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Cambridge Exams: Detailed Content
Cambridge Pre A1 Starters (YLE Starters):
Pre A1 Starters is made up of three papers developed to encourage and motivate young learners.
Pre A1 Starters is the first of three Cambridge English Qualifications designed for young learners. These tests introduce children to everyday written and spoken English and are an excellent way for them to gain confidence and improve their English.
| Paper | Content | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Listening (about 20 minutes) | 4 parts/ 20 questions | a maximum of five shields |
| Reading and Writing (20 minutes) | 5 parts/ 25 questions | a maximum of five shields |
| Speaking (3–5 minutes) | 4 parts | a maximum of five shields |
You can see exactly what’s in each paper in the above tabs.
What’s in the Listening paper?
Pre A1 Starters Listening test has four parts. Each part begins with one or two examples. Children will hear each recording twice.
Summary
| Time allowed: | About 20 minutes |
| Number of parts: | 4 |
| Number of questions: | 20 |
| Marks: | A maximum of five shields |
Listening Part 1
| What’s in Part 1? | A big picture which shows people doing different things. Above and below the picture, there are some names. Children have to listen carefully to a conversation between an adult and a child and draw a line from each name to the correct person on the big picture. |
| What should children practise? | Listening for names and descriptions. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 2
| What’s in Part 2? | A short conversation between a child and an adult, and some questions. Children listen to the recording and write the correct answer (a name or a number) after each question. |
| What should children practise? | Listening for numbers and spelling. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 3
| What’s in Part 3? | Five short conversations between different pairs of people. For each conversation there is a question and three pictures. Children need to listen carefully to each conversation and choose the right answer (A, B or C). |
| What should children practise? | Listening for specific information. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 4
| What’s in Part 4? | A big picture which has seven examples of the same object (for example, seven balls or seven books). Children need to listen carefully to a conversation between an adult and a child and colour each object using the colour they say in the conversation. |
| What should children practise? | Listening for words, colours and prepositions. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
What’s in the Reading and Writing paper?
Pre A1 Starters Reading and Writing test has five parts. Each part begins with one or two examples. For all parts of the Reading and Writing test, children must spell their answers correctly.
Summary
| Time allowed: | About 20 minutes |
| Number of parts: | 5 |
| Number of questions: | 25 |
| Marks: | A maximum of five shields |
Reading Part 1
| What’s in Part 1? | Five pictures of objects. Under each picture there is a sentence which begins ‘This is a …’ or ‘These are …’. If the sentence is correct, children should put a tick next to the picture. If the sentence is not true, they should put a cross. |
| What should children practise? | Reading short sentences and recognising words. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Reading Part 2
| What’s in Part 2? | A big picture and some sentences about it. If the sentence is correct, children should write ‘yes’; if the sentence is not true, they should write ‘no’. |
| What should children practise? | Reading sentences about a picture. Writing one-word answers. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Reading Part 3
| What’s in Part 3? | Five pictures of objects. Children have to find the right word in English for the object. After each picture there are some dashes (- – -) to show how many letters are in the word, and some jumbled letters. Children have to put the jumbled letters in the right order to make the word. |
| What should children practise? | Spelling single words. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Reading Part 4
| What’s in Part 4? | A semi-factual text which has some missing words (gaps). Below the text there is a box with some pictures and words. Children have to choose the right word from the box and copy it into each gap. |
| What should children practise? | Reading a text and writing missing words (nouns). |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Writing Part 5
| What’s in Part 5? | Three pictures which tell a story. Each picture has one or two questions. Children have to look at the pictures and write the answer to each question. They only have to write one word for each answer. |
| What should children practise? | Reading questions about a picture story. Writing one-word answers. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
What’s in the Speaking paper?
Pre A1 Starters Speaking test has four parts. Children take the test alone with the examiner, but someone they know who speaks their language (like their teacher) will introduce them to the examiner and explain what to do in their own language.
Summary
| Time allowed: | 3–5 minutes |
| Number of parts: | 4 |
| Marks: | A maximum of five shields |
Speaking Part 1
| What’s in Part 1? | The examiner will greet the child and ask their name. Then the examiner asks them to point to some things in a big picture. The examiner shows some small pictures of objects. The examiner names three objects and asks the child to point to them. The examiner then asks them to put each object card somewhere on the big picture from Part 1 (for example, ‘Put the shell under the tree’). |
| What should children practise? | Understanding and following spoken instructions. |
Speaking Part 2
| What’s in Part 2? | The examiner asks the child some questions about the big picture from Part 1 (for example, ‘What is this?’, ‘What colour is it?’). The child will also be asked by the examiner to ‘Tell me about …’ one of the objects in the big picture. |
| What should children practise? | Understanding and following spoken instructions. |
Speaking Part 3
| What’s in Part 3? | The examiner asks the child some questions about the small pictures of objects from Part 2 (for example, ‘What is this?’, ‘Have you got a …?’). |
| What should children practise? | Understanding and following spoken instructions. |
Speaking Part 4
| What’s in Part 4? | The examiner asks the child some questions about themselves (for example, age, family, friends). |
| What should children practise? | Understanding and following spoken instructions. |
Cambridge A1 Movers (YLE Movers):
A1 Movers is made up of three papers developed to encourage and motivate young learners.
A1 Movers is the second of three Cambridge English Qualifications designed for young learners. These tests introduce children to everyday written and spoken English and are an excellent way for them to gain confidence and improve their English.
| Paper | Content | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Listening (about 25 minutes) | 5 parts/ 25 questions | a maximum of five shields |
| Reading and Writing (30 minutes) | 6 parts/ 35 questions | a maximum of five shields |
| Speaking (5–7 minutes) | 4 parts | a maximum of five shields |
You can see exactly what’s in each paper in the above tabs.
What’s in the Listening paper?
Pre A1 Starters Listening test has four parts. Each part begins with one or two examples. Children will hear each recording twice.
