Answer Keys
Part 1
1 B – least. ‘At least’ is the only real collocation here that works with ‘at’. The other options could be ‘a little’ or ‘more or less’, however, we are always limited by the immediate context, in this case the preposition ‘at’.
2 A – appear. ‘Attract’, ‘inspire’ and ‘interest’ all require no preposition to be used with them.
3 D – rest. ‘For the rest of something’ means till the end of it. ‘Last days’ or ‘final days’ could also work in a slightly different context.
4 D – belongs. If something belongs to you, it means that you are the owner of it. You can also ‘own’ or ‘possess’ something – the given word forms would work better in the active voice, while in this sentence they use the passive voice.
5 B – addition. ‘In addition’ is an introductory phrase we use to add more arguments to a previously mentioned point. ‘Furthermore’ serves a similar function, but does not require the preposition ‘in’.
6 C – display. If you put something on display, you place it so as to make it easily noticeable in order for others to see it. Other options do not work with the preposition ‘on’.
7 A – consist. While other verbs have a very similar or even exactly the same meaning, none of them require ‘of’ to work – they are used without any preposition in this context.
8 B – contrast. If something is used in contrast to (or with) something else, they are compared to highlight their differences.
Part 2
9 of. ‘Types’ is a plural noun here, not a verb, so we use the preposition ‘of’ to specify the types further in the sentence.
10 spend. To spend time is to use it for something. Be careful not to answer ‘waste’ as it introduces a meaning that doing something is a bad way to spend time, which is not mentioned or implied in the sentence.
11 out. ‘To point out’ is a phrasal verb that means to indicate something, to draw somebody’s attention to something worth noting or looking at.
12 before. Keep in mind, that in English ‘to go to bed’ basically means ‘to fall asleep’. The meaning is not literal, in other words it does not mean walking to bed and lying down. ‘After’ is a wrong answer as it would make no sense.
13 been. This form of the verb ‘to be’ is needed for the Present Perfect Continuous tense used in this sentence.
14 have. This time we need ‘have’ to complete the Present Perfect Simple tense.
15 is. One can be tempted to give ‘tells’ as the answer – don’t, as advice cannot tell somebody to do something, this is not a widely-used collocation.
16 to. ‘To switch to something’ means to make a change, to go from one option to a different one.
Part 3
17 unhealthy. The only hint at the negative meaning (and the negative prefix un-) is the context of the second part of the sentence, how suntan was seen as something undesirable.
18 sailing. It is clear that we are looking for an adjective to modify the noun ‘holiday’ that comes after the gap. The only other possible thing that might come to mind is ‘sailor’, which of course makes little sense, especially keeping in mind Coco’s glamorous background. A sailing holiday is a holiday spent in the sea on a yacht or other similarly large sea vessel.
19 advice. All we do here is change the verb ‘to advise’ into the noun, ‘advice’. Word transformation is done by changing just one letter here. Additionally, do not pluralise, as there is no plural form that says ‘advices’. Instead, it is ‘pieces of advice’. Remember that in FCE Use of English Part 3 you are always expected to make a change to the original word. The answer can never be the same word.
20 unaffordable. Another case of context hinting at a negative form of the adjective.
21 impatient. The idea here is that some women were in a hurry to get suntan – they were impatient. The negative prefix ‘un-‘ does not work for ‘patient’, be careful not to make this common mistake.
22 variety. A noun that has the vowel in the middle transformed, so be careful with your spelling. A misspelled word does not give you any points, even if you get the idea of the word itself correctly.
23 scientist. The indefinite article before the gap hints at the singular form of the profession. Be sure to mind your spelling with this one.
24 irreversible. The negative form, that is rather tricky to spell right. If something is irreversible, it means that it cannot be returned to the previous state.
Part 4
25 would (regularly) talk to (the). It is important to understand why we need ‘would’ here as after that the words just fall into place. Here it has a similar meaning to ‘used to’ – that is, something that happened often in the past, but no longer does.
