FCE is an intermediate level Cambridge ESOL exam, at level B2 of the Council of Europe's Common European Framework. Learners at this level can expect to be able to work or study in an English speaking environment and cope easily as tourists in an English speaking country. This certificate is widely accepted for commercial and preliminary academic purposes in the UK and throughout the world.
Reading: 1 hour
You will need to be able to understand information in fiction and non-fiction books, journals, newspapers and magazines.
Writing: 1 hour 20 minutes
You will have to show you can produce two different pieces of writing such as a short story, a letter, an article, a report, a review or an essay.
Use of English: 45 minutes
Your use of English will be tested by tasks which show how well you control your grammar and vocabulary.
Listening: 40 minutes
You need to show you can understand the meaning of a range of spoken material, including news programmes, speeches, stories and anecdotes and public announcements.
Speaking: 14 minutes
You will take the Speaking test with another candidate or in a group of three, and you will be tested on your ability to take part in different types of interaction: with the examiner, with the other candidates and by yourself.
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations (Macmillan or any edition)
Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera (Penguin or any edition)
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 FCE.
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