Cambridge English Advanced Certificate (CAE) preparation, level C1

The Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) examination is for candidates who can communicate in English at an advanced level who wish to pursue a managerial or professional career, or to follow a course of academic study at university.

CAE is the right exam for you if the following criteria apply to you:

• Your first language is not English.
• You can use English in an effective way for business or study purposes.
• You can use English with confidence and flexibility.
• You can produce well-structured, clear and detailed pieces of writing on complex issues.

Exam Components

CAE has four papers – Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking.

Reading and Use of English (Paper 1)

1 hour 30 minutes

This paper has eight parts comprising a range of texts with accompanying comprehension tasks. A text may consist of several short pieces. The style and content of the texts is based on the types of material that candidates can expect to encounter in everyday situations such as newspapers, magazines, journals, books (fiction and non-fiction), promotional and information leaflets.

Candidates are expected to be able to understand the main point and the development of the theme of the text, identify text structure, deduce meaning or read closely to extract specific details.

Writing (Paper 2)

1 hour 30 minutes

Candidates demonstrate their ability to write 220-260 words for Part 1 and Part 2. At this level, they should have a good control of written English and be able to use the appropriate tone and comprehension for different audiences. They are required to complete two tasks. Task types include an article, a report, a proposal, a letter, an entry for a competition, a contribution to a longer piece, an essay, an information sheet and a review. Three set texts will also be included, with one text-specific question on each.

Listening (Paper 3)

approximately 40 minutes

This paper tests candidates’ ability to understand and extract information from a number of recorded texts such as announcements, radio broadcasts, speeches, talks, lectures, interviews, discussions, etc. Candidates are tested on their ability to understand the main points, details and specific information of what they hear, and recognise the attitudes and opinions of the speakers. Task types include multiple choice, sentence completion and multiple matching.

Speaking (Paper 4)

approximately 15 minutes

Candidates demonstrate their ability to sustain conversation and interaction with others. They are normally assessed in pairs by two locally-based examiners. Task types include short exchanges between the interlocutor and each candidate; a one-minute individual ‘long turn’; a collaborative task involving the two candidates; and a follow-up discussion.