1. Before You Start the Reading Paper 📝
Before we practise Part 6, let’s understand the official exam rules. This helps you stay calm, manage your time and avoid mistakes that are not really about your English level.
⏱️ Time
You have 45 minutes for the complete Reading paper.
🔢 Total questions
The Reading paper has 32 questions in total.
✅ Marks
Questions 1–32 carry one mark each.
📌 Part 6
Part 6 has 6 questions: Questions 27–32.
Official candidate instructions
- Do not open the question paper until you are told to do so.
- Write your name, centre number and candidate number on your answer sheet.
- Read the instructions for each part carefully.
- Answer all the questions.
- Read the instructions on the answer sheet.
- Write your answers on the answer sheet. Use a pencil.
- You must complete the answer sheet within the time limit.
- At the end of the test, hand in both the question paper and your answer sheet.
Paper-based and digital-based exams: in the paper-based version, you write your answers on an answer sheet using pencil. In the digital-based version, you type your answer on screen. The skill is the same: read the text, understand the gap, and write one correct word.
Teacher tip: Part 6 is an open cloze. There are no options, so you need grammar, context and common English patterns. But don’t worry — we can train this. 💪
2. Welcome! Today We Are Going to Master Reading Part 6 🌟
Hello, my lovely students! Today we are going to practise Part 6 of the Cambridge B1 Preliminary Reading paper. This is the part where you read a text with gaps and write one word in each gap. 😊
I know this part can feel intimidating because Cambridge does not give you options. But please, do not panic. With enough training, you will learn to recognise the grammar pattern, the meaning of the sentence and the word that naturally completes the gap.
What are we going to do in this lesson?
🧩 Understand the task
We will learn exactly what Cambridge asks you to do in Reading Part 6.
📖 Analyse a real text
We will use the official text called The Natural History Museum.
🚫 Avoid common traps
We will see why students often lose marks with small grammar words.
✅ Solve step by step
We will solve Question 27 with a clear method you can repeat in the exam.
In this lesson, I want you to understand something important: Part 6 is not about inventing difficult vocabulary. It usually tests small but powerful words: determiners, prepositions, linkers, pronouns and grammar structures. We are going to make them feel easy. 🧠✨
3. What Do You Have to Do in Part 6? ✍️
In Reading Part 6, you read a short text with six gaps. For each gap, you must write one word. There are no multiple-choice options, so you need to use grammar and context.
Official instruction
Part 6
Questions 27–32
For each question, write the correct answer.
Write one word for each gap.
Real exam text — The Natural History Museum
This is one of my favourite places to visit. I’ve learned a huge amount about animals and plants (27) ………… time I’ve visited. I’ve even seen bits of rock from the moon!
The building’s really beautiful and it’s easy to find your way around. There are hundreds of interesting things on display, but (28) ………… you like dinosaurs the best time (29) ………… see them is during term-time. I’ve been twice in the school holidays and the queue was (30) ………… long that I wasn’t able to visit that part (31) ………… the museum.
You’ll probably want something to eat while you’re there. You can take (32) ………… own picnic and eat in the museum garden, or try one of the two museum cafés.
Important: in Part 6, your answer must be only one word. Do not write two words, even if the meaning feels correct.
4. Problems and Common Mistakes in B1 Reading Part 6 🚫
Part 6 is dangerous because the missing word is often small. Students sometimes look for a “big vocabulary word”, but Cambridge may only need a simple grammar word.
1. Writing more than one word
The instruction says one word for each gap. If you write two words, even if your idea is good, it will not follow the instruction.
2. Ignoring grammar before and after the gap
The words around the gap tell you what type of word is missing: preposition, determiner, linker, pronoun or auxiliary.
3. Translating directly from Spanish
Spanish expressions do not always match English expressions. For example, English says every time, not “all the times”.
4. Not checking the full sentence
The missing word must fit the whole sentence, not only the two words next to the gap.
Common Spanish-speaking student mistakes
| Problem | Incorrect example | Correct idea |
|---|---|---|
| Literal translation | ❌ all time I’ve visited | ✅ every time I’ve visited |
| Missing preposition | ❌ that part the museum | ✅ that part of the museum |
| Wrong infinitive pattern | ❌ the best time see them | ✅ the best time to see them |
| Confusing so and such | ❌ the queue was such long | ✅ the queue was so long |
| Wrong possessive determiner | ❌ take you own picnic | ✅ take your own picnic |
Teacher tip: Part 6 is a grammar detective task. Do not ask only “What does it mean?” Ask: What word does the grammar need here? 💛
5. Tips for Success and Strategies 🌟
Here is the method I want you to use every time you solve Reading Part 6. This method helps you stop guessing and start thinking clearly.
The 6-Step Reading Part 6 Strategy ⚡
- Read the title first. It gives you the topic.
- Read the whole text quickly. Understand the general meaning before answering.
- Look before and after the gap. The grammar around the gap is your biggest clue.
- Decide the type of word. Is it a preposition, pronoun, determiner, linker or auxiliary?
- Write one word only. Never write two words in one gap.
- Put the word back and reread. The sentence must sound natural and make sense.
