Having a very good knowledge of English vocabulary is essential for passing the Cambridge Advanced (CAE) C1 exam. But how do you improve yours so it's good enough for the exam?

Going to classes or doing an online course for the exam will help you improve your knowledge of English vocabulary. But the best thing you can do to really improve your vocabulary in English for the exam is to regularly read in the language.

I know it's obvious that reading is important for improving your English vocabulary, but if you're going to do the CAE exam it's what you read that can make the difference between passing and not passing it.

If you are an English teacher, click here to learn about the teacher version of this eBook.

What you need to read

You not only need to read things which are at the right level for what you'll find used in the exam, but also on the topics which you find used in the exam. The more knowledge you have of a topic, the easier it will be to do if you find it used in the exam.

It isn't easy to find the material by yourself

The problem is that for even somebody with your level of English, finding things that are on the right topics and are suitable for your level isn't very easy. Most of the articles you'll find on the web which are for improving English will be too easy for you, too short or boring. And the pieces of writing meant for native speakers will be just a little too difficult and confusing for your level.

Even using AI to generate reading articles and exercises in English to prepare you for the exam is not ideal. Firstly, because it will just provide you with its adapted version of already existing material; and secondly, and more importantly, it won't give you articles on all the topics (and there are many) that you are likely to find used in the exam.

And although I kept telling my students studying for the Cambridge Advanced (C1) exam to regularly read appropriate material outside of class, the majority didn't. Not because they didn't want to, but because it was difficult and took a lot of time to find the right material on their own.

A solution

To solve this problem for my students, I decided to make my own material for them to read outside of class. Articles and pieces of writing which didn't confuse or frustrate them, but were still challenging enough that they were still improving their level of English when reading them. Articles which were both interesting to read and on the different topics which they would find used in the exam.

It's taken me over 2 years to create all of this reading material and to get it just right. And the result of all this hard work is this eBook.


What's in the eBook

To start with, this edition of the eBook has been specifically designed to be used by students by themselves. There are 60 reading exercises in it and each exercise includes:

  • A long text (approximately 1000 words)
  • A vocabulary exercise where you'll learn 7 essential words and phrases from the text
  • A page to create your own sentences of the vocabulary you've learnt

Click here to see an example of one of the texts from the eBook

In addition to this, you'll also find in the eBook a tried and tested method for using these reading exercises to improve your English quicker.

The material in the eBook will last you for over 6 months of regular reading.

Click here to see a list of the titles of the text of the 60 reading exercises

The 60 texts in the eBook

  1. Why do Americans have less days of holiday than everybody else?
  2. Is it ethical for football players to earn more than doctors?
  3. Why South Africa has an obsession with guns
  4. Will robots make many of us unemployed soon?
  5. Why does India perform so badly at the Olympics?
  6. The decline of America's Motor City, Detroit
  7. Why we see so many products in Bond films
  8. Why the Chinese are learning western manners
  9. Is Artificial Intelligence really a threat to us all?
  10. Is seawater a solution to falling supplies of drinking water?
  11. The meat that is killing people in Tonga
  12. The history of Christmas traditions
  13. Is it good to give gifts at Christmas?
  14. Should countries open their borders to everybody?
  15. Are there downsides to being beautiful?
  16. Air pollution is becoming one of the world's biggest killers
  17. Women live longer than men, but why?
  18. The consequences today of the Chernobyl disaster
  19. What are the reasons why the British say 'sorry' so much?
  20. Your French wine probably comes from Spain
  21. Is nationalism a bad thing?
  22. Five things you can try to sleep better at night
  23. Is climate change going to affect what we eat?
  24. 7 ways casinos keep people gambling
  25. Why putting so many people in prison in America hasn't worked
  26. Nine things to make better and happier relationships
  27. How bribery and corruption damage business
  28. Thatcher is to blame for poor white kids failing part 1
  29. Thatcher is to blame for poor white kids failing part 2
  30. Stopping yellow fever in Angola
  31. Can you become an Olympian if you practise enough?
  32. Destroying everything you own for art
  33. We might be able to eradicate mosquitoes soon, but should we do it?
  34. Are selfies making us better or worse people?
  35. Are genetically modified crops good or bad?
  36. Why many of us no longer believe what experts say
  37. What actually caused the dinosaurs to become extinct?
  38. Is BASE jumping from tall buildings stupid or not?
  39. Stopping climate change. Who should pay?
  40. Are there too many university graduates in Britain?
  41. Bridge of Spies film review
  42. Four things that men can do to be a feminist at work
  43. What to do if a global disaster happens
  44. Is failure fundamental for being creative?
  45. A tale of a mother's loss and guilt
  46. The problems about YouTube replacing children's TV
  47. What to do in Madrid in 48 hours
  48. Is this the end of food?
  49. What makes a happier workforce
  50. Are vertical cities going to save us?
  51. The life of a dancer
  52. Would it be a good thing if everyone went vegan?
  53. Changing your career and life
  54. Walking the Camino Inglés
  55. Why are stories so alike?
  56. How wolves saved the Yellowstone park's ecosystem
  57. The discovery that rewrote history
  58. Why you should love art
  59. Shooting an elephant part 1
  60. Shooting an elephant part 2

Close the exercise list

You can read it on any device

Because it is a PDF eBook you can read it on any device which has a screen (a computer, mobile phone, tablet etc...).

How the eBook will help you

The material in this eBook will help you quickly improve your English for the exam in a number of different ways:

Improve your reading

Each reading exercise has a text that has been specifically written and adapted (so they are still challenging, but not difficult for you to read and understand) for people who are studying for the Cambridge CAE/Advanced exam. The texts cover a wide range of different topics (from science to art and everything in between) and this will broaden your knowledge of English vocabulary.

Improve your vocabulary

In addition to the text, each reading exercise contains a vocabulary exercise. In this, you will learn the meaning of 7 carefully selected phrases and words from the text. These are words and phrases often found in the exam and which I have noticed over the 13 years that I have been teaching English that students at your level commonly don't know, don't use or use incorrectly.

Make you remember the vocabulary

It would be pointless for you to learn the meaning of these words and phrases and then forget what they mean. To ensure you remember them, each reading exercise comes with a page for you to write a sentence in your own words for each of the 7 words and phrases you learnt in the vocabulary exercise.

Get your copy now

The cost for all of this material is €12 (around $14). When you take into consideration how long it will take you to read all the material (over 6 months) and how much it will help you improve your English, it is cheap for the price.

I've been giving my own students these reading exercises for five years now and I'm very happy with the results I've seen. Not only with seeing how it has improved their level of English and that over 90% of them have passed the exam, but seeing how much they enjoy the topics of the reading exercises that they always want to talk about what they've read in class.

Click the button below to buy your copy.