26 a long time since. If it has been a long time since something, it means it hasn’t happened for a while.
27 had/’d never realised. We have to use Past Perfect here to make it clear which event happened before the other. We use Past Perfect for the even that happened before the one we use in Past Simple. Past Perfect happens first, Past Simple takes place later.
28 which/that belonged to. We use the structure to outline the ownership of the toys here.
29 has been telling stories since. Use Present Perfect Continuous here as we are bound by the keyword ‘since’.
30 was walking through. We use a set of tenses to show that some shorter action took place during the longer action. He saw something (the short action) while he was having a walk (the longer action).
Part 5
31 C. The colours mentioned in the second sentence suggest that the person taking the picture is in some flower-rich location. However, they contrast it by stating that they are, in fact, are in a dry desert – a location that is not known to have rich and vibrant vegetation. Answers ‘A’ and ‘B’ are not mentioned. Whereas answer ‘D’ can be found in the text, it is only a minor observation rather than the main point of the paragraph.
32 C. The last two sentences of the second paragraph outline the author’s opinion here – they feel blessed to have the unique opportunity to witness some of the nature’s wonders first-hand. Answer ‘A’ is wrong as, as stated, the job pays ‘reasonably well’ – in other words, not too much or too little. Answer ‘B’ is not good as the author shares no opinion on the amount of travelling they have to do. Nothing about being proud is stated, so answer ‘D’ shouldn’t be picked.
33 B. The author admits that these events are not common, but also states that they are far from unique, once-in-a-lifetime occasions. The key phrase here is in the second sentence of paragraph three: “Tabloid headlines need to sell copies and imply …”. Other answers are incomplete or altogether false.
34 D. The middle of paragraph four goes: “Sadly, I’m never likely to see one anywhere apart from in a photograph.” This both helps us choose answer ‘D’ as the right one and eliminate answer ‘B’. Answer ‘C’ is wrong – even though he clearly admits not understanding the origin of the name, he does not say that he regrets not knowing it.
35 A. This is the only good answer, as the word ‘treated’ normally means something welcoming, pleasant or desirable. Even though the sight was something the author really wanted to see, the experience came with some negative aspects.
36 C. Third sentence of the penultimate paragraph states that ‘… for me it will always be about their magnificent beauty…’, which means that the visuals come first for the author, and the scientific explanation – second. The author does admit being fascinated by the scientific explanation of the events, but these are not too important for him.
Part 6
37 F. ‘It’ from sentence F refers to the scene described in the first paragraph. In other words, the claim that the Dutch are a happy nation finds its proof in the peaceful existence of their children who do not need to be monitored by their parents. Don’t be misled by the beginning of the sentence after the gap saying ‘their children…’. ‘Their’ refers to the nation, rather than a person – this might tempt some to choose sentence ‘D’ that mentions mums.
38 B. ‘This’ from sentence B refers to the practice of letting the kids develop naturally instead of forcing them to learn new things before they are ready to do that themselves. Answer ‘C’ is a trap here, as you don’t want to start the sentence with ‘instead’ when you have already introduced some contrast in the previous part.
39 G. This sentence gives examples of fathers taking on a more active role in the family, which in most countries is normally done by mothers.
40 D. This is the only sentence here that introduces the idea of self-sufficiency and learning to accept responsibilities at an early age.
41 A. The ‘concern’ mentioned here is caring too much about material possessions, luxury and other such things. The sentence after the gap reinforces the idea by showing what takes priority for children in the Netherlands.
42 E. The paragraph has a rather speculative mood – it is like the author is trying to guess the real reason for the higher levels of happiness among the Dutch. Sentence ‘E’ works great here to suggest a couple of possible reasons.
Part 7
43 A. The very first sentence mentions that the author wanted to impress her mother-in-law.
44 D. Last sentence says that the speaker lasted one hour – which means they had only worked there for an hour. Be careful not to give Speaker B as the answer – even though they got in trouble for telling the lie about not coming to work and had a talk with their boss, it does not mean that they got fired for it.
