Below is a list of 50 phrasal verbs which I have frequently seen used in Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE) exams. I would recommend that you go through the list and try to learn the meaning(s) of each.
You will know some of these already, but there will be some that you don't know or are unsure about. For all of them, I would recommend that you learn their meaning through an online dictionary (the Macmillan Dictionary and the Cambridge Dictionary are two good ones) and then create a sentence in your own words using them.
For those you don't know or are unsure about, I recommend that you spend more time on. When you have learnt their meaning(s), use them (write or say one or two sentences where they are used in). Doing this will help you to remember in the future.
Some of the below phrasal verbs have more than one meaning. If you see that a phrasal verb has many meanings when looking in a dictionary, only learn the first two meanings you see given in the dictionary for it (the Macmillan Dictionary is particularly good for this).
To learn some advanced synonyms for common words which you can use in the exam, read our article called 'Vocabulary to Improve your Writing and Speaking in the FCE Exam'.
A list of 50 commonly used FCE phrasal verbs
There is a YouTube video for each of the 50 phrasal verbs listed below that will help you learn and remember its main meaning. To watch the video, click on the phrasal verb you want to learn the meaning of.
- Be down to
- Be up to
- Build up
- Call off
- Carry on
- Come up
- Come up with
- Count on
- Deal with
- Depend on
- Drop off
- End up
- Fall out
- Figure out
- Find out
- Get out of
- Get round
- Give up
- Go down well
- Go over
- Grow up
- Hang out
- Head off
- Head to
- Keep up with
- Lie behind
- Look after
- Make up
- Manage to
- Mess about
- Mess up
- Miss out
- Move on
- Pick up
- Point out
- Pour down
- Put off
- Put up with
- Rule out
- Set off
- Set up
- Sign up
- Take care of
- Take part
- Take up
- Try out
- Turn down
- Turn out
- Turn up
- Work out
There will be other phrasal verbs used
Unfortunately, you will also find other phrasal verbs used in the exam. So, although learning these will help you do exam, you are going to have to learn other less frequently used phrasal verbs as well.
To learn what type of phrasal verbs you will find used in the exam, what you can do to both find them and learn them, and in which parts of the exam they are used in, read our article Phrasal Verbs in the FCE exam.
To learn some advanced synonyms for common words which you can use in the exam, read our article called 'Vocabulary to Improve your Writing and Speaking in the FCE Exam'.