When should I use who, which or that in B2 First?

In B2 First, the key is not memorising lists but identifying what word you are describing. If the antecedent is a person, you will normally use who. If it is a thing, which or that. In Part 2 this often appears as a gap after a noun, for example the person ___ helped me. In Part 4 it can also come up when you combine two sentences into one. If you pick the wrong relative, the sentence sounds unnatural or is simply incorrect.

Can you omit that, who or which in Open Cloze in First?

Sometimes yes, but not always, and that is exactly the exam problem. You can omit the relative when it works as an object: the book (that) I bought. You cannot omit it when it is the subject: the book that won the prize. In Part 2, if the verb comes immediately after the gap, you normally need the relative because that relative is the subject of the clause. If you drop something obligatory, you lose the mark even if the general idea is clear.

What is the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses in B2 First?

A defining relative clause identifies exactly which person or thing you are talking about: the student who arrived late. A non-defining clause adds extra information: My brother, who lives in Leeds, is visiting. In B2 First this matters a lot because it changes the punctuation and also the possible pronoun. In defining clauses you can use that; in non-defining clauses you cannot. If you put commas where they do not belong or use that after a comma, Cambridge penalises it because it is not a style detail: it changes the structure.

Why do I write where instead of which or that in Part 2?

Because the instinct is to think in general meaning rather than grammatical function. In sentences like the house where I grew up, where replaces in which. But in a problem that affects everyone, there is no idea of place: you need a subject relative, not where. In Part 2, Cambridge exploits this trap a lot: if the antecedent looks like a location, the student writes where even when the structure calls for which or that, or the other way round. You have to look at the function inside the clause.

How does this come up in Key Word Transformation in B2 First?

It usually appears when you have to join two ideas without repeating information, for example I spoke to the cyclist. The cyclist had won a medal. The natural answer is I spoke to the cyclist who had won a medal. Here it is not enough to understand the message: you have to build a correct relative clause, respect the word count and keep the antecedent. The typical error is using a structure that is too direct or leaving a split sentence that does not fit the transformation.

Defining relative clauses in B2 First | Mastery

Where it appears in the exam

Cambridge format example

Some lose their jobs, while others leave homes 9 they no longer feel safe.

↑ The student writes the answer with no options

The key is usually to see whether the gap is the subject of the clause or whether the real idea is one of place. That is where you decide between that/who and where; the typical error is writing a word with reasonable meaning but the wrong function.

What is it?

Defining relative clauses identify exactly which person, thing or place you are mentioning: the man who called, the book that I bought, the town where she grew up. Many learners resolve all of this with one all-purpose relative word, but in English you have to choose the form according to the function inside the clause, not just according to the general meaning.

Why it matters in the exam

In B2 First it appears mostly in Part 2, where a single gap decides whether you have seen the grammatical relationship between antecedent and verb. It also appears in Part 4, where you have to join two ideas with an exact structure; if you choose the wrong relative or omit it when it acts as the subject, you lose the whole answer.

The cognitive trap

Instinct

"Your instinct is to use one all-purpose relative word for everything."

This is overgeneralization: your brain has learned a single connector for 'the thing I'm describing' and reaches for it whether the antecedent is a person, a thing or a place, and whether the relative is subject or object. English forces a choice your instinct wants to skip.

Rule

The man who called. / The book that I bought. / The town where I grew up.

It is not enough to think 'I'm talking about a town'. You have to decide the function inside the clause: if the relative replaces an object, you can use that; if it means 'in that place', you need where; if it points to a person, you need who.

Recognition pattern

Which form do I use?

Do you need to add a clause that identifies exactly a person, thing or place?

SÍ

Inside the clause, does the antecedent function as a place?

SÍ

Use where if it means in/at that place: "the town where I was born".

NO

Is the antecedent a person?

SÍ

Use who; in less marked style, that can also appear in defining clauses.

NO

If it is a thing or idea, use which or that; in Part 2, that is often expected in basic structures.

NO

This competency does not apply: you may need a non-defining relative clause, a nominal clause or simply another structure.

In the exam, look for the key signal first. The answer follows.