Summary
| Time allowed: | About 20 minutes |
| Number of parts: | 4 |
| Number of questions: | 20 |
| Marks: | A maximum of five shields |
Listening Part 1
| What’s in Part 1? | A big picture which shows people doing different things. Above and below the picture, there are some names. Children have to listen carefully to a conversation between an adult and a child and draw a line from each name to the correct person on the big picture. |
| What should children practise? | Listening for names and descriptions. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 2
| What’s in Part 2? | A short conversation between two people. There is a form or a page of a notebook with some missing words (gaps). Children have to listen to the recording and write a missing word or number in each gap. |
| What should children practise? | Listening for names, spellings and other information. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 3
| What’s in Part 3? | Two sets of pictures. On the left, there are some pictures of people and their names, or other named places or objects. On the right, there is a set of pictures with letters but no words. Children have to listen to a conversation between two people and match each of the pictures on the right to one of the named pictures on the left. |
| What should children practise?Listening for words, names and detailed information. | Listening for words, names and detailed information. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 4
| What’s in Part 4? | Five short conversations. There is a question and three pictures for each conversation. Children have to decide which picture shows the right answer to the question and put a tick in the box under it. |
| What should children practise? | Listening for specific information. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 5
| What’s in Part 5? | A big picture. Children have to listen carefully to a conversation between an adult and a child. The adult asks the child to colour different objects in the picture and to write a simple word. Children have to follow the instructions. |
| What should children practise? | Listening for words, colours and specific information. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Close all tabs
What’s in the Reading and Writing paper?
The A1 Movers Reading and Writing test has six parts. Each part begins with one or two examples. For all parts of the Reading and Writing test, children must spell their answers correctly.
Summary
| Time allowed: | About 30 minutes |
| Number of parts: | 6 |
| Number of questions: | 35 |
| Marks: | A maximum of five shields |
Reading Part 1
| What’s in Part 1? | On the left, there are eight pictures of things with the English word under them. On the right, there are five definitions (sentences that describe or explain five of the eight things on the left). Children need to choose which picture matches each definition and copy the correct word under it. |
| What should children practise? | Reading short definitions and matching to words. Writing words. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Reading Part 2
| What’s in Part 2? | A short conversation between two people. Children have to decide what the second speaker says each time (A, B or C). |
| What should children practise? | Reading a conversation. Choosing the correct responses. |
| How many questions are there?
|
6 |
Reading Part 3
| What’s in Part 3? | A text with some missing words (gaps) in it. Next to the text there are some small pictures and words. Children have to decide which word goes in each gap and copy it. For the last question, they have to choose the best title for the text from a choice of three possible titles. |
| What should children practise? | Reading for specific information and gist (the main idea of a text). Copying words. |
| How many questions are there?
|
6 |
Reading Part 4
| What’s in Part 4? | A text with some missing words (gaps). Next to the line where each word is missing, there is a choice of three possible answers. Children have to decide which answer is correct and copy the word into the gap. |
| What should children practise? | Reading and understanding a factual text. Simple grammar. Copying words. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 5
| What’s in Part 5? | A story in three parts. Each part of the story has a picture. After each part of the story, children have to complete sentences about the story using one, two or three words. |
| What should children practise? | Reading a story. Completing sentences. |
| How many questions are there?
|
7 |
Writing Part 6
| What’s in Part 6? | A picture with sentence prompts. Children have to complete sentences, respond to questions and write in full sentences about the picture. |
| What should children practise? | Completing sentences, responding to questions and writing sentences about a picture. |
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
What’s in the Speaking paper?
Pre A1 Starters Speaking test has four parts. Children take the test alone with the examiner, but someone they know who speaks their language (like their teacher) will introduce them to the examiner and explain what to do in their own language.
Summary
| Time allowed: | 5–7 minutes |
| Number of parts: | 4 |
| Marks: | A maximum of five shields |
Speaking Part 1
| What’s in Part 1? | The examiner will greet the child and ask their name and age. Then they look at two pictures. The pictures are similar but they have some differences. The examiner asks the child to describe four differences in the pictures. |
| What should children practise? | Describing differences between pictures. Talking about colour, size, number, position, how people/things look, what people are doing, etc. |
Speaking Part 2
| What’s in Part 2? | The examiner shows four pictures which tell a story and tells the child about the first picture. The child has to continue the story and describe the other three pictures. The title of the story and the name(s) of the main character(s) are provided. |
| What should children practise? | Understanding the beginning of a story and then continuing it. Describing pictures. |
Speaking Part 3
| What’s in Part 3? | The examiner shows the child four sets of four pictures. In each set of pictures, one picture is different from the others. The child has to say which picture is different and explain why. |
| What should children practise? | Suggesting a picture which is different and explaining why. |
Speaking Part 4
| What’s in Part 4? | The examiner asks the child some questions about him/herself (for example, school, weekends, friends and hobbies). |
| What should children practise? | Understanding and responding to personal questions. |
Cambridge A2 Flyers (YLE Flyers):
A2 Flyers is made up of three papers developed to encourage and motivate young learners.
A2 Flyers is the third of three Cambridge English Qualifications designed for young learners. These tests introduce children to everyday written and spoken English and are an excellent way for them to gain confidence and improve their English.
The tests are written around familiar topics and focus on the skills needed to communicate effectively in English through listening, speaking, reading and writing.
| Paper | Content | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Listening (about 25 minutes) | 5 parts/ 25 questions | a maximum of five shields |
| Reading and Writing (40 minutes) | 7 parts/ 44 questions | a maximum of five shields |
| Speaking (7–9 minutes) | 4 parts | a maximum of five shields |
You can see exactly what’s in each paper in the above tabs.
What’s in the Listening paper?
A2 Flyers Listening test has five parts. Each part begins with one or two examples. Children will hear each recording twice.
Summary
| Time allowed: | About 25 minutes |
| Number of parts: | 5 |
| Number of questions: | 25 |
| Marks: | A maximum of five shields |
Listening Part 1
| What’s in Part 1? | A big picture which shows people doing different things. Above and below the picture, there are some names. Children have to listen carefully to a conversation between an adult and a child and draw a line from each name to the correct person on the big picture. |
| What should children practise? | Listening for names and descriptions. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 2
| What’s in Part 2? | A short conversation between two people. There is a form or a page of a notebook with some missing words (gaps). Children have to listen to the recording and write a missing word or number in each gap. |
| What should children practise? | Listening for names, spellings and other information. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 3
| What’s in Part 3? | Two sets of pictures. On the left, there are some pictures of people and their names, or other named places or objects. On the right, there is a set of pictures with letters but no words. Children have to listen to a conversation between two people and match each of the pictures on the right to one of the named pictures on the left. |
| What should children practise?Listening for words, names and detailed information. | Listening for words, names and detailed information. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 4
| What’s in Part 4? | Five short conversations. There is a question and three pictures for each conversation. Children have to decide which picture shows the right answer to the question and put a tick in the box under it. |
| What should children practise? | Listening for specific information. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 5
| What’s in Part 5? | A big picture. Children have to listen carefully to a conversation between an adult and a child and colour different objects for three of the questions and write a single word for two of the questions in the picture. |
| What should children practise? | Listening for words, colours and specific information. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
What’s in the Reading and Writing paper?
