Six sentences, six key words, six gaps. Complete the second sentence so it means the same as the first, using the key word unchanged. Each answer is worth two marks, and each half of it is marked separately.
| Exam | Paper and part | Questions | Marks | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B2 First | Reading and Use of English, Part 4 | Q25-30 | 6 × 2 | Use of English |
| C1 Advanced | Reading and Use of English, Part 4 | Q25-30 | 6 × 2 | Use of English |
| C2 Proficiency | Reading and Use of English, Part 4 | Q25-30 | 6 × 2 | Use of English |
| Exam | Part | Words allowed, including the key word |
|---|---|---|
| B2 First | Part 4 | 2 to 5 |
| C1 Advanced | Part 4 | 3 to 6 |
| C2 Proficiency | Part 4 | 3 to 8 |
Most items combine a grammatical change with a lexical one: the passive with a phrasal verb, a conditional with a fixed expression. The marking splits the answer into those two halves, one mark each, so a partly correct answer still scores. Contractions count as two words.
A complete key word transformation task at B2 First level. Work it with the answers closed, then open the key.
For questions 25–30, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.
The committee has decided to postpone the meeting until next week.
PUT
The committee has decided (25) until next week.
I regret not telling Sarah the truth about the broken vase.
WISH
I (26) Sarah the truth about the broken vase.
Tom started learning the piano six years ago.
BEEN
Tom (27) the piano for six years.
It’s possible that Maria missed the last bus.
MAY
Maria (28) the last bus.
The film was so boring that I fell asleep halfway through.
SUCH
It (29) that I fell asleep halfway through.
I didn’t go to the gym because I was too tired.
IF
I would have gone to the gym (30) so tired.
Answer key
25. to put the meeting off (also accepted: to put off the meeting) — marks: to put … off (1) | the meeting (1) — ‘Put off’ means ‘postpone’. Because ‘the meeting’ is a noun, it can go either between the verb and the particle or after the particle; both orders are correct.
26. wish I had told (also accepted: wish I’d told, wish that I had told, wish that I’d told) — marks: wish I (1) | had told (1) — A regret about the past is expressed with ‘wish’ + past perfect. The negative ‘not telling’ becomes the positive ‘had told’, because you wish the opposite of what happened. ‘I’d’ counts as two words.
27. has been learning (also accepted: ’s been learning) — marks: has been (1) | learning (1) — An activity that started in the past and is still going on, with ‘for’ + a period of time, needs the present perfect continuous. ‘Has learnt’ is wrong because it does not use the key word.
28. may have missed — marks: may have (1) | missed (1) — Speculation about a past event uses a modal + ‘have’ + past participle. ‘May miss’ would refer to the future.
29. was such a boring film — marks: was such (1) | a boring film (1) — ‘So’ is followed by an adjective, but ‘such’ is followed by (a/an) + adjective + noun, so the noun ‘film’ must be added: ‘such a boring film’. ‘It’ at the start of the sentence needs the verb ‘was’.
30. if I hadn’t been (also accepted: if I had not been) — marks: if I (1) | hadn’t been (1) — This is a third conditional about an unreal past situation, so the if-clause needs the past perfect. Because I really was tired, the condition must be negative: ‘if I hadn’t been’. ‘Hadn’t’ counts as two words, so the answer has five.
The same task type at other levels: C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency.
More practice at every level is on the Cambridge Use of English samples page. The whole section in context is on the Cambridge Use of English page, and how it is marked is on the scoring page.
Written by Kirill O'Nayd
English test expert and educator at TestSucceed. He has spent years preparing candidates for Cambridge English Qualifications from A2 Key to C2 Proficiency, and taking apart how each paper awards its marks. See all TestSucceed preparation materials.