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CAE

Why take CAE?
CAE is ideal if you want to work or study abroad or to develop a career which requires language skills (e.g. business, medicine, and engineering). It is also useful preparation if you are working towards CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English).

Know more details…

What does the exam involve?
CAE has five papers:

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • English in use
  • Listening
  • Speaking

The written papers are returned to Cambridge for marking and assessment. The Speaking Test is conducted by two locally based examiners who examine candidates face to face. All examiners are accredited by Cambridge ESOL.

Reading (Paper 1), 1 hour 15 minutes
This paper assesses your ability to read and understand a number of texts taken from books, newspapers and magazines. You are expected to be able to show understanding of gist, main points, detail, text structure or specific information, deduce meaning or recognise opinion and attitude.

Writing (Paper 2), 2 hours
This paper assesses your ability to write non-specialised text types such as letters, articles, reports and reviews for a given purpose and target reader, covering a range of topics. Responses are of about 250 words in length.

English in Use (Paper 3), 1 hour 30 minutes
In this paper, you are expected to demonstrate knowledge and control of the language system by completing various tasks at text and sentence level, based on authentic texts. This will include gap-filling, error correction, word formation, register transfer and text completion exercises.

Listening (Paper 4), 45 minutes (approx.)
This paper assesses your ability to understand the meaning of spoken English and to extract detailed and specific information from the spoken text and to understand speakers' attitudes and opinions. The texts are taken from a variety of text types including interviews, discussions, lectures and conversations.

Speaking (Paper 5), 15 minutes (approx.)
The Speaking Test assesses your ability to interact in conversational English in a range of contexts. It contains four parts, including an interview section, individual long turns, a collaborative task and a discussion. You are provided with stimulus materials such as photographs and drawings You will normally take the Speaking Test in pairs.

Results

Each component carries 20% of the total marks. There are three pass grades (A, B and C) and certificates are awarded to candidates who achieve these grades. Candidates who achieve a grade D or E are judged not to have reached the required standard for CAE & CPE

Once awarded Cambridge ESOL CAE & CPE certificates are valid for life.

How to Register

Please download and lodge application form with the exam fees to British Council

Download Support Materials: http://www.cambridgeesol.org/support/handbooks.htm

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