A2 Flyers Reading and Writing test has seven parts. Each part begins with one or two examples. For all parts of the Reading and Writing test, children must spell their answers correctly.
Summary
| Time allowed: | About 40 minutes |
| Number of parts: | 7 |
| Number of questions: | 44 |
| Marks: | A maximum of five shields |
Reading Part 1
| What’s in Part 1? | Fifteen words and ten definitions (sentences that describe or explain ten of the fifteen words). Children have to write the correct word next to each definition. |
| What should children practise? | Reading definitions and matching to words. Copying words. |
| How many questions are there?
|
10 |
Reading Part 2
| What’s in Part 2? | A short conversation between two people. Everything that the first speaker says is printed on the question paper, with gaps for the second speaker’s answers. For each gap, children have to choose the correct answer from a list (A–H). |
| What should children practise? | Reading and completing a continuous dialogue. Writing letters. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Reading Part 3
| What’s in Part 3? | A text with some missing words (gaps) in it (a noun, adjective or verb). Next to the text there is a box with words in it. Children have to choose the correct word from the box for each gap and copy it. For the last question, children have to choose the best title for the text from a choice of three possible titles. |
| What should children practise? | Reading for specific information and gist. Copying words. |
| How many questions are there?
|
6 |
Reading Part 4
| What’s in Part 4? | A text with some missing words (gaps). Next to the line where each word is missing, there is a choice of three possible answers. Children have to decide which answer is correct and copy the word into the gap. |
| What should children practise? | Reading and understanding a factual text. Simple grammar. Copying words. |
| How many questions are there?
|
5 |
Listening Part 5
| What’s in Part 5? | A complete story, and seven sentences about the story. Each sentence has a gap which children have to complete using one, two, three or four words. |
| What should children practise? | Reading a story. Completing sentences. |
| How many questions are there?
|
7 |
Listening Part 6
| What’s in Part 6? | A text from a letter or diary with five gaps. Children have to write the missing word in each of the five gaps. There is no list of words to choose from. |
| What should children practise? | Reading and understanding a short text. |
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
Writing Part 7
| What’s in Part 7? | Children write a story based on three pictures. |
| What should children practise? | Writing short stories. |
| How many questions are there? | 1 |
What’s in the Speaking paper?
A2 Flyers Speaking test has four parts. Children take the test alone with the examiner, but someone they know who speaks their language (like their teacher) will introduce them to the examiner and explain what to do in their own language.
Summary
| Time allowed: | 7–9 minutes |
| Number of parts: | 4 |
| Marks: | A maximum of five shields |
Speaking Part 1
| What’s in Part 1? | The examiner will greet the child and ask their name, family name and age. Then they look at two pictures. The pictures are similar but they have some differences. The examiner asks the child to describe four differences in the pictures. |
| What should children practise? | Understanding and talking about differences between pictures. Talking about colour, size, number, position, how people/things look, what people are doing, etc. |
Speaking Part 2
| What’s in Part 2? | The child and the examiner each have two similar pictures (for example, pictures of two different classrooms). The examiner has information about one picture, and the child has information about the other picture. First, the examiner asks the child questions about one picture, and then the child asks similar questions about the other picture. |
| What should children practise? | Answering questions with short answers. Asking questions to get information. |
Speaking Part 3
| What’s in Part 3? | The examiner shows four pictures which tell a story and tells the child about the first picture. The child has to continue the story and describe the other three pictures. The title of the story and the name(s) of the main character(s) are provided. |
| What should children practise? | Understanding the beginning of a story and then continuing it. Describing pictures. |
Speaking Part 4
| What’s in Part 4? | The examiner asks the child some questions about him/herself (for example, school, hobbies, birthday, family or holidays). |
| What should children practise? | Understanding and responding to personal questions. |
Cambridge A2 Key & A2 Key for Schools
An A2 Key qualification is proof of your ability to use English to communicate in simple situations.
The exam tests all four English language skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking.
An A2 Key for Schools qualification shows that a student can use English to communicate in simple situations.
The formats below are the same for both the paper-based and computer-based exams.
| Paper | Content | Marks (% of total) | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing (1 hour) | 7 parts/ 32 questions | 50% | Shows you can understand simple written information such as signs, brochures, newspapers and magazines. |
| Listening (30 minutes, including 6 minutes’ transfer time) | 5 parts/ 25 questions | 25% | Requires you to be able to understand announcements and other spoken material when people speak reasonably slowly. |
| Speaking (8–10 minutes per pair of candidates; 13-15 minutes per group of three) | 2 parts | 25% | Shows you can take part in a conversation by answering and asking simple questions. Your Speaking test will be conducted usually face to face with one or two other candidates and two examiners. One of the examiners (who could be online, examining remotely) talks to you and the other examiner listens. This makes your test more realistic and more reliable. Examiners may use their mobile phones for entering marks using an app. |
You can see exactly what’s in each paper in the above tabs.
What’s in the Reading and Writing paper?
The A2 Key & A2 Key for Schools Reading and Writing paper has seven parts and different types of texts and questions. Parts 1–5 are about reading and Parts 6–7 are mainly about writing.
Reading Part 1
| What do candidates have to do? | Read six short real-world texts for the main message. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer |
Part 2 (Multiple matching)
| What do candidates have to do? | Read seven questions and three short texts on the same topic, then match the questions to the texts. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 7 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer |
Part 3 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? | Read one long text for detailed understanding and main ideas. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer |
Part 4 (Multiple-choice cloze)
| What do candidates have to do? | Read a factual text and choose the correct vocabulary items to complete the gaps. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 5 (Open cloze)
| What do candidates have to do? | Complete gaps in an email (and sometimes the reply too) using one word. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer |
Part 6 (Guided writing)
| What do candidates have to do? | Write a short email or note of 25 words or more. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 1 |
| How many marks are there? | The question has a maximum of 15 marks available |
Part 7 (Picture story)
| What do candidates have to do? | Write a short story of 35 words or more based on three picture prompts. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 1 |
| How many marks are there? | The question has a maximum of 15 marks available |
What’s in the Listening paper?
The A2 Key for Schools Listening paper has five parts. For each part you have to listen to a recorded text or texts and answer some questions. You hear each recording twice.