Signals that decide it for you

Signal Form

name of a person + gap + verb Normally use who

"The teacher who explained the task was very clear."

Signal Form

name of a thing/idea + gap + verb Use that or which; in basic cloze, that fits very well

"Climate change is an issue that affects everyone."

Signal Form

name of a place + clause with an in/at idea Use where

"This is the village where my grandparents lived."

Signal Form

the relative would be the subject of the verb in the clause Do not omit it

"The film that won the award is on tonight."

Signal Form

the relative would be the object of the verb in the clause It can be omitted, though it can also be written

"The article (that) I read this morning was shocking."

The errors that Cambridge exploits

Wrong

"Homelessness is a problem what affects people of all ages."

What does not introduce a defining relative clause with an explicit antecedent. Many learners reach for what here, but Cambridge penalises it.

Right

"Homelessness is a problem that affects people of all ages."

That is correct because the relative is the subject of affects and refers to a thing/problem.

Wrong

"Some leave homes which they no longer feel safe."

The implied preposition of place is missing. With which you would need a structure like "in which"; without it, the sentence is ungrammatical.

Right

"Some leave homes where they no longer feel safe."

Where works well because inside the clause the real idea is in those homes.

Wrong

"I spoke to the cyclist which had won an Olympic medal."

Which is not used for people in this kind of relative clause. It is a clear error in pronoun selection.

Right

"I spoke to the cyclist who had won an Olympic medal."

Who identifies a person and links the two ideas naturally in Part 4.

Wrong

"The book won the prize was written by a teenager."

Here the student omits the relative as if it were optional, but it is not: without it, the basic links of the sentence are missing.

Right

"The book that won the prize was written by a teenager."

The relative is obligatory because it acts as the subject of won.

Wrong

"The app where I downloaded yesterday keeps crashing."

Where only works if the antecedent functions as a place. App is not a place, so Cambridge reads it as a badly analysed structure.

Right

"The app that I downloaded yesterday keeps crashing."

That can be omitted because it is the object of downloaded, but written like this it is still completely correct.

Why your brain gets it wrong

The learner's short circuit

Analyse the trap by exam format

Part 2 — Open Cloze

Many students face pressure ______ affects both their performance and their confidence.

Your brain

You wrote what ✗

Correct that / which ✓

The instinct is to reach for what as an all-purpose relative. But in a defining relative clause with an explicit antecedent (pressure) what is impossible: you need a subject relative. Here both that and which work; the real error is what, not the choice between the two correct relatives.

The signal

affects both their performance and their confidence

After the gap there is a finite verb with no explicit subject inside the clause.

→ that / which

When the gap looks 'too small'

In Part 2, this point is not presented as a question about relative clauses, but as a tiny gap between a noun and a verb. If you do not see that the grammatical bridge is missing, you may try to insert another word that makes lexical sense, but the exam is checking structure, not vocabulary.

Strategy

Look at the pattern noun + gap + verb. If the gap introduces an idea that defines that noun and the verb still has no subject, think first of who / which / that. Then decide according to the antecedent: person, thing or place.

Defining relative clauses (who/which/that) is 1 of 82

The exam tests 82 grammar competencies across 19 families. Mastering one is the first step. Automating all 82 is passing.

Tiempos verbales 6

Modales 5

Pasiva y causativa 2

Condicionales 6

Infinitivo, gerundio y participio 5

Énfasis y orden de palabras 4

Oraciones de relativo 4

Reported Speech 4

Comparativos y superlativos 5

Conectores 5

Preposiciones 4

Colocaciones y phrasal verbs 4

Formación de palabras 6

Determinantes y cuantificadores 4

Adjetivos y adverbios 5

Preguntas y negación 4

Patrones verbales 3

Concordancia y ortografía 3

Vocabulario 3

Related competencies

Practise this topic with real exercises

Defining relative clauses (who/which/that) in B2 First

Where it appears in the exam

Part 2 — Open Cloze

Part 2 — Open Cloze

Recognition pattern

The learner's short circuit

Defining relative clauses (who/which/that) is 1 of 82