The exam consists of four papers:

• Reading: 1 hour 15 mins
• Writing: 1 hour 15 mins
• Listening: 40 minutes
• Speaking: 16 minutes

You can take the ICFE exam at the British Council in Warsaw and Krakow.

Go to the ExamFinder below to check when ou can take the exam.

The standard fees for the exams valid up to 30th June 2012 are presented in the Examinations Fees document.

In order to register for an examination you should:

1. Read the Cambridge ESOL Examinations Regulations carefully.
2. Enter your candidature into the candidates on-line database in the British Council EntryNet system on www.britishcouncil.pl.
3. Deposit the required fee according to the instructions given in the British Council EntryNet

Candidates who do not observe the procedures stated in points A1, A2 and A3 will not be able to enter for the given session of the Cambridge examinations and their personal data will be deleted from the candidates database in the British Council EntryNet on-line registration system.

IMPORTANT
Candidates will receive by e-mail the confirmation that their data was successfully added to the candidates on-line database together with information regarding payment details and the examination fee. The submission of proof of payment is not required. When the payment is accredited to the British Council account the candidate will receive an e-mail with the conformation of registration for a Cambridge exam.Candidates should keep both e-mail messages until they receive an e-mail with the Statement of Entry with the detailed plan of the session.

A preparation course is not a requirement for candidates who want to register for ICFE.  However, it is recommended that candidates have some knowledge of financial English or attend an English for finance preparation course.

ICFE preparation materials:

• “Professional English in Use - Finance” Ian MacKenzie (CUP)
• “Dictionary of Finance Terms for Professionals” Roman Kozierkiewicz  (C.H.BECK)

Sample exam papers and online teacher resources are available at http://www.financialenglish.org/

Candidates receive one of the following grades:

Passing grades

• Pass with Merit C1 English at advanced level (CAE level) - 80 - 100%
• Pass C1 English at advanced level (CAE level) - 70 - 79 %
• Pass B2 English at intermediate level (FCE level) - 50 - 69 %

Failing grades

• Narrow Fail -  45 - 49 %
• Fail - 0  - 44 %

Results are available ca 9 weeks after the exam on http://www.cambridgeesol-results.org. Candidates receive from British Council instructions how they can check their results.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE LEVELS

The Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference is intended to describe the criteria of language knowledge and skills of language learners across Europe. Please find below a comparison of ICFE with the Council of Europe global scale levels.

	Detailed description
A1 Break-through	Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
A2 Waystage	Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.
B1 Threshold	Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
B2 Vantage	Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue, giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
C1 Effective Proficiency	Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
C2 Mastery	Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.

For more information please visit the Council of Europe webpage.

ICFE is accepted by:

Departament of Education and Science - Ireland

Ernst & Young - Polska

Freyssinier Morin - Mexico

Goobo Ltd - UK

Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) - United Arab Emirates

International Graduate Business School Zagreb

KPMG Ceská Republika

KPMG Uruguay

Ofqual – Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator - UK

Ordre des Experts Comptables de Tunisie

Pearson Financial Consulting - China

Pioneer Hi-Bred Seeds Agro SRL - Romania

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) - China

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) - UK

Riga Graduale School of Law

Riso de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

Romanian Banking Institute

UK Border Agency (Home Office)

Vientiane Hotel - China

The data regarding ICFE exam are based on the http://www.cambridgeesol.org/recognition/results.php?region=&type=&ICFE=on webpage.

In May 2010 University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations launched a Results Verification Service to help organisations, individuals and agencies to validate candidates' Cambridge ESOL examination results.

The service is free of charge and available online at https://verification.cambridgeesolonline.org/User/SignIn?ReturnUrl=%2f Anyone can use this free service once they have been given permission to verify a result by the certificate holder. Hence, it is a great opportunity for employers to validate the Cambridge ESOL certificates presented by future employees – the service offers all examinations results gathered from 2005 inclusively. The Results Verification Service might be also useful for  universities that would like to confirm students’ English language qualifications.

By using this service one can verify results for the following exams

• Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)
• Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)
• First Certificate in English (FCE)
• Preliminary English Test (PET)
• Preliminary English Test for Schools
• Key English Test (KET)
• Key English Test for Schools
• International Legal English Certificate (ILEC)
• International Certificate in Financial English (ICFE)
• Business English Certificates (BEC).

For more detailed information please refer to the Results Verification Service Manual.