FCE gapped text (Reading Part 6): how to put the text back together
The FCE gapped text is Reading Part 6: a text with 6 sentences removed, and you choose which sentence fits each gap from a list that includes at least one extra sentence. It tests how well you follow the structure of a text, using reference words, linkers and topic. It is part of our Reading and Use of English guide.
By Eleanor BennettLast updated:
What Part 6 tests
In Part 6 you read one text with 6 gaps where sentences have been removed. The missing sentences are listed after the text, in a different order, and there is at least one extra sentence that does not fit anywhere. Each sentence can be used only once. Each correct answer is worth 2 marks, so this part is worth 12 of the 42 Reading marks.
Part 6 tests text structure: how sentences and paragraphs connect. To find the right sentence, you need to notice small clues:
- Reference words: this, that, these, it, they, such, the latter, one. They must point back to something before the gap, and the sentence after the gap may refer to the missing sentence.
- Linkers: however, as a result, what's more, instead, even so. They show contrast, result, addition or example.
- Time and sequence: at first, later, by then, eventually, and changes of tense.
- Topic and vocabulary: synonyms and repeated ideas that connect the sentence to the paragraph.
Linkers are essential in this part, so our linking words guide is good preparation. The paraphrase skills from Part 5 multiple choice also help, and the scanning skills from Part 7 multiple matching will speed you up.
Strategy, step by step
- 1
Read the main text first, ignoring the gaps
Read the whole text to understand the story or argument. Notice how each paragraph develops. This takes about three minutes and saves time later.
- 2
Read the removed sentences
Read sentences A to G quickly. Underline reference words, linkers and names in each one. These are your clues.
- 3
Look before AND after each gap
The missing sentence must connect to the sentence before it and the sentence after it. Many students only check before; the sentence after is often the deciding clue.
- 4
Start with the easiest gaps
Some gaps have very clear clues, such as a name or a strong linker. Fill these first. Fewer options remain for the harder gaps.
- 5
Check the reference words make sense
If a sentence starts with They, ask: who are they in the paragraph? If there is no possible answer, the sentence does not belong there.
- 6
Read the full text at the end
Read the whole text with your sentences in place. It should flow naturally. Check that the extra sentence really fits nowhere.
Common traps
Trap: Choosing a sentence because it shares a word with the sentence before the gap.
Fix: Topic words often appear in several paragraphs. Check the grammar and logic too: do the reference words and linkers work?
Trap: Only checking the sentence before the gap.
Fix: The sentence after the gap is equally important. If it starts with But or This, your chosen sentence must make that contrast or reference possible.
Trap: Changing an early answer after you have built the rest on it.
Fix: If two sentences seem to fit one gap, try the other sentence elsewhere. Usually only one arrangement works for all six gaps.
Trap: Forgetting the extra sentence.
Fix: There is at least one sentence you won't use. It is usually on the same topic, so it looks possible. Check its reference words carefully.
Trap: Ignoring tense changes.
Fix: If the paragraph is in the past and the sentence talks about now, the sentence probably belongs at the end, where the writer moves to the present.
Worked example: an original gapped text
The task
Three sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from A–D the sentence which fits each gap. There is one extra sentence you do not need.
From car park to vegetable patch
When the council announced that the empty car park on Hollis Street would become a community garden, few residents believed it would happen. (1) ___ Within a year, however, the first vegetables were growing in raised beds built from old wooden pallets.
The project depended entirely on volunteers. (2) ___ Some came every weekend; others could only spare an hour a month. Yet the organisers insisted that every contribution mattered.
Not everything went smoothly. (3) ___ The solution turned out to be surprisingly simple: a rota pinned to the gate.
A Most of them had never grown anything more ambitious than a pot of herbs. B The site had been empty for over a decade, and similar promises had been made before. C Watering, in particular, caused arguments, as nobody wanted the job in hot weather. D This meant that the gardeners had to buy all their own tools.
- 1.
Gap 1: The sentence before says residents didn't believe it would happen. The sentence after starts with however and says it did happen. So the gap must give a reason for the doubt. Sentence B explains why people were sceptical: the site had been empty for years and promises had been broken. Answer: B.
- 2.
Gap 2: The sentence before mentions volunteers. Sentence A starts with Most of them, and them refers back to the volunteers. The sentence after continues to describe them (Some came... others...). Answer: A.
- 3.
Gap 3: Not everything went smoothly introduces a problem, and the sentence after mentions the solution. Sentence C gives the problem (arguments about watering), and a rota is a sensible solution. Answer: C.
- 4.
Sentence D is the extra one. This meant that needs a cause before it, but no gap has a cause about money or tools. It also doesn't match the idea of recycled pallets and volunteer help.
Answer
1 B · 2 A · 3 C · (D not used)
How to prepare for the gapped text
A useful exercise: take any article in English, cut out three or four sentences, wait a day, and then try to put them back. You will start noticing how writers use this, these and such to connect ideas, and how paragraphs often follow a pattern (claim → example → contrast → conclusion).
Also study linkers carefully. A sentence that starts with Even so cannot follow a sentence that agrees with it. Once you feel confident, do a full timed task with our free gapped text practice.
Practice · Reading & Use of English Part 6
Practise the FCE gapped text
FCE gapped text: FAQ
How many gaps are there in the FCE gapped text?
There are 6 gaps, each worth 2 marks, so Part 6 is worth 12 Reading marks.
Is there an extra sentence in Part 6?
Yes. There is at least one sentence that does not fit any gap. Each sentence can be used only once.
What clues should I look for in the gapped text?
Reference words (this, they, such), linkers (however, as a result), time expressions and topic vocabulary, both before and after the gap.
How long should I spend on Part 6?
We suggest about 13 minutes. This is our advice; the exam only gives 75 minutes for the whole paper.
What if two sentences seem to fit the same gap?
Try placing each one and check the other gaps. Usually only one arrangement works for the whole text. Look again at the sentence after the gap.