Fce exam format

PPP SHOWING CANDIDATES THE EXAM FORMAT: THE DIFFERENT PAPERS (READING, WRITING, LISTENING AND SPEAKING) AND PARTS OF EACH ONE, A SHORT EXPLANATION OF WHAT EACH PAPER IS ABOUT AND SOME PRACTICAL EXAMPLES OF THE ACTUAL CAMBRIDGE EXAM.

1. LEVEL B2 OF THE COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF
REFERENCE FOR LANGUAGES (CEFR)

2. 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

3. FCE EXAM FORMAT. PAPER 1
PAPER 1: READING, GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Time allowed:Time allowed: 1 hour 1 hour
Number of parts:Number of parts: 3 3
Number of questions:Number of questions: 30 30
Marks:Marks: 20% of total20% of total
Lengths of texts:Lengths of texts: 550–700 words per text: about 2,000 words to read 550–700 words per text: about 2,000 words to read
in totalin total
Texts may be from:Texts may be from: newspaper and magazine articles, reports, fiction, newspaper and magazine articles, reports, fiction,
advertisements, letters, messages, informational advertisements, letters, messages, informational
material (e.g. brochures, guides, manuals, etc.)material (e.g. brochures, guides, manuals, etc.)

4. FCE. PAPER 1. READING.
What's in Part What's in Part
1? 1?
A text with A text with
some some
multiple-multiple-
choice choice
questions. questions.
Each question Each question
has four has four
options (A, B, options (A, B,
C or D) and C or D) and
you have to you have to
decide which decide which
is the correct is the correct
answer. answer.
What do I What do I
have to have to
practise?practise?
How to How to
understand understand
the details of the details of
a text, a text,
including including
opinions and opinions and
attitudes.attitudes.
How many How many
questions are questions are
there?there?
88
How many How many
marks do I marks do I
get?get?
Two marks for Two marks for
each correct each correct
answer.answer.
PART 1: MULTIPLE CHOICE

5. FCE. PAPER 1. READING.
What's in Part What's in Part
2? 2?
A text with some A text with some
empty spaces empty spaces
(gaps). After the (gaps). After the
text there are some text there are some
sentences taken sentences taken
from the text. You from the text. You
have to choose the have to choose the
correct sentence for correct sentence for
each gap. each gap.
What do I have What do I have
to practise?to practise?
How to understand How to understand
the structure and the structure and
follow the follow the
development of a development of a
texttext..
How many How many
questions are questions are
there?there?
77
How many How many
marks do I get?marks do I get?
Two marks for each Two marks for each
correct answer.correct answer.
PART 2: GAPPED TEXT (SENTENCES IN CONTEXT)

6. What's in Part 2? What's in Part 2?
A series of A series of
questions and a questions and a
long text or long text or
several short texts several short texts
to read. For each to read. For each
question, you question, you
have to decide have to decide
which text or part which text or part
of the text of the text
mentions some mentions some
specific specific
informationinformation..
What do I have to What do I have to
practise?practise?
How to find How to find
specific specific
information in a information in a
text or texts.text or texts.
How many How many
questions are questions are
there?there?
1515
How many marks How many marks
do I get?do I get?
ONE mark for ONE mark for
each correct each correct
answer.answer.
PART 3:READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION (WHICH PERSON?)
FCE. PAPER 1. READING.

7. Time allowed:Time allowed: 1 hour 20 minutes 1 hour 20 minutes
Number of Number of
parts:parts:
22
Number of Number of
questions:questions:
Part 1: one Part 1: one
compulsory compulsory
questionquestion
Part 2: one question Part 2: one question
from a choice of from a choice of
five five
Marks:Marks: 20% of total20% of total
Types of task:Types of task:article, email, essay, article, email, essay,
letter, report, letter, report,
review, storyreview, story
FCE. PAPER 2. WRITING.
PAPER 2: WRITING

8. FCE. PAPER 2. WRITING.

9. FCE. PAPER 2. WRITING.
What's in Part What's in Part
1? 1?
Some material to read Some material to read
(up to 160 words). You (up to 160 words). You
have to write a have to write a letter letter
or emailor email using the using the
information in this information in this
material.material.
What do I What do I
have to have to
practise?practise?
Writing a letter or Writing a letter or
email. You may have email. You may have
to apologise, compare, to apologise, compare,
describe, explain, describe, explain,
express opinions, express opinions,
justify, persuade, justify, persuade,
recommend, and/or recommend, and/or
suggest something. suggest something.
How many How many
questions are questions are
there?there?
One compulsory One compulsory
question.question.
How much do How much do
I have to I have to
write?write?
120–150 words120–150 words
PART 1, QUESTION 1. LETTER/ E-MAIL

