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Use of English

Level B2

Part 2 - Open Cloze

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For questions 1-8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap.

Sleep Debt

Many people treat sleep as if it were optional, especially during busy periods at work or school. They stay up late to finish tasks and then tell (0) THEMSELVES that they will catch up at the weekend. However, scientists warn that the body does not recover as easily (1) .......... many people believe. A lack of sleep affects far more (2) .......... just your mood: it can reduce concentration, slow reaction times and make simple decisions harder. In addition, people who regularly sleep too little are more likely to rely (3) .......... caffeine or sugar to get through the day. This may help for a short time, (4) .......... it does not solve the real problem. Another issue is that tired people often believe they are functioning well, even (5) .......... their performance has clearly fallen. As a result, they may continue driving, studying or working when they should really stop. Experts therefore recommend going to bed at a similar time each night and avoiding screens just before sleep, (6) .......... can keep the brain active. If this routine is followed consistently, many people find that they not (7) .......... sleep better, but also feel calmer and more focused during the day. In short, sleep is not a luxury but a basic need without (8) .......... good health is difficult to maintain.

What to do

This part consists of a short text with a series of gaps. There are no words from which to choose the answers, candidates have to think of a word which fits the gap correctly.

Errors in punctuation are ignored, although spelling must be correct.

Contractions (e.g. don’t, we’ve, won’t) count as two words. However, can’t is a contraction of cannot, which is one word.

Sometimes, there is more than one correct answer. Cambridge will always account for this and all options will be accepted. However, you should not write more than one answer.

Don't spend time in a word you don't know. Wasting time on this activity might cost you points later in the exam because you won’t have enough time to do other tasks well.

Strategy

  1. Read the title and the whole text so that you understand what it is about.
  2. Read the whole sentence in which the gap occurs, to look for clues as to what kind of word you need.
  3. Check the words before and after each gap and look for grammatical collocations.
  4. Remember you must write only one word.
  5. You are never required to write a contraction. If you think the answer is a contraction, it must be wrong, so think again.
  6. Read the whole text through once you have completed it to make sure you have not missed any connectors, plurals or negatives.

Instructions

For questions 1-8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap.

Exercise Details

Author

anastasia ciuchitu

@anastasia-ciuchitu

User Prompt

"lack of sleep"

Tone: Standard
Level: B2

Created on:

Oct 30, 2026

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