The exam assesses English language skills at an advanced level and consists of 5 papers - Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. It takes around 3 hours to complete and is accepted by over 5,500 organizations worldwide as proof of advanced English ability. Scores range from 0-100 and are grouped into CEFR levels, with 80-100 being C2 or proficiency. Sample papers are available online to help prepare for the exam.
Learn More About Cambridge English Advanced Exam & Samples
1.
2. • It shows good knowledge of
the language
• It checks ones ability to use
language skills in the real
world
• Helps to apply for visas to
work or study abroad (in the
UK or Australia)
3. Global
acceptance
• University of Cambridge, UK
• University of Oxford, UK
• King’s College London
• University of Toronto, Canada
• University of Tokyo, Japan
• ICN Business School, France
• Universita Roma Tre, Italy
• Universidad Carlos III de Madrid,
Spain
4.
5. Marks (%
Paper Content Time of
total)
4 parts/34 1 hour 15
Reading 20%
questions minutes
1 hour 30
Writing 2 parts 20%
minutes
5 parts/50
Use of English 1 hour 20%
questions
4 parts/30
Listening about 40 minutes 20%
questions
15 minutes per
Speaking 4 parts pair of 20%
candidates
6. • Time allowed:1 hour 15 minutes
• Number of parts:4
• Number of questions:34
• Texts may be from:newspapers and
magazines, journals, books (fiction and non-
fiction), promotional and informational
materials.
7. • Part 1 - Multiple choice
• Part 2 - Gapped text
• Part 3 - Multiple choice
• Part 4 - Multiple matching
8. • Time allowed:1 hour 30 minutes
• Number of parts:2
• Task types: Article, competition
entry, contribution to a longer piece,
essay, information sheet, letter,
proposal, report, review.
9. • Part 1 Some material to read which may include material
taken from advertisements, extracts from letters, emails,
postcards, diaries, short articles, etc. You may have to
write an article, a report, a proposal or a letter.
• Part 2 A choice of four questions. You have to read
some input material which describes a situation, and
write one of the following: an article, a competition entry,
a contribution to a longer piece, an essay, an information
sheet, a letter, a proposal, a report, or a review.
10. • Time allowed:1 hour
• Number of parts:5
• Number of
questions:50
11. • Part 1 - Multiple-choice cloze
• Part 2 - Open cloze
• Part 3 - Word formation
• Part 4 - Gap sentences
• Part 5 - Key word
transformations
12. • Time allowed:about 40
minutes
• Number of parts:4
• Recordings may be from:
monologues: announcements,
radio broadcasts, speeches,
talks, lectures, anecdotes, etc.
or interacting speakers: radio
broadcasts, interviews,
discussions, etc.
13. • Part 1 - Multiple choice
• Part 2 - Sentence completion
• Part 3 - Multiple choice
• Part 4 - Multiple matching
14. • Time allowed:15 minutes per pair of
candidates
• Number of parts:4
• You will have to talk:with the examiner
with the other candidate
on your own
15. • 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.
• Part 2 (Long turn) You are given from two to five
photographs and asked to talk about them. You have to
speak for one minute without interruption. Then the
candidates receive a different set of photographs and
you have to listen and comment when they have finished
speaking.
16. • Part 3 (Collaborative task) Conversation with a
candidate. You are given some pictures and a task to do.
You have to talk with the candidate and make a decision.
• Part 4 (Discussion) Further discussion with a 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 candidate.
17. • Score
Is based on your total score in all five
papers and is shown as a number
between 0 and 100.
• Grade
There are set scores for each grade: