Part 1
1 A – contrast. If something is in contrast with something else, then it is very different from it. ‘In disagreement’ is another legit collocation here, but as its form suggests, it does not agree with something, i.e. it does not work well with it.
2 B – consists. Just like in the previous case, we have to choose a word that works well with the preposition that comes after the gap. All three other options would normally be used without any preposition.
3 A – start. To start off is a phrasal verb that means to begin a journey. ‘Depart’ needs no preposition, ‘leave’ could be used with ‘for’ here, e.g. ‘He left for another country many years ago’.
4 D – scene. We are looking for a phrase here that expresses the idea of something we can see (witness). The word ‘scene’ works the best. In some languages the word ‘stage’ might have a similar meaning, be careful not to get fooled by this similarity.
5 B – tendency. If you have a tendency to do something, it means you do it often, you are likely to do it. We say ‘to have a habit of doing something’, which is why we can’t use it here. The word ‘custom’ is more appropriate for a cultural thing, and since we are talking about butterflies, it just doesn’t work too well here.
6 A – addition. The paragraph focuses on how these butterflies benefit nature, and the introductory phrase ‘in addition’ helps us to name another benefit they have.
7 B – face. If you face something, especially something negative, such as danger or threat, it means that you are likely to be affected by it. Other verbs here do not collocate with ‘danger’.
8 C – least. We use ‘at least’ here to introduce a positive aspect in an otherwise negative context of the paragraph.
Part 2
9 had. We use Past Perfect to show that he first converted it into a studio and then, understandably, began to work there. Even if you, like many other students of this level, feel overwhelmed by Past Perfect tense, there is not much room for choice here.
10 would. Use ‘would’ to show a repeated action in the past that no longer happens. In that role it is very similar to the more common structure ‘used to do something’.
11 since. Be careful not to answer ‘after’ – first, because we have a word ‘since’ that suggests the usage of Perfect Tense. Secondly, with ‘after’ the idea of it still being a museum gets lost.
12 like. Here we talk about the resemblance of the current design of his house and that existed during the sculptor’s lifetime.
13 is. We use the auxiliary ‘to be’ to introduce a so-called ‘cleft sentence’. It is used to shift the focus of the sentence as well as to make it more impactful.
14 get. To get a sense of something means to understand what something is like. While ‘have’ technically works in this context, it does not indicate the idea of change, i.e. starting to understand what kind of daily life the sculptor had.
15 say. An introductory phrase that is usually used with statements that might seem obvious or unnecessary.
16 up. If you look up to somebody, it means you have profound respect for them, you see them as an idol.
Part 3
17 impolite. In contrast with the first part of the sentence, we are looking for a negative adjective here. Then the only thing remaining is to find the right negative prefix.
18 popularity. To gain in popularity means to become more widespread, to turn into a more popular option.
19 affordable. Do not be tricked into using the word ‘affording’ as there is no such adjective.
20 dissatisfied. The context sends a clear signal that a negative word is needed. Note that ‘dissatisfied’ is more commonly seen in phrases like ‘dissatisfied with something’, whereas there is also ‘unsatisfied’ that is more appropriate as a descriptive adjective, e.g. ‘unsatisfied people’.
21 unappealing. Yes another negative adjective, unappealing means not attractive or interesting to somebody.
22 identity. ‘Identity of the gift giver’ is just a fancy way of saying ‘the person you got the gift from’. Identity in relation to people means the who the person is, e.g. ‘the identity of the criminal remains unknown’. This means that they do not know who the criminal is, such as his name or background.
23 insensitive. If something or somebody is insensitive, it means that they do not take other people’s feelings into account.
24 irresponsible. An irresponsible action is one that you choose not to be accountable for because you are not aware of the consequences or simply do not care.
Part 4
25 stopped taking karate lesson when / gave up karate lesson when / last took karate lesson when. Note that the verb pattern is “to stop doing something”, but “to give up something”. This is a rare case when you have plenty of freedom with the phrasing. Remember that as long as you stay within the word limit and keep the meaning of the original sentence the same, you are free to phrase your answer however you want.
26 turn out as / turn out how / turn out the way. To turn out means to have something as a result, e.g. “the party turned out to be a great success”. Once again you are given plenty of choice in phrasing your answer.
27 has just gone up. The usage of Present Perfect is needed here to stress that the price increase happened at this very moment. The word ‘just’ usually implies the usage of a Perfect tense.
28 while I was. A combination of a continuous tense for a longer action (“was skiing”) and a shorter action that took place during the long one (“I met Tom”).
29 to have a subscription to. You might get confused by the two cases of ‘have’ here. One is a modal, with a meaning “need to”, the other one is used in the more traditional sense. The meaning here is that you need to have a subscription.
30 (often) used to chat to. We choose “used to” for repeated actions in the past that no longer take place.
Part 5
31 B. Last two sentences of Paragraph 1 make it clear that the real reason people choose to take part is marathons is because they find it fun, they enjoy it. While all other reasons are mentioned, they are later said to be ‘secondary’ – in other words, not as important.
32 C. The marathon itself didn’t feel like much when the author crossed the finish line. Questions like these are easy to answer and difficult to explain – all it takes to get it right is to be aware of the immediate context.
33 C. Last two sentences of Paragraph 3 mention that the most demanding part of training was forcing yourself to run everyday, despite being exhausted. Note that the answers mention all of the things listed in the paragraph. In a situation like this, look for cue words or phrases like ‘most importantly’, ‘the main thing’ and others with a meaning that stresses the importance of what is said. Additionally, mentioning the most important aspect is a very common practice in FCE Reading tasks.
34 B. The author did not expect such warm reception by other marathon runners. Answer A is not good as the author mentions to have had enough rest along the way. Answer C is wrong as the tents provided were big and comfortable. Finally, the forecast was good, so we do not want to choose Answer D.
35 A. ‘To bargain for something’ means to choose it, to accept it willingly. Knowing this, we now understand that the meaning has to be negative, so answers B, C and D can be eliminated.
36 B. The answer is in the first sentence of the last paragraph, but in a tricky way, by stating the opposite: “[taking part] is nothing to be ashamed of”. Nothing about being disappointed is mentioned. The opposite of Answer A is said – the author is convinced that they will not be taking part in that again.
Part 6
37 E. We are given examples of the older versions of special effects in this sentence. Then, the question of ‘how did they do that’ refers to the tsunamis and the fires mentioned in sentence E. This one is a very straightforward choice as all other options clash with the immediate context here.
38 C. The example of Gollum from LoTR complements the first one, Tom Hanks’ character. Both focus on the new technology of projecting (superimposing) computer imagery onto a real actor. You might feel tempted to use sentence A here because both it and the next sentence mention performance capture. However, the plural ‘they’ from sentence A does not agree with the singular ‘animated character’ from the previous sentence.
39 A. ‘… any action’ from the sentence before the gap is what helps us make the choice here. Flying and riding animated monsters are all great examples of such actions. The word ‘fakery’ might push you to choose the negative option of sentence F, but it does not make sense with the sentence after the gap talking about positive aspects of computer graphics.
40 D. Perhaps the most difficult choice in this task, it is easier to guess the right sentence after you have made more informed and educated picks in all other parts of this task. There are no clear contextual clues here. I advise you to leave the most challenging cases like this for last and then narrowing down your choice, then picking the most fitting one.
41 G. This time, the choice is almost too obvious. We get to choose an introductory sentence that should work well to present a new topic – this time, it is the previously mentioned language aspect. This is then expanded upon in the following sentences, talking about the possibilities of translating the movie and doing the previously impossible lip synchronisation, so that the actors can appear to be talking in any language imaginable.
42 B. A good sentence here to stress the idea of progress and how unbelievable future developments can be.
Part 7
43 B. By change of environment, the speaker means moving to another country, and probably also looking for a different kind of weather as well. Both fit their desire to move to London, where you can figuratively get all four seasons within the same day.
44 A. It is easy to guess that the speaker is a teacher, and they normally get long summer breaks between academic years. This is why people might envy them: “I know many of my friends wish they had a break like I do…”
45 D. The speaker used to love summer, but recently they have developed an allergic reaction to pollen, so summers are much less enjoyable for them now.
46 C. Here she mentions a particular scientific hypothesis: people living in harsh Siberian climate have shorter legs and arms so that their bodies could retain heat easier.
47 A. As the speaker has to work with children, they express a desire to have a break from all of that during summer. She also states that it can be difficult as their own holidays coincide with those of other families.
48 A. She concedes that she would probably enjoy summer and all summer-related activities more if she had been a parent. But she is not, so she finds it more difficult to appreciate fully.
49 B. Speaker B is unhappy that the weather never changes, she finds it too boring and predictable. She complains about lack of surprises in that regard.
50 D. Allergy to pollen that appears in summer is the health problem mentioned in the task.
51 B. Because it is way too hot during the day, the speaker says that mornings and late evenings are more preferable if she wants to be outside.
52 C. According to the speaker, most people from their country are used to the winter months. However, the speaker herself resents winter and can’t get accustomed to the cold.
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
Stunning (adj) – shockingly beautiful, very attractive. Their live performance was a stunning show of roaring rock music, smoke and lasers.
Species (n) – an animal of a particular kind. Note that both the plural and the singular form is the same for this word, so it normally has to be guessed from context.
Pollinate (v) – to transfer pollen from one flower to another. Effectively, this is the basic form of plant reproductive cycle.
Part 2
Property (n) – (here) something that you own, an asset.
Outskirts (n) – a part of a bigger city that is situated far away from the centre, usually on the very edge of the habitated area. Life on the outskirts of London is much less glamorous than in the city centre.
Latter (adj) – (here) the second part. Normally used in combination with ‘former’ to refer to the first and second things mentioned. You could either work as a postman or get a job at the factory – I would recommend the latter.
Bury (v) – when a person dies, they are usually buried in a coffin.
Pay respects – to express your respect or gratitude to a dead person by visiting their burial site, laying flowers there, and so on.
Part 3, 4
Tidy (adj) – clean, uncluttered, without any unnecessary things. My brother’s room is always so tidy that sometimes I can’t help thinking that nobody lives there.
Unwritten rules – things that should be obvious and are not talked about because everybody knows them.
To pass on (phr v) – to give something after it has been given to you, either because you don’t want it, or because you no longer need it for whatever reason. I would mostly wear old clothes that were passed on to me by my older siblings.
Outcome (n) – the result. Even in the final quarter the outcome of the game was uncertain.
Petrol (n) – this is what they call gas in America.
Part 5
Tough, toughest (adj) – (here) physically demanding, very tiring. Working in the warehouse is pretty tough, but at least the pay is good.
Dense (adj) – (here) thick with vegetation and difficult to get through because of that.
Established (adj) – tried previously, known for the fact that it works. Dentistry has always been an established career path in our family.
A big deal (informal) – something important, that is worth paying attention to. It might not sound like a big deal to anybody else, but getting that promotion really means something to me.
Sign up (phr v) – if you sign up for something, you join it or agree to do it. When the teacher asked if anybody wanted to help with decorating, I signed right up.
Build something up – to gradually increase something. Building my client base up took years, but it was really worth it in the end.
Persuade (v) – to make somebody change their mind, to convince. Rick persuaded me to go on a skiing trip with them, and I never regretted coming.
Straightforward (adj) – easy to follow or understand, not complicated. There is no straightforward way to success in this business, some things depend on luck or chance.
Part 6
Advances (n) – (here) progress, development. Advances in the mobile phone industry are hard to keep track of even for the most keen tech geeks.
Substitute (v) – to change one thing with another one. You can easily substitute sugar in your diet with more healthy alternatives.
Relieved (adj) – feeling relief, having a sense of easiness because something dangerous or unpleasant is not threatening you anymore.
Dazzle (v) – (here) to impress with beautiful visuals. Visitors to this shop are dazzled by the impressive choice of various fabrics from all over the world.
Superimpose (v) – to put one thing on top of the other, e.g. to combine two pictures in order to reach a certain visual effect.
Fakery (n) – a collective word to talk about something that is not real, used negatively.
Brim (n) – the outer edge of something. The glass was full to the brim and the water was about to start pouring over onto the table.
Mismatching (adj) – not fitting together well. The car had a lot of rust, and the body panels were mismatching in fit and colour.
Outdated (adj) – no longer good or relevant because it is too old. Our classroom still has these outdated computers that barely work.
Plot twist – a case when a situation or a story changes suddenly and unpredictably. Ridley Scott is famous for plot twists in his movies.
Interact (v) – to communicate, to act affecting one another. You will be interacting with your teacher on a daily basis, so you better stay on friendly terms.
Haunting (adj) – scary and making you feel uneasy. The haunting emptiness of the house was alarming.
Gasp (v) – to breathe in a loud way as a result of a shock or a surprise.
Part 7
Envious (adj) – feeling bad because somebody has something you want. Most girls in our class are envious of Mary’s long, wavy hair.
Resent (v) – to feel angry and bitter at something, especially something you cannot change. I resented every minute of that stupid meeting.
Predictability (n) – a situation when it is easy to know or guess what is going to happen next; used negatively here.
Down (n) – (here) break from work, vacation.
Drawback (n) – a disadvantage, a negative aspect of something.
Inevitably (adv) – happening no matter what. No matter how good the weather forecast seemed ,we would inevitably find ourselves under grey rainy sky during the trip.
Overrun (adj) – (here) full of. The shops are overrun with eager customers during this part of the day.
Beef (n) – a slang word for ‘complaint’ or ‘dislike’. I don’t really understand your beef with George – you were getting along so well last year.
Torrential (adj) – (about rain) very intense. Torrential rainfall is very common in this tropical climate.
Sap (v) – to slowly make weaker. You could feel her monotonous speech sapping energy from everybody in the audience.
Detest (v) – to dislike something intensely.
Come down with something – to become ill with something. Coming down with a cold is the last thing I need in the middle of the exams.
Limbs (n, pl) – your arms and legs. People with longer limbs are believed to be good at sports.
Buzz (n) – (here) excitement. The buzz of this party really put everybody in the right mood.
Pollen (n) – coloured flower dust that is used in the process of plant reproduction.
Sneeze (v) – when you let air out of your noise rapidly because it was irritated by something or when you have the flu.
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