Classroom Activity

CAE Use of English Part 2 – teacher’s notes

Description

In this activity students complete some sentences with words which are typically gapped in
Part 2 so that they are aware of the test focus of this part. They then do a series of tasks
which helps them learn a procedure for completing open cloze text.

Time required:

15-20 minutes

Additional
materials
required:

none

Aims:

to make sure students know what type of words are commonly

tested in Part 2

to encourage students to read the whole text before filling in the

gaps

Procedure

1. Elicit from the class what they have to do in Part 2 – an open cloze task.

Part 2 consists of a text in which there are 15 gaps (plus one gap as an example).
Candidates use their knowledge of the structure of the language and understanding of the
text in order to fill the gaps. In this part, as there are no sets of words from which to choose
the answers, candidates have to think of a word which will fill the gap correctly. The focus of
the gapped words is either grammatical, such as articles, auxiliaries, prepositions, pronouns,
verb tenses and forms; or lexico-grammatical, such as phrasal verbs, linkers and words
within fixed phrases. The answer will always be a single word. In some cases, there may be
more than one possible answer and this is allowed for in the mark scheme. The absence or
misuse of punctuation is ignored, although spelling, as in all parts of the Use of English
paper, must be correct.

Remind students that answers can be written on the question paper but that they have to be
transferred to the answer sheet. Answers have to be written in pencil, in capital letters on the
answer sheet. Each correct answer receives one mark.

2. Give out the worksheet and ask students to do exercise 1. They can work in pairs.

3. Check through the answers.

4. Exercise 2 draws students’ attention to the types of words commonly tested in Part 2.

Make sure that students know what is being tested here – see the answer to 1 above. If
your students are not familiar with these grammatical terms, you may prefer to omit this
exercise or to do it with the students. Candidates will not be expected to know
grammatical terminology in the exam.

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CAE Use of English Part 2 – answer keys

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5. Look at exercise 3. Students could work in small groups and discuss the questions. The

aim here is to make sure students think about the topic so that when they come to do the
task, they will be able to consider the text as a whole more easily. Elicit the main points
discussed.

6. Exercise B is a suggested procedure for doing an open cloze task. Suggest that students

keep trying to build up the text as a whole rather than focus on individual gaps and
sentences.

7. Give out the sample task so students can work through it on their own, using the

knowledge they have learnt so far. Check the answers with the whole class.

Suggested follow-up activity

You could give groups of students a text and ask them to find 15 verbs, prepositions,
conjunctions and determiners etc. and to blank these words out. The students could then
give their text to another group who should complete the text with suitable words.

CAE Use of English Part 2 – answer keys

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CAE Use of English Part 2 – answer keys

Key to Student’s worksheet

Exercise 1

a) by b) for c) to

d) Although e) According f) being

Exercise 2

articles, auxiliaries, words within fixed phrases, prepositions, pronouns, linkers

Key to Sample Task

1 followed

2 little

3 the

4 for

5 to

6 Though/Although/While/Whilst

7 why

8 their

9 another

10 may/might/will

11 not/never

12 out

13 off

14 so

15 being

CAE Use of English Part 2 – answer keys

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CAE Use of English Part 2 – Student’s Worksheet

Exercise 1

Think of one word to complete each sentence.

a) The disease malaria is spread ………… mosquitoes.

b) We know that the most effective chemical ………… protecting people against

mosquitoes is diethyltoluamide.

c) The word diethyltoluamide is commonly shortened ………… deet.

d) …………

deet works well, it has some serious drawbacks.

e) ………… to the World Health Organisation, malaria affects millions of people

every year.

f) For the time …………, however, we have to continue spraying ourselves with

unpleasant liquids.

Exercise 2

What types of words have you used to complete the gaps? Underline the types of words you
have used in the list.

articles, auxiliaries, words within fixed phrases, prepositions, pronouns,
linkers

Exercise 3

Before you read the sample task below, discuss these questions with a partner:

a) Have you, or has anyone you know, ever been bitten by an insect like a

mosquito?

b) Do you have an allergic reaction to insect bites? What happens?

c) What do you think people can do to protect themselves against being bitten by

insects?

d) Do you think that insects are more attracted to some people than to others?

Exercise 4

Read the whole text to get a general understanding of the text. Do not fill in any gaps
yet.

Go through the text and fill in any gaps where you are quite sure you know the word
that fills the gap.

Read the whole text again.

Fill in some more gaps.

Keep reading the whole text and try to fill in all the gaps.

CAE Use of English Part 2 – answer keys

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CAE Use of English Part 2 – Sample Task

Mosquitoes

According to the World Health Organisation, malaria, a disease spread (0) ...by......

mosquitoes, affects millions of people every year. Everyone knows how irritating the noise

made by a mosquito, (1) …….. by a painful reaction to its bite, can be. It is astonishing that

so (2) …….. is known about why mosquitoes are drawn to or driven away from people, given

(3) …….. level of distress and disease caused by these insects. We know that the most

effective chemical (4) ……… protecting people against mosquitoes is diethyltoluamide,

commonly shortened (5) ……... deet. (6) …….. deet works well, it has some serious

drawbacks: it can damage clothes and some people are allergic to it.

Scientists know that mosquitoes find some people more attractive than others, but they do

not know (7) ……… this should be. They also know that people vary in (8) ……… reactions

to mosquito bites. One person has a painful swelling while (9) ……... who is bitten by the

same mosquito (10) ……… hardly notice. Scientists have (11) ……… discovered the reason

for this, but they have carried (12) ……… experiments to show that mosquitoes are attracted

to, or put (13) …….. by, certain smells. In the future, scientists hope to develop a smell that

mosquitoes cannot resist. This could be used in a trap (14) ……… that, instead of attacking

people, mosquitoes would fly into the trap and be destroyed. For the time (15) ……... ,

however, we have to continue spraying ourselves with unpleasant liquids if we want to avoid

getting bitten.

CAE Use of English Part 2 – answer keys

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