Part 1 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? | Identify key information in five short dialogues and choose the correct visual. |
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
| How many marks are there?
|
One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 2 (Gap fill)
| What do candidates have to do? | Listen to a monologue and complete gaps in a page of notes. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 3 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? | Listen to a dialogue for key information and answer five 3-option questions. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 4 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? | Identify the main idea, message, gist or topic in five short monologues or dialogues and answer five 3-option questions. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 5 (Matching)
| What do candidates have to do? | Listen to a dialogue for key information and match five items. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
The A2 Key for Schools Speaking test has two parts and you take it with another candidate. There are two examiners. One examiner talks to you and the other examiner listens. Both examiners give marks for your performance.
Summary
| Time allowed: | 7–10 minutes |
| Number of parts: | 2 |
| Marks: | 25% of total |
Speaking Part 1 (Interview)
What do candidates have to do?
| What do candidates have to do? | Respond to questions, giving factual or personal information. |
| How long do candidates have to speak? | 3–4 minutes. |
Speaking Part 2 (Discussion)
| What do candidates have to do? | Candidates are given a picture and a prompt. They discuss the picture explaining likes and dislikes, and give reasons. |
| How long do candidates have to speak? | 5–6 minutes. |
Cambridge B1 Preliminary & B1 Preliminary for Schools (PET)
B1 Preliminary for Schools is made up of four papers developed to test students’ English skills.
A B1 Preliminary qualification shows that you have mastered the basics of English and now have practical language skills for everyday use.
The formats below are the same for both the paper-based and computer-based exams.
| Paper | Content | Marks (% of total) | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading (45 minutes) | 6 parts/ 32 questions | 25% | Shows you can read and understand the main points from signs, newspapers and magazines. |
| Writing (45 minutes) | 2 parts/ 2 questions | 25% | Shows you can use vocabulary and structure correctly. |
| Listening (30 minutes, including 6 minutes’ transfer time) | 4 parts/ 25 questions | 25% | You have to be able to follow and understand a range of spoken materials including announcements and discussions about everyday life. |
| Speaking (10-12 minutes per pair of candidates; 15-17 minutes per group of three) | 4 parts | 25% | Shows how good your spoken English is as you take part in conversation by asking/answering questions and talking, for example, about your likes and dislikes. Your Speaking test will be face to face with one or two other candidates and two examiners. One of the examiners (who could be online, examining remotely) talks to you and the other examiner listens. This makes your test more realistic and more reliable. Examiners may use their mobile phones for entering marks using an app. |
You can see exactly what’s in each paper in the above tabs.
What’s in the Reading paper?
The B1 Preliminary for Schools Reading paper has six parts. There are different types of texts and questions.
Part 1 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? | Read five real-world notices, messages and other short texts for the main message. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer |
Part 2 (Matching)
| What do candidates have to do? | Match five descriptions of people to eight short texts on a particular topic, showing detailed comprehension. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer |
Part 3 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? | Read a longer text for detailed comprehension, gist, inference and global meaning, as well as writer’s attitude and opinion. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer |
Part 4 (Gapped text)
| What do candidates have to do? | Read a longer text from which five sentences have been removed. Show understanding of how a coherent and well-structured text is formed. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 5 (Multiple choice cloze)
| What do candidates have to do? | Read a shorter text and choose the correct vocabulary items to complete gaps. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer |
Part 6 (Open cloze)
| What do candidates have to do? | Read a shorter text and complete six gaps using one word for each gap. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer |
What’s in the Writing paper?
The B1 Preliminary and B1 Preliminary for Schools paper has two parts. You have to show that you can write different types of text in English.
Part 1 (Writing an email)
| What do candidates have to do? | Write about 100 words, answering the email and notes provided. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 1 |
| How many marks are there? | The question has a maximum of 20 marks available. |
Part 2 (Choice between an article or a story)
| What do candidates have to do? | Write about 100 words, answering the question of their choosing. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | Choose one question from a choice of two. |
| How many marks are there? | The question has a maximum of 20 marks available. |
What’s in the Listening paper?
The B1 Preliminary for Schools Listening paper has four parts. For each part, you have to listen to a recorded text or texts and answer some questions. You hear each recording twice.
Part 1 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? | Identify key information in seven short monologues or dialogues and choose the correct visual. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 7 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 2 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? | Listen to six short dialogues and understand the gist of each. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 3 (Gap fill)
| What do candidates have to do? | Listen to a monologue and complete six gaps. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 4 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? | Listen to an interview for a detailed understanding of meaning and to identify attitudes and opinions. |
|---|---|
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
What’s in the Speaking paper?
The B1 Preliminary for Schools Speaking test has four parts and you take it together with another candidate. There are two examiners. One of the examiners talks to you and the other examiner listens.
Part 1 (Interview)
| What do candidates have to do? | Respond to questions, giving factual or personal information. |
|---|---|
| How long do candidates have to speak? | 2 minutes. |
Part 2 (Extended turn)
| What do candidates have to do? | Describe one colour photograph, talking for about 1 minute. |
|---|---|
| How long do candidates have to speak? | 3 minutes. |
Part 3 (Discussion)
| What do candidates have to do? | Make and respond to suggestions, discuss alternatives and negotiate agreement. |
|---|---|
| How long do candidates have to speak? | 4 minutes. |
Part 4 (General conversation)
| What do candidates have to do? | Discuss likes, dislikes, experiences, opinions, habits, etc. |
|---|---|
| How long do candidates have to speak? | 3 minutes. |
Cambridge B2 First & B2 First for Schools (FCE)
Summary
A B2 First qualification proves you have the language skills to live and work independently in an English-speaking country or study on courses taught in English.
This exam is the logical step in your language learning journey between B1 Preliminary and C1 Advanced.
A B2 First for Schools qualification shows that a student has the language skills they need to communicate in an English-speaking environment.
It’s also a great way to prepare for higher-level exams such as C1 Advanced.
B2 First for Schools is targeted at the same CEFR level as B2 First but with content aimed at school-age learners rather than adults.