For Question 27, what are we looking for?
| Clue | What it tells us | What we need |
|---|---|---|
| “I’ve learned a huge amount...” | The writer has learned repeatedly. | A word that shows repetition. |
| “... time I’ve visited” | This is a fixed expression. | every time |
| Present perfect: “I’ve learned” | The experience has happened more than once and connects to now. | A word that works with repeated visits. |
My advice: in Part 6, many answers are small words, but they are powerful. Train expressions like every time, so...that, part of and your own. 🧠
6. Solving Step by Step – Example from the Real Exam ✅
Now let’s solve Question 27 together. Remember: Part 6 gives you no options, so we must use grammar, context and natural English.
Question 27: The sentence
This is one of my favourite places to visit. I’ve learned a huge amount about animals and plants (27) ………… time I’ve visited.
Step 1: Understand the meaning
The writer is saying that each visit to the museum teaches them something. So we need a word that means “on each occasion”.
Step 2: Recognise the fixed expression
The natural English expression is: every time
We say every time I’ve visited to mean “on each visit”.
Step 3: Check that it is one word
| Possible answer | Problem or reason | Result |
|---|---|---|
| all | “all time I’ve visited” is not correct English. | Wrong |
| each | “each time I’ve visited” is possible English, but the most natural expected B1 answer here is “every”. | Not the target answer |
| every | “every time I’ve visited” is natural, grammatical and fits the meaning. | Correct |
Step 4: Put the answer back into the text
I’ve learned a huge amount about animals and plants every time I’ve visited.
This sentence now makes perfect sense: every visit gives the writer new knowledge.
Correct answer: every ✅
The correct answer is every. The phrase every time means “on each occasion”.
Teacher tip: learn common grammar chunks. In Part 6, recognising expressions like every time can give you easy marks.
7. Essential Grammar and Vocabulary Knowledge 📚
Reading Part 6 tests grammar in context. The missing words are often short, but they are essential for the sentence to work correctly.
Key expressions from “The Natural History Museum”
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| every time | on each occasion | I learn something new every time I visit. |
| if you like... | condition | If you like dinosaurs, visit during term-time. |
| the best time to... | the ideal moment for an action | The best time to see them is during term-time. |
| so...that | result structure | The queue was so long that I couldn’t enter. |
| part of | one section of something | That part of the museum was closed. |
| your own | belonging to you personally | You can take your own picnic. |
Common Part 6 grammar patterns
| Pattern | What it tests | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Determiners | Words before nouns | every time, your picnic, the museum |
| Prepositions | Small words that connect ideas | part of the museum, interested in animals |
| Infinitive with “to” | Purpose or action after certain nouns/adjectives | the best time to see them |
| Result clause | so + adjective + that | It was so long that I left. |
| Conditional | if + subject + verb | If you like dinosaurs, go in term-time. |
| Possessive adjective | Shows who something belongs to | your own picnic |
Useful mini-checklist for each gap
| Question to ask | Why it helps | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Is the missing word before a noun? | You may need a determiner or possessive. | your own picnic |
| Is the missing word after an adjective? | You may need a result structure or preposition. | so long that... |
| Is there a verb after the gap? | You may need “to”, “if”, or another grammar connector. | time to see |
| Is it a fixed expression? | Cambridge often tests common chunks. | every time, part of |
Teacher tip: Part 6 improves quickly when you study grammar chunks, not isolated words. Think in phrases: every time, part of, so...that. 🧠
8. Final Advice: Never Leave an Answer Blank 🌈
My dear students, please remember this: never leave a Reading answer blank. Cambridge tells you to answer all the questions, so give yourself every possible chance.
How many marks is Part 6 worth?
The Reading paper has 32 questions, and Questions 1–32 carry one mark each.
Part 6 has 6 questions, Questions 27–32, so this part is worth 6 marks out of 32.
That means every gap matters. Even if you are not completely sure, write the word that fits best with the grammar and meaning. A blank answer has no chance, but a careful answer might be correct.
Final teacher tips 💛
- Read the title first to understand the topic.
- Read the whole text quickly before answering.
- Look at the words before and after each gap.
- Ask yourself what type of word is missing.
- Write one word only.
- Check fixed expressions like every time, so...that and part of.
- Answer every question. Do not leave blanks.
Remember this ❤️
You do not need to know every word to succeed in Reading Part 6. You need to understand the sentence, recognise the grammar pattern and write one natural word. With practice, this part becomes much less scary and much more predictable.
Source
This activity is based on the official Cambridge B1 Preliminary Sample Paper (2022) – Reading and Use of English: Part 6.
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Official Cambridge B1 RUE Part 6 - The Natural History Museum
Questions 27 – 32
For each question, write the correct answer.Write one word for each gap.
The Natural History Museum
This is one of my favourite places to visit. I’ve learned a huge amount about animals and plants 27 ………… time I’ve visited. I’ve even seen bits of rock from the moon!
The building’s really beautiful and it’s easy to find your way around. There are hundreds of interesting things on display, but 28 ………… you like dinosaurs the best time 29 ………… see them is during term-time. I’ve been twice in the school holidays and the queue was 30 ………… long that I wasn’t able to visit that part 31 ………… the museum.
You’ll probably want something to eat while you’re there. You can take 32 ………… own picnic and eat in the museum garden, or try one of the two museum cafés.
Question 27
Write one word.
Question 28
Write one word.
Question 29
Write one word.
Question 30
Write one word.
Question 31
Write one word.
Question 32
Write one word.