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CAE: Certificate in Advanced English
Who is it for?
This test is created for learners who eant to prove their high level skills in English and in a real life environment.
How much does it cost to take CAE?
Fees are set by test centres.
CAE scores
You will receive a separate score for each of the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and use of English, giving you a clear understanding of your performance. These five scores are averaged to give you an overall result for the exam. You will also be given a grade and Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) level.
What is the test like?
The test has these sections:
Reading and use od english - 1 hour and 30 minutes
writing - 1 hour and 30 minutes
Listening - 40 minutes
Speaking - 15 minutes
When can I take the test?
Arrange with your closest test centre. The paper-based test can be taken 6 times a year. The computer-based test is available once a month.
Reading and use of English
Writing
Reading and use for english paper: 1 hour 30 minutes
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Reading part 1: A text in which there are some numbered gaps, each of which represents a word or phrase. After the text there are four possible answers for each gap and you have to choose the correct answer.
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Reading part 2: A text in which there are some gaps, each of which represents one missing word. You have to find the correct word for each gap.
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Reading part 3: A text containing eight 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 complete the sentence correctly.
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Reading part 4: Each question consists of a sentence followed by a ‘key’ word and a second sentence with a gap in the middle. You have to use this key word to complete the second sentence, in three to six words, so that it means the same as the first sentence.
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Reading part 5: A text with some multiple-choice questions. For each question, there are four options and you have to choose the correct one.
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Reading part 6: Four short texts with multiple-matching questions. You must read across all of the texts to match a prompt to elements in the texts.
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Reading part 7: A single page of text with some numbered gaps which represent missing paragraphs. After the text there are some paragraphs which are not in the right order. You have to read the text and the paragraphs and decide which paragraph best fits each gap.
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Reading part 8: A series of multiple-matching questions followed by a text or several short texts. You have to match a prompt to elements in the text.
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Writing paper: 1 hour and 30 minutes
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Writing part 1 : You read a text, then write an essay based on points included in the text. You’ll be asked to explain which of the two points is more important, and to give reasons for your opinion.
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Writing part 2 : You write a text from a choice of text types – letter/email, proposal, report or review. To guide your writing, you’ll be given information about context, topic purpose and target reader.
Listening
Speaking
Speaking test: 15 minutes
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Speaking part 1 (Interview): Conversation between the candidates and the interlocutor. The examiner asks questions and you may have to give information about your interests, studies, careers, etc.
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Speaking part 2 (long turn): The interlocutor gives you three pictures and asks you to talk about two of them. You have to speak for 1 minute without interruption and the interlocutor then asks the other candidate to comment on what you have said for about 30 seconds. The other candidate receives a different set of photographs and you have to listen and comment when they have finished speaking. The questions you have to answer about your photographs are written at the top of the page to remind you what you should talk about.
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Speaking part 3 (Collaborative task): Conversation with the other candidate. The examiner gives you spoken instructions with written prompts which are used in a discussion. You have to talk with the other candidate for about 2 minutes (3 minutes for groups of three) about the written prompts. After the discussion time, the examiner will ask you another question which requires you to make a decision. You have 1 minute to talk together and make the decision (2 minutes for groups of three).
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Speaking part 4 (Discussion): Further discussion with the other candidate based on the topics or issues raised in the task in Part 3. The interlocutor asks each of you some questions and you discuss them with the other candidate.
Listening paper: about 40 minutes
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Listening part 1: Three short extracts from conversations between interacting speakers. There are two multiple-choice questions for each extract and you have to choose A, B or C.
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Listening part 2: A monologue lasting approximately 3 minutes. You have to complete the sentences on the question paper with the missing information which you hear on the recording.
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Listening part 3: A conversation between two or more speakers of approximately 4 minutes. You have to answer some multiple-choice questions by choosing the correct answer from four options (A, B C or D).
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Listening part 4: A series of five themed monologues of approximately 30 seconds each. On the question paper, there are two tasks and for each task you have to match each of the five speakers to one of eight possible answers.
Practice Links
In this section you will find some links that it will of great help for each of the parts of the CAE and som others where you can practice all parts of the exam.