The formats below are the same for both the paper-based and computer-based exams.
| Paper | Content | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Use of English (1 hour 15 minutes) | 7 parts/52 questions | Shows you can deal confidently with different types of text, such as fiction, newspapers and magazines. Tests your use of English with tasks that show how well you can control your grammar and vocabulary. |
| Writing
(1 hour 20 minutes) |
2 parts | Requires you to be able to produce two different pieces of writing, such as letters, reports, reviews and essays. |
| Listening
(about 40 minutes) |
4 parts/30 questions | Requires you to be able to follow and understand a range of spoken materials, such as news programmes, presentations and everyday conversations. |
| Speaking
(14 minutes per pair of candidates; 20 minutes per group of three) |
4 parts | Shows how good your spoken English is as you take part in conversation by asking/answering questions and discussing topics. Your Speaking test will be face to face with one or two other candidates and two examiners. One of the examiners (who could be online, examining remotely) talks to you and the other examiner listens. This makes your test more realistic and more reliable. Examiners may use their mobile phones for entering marks using an app. |
You can see exactly what’s in each paper in the above tabs.
What’s in the Reading and Use of English paper?
The B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English paper is in seven parts and has a mix of text types and questions.
For Parts 1 to 4, students read a range of texts and do grammar and vocabulary tasks.
For Parts 5 to 7, students read a series of texts and answer questions that test reading ability and show that they can deal with a variety of different types of texts.
| Time allowed: | 1 hour 15 minutes |
|---|---|
| Number of parts: | 7 |
| Number of questions: | 52 |
| Marks: | 40% of total |
| Lengths of texts: | 2,200–2,500 words to read in total. |
| Texts may be from: | Newspaper and magazine articles, reports, fiction, advertisements, letters, messages, informational material (e.g. brochures, guides, manuals, etc.). |
Part 1 (Multiple-choice cloze)
| What’s in Part 1? | A text in which there are some missing words or phrases (gaps). After the text there are four possible answers for each gap and students have to choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Vocabulary – words with similar meanings, collocations, linking phrases, phrasal verbs, etc. |
| How many questions are there? | 8 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 2 (Open cloze)
| What’s in Part 2? | There are some missing words (gaps). Students have to think of the correct word for each gap. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Grammar and vocabulary. |
| How many questions are there? | 8 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 3 (Word formation)
| What’s in Part 3? | A text containing eight gaps. Each gap represents a word. At the end of the line is a ‘prompt’ word which the student has to change in some way to make the correct missing word and complete the sentence correctly. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Vocabulary – word-building: the different words which the student can make from a ‘base’ word, e.g. ‘compete’ becomes ‘competition’, ‘competitor’, ‘competitive’, ‘competitively’ or ‘uncompetitive’. |
| How many questions are there? | 8 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 4 (Key word transformations)
| What’s in Part 4? | A sentence followed by a key word and a second sentence which has a gap in it. Students have to use the key word to complete the second sentence so that it is similar in meaning to the first sentence. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Grammar and vocabulary – rewriting sentences with different words so that they mean the same thing. |
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | Up to 2 marks for each correct answer. |
Part 5 (Multiple choice)
| What’s in Part 5? | A text with some multiple-choice questions. Each question has four options (A, B, C or D), and students have to decide which is the correct answer. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | How to understand the details of a text, including opinions and attitudes. |
| How many questions are there? |
6 |
| How many marks are there? | 2 marks for each correct answer. |
Part 6 (Gapped text)
| What’s in Part 6? | A text with some empty spaces (gaps). After the text there are some sentences taken from the text. Students have to choose the correct sentence for each gap. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | How to understand the structure and follow the development of a text. |
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | 2 marks for each correct answer. |
Part 7 (Multiple matching)
| What’s in Part 7? | A series of questions and a long text or several short texts to read. For each question, students have to decide which text or part of the text mentions this. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | How to find specific information in a text or texts. |
| How many questions are there? | 10 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
What’s in the Writing paper?
In the two parts of the B2 First for Schools Writing paper, the student has to show that they can write different types of text in English.
Summary
| Time allowed: | 1 hour 20 minutes |
|---|---|
| Number of parts: | 2 |
| Number of questions: | Part 1: one compulsory question Part 2: one question from a choice of four, including one set text question |
| Marks: | 20% of total |
| Types of task: | Article, email, essay, letter, review, story. |
Set texts
Part 1
| What’s in Part 1? | Students are given an essay title and two ideas. They write an essay giving their opinion about the title, using the ideas given and adding an idea of their own. The title will be a subject of general interest – students won’t need any specialised knowledge. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Giving an opinion and providing reasons for that opinion. |
| How many questions are there? | One compulsory question. |
| How much do students have to write? | 140–190 words |
Part 2
| What’s in Part 2? | A choice of four questions. The answer students have to write will be one of the following: article, email/letter, article, review, story. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Writing different types of text: articles, essays, letters/emails, reviews. Depending on the question, students will have to advise, compare, describe, explain, express opinions, justify and/or recommend something. |
| How many questions are there? | Students choose one question from a choice of four, including one set text question. |
| How much do students have to write? | 140–190 words |
What’s in the Listening paper?
The B2 First for Schools Listening paper has four parts. For each part students have to listen to a recorded text or texts and answer some questions. They will hear each recording twice.
Summary
| Time allowed: | About 40 minutes |
|---|---|
| Number of parts: | 4 |
| Number of questions: | 30 |
Part 1 (Multiple choice)
| What’s in Part 1? | A series of short, unrelated recordings of approximately 30 seconds each. Students have to listen to the recordings and answer one multiple-choice question for each. Each question has three options (A, B or C). |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Listening for feeling, attitude, opinion, purpose, function, agreement, gist and detail. |
| How many questions are there? | 8 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 2 (Sentence completion)
| What’s in Part 2? | A monologue (one person speaking) lasting 3–4 minutes. Students have to complete the sentences on the question paper with information they hear on the recording. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Listening for detail, specific information, stated opinion. |
| How many questions are there? | 10 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 3 (Multiple matching)
| What’s in Part 3? | Five short related monologues of approximately 30 seconds each. Students listen to the recordings and choose which statement from a list of eight best matches what each speaker says. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Listening for general gist, purpose, feeling, main points and detail. |
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 4 (Multiple choice)
| What’s in Part 4? | An interview or exchange between two speakers and lasting 3–4 minutes. Students have to listen to the recording and answer seven multiple-choice questions. Each question has three options (A, B or C). |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Listening for opinion, attitude, gist, main idea, specific information. |
| How many questions are there? | 7 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
What’s in the Speaking paper?
The B2 First for Schools Speaking test has four parts and the student takes it together with another candidate.
There are two examiners. One of the examiners conducts the test (asks questions, gives the student a booklet with things to talk about, and so on). The other examiner listens to what the student says.
