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First Certificate in English (FCE)

FCE has five papers Reading, Writing, Use of English, Listening, and Speaking. Each paper contributes 20% towards the final result.

Reading (Paper 1)-Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

The paper has four parts: each based on one or two texts with corresponding comprehension tasks. The style and content of the texts are based on the types of material that candidates could expect to encounter in every-day situations and may include information leaflets, newspapers and magazines or letters.

Candidates are expected to be able to understand the main points in a text, deduce meaning, identify text structure and extract specific details.

Writing (Paper 2) - Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Candidates are required to write two texts, each approximately 120-180 words long. The task in part one is compulsory and takes the form of writing a transactional letter; part two provides a choice of tasks. Each task gives candidates a clear context and intended audience, and candidates are expected to take these into account in the content and form of their response.

English in Use (Paper 3) - Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Candidates complete a variety of tasks which test their ability to recognise and use grammatical structures and vocabulary of English. The tasks include gap-filing exercises, sentence transformation, word formation and error correction tasks.

Listening (Paper 4) - Time: approximately 40 minutes

Candidates listen to a number of recorded texts, such as short dialogues and monologues, announcements or parts of interviews. They are not expected to be able to understand the recordings word for word; they are tested on their ability to understand the main points and extract details from the recordings.

Speaking (Paper 5) - Time: approximately 14 minutes

Candidates are tested in pairs by two examiners on their ability to speak and interact in English with each other and one of the examiners. Tasks include an introductory part where candidates can give information about themselves, a ‘long turn’, which lasts approximately a minute, and a discussion in which both candidates take part.