Postcards from a Short Holiday
About this practice test
Practise A2 Use of English through connected texts with typed gaps. Build accuracy with past travel narrative and common prepositions.
What you’ll practice
Grammar and vocabulary
Choose forms and words that work together.
Meaning in context
Follow meaning across sentences and texts.
Accurate expression
Use natural phrases and sentence patterns.
What to expect:
7 tasks worth 14 marks. Each cloze gap and matching pair earns one mark. Correct parts still earn marks when another part is wrong. Review your answers and explanations after submission.
Study the questions and tasks
Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.
- Practice level
- A2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.
- Question formats
- Cloze (text)
How to approach this practice
Read the complete context. Check both the meaning and the grammar, including word forms, collocations and links between sentences.
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Question 1 · Cloze (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Use arrive and be: Hello from the coast! Our short holiday has started. We 1___ (arrive) in Seabrook on Friday. The streets 2___ (be) busy because of a festival. There was music in the main square.
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- arrived
- Blank 2
- were
The completed past actions take arrived and were with plural streets.
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Question 2 · Cloze (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Use one word per gap: We were pleased with the place we booked. Our room looked 1___ the sea, and the beach was only a short walk 2___ from the hotel. We could hear the waves from our window.
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- over / towards / toward / onto
- Blank 2
- away
Look over or towards describes the view; a short walk away describes distance.
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Question 3 · Cloze (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Use take and buy: There was plenty to do on our first full day. Yesterday we 1___ (take) a boat across the bay and 2___ (buy) postcards at the harbour. I chose one with a picture of the boats.
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- took
- Blank 2
- bought
Took and bought are the irregular past forms for the two completed actions.
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Question 4 · Cloze (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Use good and warm: We were lucky to see blue skies. The weather was 1___ (good) than we expected, but the sea was not 2___ (warm) enough for swimming. We decided to stay on the sand instead.
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- better
- Blank 2
- warm
Better is the comparative of good; enough follows the unchanged adjective warm.
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Question 5 · Cloze (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Use one word per gap: In the afternoon, we explored the streets near the harbour. We went 1___ a walk after lunch and got back 2___ the hotel at six. The walk made us ready for dinner.
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- for
- Blank 2
- to
Go for a walk and get back to a place are the required phrases.
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Question 6 · Cloze (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Use the past simple negative of VISIT and the present simple of HOPE: We could not see everything in a single day. We 1___ (not/VISIT) the castle yesterday, but we 2___ (HOPE) to go tomorrow. It is at the top of the hill above the town.
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- did not visit / didn't visit
- Blank 2
- hope
The past simple negative is did not visit or didn't visit. Hope is the present simple form required for the current intention.
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Question 7 · Cloze (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Use stay and send: There are still a few days of the holiday left. I'm 1___ (stay) here until Monday. I'll 2___ (send) you another postcard soon. I hope you are having a good week too.
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- staying
- Blank 2
- send
Am requires staying for the current stay; will takes base-form send.
What to review next
Explain why each answer fits the meaning and structure. Record useful phrases and write a new example using each pattern you found difficult.
A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.