Cloze
Cloze is an 11+ English task where words are removed from a passage at regular or chosen points, and pupils must supply or select the word that best fits each gap in meaning and grammar. It tests vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension together, and appears on GL Assessment and CSSE-style entrance papers, sometimes with a word bank and sometimes without.
Before you start
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Method
- Read the whole passage first, ignoring the gaps, to understand the overall story or topic before choosing individual words.
- For each gap, decide what word class is needed, verb, noun, adjective, adverb or connective, from the words around it.
- If a word bank is given, try each remaining option in the gap mentally and eliminate any that do not fit the grammar or meaning.
- If no word bank is given, predict your own word first, then match it to the closest option among the choices.
- Check tense and pronoun consistency with the rest of the passage; a whole passage is usually written in one consistent tense.
- After completing all the gaps, reread the whole passage in your head to check it reads naturally and makes sense as a whole.
Worked example
Complete the gap using the word bank: 'The kitten (1)_______ across the garden and disappeared behind the shed.' Word bank: bounced, slept, painted, whispered
- Work out the word class needed: a verb, since 'kitten' is the subject and the sentence needs an action.
- Rule out words that make no sense with a kitten in a garden: 'painted' and 'whispered' do not fit a kitten's typical actions.
- Compare 'bounced' and 'slept': the sentence continues 'and disappeared', which describes movement, so 'slept', staying still, does not fit as well as 'bounced'.
- Check that 'bounced' fits grammatically, past tense matching 'disappeared', and makes sense as a lively, plausible image.
- Final answer: bounced.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Complete the gap using the word bank and explain your choice: 'The fire (1)_______ warmth throughout the small cabin.' Word bank: radiated, whispered, folded. (2 marks)
Complete these two linked gaps and explain both choices: 'The hikers (1)_______ up the steep path, their legs (2)_______ with every step.' Options for gap (1): A) strolled B) trudged. Options for gap (2): A) aching B) singing. (4 marks)
A cloze passage originally used the word 'flickered' in the sentence: 'The candle flame flickered in the draught from the open window.' The word bank also offered 'blazed' and 'vanished'. Explain why 'flickered' is the best choice, and explain why each of the other two options would change the meaning of the sentence in an unsuitable way. (5 marks)
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the cloze worksheet pack - 10 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. No sign-up, no email wall - just the PDF, free for personal and classroom use.
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