LEVEL B2 OF THE COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF

REFERENCE FOR LANGUAGES (CEFR)

FCE CONTENT AND OVERVIEW

FCE EXAM PARTS (PAPERS) 1: READING (20%) 1 HOUR

2. WRITING (20%) 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES

3: USE OF ENGLISH (20%) 45 MINUTES

4: LISTENING (20%) APROX. 40 MINUTES

5: SPEAKING (20%) 14 MINUTES

FCE EXAM FORMAT. PAPER 1

PAPER 1: READING, GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Time allowed: Number of parts: Number of questions: Marks: Lengths of texts: Texts may be from:

1 hour 3 30 20% of total 550700 words per text: about 2,000 words to read in total newspaper and magazine articles, reports, fiction, advertisements, letters, messages, informational material (e.g. brochures, guides, manuals, etc.)

FCE. PAPER 1. READING.

PART 1: MULTIPLE CHOICE
A text with some multiplechoice questions. Each question has four options (A, B, C or D) and you have to decide which is the correct answer. How to understand the details of a text, including opinions and attitudes. 8

What's in Part 1?

What do I have to practise?

How many questions are there? How many marks do I get?

Two marks for each correct answer.

FCE. PAPER 1. READING.

PART 2: GAPPED TEXT (SENTENCES IN CONTEXT)

What's in Part 2?

A text with some empty spaces (gaps). After the text there are some sentences taken from the text. You have to choose the correct sentence for each gap. How to understand the structure and follow the development of a text.

What do I have to practise?

How many questions are there?

How many marks do I get?

Two marks for each correct answer.

FCE. PAPER 1. READING.

PART 3:READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION (WHICH PERSON?)

What's in Part 2?

A series of questions and a long text or several short texts to read. For each question, you have to decide which text or part of the text mentions some specific information. How to find specific information in a text or texts. 15

What do I have to practise?

How many questions are there?

How many marks do I get?

ONE mark for each correct answer.

FCE. PAPER 2. WRITING.

PAPER 2: WRITING
Time allowed:

1 hour 20 minutes

Number of parts: Number of questions:

2 Part 1: one compulsory question Part 2: one question from a choice of five 20% of total article, email, essay, letter, report, review, story

Marks: Types of task:

FCE. PAPER 2. WRITING.

WRITING A LETTER or EMAIL

1.AN ARTICLE PART 1 One compulsory task 2. AN ESSAY WRITING 4. A REPORT PART 2 One task to be selected from a choice of five

5. A REVIEW

6. A STORY

FCE. PAPER 2. WRITING.

PART 1, QUESTION 1. LETTER/ E-MAIL
Some material to read (up to 160 words). You have to write a letter or email using the information in this material.

What's in Part 1?

What do I have to practise?

Writing a letter or email. You may have to apologise, compare, describe, explain, express opinions, justify, persuade, recommend, and/or suggest something. One compulsory question. 120150 words

How many questions are there? How much do I have to write?

FCE. PAPER 2. WRITING.

PART 2. QUESTIONS 2-5: ARTICLE, ESSAY, LETTER, REPORT, REVIEW OR STORY
What's in Part 2? A choice of five questions. The answer you have to write will be one of the following: an article, essay, letter, report, review or story. If you read one of the set books and want to write about it, you may decide to try Question 5. You have a choice of two tasks 5 (a) or 5 (b) for this question. Writing different types of text: articles, essays, letters, reports, reviews. Depending on the question, you will have to advise, compare, describe, explain, express opinions, justify and/or recommend something. One task to be selected from a choice of five. 120180 words

What about Question 5?

What do I have to practise?

How many questions are there? How much do I have to write?

FCE. PAPER 3. USE OF ENGLISH.

PAPER 3: USE OF ENGLISH. GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Time allowed: 45 minutes

Number of parts:

Number of questions:

42

Marks:

20% of total

FCE. PAPER 3. USE OF ENGLISH.

PART 1. GAP FILLING. MULTIPLE CHOICE CLOZE
What' s in Part 1? A text in which there are some missing words or phrases (gaps). After the text there are four possible answers for each gap and you have to choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). Vocabulary words with similar meanings, collocations, linking phrases, phrasal verbs, etc. 12

What do I have to practi se?

