Cambridge B2 First Practice

The past continuous describes an action in progress when another event interrupted it.

A third conditional uses would have + past participle in the main clause.

Where refers to a place, so it introduces the relative clause about the house.

Reported questions usually shift the tense back, so present perfect becomes past perfect.

The passive form is must + be + past participle, so the structure shows a strong obligation in the passive voice. Example: 'The report must be finished by Friday.'

Must not expresses a strong prohibition, so the speaker is saying that the action is not allowed. For example: 'You must not use your phone during the exam.'

After wish, a past tense expresses a present unreal situation.

Suggest is followed by a gerund, not an infinitive, so the correct pattern is 'suggest doing something'. Example: 'She suggested going to the museum.'

By + a future time needs the future perfect to show an action will be finished before that time. Example: 'By Friday, I will have finished the report.'

So + adjective + that introduces a result clause showing the consequence of a quality. Example: 'The test was so difficult that many students struggled.'

The main clause after although needs a subject and verb; they refers to the players.

Be used to is followed by a gerund because it describes being accustomed to an action. Example: 'I am used to working late.'

A finished time in the past requires the past simple.

Not only at the start causes subject-verb inversion, so the auxiliary moves before the subject. Example: 'Not only did she pass, but she also scored the highest mark.'

Make + object uses the bare infinitive without 'to'. Example: 'The teacher made us repeat the sentence.'

Interested in is the correct prepositional phrase, so the adjective is always followed by 'in' before the object. Example: 'She is interested in learning languages.'

So + adjective + that gives the result of the action and connects a quality to its consequence. Example: 'The film was so boring that we left early.'

Would rather + subject uses a past tense for a present preference.

It's time + subject often uses a past subjunctive form to express that something should happen now or soon. Example: 'It's time we left.'

A non-defining relative clause needs which for things and is set off with commas. Example: 'The laptop, which I bought yesterday, is already updated.'

Deny is followed by a gerund, so the correct pattern is 'deny doing something'. Example: 'He denied breaking the window.'

The earlier action in the past needs the past perfect.

Comparative structures use the + comparative in both clauses to show a connected result. Example: 'The more you practice, the better you become.'

Mind is followed by a gerund when asking or talking about willingness. Example: 'Would you mind closing the door?'

Although introduces a subordinate clause with a subject and verb.

Indirect questions keep statement word order and shift the tense back.

Hardly + past perfect triggers inversion when one action happened immediately before another. Example: 'Hardly had we left when it started raining.'

Needn't have + past participle criticises an unnecessary past action that was already completed. Example: 'You needn't have brought so much food.'

Measure is the noun meaning a step or action taken to achieve a result.

Significant means important or meaningful, so it describes something with real value or impact. Example: 'The results show a significant improvement.'

An adverb is needed before the adjective successful to modify it. Example: 'The campaign was highly successful.'

Reliable means able to be trusted or depended on, often used for people, machines, or sources. Example: 'She is a reliable colleague who always meets deadlines.'

Nevertheless introduces a contrast, like however, and usually appears at the start of a sentence. Example: 'The task was hard; nevertheless, we finished on time.'

Revealed means made known or shown, often after something was hidden. Example: 'The report revealed the true cost of the project.'

A noun is needed after the possessive adjective her. Example: 'She presented her ideas clearly to the team.'

Reduce stress is the correct verb-object collocation, so 'reduce' combines naturally with 'stress'. Example: 'Regular exercise can help reduce stress.'

Difficult decision is the standard collocation in this context. Example: 'Choosing a university was a difficult decision for her.'

Consistent with is the correct prepositional phrase and connects two matching things. Example: 'The evidence is consistent with the witness's account.'

Subsequently means after something else happened and is often used in formal writing. Example: 'The team tested the product and subsequently released it.'

Put off means postpone, so it describes delaying an event or task. Example: 'They put off the meeting until next week.'

The present perfect needs the past participle risen, not the past simple rose. Example: 'Prices have risen sharply this year.'

An adjective is needed after It is to describe the subject. Example: 'It is important to arrive early.'

Argued fits the context of presenting a reasoned opinion with supporting points. Example: 'The professor argued that the plan was too expensive.'

Abundant means existing in large quantities, so there is more than enough of something. Example: 'The region has abundant natural resources.'

Capable of is the correct phrase and is followed by a noun or gerund. Example: 'The software is capable of analyzing large datasets.'

An adjective is needed after the verb describes as to complete the description. Example: 'The article describes the service as efficient.'

Despite is followed by a noun phrase, not a clause. Example: 'Despite the rain, the event continued.'

Beneficial means producing a good or helpful result, often used for actions, habits, or treatments. Example: 'Drinking water is beneficial for your health.'

An adjective is needed after is to describe the subject of the sentence. Example: 'The new policy is effective.'

An adverb is needed before the past participle damaged to show degree. Example: 'The package was severely damaged in transit.'

Cut waiting times means reduce them, so 'cut' is used as a verb meaning to lower. Example: 'The new system will cut waiting times for patients.'

A noun is needed after the possessive adjective his. Example: 'He explained his reasons before making a decision.'

Enormous means extremely large, much bigger than usual. Example: 'They faced an enormous challenge when the system failed.'

Play a role is the standard collocation when describing involvement in something. Example: 'Technology plays a key role in modern education.'

In addition to introduces something extra, like as well as.

The passive form needs the past participle accepted after the auxiliary be. Example: 'The application was accepted by the university.'

Reading the whole text first helps you understand the overall meaning and answer more accurately.

Identifying the required part of speech is the key to word formation.

Spelling is tested directly, so one wrong letter can lose the mark.

Targeted checking catches careless errors without wasting time, so focus on the most common problem areas first. Example: 'Read for spelling, then grammar, then meaning.'

Part 1 is a multiple-choice cloze with four options per gap.

Part 2 is an open cloze where you write a suitable word for each gap.

Part 3 gives a base word and asks you to form a related word.

You must use the given key word in a particular form without changing it.

Part 5 is based on a long text that may come from a range of sources.

The last question in Part 6 tests global understanding of the text.

Dictionaries are not allowed in Cambridge English exams, so candidates must rely on vocabulary they already know. Example: 'Use context clues to guess unknown words.'

Candidates are expected to complete answer sheets in pencil so answers can be corrected cleanly if needed. Example: 'Transfer answers carefully at the end of the paper.'

Prefixes, suffixes and compounds change or build words; punctuation is not word formation.

Skimming, scanning and highlighting key words save time; translating every word is too slow.

Modals, conditionals and reported speech are core B2 grammar; punctuation is not the focus.

Part 5 uses extended texts such as articles, stories and guides, not shopping lists.

Collocations, phrasal verbs and word families build usable vocabulary; lists without context are weak.

Time management, checking and reading instructions are essential; transfer answers carefully to the answer sheet.

Part 1 is multiple-choice cloze, Part 2 is open cloze, Part 3 is word formation and Part 4 is transformations.

Parts 5-7 have distinct task types, and the whole paper needs strong time management.

These examples show common prefixes and suffixes used in word formation.

These are standard vocabulary terms tested through B2 reading and use of English.

Each strategy serves a different purpose under time pressure, so choose the one that matches the question type. Example: 'Skim for general meaning, then scan for details.'

Each example illustrates one core B2 grammar structure and shows how it works in a realistic sentence. Example: 'Use them to notice patterns before the exam.'