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 Part 3. 

DO read and re-read your answers in Part 2, 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 2 first, 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 2 and try to guess what is 

missing. 

DO  pay careful attention to references to places, people and things (pronouns) in Parts 

1 and 2.   

DO  fill what you think are the easy gaps first in Part 2, and leave the problem areas until 

last. 

DO read through your choices in all three parts of the paper to check that everything 

makes sense.  Check that you have matched all elements of the questions in Parts 

1 and 3 with the information in the text. Also check that linking words, tenses and 

time references all fit with the choices you have made in Part 2. 

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 2, 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 1 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 may not work with the 

sentence beginning you are given.