About the CPE
There are five parts to the CPE exam:
- Reading: You have to read and understand the meaning of written English – not simply ‘word for word’ but at the level of the sentence, paragraph and the whole text.
- Writing: You have to write in a number of different styles and formats: a short story, a letter, an article, a report, a review or an essay, each of about 300-350 words.
- Use of English: You are tested on your grammar and vocabulary and how well you can summarise information.
- Listening: You’ll need to show that you understand the meaning of a range of spoken material, including lectures, news programmes and public announcements.
- Speaking: The test is with one or two other candidates, and you’ll have to speak alone and in conversation with the examiner and other candidates.
Find out more about the CPE exam at the Cambridge website.
Prepare with the British Council
You can follow an exam preparation course in any of the British Council Teaching Centres in Spain. On these courses you will learn how best to approach the different papers. This will include:
- techniques for doing the reading tasks quickly and efficiently
- how to organise and compose the different writing options: narratives, reports, articles etc
- the types of grammar and vocabulary exercises which appear in use of English and how best to approach them
- hints and techniques for listening
- how to produce the best English possible on the day of your speaking exam
More preparation help
If you’d prefer to prepare for the CPE on your own, take a look at the Cambridge ESOL exam preparation site. You can download many free materials, including a short booklet about the exam, information for candidates, sample exam papers and sound files for the Listening Test materials.
Top tips for CPE answers your last-minute questions. There are also many other books and materials to help you prepare for the CPE.
