B2 First · Use of English · Module 1, Lesson 4

Part 4: Key Word Transformations

Six sentences, six key words, two marks each. This is the highest-value part of Use of English — and the one where knowing the two-mark split can save you points you'd otherwise lose completely.

6 items 2 marks each 10–12 min target 2–5 words
Learn

What this part really tests

Part 4 gives you a sentence, a key word, and a second sentence with a gap. You rewrite the missing words so the second sentence means exactly the same as the first — using the key word, unchanged, somewhere in your answer. Each item is worth two marks, awarded in two separate halves, so a small slip doesn't always cost you the whole question.

The examiner's method

  1. Identify the grammar point being tested — usually signaled by the key word itself (passive? reported speech? conditional? comparison?).
  2. Plan the whole new sentence in your head before you write anything.
  3. Count your words: a contraction counts as two words ("don't" = do + not), and the key word must appear unchanged — same spelling, same form.
  4. Write only the missing words between the given start and end of the sentence — never rewrite the parts you've already been given.
  5. Check both halves separately. The two marks are awarded separately, so getting the general meaning right but one small detail wrong may still earn you one of the two marks.

Worked example — seeing the two-mark split

It wasn't necessary for Maria to bring her passport to the school trip.
Key word: NEEDN'T
Maria ___ her passport to the school trip.
Half 1: needn't have
Half 2: brought
  1. The testing point: "needn't + have + past participle" means an action wasn't necessary, but it happened anyway.
  2. NEEDN'T is a modal, so it must be followed by "have" plus a past participle for this past meaning.
  3. "Bring" becomes "brought" in the past participle.
  4. Count the words: "needn't have brought" = 3 words, within the 2–5 word limit.
  5. Answer: needn't have brought.
Try

Micro-trainer — six testing points

Six transformations, each testing a different structure: passive, reported speech, third conditional, superlative, causative "have", and "despite". Type the missing words and press Check.

Try score: 0 / 6
Ready for the real thing? Scroll down to Apply — six brand new transformations in full exam format, against the clock.
Apply

Exam-format practice

Six new transformations, official Part 4 format. Aim to finish before the timer runs out — then check your answers below.

12:00

Your result

Score0 / 6
Percentage0%

This is a practice estimate for one exam part only, and this tool awards full marks only for a fully correct answer — the walkthrough above each item shows how a real Cambridge examiner would split the two marks. Your official Cambridge result is calculated across the whole exam on the Cambridge English Scale.

Saved. Your progress on the course map will update the next time you visit it.
That's all four Use of English lessons. Head back to the course map to see your Module 1 progress and pick your next part.