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A2 Flyers reading gap-fill: how to choose the missing word

A1-A2A2 Flyers40 questionsUpdated

The longer Reading and Writing tasks at A2 Flyers give children a text with words missing. The trick is not vocabulary alone: the missing word has to fit both the meaning and the grammar of the sentence, and children who read only the gap and not the sentence around it lose marks steadily.

What this task tests

  • Reading a whole sentence before choosing a word.
  • Grammar clues: the word after the gap often decides the answer.
  • Knowing which small words can fill a gap: a, an, the, of, in, with.
  • Spelling the chosen word correctly, since the answer is written not ticked.
  • Recognising the part of speech the gap needs: a noun, a verb, an adjective.
  • Singular and plural agreement across the gap.
  • Reading on past the gap for information that appears later.
  • Checking that the finished sentence makes sense when read back.
  • Managing a longer text without losing the thread.
  • Using every gap, because a blank scores nothing.

How to do it

  1. Step 1:

    Read the whole text first

    One quick read for meaning before any gap is filled. Children who start at gap one are guessing with half the information.

  2. Step 2:

    Read to the end of the sentence

    The clue is just as often after the gap as before it. Insist on finishing the sentence.

  3. Step 3:

    Decide the word type

    Ask what kind of word is missing: a thing, an action or a describing word. That halves the options immediately.

  4. Step 4:

    Use the grammar clue

    A gap followed by a plural noun is unlikely to need a. A gap after the is very likely a noun.

  5. Step 5:

    Cross off as you go

    If there is a word list, cross off each one as it is used. It stops repeats and narrows the last few gaps.

  6. Step 6:

    Read it back

    Say the full sentence with the answer in it. If it sounds wrong, it probably is.

  7. Step 7:

    Check the spelling

    The answer is written, so a misspelled word can lose the mark even when the choice was right.

  8. Step 8:

    Leave the hard ones for a second pass

    Two gaps are always harder than the rest. Do the eight easy ones first and come back with more context.

  9. Step 9:

    Never leave a blank

    A sensible guess costs nothing and sometimes scores. An empty gap never does.

  10. Step 10:

    Practise with short texts

    A five-line text with four gaps is a two-minute exercise and can be done daily. Long texts are for the week before the exam.

Mistakes that cost marks

  • Not thisFilling the gap from the word before only

    ThisReading the whole sentence

    The decisive clue is often after the gap. Half a sentence is half an answer.

  • Not thisPutting a noun where a verb is needed

    ThisChecking what kind of word fits

    Children choose a word they know rather than a word that fits. The word-type question fixes most of this.

  • Not thisa apples

    Thissome apples

    A cannot go with a plural noun. Look at the word straight after the gap.

  • Not thisLeaving a gap empty

    ThisWriting a sensible guess

    Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so an empty gap is a wasted opportunity.

  • Not thisWriting two words in a one-word gap

    ThisWriting exactly one word

    The task usually specifies how many words are allowed. More than that scores nothing, however good the sense.

  • Not thisCopying a word with a spelling slip

    ThisCopying it letter by letter

    If the word is in the text, there is no excuse for a misspelling. Check it against the original.

  • Not thisUsing the same word twice from a list

    ThisCrossing each word off as you use it

    Word lists are usually one-use. Crossing off prevents a double error.

Language this task keeps reusing

gap
The empty space where a word is missing.
text
The piece of writing you read.
fit
To be the right size or the right word for a place.
choose
To pick one from several.
noun
A word for a thing, a person or a place.
verb
A word for an action.
adjective
A word that describes something.
plural
More than one.
singular
Only one.
clue
Something that helps you find the answer.
check
To look again and make sure it is right.
guess
To answer when you are not sure.
title
The name at the top of a text.
example
The one that is already done for you.

Practice: reading and writing gap-fill

40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.

1Complete the sentence.

Before you fill any gap, read the whole once.
The gap is followed by the word apples. Which word fits?

3Complete the sentence.

The clue for a gap can come after it, not only it.
Right or wrong?
  • You should read to the end of the sentence.
  • An empty gap can still get a mark.
  • Spelling matters when you write the answer.
3 to go

5Complete the sentence.

My sister works in a hospital. She is a .
Which kind of word usually comes after the?

7Complete the sentence.

It was raining, we stayed at home all afternoon.

8Why should you read the whole text first?

If a word list is given, what should you do with each word you use?

10Complete the sentence.

Tom was hungry, he did not have any breakfast.

Keep going

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Frequently asked questions

Is this task about vocabulary or grammar?

Both, and that is what makes it hard. Children need the word and the grammatical sense that the word fits. Practise the word-type question as much as the vocabulary.

How long should a practice text be?

Short and daily beats long and weekly. Four or five lines with four gaps takes two minutes and can be done every day of the week.

Does spelling cost marks here?

It can, because the answer is written. When the word appears elsewhere in the text, the child should copy it letter by letter.

What if the child does not know the missing word?

Guess. Something sensible, in the right word class, spelled as well as possible. A blank is guaranteed to score nothing.

Should the child answer the gaps in order?

No. Doing the easy ones first builds context and confidence, and the hard gaps are often obvious on the second pass.

How do I check the child's work usefully?

Do not just mark it. Ask the child to read each completed sentence aloud. Most errors become audible before you say anything.