What gap-fill is: In a gap-fill (compléter / remplir les blancs) you complete a sentence or a short summary with the right word or words. The missing words come from the text — or from a given list of options. It's a Reading task, so the answer is always in front of you: your job is to find the word and write it correctly.
You will meet two real wordings: « Complétez les phrases suivantes avec des mots du texte » (take the word from the text) and « Choisissez un mot approprié de la liste pour remplir chaque blanc » (choose from a given word bank).
- compléter / remplir les blancs
- to complete / to fill in the blanks
- le blanc / le trou
- the blank / the gap to fill
- le mot qui manque
- the missing word
- une liste de mots / un encadré
- a list of words / a word box to choose from
- avec des mots du texte
- with words from the text
- avec un maximum de trois mots
- with a maximum of three words (per gap)
The word comes from the text: Almost always the word you need is already in the text (or in a given list). You don't invent it — you locate it and copy it across, with the correct spelling and accents.
What a good gap-fill answer needs: A gap-fill answer is usually one word or a few words (often the rubric caps it: « avec un maximum de trois mots »). To earn the mark it has to do three things at once: come from the text (or the list), fit grammatically, and be spelled correctly — accents included.
| Exigence | Ce que ça veut dire |
|---|---|
| Combien de mots ? | un seul mot ou très peu de mots (parfois « max trois mots ») |
| D'où vient le mot ? | du texte (ou d'une liste donnée), pas de ton imagination |
| Doit-il s'accorder ? | oui, il doit s'insérer correctement dans la phrase |
| L'orthographe compte ? | oui — le mot doit être bien écrit, avec les accents |
| L'accord | le genre et le nombre doivent concorder (le mot / les mots) |
Spelling counts here: Because gap-fill is marked objectively, a misspelt word — or a missing accent — can cost the mark. Copy the word exactly as the text writes it.
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A reliable gap-fill routine: Don't just drop in the first plausible word. Read the gapped sentence, predict what kind of word fits, find it in the text, write it correctly, and check it fits. Five quick steps.
Fill the gap — 5 steps
1
Lis la phrase à trou (read the gapped sentence)
Read the whole sentence with the blank. What is it telling you, and what is missing?
2
Prédis le type de mot (predict the word type)
Decide what kind of word fits the gap: a noun? a verb? a number? an adjective?
3
Trouve-le dans le texte (find it)
Scan the text (or the given list) for a word of that type that makes the sentence true.
4
Écris-le correctement (write it)
Copy the word with the right spelling and accents — objective marking is strict.
5
Vérifie qu'il s'accorde (check it fits)
Re-read the completed sentence. Does it fit grammatically (gender, number, verb form)?
Lis la phrase → Prédis le type → Trouve → Écris → Vérifie
Predict the word type first: Before you hunt, ask what kind of word the gap needs. If the gap follows « un » it's a masculine noun; after a subject it's probably a verb. Predicting the type means you scan for the right word, not just any word.
A gap-fill in action: Here is a short text — the kind Paper 2 (Reading) gives you. The text stays in front of you, so you find the missing word, you don't recall it. Read it once for the gist (tap Voir la traduction if you get stuck), then we'll fill one gap together using the real wording « Complétez la phrase avec des mots du texte ».
La boulangerie de Madame Lemoine: La boulangerie de Madame Lemoine, au coin de la rue, prépare son pain à la main tous les matins. Elle ouvre à six heures et, à sept heures, l'odeur du pain chaud remplit déjà tout le quartier. Madame Lemoine n'utilise que de la farine locale et refuse les machines industrielles.
Beaucoup de clients viennent de loin parce que, disent-ils, le goût est meilleur qu'au supermarché. La boulangère explique que son métier demande de la patience : il faut laisser reposer la pâte plusieurs heures. « Le bon pain ne se fait pas vite », répète-t-elle en souriant.
- la boulangerie / la boulangère
- the bakery / the (female) baker
- à la main
- by hand
- la farine
- the flour
- laisser reposer la pâte
- to let the dough rest
- le métier
- the trade / craft
Filling one gap
Un blanc, pas à pas
- Lis la phrase à trou — « Madame Lemoine n'utilise que de la farine __________ et refuse les machines industrielles. »
- Prédis le type de mot. After « de la farine » we need an adjective that describes the flour — feminine, to agree with « farine ».
- Trouve-le dans le texte. Scan for « farine » : « Madame Lemoine n'utilise que de la farine locale et refuse les machines industrielles. »
- Écris & vérifie — « de la farine locale ». Spelled with the « e » to agree in the feminine with « farine ». You located it; you didn't recall it.
Copy it exactly: Once you've found the word, copy it letter for letter from the text — accents and all. In objective gap-fill marking, an invented spelling can lose a mark that the correct word would have earned.
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Where gap-fill marks are lost: Gap-fill marks are usually lost to small slips: the wrong form of a word, a word that is not from the text (or the list), a word that doesn't fit the grammar, or a simple misspelling. Compare the two columns.
Bonnes pratiques
- Take the word straight from the text (or the given list).
- Put it in the right form — gender, number, verb tense.
- Spell it exactly, with the correct accents.
- Respect the limit (e.g. « max trois mots »).
- Re-read the whole sentence to confirm it fits grammatically.
Erreurs typiques
- Use the wrong form of the word (singular for plural, wrong tense).
- Write a word that is not in the text or the given list.
- Choose a word that doesn't fit the grammar of the sentence.
- Write too many words when only « max trois mots » are allowed.
- Misspell the word or drop an accent, losing the mark.
Form and spelling decide the mark: Even when you've found the right idea, the wrong form (« local » for « locale ») or a missing accent can cost the mark. Check the form fits and copy the spelling exactly.