How many quest ions are there ? How many mark s are there ?

One mark for each correct answer.

FCE. PAPER 3. USE OF ENGLISH.

PART 2. GAP FILLING: WORD PRODUCTION

What's in Part 2?

A text in which there are some missing words (gaps). You have to find the correct word for each gap. Grammar and vocabulary. 12

What do I have to practise? How many questions are there? How many marks are there?

One mark for each correct answer.

FCE. PAPER 3. USE OF ENGLISH.

PART 3. GAP FILLING: WORD FAMILIES/ WORD FORMATION

What's in Part 3?

A text containing ten gaps. Each gap represents a word. At the end of the line is a prompt word which you have to change in some way to make the correct missing word and complete the sentence correctly. Vocabulary word building: the different words which you can make from a base word, e.g. compete becomes competition, competitor, competitive, competitively or uncompetitive.

What do I have to practise?

How many questions are there?

How many marks are there?

10

One mark for each correct answer.

FCE. PAPER 3. USE OF ENGLISH.

PART 4. KEY WORD TRANSFORMATIONS

What's in Part 4?

A sentence followed by a key word and a second sentence which has a gap in it. You have to use the key word to complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first sentence. Grammar and vocabulary rewriting sentences with different words so that they mean the same thing. 8

What do I have to practise?

How many questions are there? How many marks are there?

Up to two marks for each correct answer.

PAPER 4: LISTENING
PAPER 4: LISTENING. GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Time allowed:

about 40 minutes

Number of parts: Number of questions:

30

Marks:

20% of total

PAPER 4: LISTENING
PART 1: LISTENING. MULTIPLE CHOICE FOR DIFFERENT SITUATIONS

Eight questions to test candidates ability to listen for gist in a series of unrelated texts. The testing focusis spelled out in each question

PAPER 4: LISTENING
PART 2: LISTENING. SENTENCE COMPLETION

This part tests candidates ability to listen for specific words or phrases focusing on detail and specific information. The test is presented in the form of 10 questions. Candidates need to listen and complete the questions.

PAPER 4: LISTENING
PART 3: LISTENING. MULTIPLE MATCHING This part focus is on the skill of listening for general gist, detail, purpose, attitude, opinion, etc. Candidates listen to five short texts with different speakers, which are related in some way (E.g.: travel, a journey, vehicles, etc)

PAPER 4: LISTENING
PART 4: LISTENING. MULTIPLE CHOICE

In this part, the predominant focus is on testing the candidates ability to listen for opinion, main idea, gist and specific info, and based on one long test.

PAPER 5: SPEAKING
Time allowed: 14 minutes per pair of candidates 4

HI!

Number of parts:

Marks:

20% of total

You have to talk:

with the examiner with the other candidate on your own

PAPER 5: SPEAKING
SPEAKING PART 1: SOCIAL AND PERSONAL CONVERSATION

CANDIDATES AND EXAMINER INTERACT

PERSONAL INFORMATION (NAME, NATIONALITY, HOMETOWN, ETC) LIKES AND DISLIKES HOMELIFE FREE TIME EDUCATION AND WORK TRAVEL

PAPER 5: SPEAKING
SPEAKING PART 2: TALKING ABOUT PICTURES CANDIDATES AND EXAMINER INTERACT EACH CANDIDATE TALKS FOR 1 MINUTE ABOUT ONE PAIR OF RELATED PICTURES AND ANSWERS A QUESTION ABOUT THE OTHER PAIR OF RELATED PICTURES.

PAPER 5: SPEAKING
SPEAKING PARTS 3 AND 4: DISCUSSION
PART 3: CANDIDATES INTERACT DISCUSSION BETWEEN CANDIDATES BASED ON A SITUATION PRESENTED IN PICTURES AND WORDS CANDIDAES MAKE A DECISION TOGETHER PART 4: CANDIDATES AND EXAMINER INTERACT DISCUSSION BETWEEN CANDIDATES AND EXAMINER ON TOPICS RELATED TO PART 3 TASK.