10. FCE. PAPER 2. WRITING.
PART 2. QUESTIONS 2-5: ARTICLE, ESSAY, LETTER, REPORT,
REVIEW OR STORY
What's in Part 2? What's in Part 2?
A choice of five A choice of five
questions. The questions. The
answer you have to answer you have to
write will be write will be one of one of
the following: an the following: an
article, essay, article, essay,
letter, report, letter, report,
review or story. review or story.
What about Question What about Question
5?5?
If you read one of the If you read one of the
set books and want set books and want
to write about it, you to write about it, you
may decide to try may decide to try
Question 5. You have Question 5. You have
a choice of two tasks a choice of two tasks
5 (a) or 5 (b) for this 5 (a) or 5 (b) for this
question.question.
What do I have to What do I have to
practise?practise?
Writing different Writing different
types of text: types of text:
articles, essays, articles, essays,
letters, reports, letters, reports,
reviews. Depending reviews. Depending
on the question, you on the question, you
will have to advise, will have to advise,
compare, describe, compare, describe,
explain, express explain, express
opinions, justify and/opinions, justify and/
or recommend or recommend
something.something.
How many questions How many questions
are there?are there?
One task to be One task to be
selected from a selected from a
choice of five.choice of five.
How much do I have How much do I have
to write?to write?
120–180 words120–180 words

11. FCE. PAPER 3. USE OF ENGLISH.
Time allowed:Time allowed: 45 minutes45 minutes
Number of parts:Number of parts: 44
Number of Number of
questions:questions:
4242
Marks:Marks: 20% of total20% of total
PAPER 3: USE OF ENGLISH. GENERAL DESCRIPTION

12. FCE. PAPER 3. USE OF ENGLISH.
What'What'
s in s in
Part Part
1? 1?
A text in which there A text in which there
are some are some
missing words or missing words or
phrases (gaps). phrases (gaps).
After the text After the text
there are four there are four
possible answers possible answers
for each gap and for each gap and
you have to you have to
choose the choose the
correct answer correct answer
(A, B, C or D).(A, B, C or D).
What do I What do I
have have
to to
practipracti
se?se?
Vocabulary – words Vocabulary – words
with similar with similar
meanings, meanings,
collocations, collocations,
linking phrases, linking phrases,
phrasal verbs, phrasal verbs,
etc.etc.
How many How many
questquest
ions ions
are are
therethere
??
1212
How many How many
markmark
s are s are
therethere
??
One mark for each One mark for each
correct answer.correct answer.
PART 1. GAP FILLING. MULTIPLE CHOICE CLOZE

13. 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.
What do I
have to
practise?
Grammar and
vocabulary.
How many
questions are
there?
12
How many
marks are
there?
One mark for each
correct answer.

14. 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.
What do I have
to practise?
Vocabulary – word building:
the different words which you
can make from a ‘base’ word,
e.g. ‘compete’ becomes
‘competition’, ‘competitor’,
‘competitive’, competitively’
or ‘uncompetitive’.
How many
questions are
there?
10
How many
marks are there?
One mark for each correct
answer.

15. 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.
What do I have to
practise?
Grammar and vocabulary –
rewriting sentences with
different words so that they
mean the same thing.
How many
questions are
there?
8
How many marks
are there?
Up to two marks for each
correct answer.
FCE. PAPER 3. USE OF ENGLISH.
PART 4. KEY WORD TRANSFORMATIONS

16. PAPER 4: LISTENING
Time allowed: about 40 minutes
Number of
parts:
4
Number of
questions:
30
Marks: 20% of total
PAPER 4: LISTENING. GENERAL DESCRIPTION

17. 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

18. 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.

19. 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)

20. 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.

21. PAPER 5: SPEAKING
Time allowed: 14 minutes per pair of
candidates
Number of parts: 4
Marks: 20% of total
You have to talk: with the examiner
with the other candidate
on your own
HI!

22. 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

23. 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.

24. 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.