Summary
| Time allowed: | 14 minutes per pair of candidates |
|---|---|
| Number of parts: | 4 |
| The student has to talk: | with the examiner with the other candidate on their own |
Part 1 (Interview)
| What’s in Part 1? | Conversation with the examiner. The examiner asks questions and students may have to give information about themselves, talk about past experiences, present circumstances and future plans. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Giving information about themselves and expressing opinions about various topics. |
| How long does each student have to speak? | 2 minutes |
Part 2 (Long turn)
| What’s in Part 2? | The examiner gives the student a pair of photographs to talk about and they have to speak for 1 minute without interruption. The questions about the photographs are written at the top of the page to remind the student what they should talk about. When they have finished speaking, the student’s partner then has to answer a short question from the examiner about their photographs. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Talking on their own about something: comparing, describing, expressing opinions. |
| How long does each student have to speak? | 1 minute per candidate, plus a 30-second response |
Part 3 (Collaborative task)
| What’s in Part 3? | Conversation with the other candidate. The examiner gives the students a question and some written prompts. The students discuss these together for two minutes. The examiner will then ask them to make a decision together about the topic they have been discussing. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Exchanging ideas, expressing and justifying opinions, agreeing and/or disagreeing, suggesting, speculating, evaluating, reaching a decision through negotiation, etc. |
| How long does each student have to speak? | A 2-minute discussion followed by a 1-minute decision-making task |
Part 4 (Discussion)
| What’s in Part 4? | Further discussion with the other candidate, guided by questions from the examiner, about the same topic as the task in Part 3. |
|---|---|
| What do students have to practise? | Expressing and justifying opinions, agreeing and/or disagreeing. |
| How long does each student have to speak? | The discussion should last 4 minutes |
Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE)
C1 Advanced is a thorough test of all areas of language ability.
More than 9,000 educational institutions, businesses and government departments around the world accept C1 Advanced as proof of high-level achievement in learning English.
Preparing for C1 Advanced helps learners develop the skills to make the most of studying, working and living in English-speaking countries.
| Paper | Content | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Use of English (1 hour 30 minutes) | 8 parts/ 56 questions | Shows you can deal confidently with different types of text, such as fiction, newspapers and magazines. Tests your use of English with different types of exercise that show how well you can control your grammar and vocabulary. |
| Writing (1 hour 30 minutes) | 2 parts | You create two different pieces of writing, such as essays, letters/emails, proposals, reports and reviews. |
| Listening (about 40 minutes) | 4 parts/ 30 questions | Tests your ability to follow and understand a range of spoken materials, such as interviews, radio broadcasts, presentations, talks and everyday conversations. |
| Speaking (15 minutes per pair of candidates; 23 minutes per group of three) | 4 parts | Shows you can take part in a conversation by answering and asking simple questions. Your Speaking test will be conducted usually face to face with one or two other candidates and two examiners. One of the examiners (who could be online, examining remotely) talks to you and the other examiner listens. This makes your test more realistic and more reliable. Examiners may use their mobile phones for entering marks using an app. |
You can see exactly what’s in each paper in the above tabs.
What’s in the Reading and Use of English paper?
The C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English paper is in eight parts and has a mix of text types and questions.
Summary
| Time allowed: | 1 hour 30 minutes |
|---|---|
| Number of parts: | 8 |
| Number of questions: | 56 |
| Lengths of texts: | 3,000–3,500 words to read in total. |
| Texts may be from: | Newspapers and magazines, journals, books (fiction and non-fiction), promotional and informational materials. |
Part 1 (Multiple-choice cloze)
| What’s in Part 1? | A text in which there are some numbered gaps, each of which represents a word or phrase. After the text there are four possible answers for each gap and you have to choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Vocabulary – idioms, collocations, shades of meaning, phrasal verbs, fixed phrases etc. |
| How many questions are there? | 8 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 2 (Open cloze)
| What’s in Part 2? | A text in which there are some gaps, each of which represents one missing word. You have to find the correct word for each gap. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Grammar and vocabulary. |
| How many questions are there? | 8 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 3 (Word formation)
| What’s in Part 3? | A text containing eight gaps. Each gap represents a word. At the end of the line is a ‘prompt’ word which you have to change in some way to complete the sentence correctly. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Vocabulary. |
| How many questions are there? | 8 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 4 (Key word transformations)
| What’s in Part 4? | Each question consists of a sentence followed by a ‘key’ word and a second sentence with a gap in the middle. You have to use this key word to complete the second sentence, in three to six words, so that it means the same as the first sentence. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Grammar, vocabulary and collocation. |
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | Up to 2 marks for each correct answer. |
Part 5 (Multiple choice)
| What’s in Part 5? | A text with some multiple-choice questions. For each question, there are four options and you have to choose A, B, C or D. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Reading for detail, opinion, tone, purpose, main idea, implication, attitude. |
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | 2 marks for each correct answer. |
Part 6 (Cross-text multiple matching)
| What’s in Part 6? | Four short texts with multiple-matching questions. You must read across all of the texts to match a prompt to elements in the texts. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Understanding and comparing opinions and attitudes across texts. |
| How many questions are there? | 4 |
| How many marks are there? | 2 marks for each correct answer. |
Part 7 (Gapped text)
| What’s in Part 7? | A single page of text with some numbered gaps which represent missing paragraphs. After the text there are some paragraphs which are not in the right order. You have to read the text and the paragraphs and decide which paragraph best fits each gap. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | How to understand the structure and development of a text. |
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | 2 marks for each correct answer. |
Part 8 (Multiple matching)
| What’s in Part 8? | A series of multiple-matching questions followed by a text or several short texts. You have to match a prompt to elements in the text. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Reading for specific information, detail, opinion and attitude. |
| How many questions are there? | 10 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
What’s in the Writing paper?
In the two parts of the C1 Advanced Writing paper, you have to show that you can write different types of text in English.
Summary
| Time allowed: | 1 hour 30 minutes |
|---|---|
| Number of parts: | 2 |
| Number of questions: | Part 1: one compulsory question Part 2: one question from a choice of three |
| Task types: | A range from: essay, letter/email, proposal, report, review. |
Part 1 (Compulsory question)
| What’s in Part 1? | You read a text, then write an essay based on points included in the text. You’ll be asked to explain which of the two points is more important, and to give reasons for your opinion. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Developing points as fully as possible in order to demonstrate a range of structures, vocabulary and language functions, such as evaluating, expressing opinions, hypothesising, justifying, persuading. |
| How many questions are there? | One compulsory question. |
| How much do I have to write? | 220–260 words. |
Part 2 (Situationally based writing task)
| What’s in Part 2? | You write a text from a choice of text types – letter/email, proposal, report or review. To guide your writing, you’ll be given information about context, topic purpose and target reader. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Writing the different types of text that could be included in the exam. |
| How many questions are there? | Three tasks, from which you must choose one. |
| How much do I have to write? | 220–260 words. |
What’s in the Listening paper?
