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Fechas y Precios ESOL
FCE
First Certificate in English

The Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE) is the third level of the Cambridge exams in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). It is an upper intermediate level exam, set at Level B2 of the Common European Framework, and recognises the ability to deal confidently with a range of written and spoken communications.

Successful candidates receive a certificate awarded by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, and recognised by universities and employers in many countries. You also receive a statement of results, showing how you performed in each of the five papers.

At this level of language command the candidates should be able to:

  • catch the essential messages of texts related to concrete and abstract subjects, and participate actively in a technical conversation about an specialised matter.
  • communicate spontaneously and fluently enough with native speakers without requiring a special effort by either of the involved.
  • express in a clear and shaded way about diverse subjects.
  • be able to comment recent news and to examine the advantages and disadvantages of specific situations.

What does the exam involve?

FCE has five papers:  Reading, Writing, Use of English, Listening, and Speaking

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

•Reading (Paper 1) 1 hour 15 minutes

The Reading paper assesses your ability to read and understand texts taken from fiction and non-fiction books, journals, newspapers and magazines. You are expected to be able to show understanding of gist, detail and text structure, and deduce meaning.

•Writing (Paper 2) 1 hour 30 minutes

The Writing paper assesses your ability to write non-specialised text types such as letters, articles, reports, compositions and reviews of 120-180 words covering a range of topics and target readers and also set texts.

  • Use of English (Paper 3) 1 hour 15 minutes

In the Use of English paper, you are expected to demonstrate your knowledge and control of the language system by completing various tasks at text and sentence level. These include filling gaps, transforming words and phrases, and identifying errors in texts.

  • Listening (Paper 4) 40 minutes (approx.)

The Listening paper assesses your ability to understand the meaning of spoken English, and to extract gist and meaning from spoken text. The texts are taken from a variety of text types including interviews, discussions, lectures and conversations.

  • Speaking (Paper 5) 14 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 of about one minute, a collaborative task and a discussion. You are provided with stimulus material such as photographs and drawings. Candidates normally take the Speaking Test in pairs.

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