your choices to check that everything makes
sense. Check that linking words, tenses and time references all fit with the
choices you have made.
DO prepare for the FCE Reading paper by reading as widely as you can in
English, both fiction and non-fiction.
DO remember, in your personal reading as well as in the exam, you will not need
to know the exact meaning of every word. Use clues like the title or any
pictures to help you understand what a text is about, and then try to read for
the main idea. Getting into this habit will help you to read quickly and
effectively.
DON’T choose an answer just because you see the same word in the text and in the
question option (‘word-spotting’). In all parts of the paper, seeing the same (or
similar) word in both text and question is no guarantee that you have found
the correct answer.
DON’T forget that in Part 3, introductory adverbs or phrases in the extracts must be
connected with the ideas which go before the gap (e.g. ‘However’ must be
preceded by a contrasting idea; ‘Another mistake we made...’ must be
preceded by a previous mistake, etc.).
DON’T forget that, if a Part 2 multiple-choice question is an incomplete sentence, the
whole sentence must match the text, not just the phrase presented as A, B, C
or D. The information in these options may be true in itself, but not work with
the sentence beginning you are given.
DON’T choose your answers too quickly in Part 3. Only start to look at the extracts
when you have a good idea of what the main text is about.