45 B. The difficult choice was between attending the son’s game and coming to a scheduled meeting. Speaker A didn’t face a difficult choice here, however it could be argued that she was choosing between telling the truth and lying, but then this could be applied to every single speaker in the exercise.
46 C. The speaker first says that they exaggerated, and they admit that it was indeed a lie.
47 A. Because the speaker did not like the dress at all and had to wear it to maintain the lie, she dreaded the event very much.
48 B. Last sentence mentions the speaker not fully knowing the negative results of their not telling the truth to their boss.
49 C. In the second part of their story, the speaker mentions ‘coming clean’ – that is, admitting to having told a lie.
50 D. Second sentence mentions that the speaker had hoped to ‘pick it up’ on the job – to pick something up here means to learn a skill, to get the basics of it in a short period of time.
51 B. The speaker mentions feeling a bit guilty about having to skip the meeting. If somebody does not enjoy something completely, it means they do not enjoy it to the fullest extent. Compare: didn’t enjoy at all.
52 A. She says to be way more careful about what they lie about – all at the end of the paragraph.
Vocabulary
The vocabulary below is meant to help you with the more difficult words. If the word isn’t on the list then you are either supposed to know it at this level or it is too specific to be worth learning for the exam. Symbols in brackets mean part of speech (see bottom of the list). Sentences in italics give examples of usage for some more complex words and phrases.
And remember — you are not given a vocabulary list (or a dictionary) at your real exam.
Part 1
Identity (n) – (here) who and what you feel you are, where you belong in life and so on. Boris is having an identity crisis now because he has had some serious difficulties at work recently.
Contribute (v) – to add to something, to take an active part in it. Jonathan always contributes to any project the most – this is why he is our most valuable employee.
Pieces (n, pl) – used here to mean pieces of furniture. His vast loft apartment had a few fashionable pieces placed at random with no apparent system or thought put into it.
Part 2
Restless (adj) – unable to calm down and relax, nervous without any reason. I feel restless whenever I see the Lakers play.
Emit (v) – to radiate, to give off something such as heat, light, or any other kind of visible or invisible energy.
Stare (v) – to look at something without hiding the fact of being interested in it, with your eyes wide open. I couldn’t help but stare at this car – it was the most bizarre automobile I’ve ever seen with my own eyes.
Disrupt (v) – to upset, change, or even destroy some established routine or system. The company’s operation was seriously disrupted by the pandemic regulations.
Restrict (v) – to implement some limitations.
Part 3, 4
Suntan, tan (n) – the light-brown colour one’s skin gets when regularly exposed to warm rays of sun.
Gravy (n) – a sauce-like liquid made in the process of frying meat. It can often be used as a part of dish or as a sauce. Mashed potatoes and gravy is my favourite dish ever and I would be happy to have it as my only food, but mom insists I should have more vegetables.
Stain (v) – to make something dirty, literally to put a stain on (a stain is a spot on an otherwise clean surface).
Accidental (adj) – made not intentionally, but as a coincidence. My accidental meeting with her changed both of our lives forever.
Convenient (adj) – easy, practical and helpful. The private car is still considered to be the most convenient form of transportation.
Part 5
Reflect on something (phr v) – to think about something carefully and for a long time. As I get older, I tend to reflect on my life more often.
Tread (v) – to walk or step in a certain way. It is often used for poetic effect or figuratively. For example, to tread lightly means to be careful about your words or choices.
Stunning (adj) – (here) shockingly impressive or memorable.
Scent (n) – smell. Can be used to talk about something natural and focuses on the sense or emotion it creates or evokes.
A one-off – something that happens only once (or sometimes, very rarely). A one-off opportunity like getting to have a dinner with the company president should not be missed!
Rush (n) – (here) a sudden movement of something.
Eclipse (n) – a natural phenomenon when the sun is covered by some other celestial object, usually its moon, leading to a brief moment of darkness during the day.
