C2 Proficiency · Choose your activity
C2 Proficiency (CPE) Reading & Use of English
Understand the C2 Proficiency (CPE) paper, try a worked example, and choose a task to strengthen your reading, grammar or vocabulary.
Free practice samples and guidance · No account needed
Choose an exam task
Choose a task, try its free exercise and check the answers and explanations. Create an account for more practice.
Multiple-choice cloze
Choose words using vocabulary and context.
Open cloze
Complete gaps using grammar and meaning.
Word formation
Create the correct form of each word.
Key word transformations
Rewrite sentences with the same meaning.
Multiple choice
Read for detail and implied meaning.
Gapped text
Place missing paragraphs in a text.
Multiple matching
Match statements to the right section.
90 minutes · 7 parts · 53 questions
How does the C2 Proficiency Reading & Use of English paper work?
C2 Proficiency Reading and Use of English tests precise control of language and close reading of complex texts. Parts 1–4 reward exact knowledge of collocations, grammar and word families; Parts 5–7 ask you to follow argument, tone and implication across longer texts. Practise explaining why one option is precise and another is only nearly right.
- Total time
- 90 minutes
- Parts
- 7
- Questions
- 53
The time limit covers the whole paper. All parts are required in the exam; here you can choose an individual task to practise a particular skill.
| Part and task | Qs | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Multiple-choice clozeChoose the word that completes idioms, collocations and fixed phrases precisely. | 8 | 1 |
| Part 2: Open clozeSupply one word per gap, mostly grammar words, using the whole sentence. | 8 | 1 |
| Part 3: Word formationBuild the right form with prefixes, suffixes, internal changes or compounds. | 8 | 1 |
| Part 4: Key word transformationsKeep the meaning in 3–8 words, including the unchanged key word. | 6 | Up to 2 |
| Part 5: Multiple-choice readingRead for detail, opinion, tone, purpose and implication in a long text. | 6 | 2 |
| Part 6: Gapped textRestore missing paragraphs by following cohesion and the text’s structure. | 7 | 2 |
| Part 7: Multiple matchingFind the section that contains each detail, opinion or attitude. | 10 | 1 |
Marks are for each correct answer, not each part. Part 4 allows partial credit. Use the question counts to understand the paper, then review the type of mistake behind each answer rather than treating every gap as the same task.
Format reference: official C2 Proficiency exam format.
Try a C2 open cloze gap
Write one word in the gap. Read the whole sentence before you decide.
Original teaching example · No account needed
No sooner ______ the speaker sat down than the first question was asked.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: had
The complete sentence is: No sooner had the speaker sat down than the first question was asked.
When a sentence begins with the negative expression ‘No sooner’, the subject and auxiliary change places: had the speaker sat, not the speaker had sat. The past perfect shows that sitting down happened just before the question.
‘No sooner’ pairs with ‘than’, not ‘when’. Did is wrong here: ‘did the speaker sat’ is not grammatical, because did must be followed by the base form sit.
This is one short demonstration, not a complete exam part or an official Cambridge question.
Explore the C2 open cloze guide
The overview and worked example are public. Account-based exercises are available through the practice links.
How should I plan my practice?
Train precision, not just range
Most C2 errors are near misses: a collocation that is almost right, or a word form with the wrong prefix. When you check an answer, note exactly why the tempting alternative fails.
Read for the writer’s stance
In Parts 5–7, mark the phrases that signal attitude, contrast or concession before you choose. Ask what the writer implies, not only what they state.
Build a personal phrase bank
Record fixed phrases, idioms and word families from Parts 1–3 with an example sentence of your own. Test yourself on them in later sessions, then move on to timed mixed practice.