ORIGINAL PRACTICE • UNDERSTAND THE WHY

Practise with a purpose

Try short, original A2 and B1 tasks, check the reasoning and turn one mistake into a useful next step.

A simple practice routine

Start with a short task you can review properly. Read the instructions, try it without checking the answer, then explain why your answer fits. These mini sets are original teaching material, not official exam papers or calibrated practice tests. They cannot predict an exam result.

Try it independently. Write your answers on paper. For these open-cloze tasks, use exactly one word per gap.
Check the explanation. If your answer differs, look at grammar and meaning on both sides. A plausible word is useful only if it completes this sentence.
Use the pattern again. Write a new sentence using the corrected expression and revisit it after a few days.

Use the A2 Key guide or B1 Preliminary guide to understand where each task fits. These short tasks focus on particular patterns rather than the full difficulty of a paper.

Mini set 1 · A2 Key Reading Part 5 style

A2 • ONE WORD IN EACH GAP

Read Mina’s email to a friend. Complete gaps 1–6 with one word each.

Hi Alex,

Thank you (1) _____ your message. Our new flat is small, but it is next (2) _____ a lovely park. There is (3) _____ old café near the gate, so we can have lunch there. I moved here two days (4) _____. Would you like (5) _____ visit on Sunday? My brother can meet you (6) _____ the station.

See you,
Mina

Check the six answers and explanations

for — the expression is “thank you for” something.
to — “next to” describes a position beside something.
an — “old” begins with a vowel sound; the café is being introduced.
ago — “two days ago” places a completed event before now.
to — use “would like to” followed by the base verb.
at — “at the station” treats the station as a meeting point.

Write your own invitation using “Would you like to…?” and one expression of place. For a larger set, try our two original A2 practice emails.

Mini set 2 · B1 Preliminary Reading Part 6 style

B1 • ONE WORD IN EACH GAP

Complete this short text about a community project. Look at the complete sentence before deciding.

Our street has a little library in a wooden box. It was built (1) _____ a neighbour who enjoys making things. Anyone can borrow a book, as long (2) _____ they bring it back. I have lived here (3) _____ 2022, but I had never spoken to most of my neighbours before the library opened. Now we often stop (4) _____ talk about what we are reading. There are not as (5) _____ books for teenagers as we would like, so we are asking people (6) _____ donate some.

Check the six answers and explanations

by — in this passive sentence, “by” introduces the person who built it.
as — “as long as” introduces the condition for borrowing.
since — 2022 is a starting point, so use “since” with the present perfect.
to — “stop to talk” means pause another activity in order to talk.
many — books are countable; the comparison is “as many… as”.
to — use “ask someone to do something”.

Compare “stop to talk” with “stop talking”: the second means become silent. Use each in a new sentence to make the contrast memorable.

Choose your next workshop

KET Writing Part 6: three-point planning, original prompts and annotated short emails.
KET Reading Part 5: word categories and two six-gap emails.
PET Writing Part 1: an original email task and four learning examples.
PET Reading Part 5: three original six-gap texts with four-option questions.

After writing, use the word counter and its checklist. For a short grammar warm-up, try the irregular verbs drill. A complete session should end with a corrected example you can explain.