Exam Tips · Use of English

Keyword Transformation — Cambridge Exam Guide (B2 / C1 / C2)

Keyword Transformation is a Cambridge English B2 / C1 / C2 task. Use this guide to understand what the task checks before moving into practice or a mock exam.

Why practise Keyword Transformation

Use Yanghaowa practice and reports to turn Keyword Transformation mistakes into a clear next-step study plan.

What to do

  • Read the whole sentence and decide the grammar function first.
  • Check collocations, word form, spelling, and sentence logic.
  • Review mistakes by grammar point after practice.

Common mistakes

  • Do not choose only by Chinese meaning or a familiar word.
  • Do not leave the answer blank without trying a reasonable option.

Steps

  1. Read the context.
  2. Identify the tested grammar or vocabulary point.
  3. Check the answer in the full sentence.

What To Do

You rewrite the sentence using the given keyword. The meaning must stay the same and the keyword must not be changed. This tests structures and fixed expressions, not free translation.

  • Find the shared information first, then locate the part that needs transformation.
  • The keyword must appear unchanged.
  • Respect the word limit; exceeding it usually loses marks.

Exam Method

Identify the tested point first: passive, comparison, tense, conditionals, reported speech, fixed phrase, or prepositional phrase.

  • Cross out information that is already the same in both sentences.
  • Keep the same time, people, and tone.
  • If you cannot complete it, still write a possible scoring chunk.

Common Score-Losing Traps

The biggest trap is writing a sentence that sounds good but is not exactly the same in meaning.

  • Do not change the keyword.
  • Do not lose negatives, quantities, or comparison targets.
  • Do not add information that is not in the original sentence.

Final Checklist

Finally compare with the original: people, time, action, condition, negative meaning, and degree.

  • Is the keyword unchanged?
  • Is the answer within the word limit?
  • Is the meaning exactly the same?

How To Review After Practice

Classify mistakes by grammar structure, not by question number.

  • Collect common structures such as so/such, too/enough, and despite/although.
  • Write two transformation examples for each structure.
  • Record the negatives or prepositions you often miss.

Practise Keyword Transformation and full mock exams on YangHaoWa Cambridge Mock — score reports and mistake review are generated automatically.