CPE Use of English Examination Practice

The “CPE Use of English Examination Practice” is a practice book designed for students preparing for the CAE and CPE exams. However, it is also beneficial for advanced students looking to refine their skills in the challenging area of English structures and usage.

The Teacher’s Guide is a separate book that includes answers to the exercises in the student’s book, along with notes on word usage and other relevant points.

How the book is organized

Each unit is divided into three main sections: Presentation, Consolidation, and a Practice Test.

Presentation

This section provides a concise overview of grammar structures, followed by graded exercises that focus on the various linguistic phenomena introduced.

Consolidation

This section includes:

• Cloze passages – Texts with 20 blanks to be filled with appropriate words.
• Phrasal verbs – Clearly structured tables highlighting phrasal verbs, accompanied by relevant exercises. (To be used alongside Appendix 1.)
• Idioms – Idiomatic expressions presented in colored tables with corresponding exercises. (To be used with Appendix 2.)
• Prepositions – Verbs, nouns, and adjectives followed by prepositions, organized alphabetically and tested in sentence form. (To be used with Appendix 3.)
• Rephrasing exercises – Sentences rewritten based on a given keyword or passages with blanks requiring information drawn from other tests.
• Sentence completion exercises – Sentences with blanks to be completed with the appropriate word(s).
• Note expansion exercises – Notes expanded into full sentences.
• Mistake identification exercises – Sentences containing deliberate mistakes for students to identify and correct.
• Proverbs – Commonly used proverbs explained through exercises.
• Word usage – Passages and sentences to be completed using the most appropriate word choice from sets of synonyms.
• Collocations – Exercises designed to familiarize students with natural word combinations.

Practice Test

This section consists of complete Use of English practice tests, formatted similarly to Cambridge Proficiency Examination Paper 3.

At the end of the book, appendices on phrasal verbs, idioms, prepositions, and verbal constructions serve as helpful study aids for students and assist teachers in assessing their students’ proficiency in these complex areas of English.

How to use the book

The book is designed for both classroom use and self-study. Teachers are encouraged to adapt the material to their students’ needs and teaching preferences. Since the content is structurally graded, it is intended to be practiced progressively throughout the course.