The C1 Advanced Listening paper has four parts. For each part you have to listen to a recorded text or texts and answer some questions. You hear each recording twice.
Summary
| Time allowed: | About 40 minutes |
|---|---|
| Number of parts: | 4 |
| Number of questions: | 30 |
| Recordings may be from: | Monologues: radio broadcasts, speeches, talks, lectures, anecdotes, etc.; or interacting speakers: radio broadcasts, interviews, discussions, conversations, etc. |
Part 1 (Multiple choice)
| What’s in Part 1? | Three short extracts from conversations between interacting speakers. There are two multiple-choice questions for each extract and you have to choose A, B or C. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Listening for feeling, attitude, opinion, purpose, function, agreement, course of action, gist, detail, etc. |
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 2 (Sentence completion)
| What’s in Part 2? | A monologue lasting approximately 3 minutes. You have to complete the sentences on the question paper with the missing information which you hear on the recording. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Listening for specific information, stated opinion. |
| How many questions are there? | 8 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 3 (Multiple choice)
| What’s in Part 3? | A conversation between two or more speakers of approximately 4 minutes. You have to answer some multiple-choice questions by choosing the correct answer from four options (A, B C or D). |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Listening for attitude, opinion, agreement, gist, feeling, speaker purpose, function and detail. |
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 4 (Multiple matching)
| What’s in Part 4? | A series of five themed monologues of approximately 30 seconds each. On the question paper, there are two tasks and for each task you have to match each of the five speakers to one of eight possible answers. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Listening for gist, attitude, opinion, main points, speaker purpose and feeling; interpreting context. |
| How many questions are there? | 10 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
What’s in the Speaking paper?
The C1 Advanced Speaking test has four parts and you take it together with another candidate.
There are two examiners. One of the examiners conducts the test (asks you questions, gives you the paper with things to talk about, and so on). The other examiner listens to what you say and takes notes.
Summary
| Time allowed: | 15 minutes per pair of candidates |
|---|---|
| Number of parts: | 4 |
| You have to talk: | with the examiner with the other candidate on your own |
Part 1 (Interview)
| What’s in Part 1? | Conversation between the candidates and the interlocutor. The examiner asks questions and you may have to give information about your interests, studies, careers, etc. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Giving information about yourself and expressing your opinion about various topics. |
| How long do we have to speak? | 2 minutes |
Part 2 (Long turn)
| What’s in Part 2? | The interlocutor gives you three pictures and asks you to talk about two of them. You have to speak for 1 minute without interruption and the interlocutor then asks the other candidate to comment on what you have said for about 30 seconds. The other candidate receives a different set of photographs and you have to listen and comment when they have finished speaking. The questions you have to answer about your photographs are written at the top of the page to remind you what you should talk about. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Talking on your own about something: comparing, describing, expressing opinions, speculating. |
| How long do we have to speak? | 1 minute per candidate, plus a 30-second response from the second candidate. |
Part 3 (Collaborative task)
| What’s in Part 3? | Conversation with the other candidate. The examiner gives you spoken instructions with written prompts which are used in a discussion. You have to talk with the other candidate for about 2 minutes (3 minutes for groups of three) about the written prompts. After the discussion time, the examiner will ask you another question which requires you to make a decision. You have 1 minute to talk together and make the decision (2 minutes for groups of three). |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Exchanging ideas, expressing and justifying opinions, agreeing and/or disagreeing, suggesting, speculating, evaluating, reaching a decision through negotiation, etc. |
| How long do we have to speak? | 3 minutes (a 2-minute discussion followed by a 1-minute decision-making task) |
Part 4 (Discussion)
| What’s in Part 4? | Further discussion with the other candidate based on the topics or issues raised in the task in Part 3. The interlocutor asks each of you some questions and you discuss them with the other candidate. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Expressing and justifying opinions, agreeing and/or disagreeing. |
| How long do we have to speak? | 5 minutes |
Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE)
Close all tabs
C2 Proficiency is made up of four papers developed to test your English skills.
A C2 Proficiency qualification shows the world that you have mastered English to an exceptional level. It proves you can communicate with the fluency and sophistication of a highly competent English speaker.
Preparing for and passing the exam means you have the level of English that’s needed to study or work in a very senior professional or academic environment, for example on a postgraduate or PhD programme.
| Paper | Content | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Use of English (1 hour 30 minutes) | 7 parts/ 53 questions | Shows you can deal confidently with different types of text, such as fiction and non-fiction books, journals, newspapers and manuals. |
| Writing (1 hour 30 minutes) | 2 parts | Requires you to be able to write a variety of text types, such as essays, reports and reviews. |
| Listening (about 40 minutes) | 4 parts/ 30 questions | Requires you to be able to follow and understand a range of spoken materials, such as lectures, speeches and interviews. |
| Speaking (16 minutes per pair of candidates; 24 minutes per group of three) | 3 parts | Shows you can take part in a conversation by answering and asking simple questions. Your Speaking test will be conducted usually face to face with one or two other candidates and two examiners. One of the examiners (who could be online, examining remotely) talks to you and the other examiner listens. This makes your test more realistic and more reliable. Examiners may use their mobile phones for entering marks using an app. |
You can see exactly what’s in each paper in the above tabs.
What’s in the Reading and Use of English paper?
The C2 Proficiency Reading and Use of English paper has different types of text and questions. In one part, you may have to read one long text or three or more shorter, related texts.