Once-in-a-blue-moon (adj) – a compound adjective that means that something is extremely rare.
Hype (n) – exaggerated, often artificially created excitement around something. Drake’s latest performance failed to live up to the hype surrounding it.
Inexplicable (adj) – impossible to explain. Tim’s inexplicable success could only be connected to his rich uncle’s untimely death and the inheritance that Tim was meant to get.
Soil (n) – the composition of earth (dirt). It is mostly a technical term, with earth or dirt being the more commonly used one in spoken English.
Cease (v) – (formal) to stop. The boss told us to cease our whining and get back to work.
Part 6
To go Dutch – specifically, ‘going Dutch’ means sharing the cost of something such as a meal at a restaurant, a bill or something else. In other words, everyone pays for themselves, rather than when somebody pays for the whole group. It has no direct meaning to the text, but is used as an introduction to the topic of Dutch approach to raising children.
Toddler (n) – a small child who has just started to walk.
Wobble (v) – to move from one side to another. If somebody wobbles on a bike, it means they keep steering left and right because they are just learning to maintain balance.
Perfect (v) – a verb that means to try and improve something to the point of making it ideal. Note that the pronunciation of the verb has the last syllable stressed: to perFECT.
Contented (adj) – happy and satisfied with your own life. Only after moving to the countryside did they really become contented with their place in life.
Counterpart (n) – a person who is similar or does the same thing as the other, but from a different place, like another country or company. Marine biologists from the UK and their Canadian counterparts are working together to solve the orca whale crisis.
Attitude (n) – the way you think or approach something. His attitude to work has gone worse since he got promoted, which is strange as he is now getting paid much more for doing pretty much the same job.
Push (v) – (here) if you push somebody to do something, you force or expect them to do it.
Vital (adj) – extremely important. It is vital that you make sure all the doors are locked before you leave.
Bonds (n) – social connections. We meet at least once a month to make sure our bonds remain strong.
Child-rearing (n) – the process of bringing up a child, parenting.
Pram (n) – a small wheeled child carrier. The old lady was pushing a pram with no baby inside – it was filled with groceries instead.
Self-sufficient (adj) – able to handle yourself without any outside help, independent.
Unsupervised (adj) – without somebody else watching you to ensure your safety.
Overly (adv) – too much. I am not too overly concerned about his success – I’m sure he will find his own way in life.
Part 7
Endure (v) – to experience something unpleasant, especially if it was going on for a long period of time. I had to endure his criticism for two straight years before he finally left the faculty.
Unaware (adj) – not knowing about something, oblivious of it.
Confess (v) – to admit to have done or said something that you feel is bad or wrong. It takes a lot of bravery to confess that you have made a mistake.
Assume (n) – to form an opinion about something that is not based on known facts, but on rumours or incomplete data. I have always assumed that he worked in the entertainment businesses because of the way he dressed and behaved.
Outdated (adj) – not fashionable or relevant because of how old it is. They are still using all kinds of outdated business practices at this company, like door-to-door salesmen.
Admire (v) – to openly say that you like something and approve of it.
Let somebody down – to upset somebody because they counted on you and you didn’t do what you promised.
Call in sick – to call your place of work and say that you will not be coming today because you are not feeling well.
Exaggeration (n) – if you exaggerate something, you make it seem more impressive, interesting or important than it really is. Telling that your brother works in the movies was a bit of an exaggeration as all he does is bring breakfast to the filming crew.
Come clean – to admin one’s mistakes or to confess that you have lied.
Silver service – a method of serving food where the waiter puts food piece by piece on the diner’s table. This is usually done with spoons or forks made of silver, hence the name.
Underestimate (v) – not to give enough importance to something, to think of something as not being too serious. If you underestimate your opponent’s strength, you are much more likely to be defeated.
Upmarket (adj) – more prestigious and expensive than average. The upmarket shops in this part of town often attract tourists and even local celebrities.