Summary
| Time allowed: | 1 hour 30 minutes |
|---|---|
| Number of parts: | 7 |
| Number of questions: | 53 |
| Length of texts: | About 3,000 words to read in total |
| Texts may be from: | Books (fiction and non-fiction), non-specialist articles from newspapers, magazines and the internet. |
Part 1 (Multiple-choice cloze)
| What’s in Part 1? | A single text with eight gaps. Candidates must choose one word or phrase from a set of four to fill each gap. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Idioms, collocations, fixed phrases, complementation, phrasal verbs, semantic precision. |
| How many questions are there? | 8 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 2 (Open cloze)
| What’s in Part 2? | A modified cloze test consisting of a text with eight gaps. Candidates think of the word which best fits each gap. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Awareness and control of grammar with some focus on vocabulary. |
| How many questions are there? | 8 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 3 (Word formation)
| What’s in Part 3? | A text containing eight gaps. Each gap corresponds to a word. The stems of the missing words are given beside the text and must be changed to form the missing word. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Vocabulary, in particular the use of affixation, internal changes and compounding in word formation. |
| How many questions are there? | 8 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 4 (Key word transformations)
| What’s in Part 4? | Six discrete items with a lead-in sentence and a gapped response to complete in 3–8 words including a given ‘key’ word. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Grammar, vocabulary and collocation. |
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | Up to 2 marks for each correct answer. |
Part 5 (Multiple choice)
| What’s in Part 5? | A long text followed by some multiple-choice questions, each with four options (A, B, C or D). |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Identifying detail, opinion, attitude, tone, purpose, main idea, implication and how a text is organised. |
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | 2 marks for each correct answer. |
Part 6 (Gapped text)
| What’s in Part 6? | A text from which paragraphs have been removed and placed in jumbled order after the text. Candidates must decide from where in the text the paragraphs have been removed. |
|---|---|
| What do I have to practise? | Understanding of cohesion, coherence, text structure, global meaning. |
| How many questions are there? | 7 |
| How many marks are there? | 2 marks for each correct answer. |
Part 7 (Multiple matching)
| What’s in Part 7? | A text, or several short texts, preceded by multiple-matching questions. Candidates must match a prompt to elements in the text. |
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| What do I have to practise? | Understanding of detail, opinion, attitude and specific information. |
| How many questions are there? | 10 |
| How many marks are there? | 1 mark for each correct answer. |
What’s in the Writing paper?
In the two parts of the C2 Proficiency Writing paper, you have to show that you can write different types of text in English.
Summary
| Time allowed: | 1 hour 30 minutes |
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| Number of parts: | 2 |
| Number of questions: | Part 1: one compulsory question Part 2: one question from a choice of four |
Part 1
| What’s in Part 1? | Some material to read (two texts, each approximately 100 words). Using the information in this material, you have to write an essay. |
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| What do I have to practise? | Writing a discursive essay in which you have to summarise and evaluate the key points contained in two texts of approximately 100 words each. Candidates must integrate a summary of these key points, an evaluation of the abstract arguments involved and their own ideas on the topic in a coherent essay. |
| How many questions are there? | One compulsory question. |
| How much do I have to write? | 240–280 words |
Part 2
| What’s in Part 2? | A choice of four questions (2–5). For Questions 2–4, you may have to write an article, a letter, a report or a review. |
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| What about Question 5? | If you read one of the set books and want to write about it, you may decide to try Question 5. You have a choice of two tasks, 5(a) or 5(b) for this question. You may have to write an article, essay, letter, report or a review. |
| What do I have to practise? | Writing different types of text as specified above, based on a given context. |
| How many questions are there? | One question from a choice of four. |
| How much do I have to write? | 280–320 words |
What’s in the Listening paper?
The C2 Proficiency Listening paper has four parts. For each part you have to listen to a recorded text or texts and answer some questions. You hear each recording twice.
Summary
| Time allowed: | About 40 minutes |
|---|---|
| Number of parts: | 4 |
| Number of questions: | 30 |
Part 1 (Multiple choice)
| What’s in Part 1? | Three short, unrelated recordings lasting approximately 1 minute each. You have to listen to the recordings and answer two multiple-choice questions for each recording. Each question has three options (A, B or C). |
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| What do I have to practise? | Listening for gist, detail, function, purpose, topic, speaker, addressee, feeling, attitude, opinion, etc. |
| How many questions are there? | 6 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 2 (Sentence completion)
| What’s in Part 2? | A monologue or prompted monologue lasting 3–4 minutes. The questions are a series of incomplete sentences. You have to listen to the recording and identify the information you need (one to three words) to fill each gap. |
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| What do I have to practise? | Listening for specific information, stated opinion. |
| How many questions are there? | 9 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 3 (Multiple choice)
| What’s in Part 3? | A recording with interacting speakers lasting 3–4 minutes. You have to listen to the recording and answer a series of multiple-choice questions, each with four options (A, B, C or D). |
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| What do I have to practise? | Listening for opinion, gist, detail, inference. |
| How many questions are there? | 5 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 4 (Multiple matching)
| What’s in Part 4? | Five short, themed monologues, of approximately 35 seconds each. There are two multiple-matching tasks. Each multiple-matching task requires the selection of the five correct options from a list of eight. |
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| What do I have to practise? | Gist, attitude, main points, interpreting context. |
| How many questions are there? | 10 |
| How many marks are there? | One mark for each correct answer. |
What’s in the Speaking paper?
The C2 Proficiency Speaking test has three parts and you take it together with another candidate. There are two examiners. One of the examiners (the interlocutor) conducts the test and the other examiner (the assessor) listens to what you say and takes notes.
Summary
| Time allowed: | 16 minutes per pair of candidates |
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| Number of parts: | 3 |
| You have to talk: | with the examiner with the other candidate on your own |
Part 1 (Interview)
| What’s in Part 1? | Conversation between the interlocutor and each candidate. The examiner asks each of you a series of questions, addressing a question to each of you in turn, to give you an opportunity to talk about yourselves. |
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| What do I have to practise? | Giving information about yourself and expressing your opinion or speculating about various topics. |
| How long does Part 1 last? | 2 minutes |
Part 2 (Collaborative task)
| What’s in Part 2? | The interlocutor gives you some spoken instructions and one or more pictures to look at. First, you have to answer a question which focuses on your reaction to aspects of one or more pictures (1 minute). The second part is a decision-making task which you have to do with the other candidate. |
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| What do I have to practise? | Sustaining an interaction: exchanging ideas, expressing and justifying opinions, agreeing and/or disagreeing, suggesting, speculating, evaluating, reaching a decision through negotiation, etc. |
| How long does Part 2 last? | 4 minutes |
Part 3 (Long turn and discussion)
| What’s in Part 3? | The interlocutor gives you a card with a question and some ideas on it and you have to speak for about 2 minutes on your own. After you finish, your partner has to comment and the interlocutor then asks you both a question on the same topic. The interlocutor follows the same procedure with your partner and then leads a discussion with both of you. |
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| What do I have to practise? | Speaking on your own for a longer time, expressing and justifying opinions, developing topics. |
| How long does Part 3 last? | 10 minutes (2-minute long turn for each candidate and then approximately 6 minutes for the discussion). |