Overview
B2 First, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency (previously known as FCE, CAE and CPE) share a structure: Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking. Each is available on paper or on computer at authorized centres with the same format, and Speaking is taken face to face in pairs with two examiners. Results are reported on the Cambridge English Scale for each skill and overall, with a grade and CEFR level. Certificates do not expire, though some organizations prefer recent evidence.
Because each exam targets one level, choosing the right one matters. A candidate performing at a solid B2 may pass B2 First with a high grade that the scale reports at C1, but would likely fail C1 Advanced. We use a diagnostic to recommend the level that gives you the most useful certificate for your purpose.
Use of English is often the deciding paper: open cloze, word formation and key word transformations require exact grammar and collocation knowledge. Writing is marked on Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and Language, and requires control of genres such as essays, reports, proposals, reviews and letters. Our coaching targets both directly.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- Secondary and university students who need a B2 or C1 certificate for study or graduation
- Applicants to universities that accept C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency
- Professionals and teachers seeking a lifelong certificate of advanced English
- Candidates who narrowly missed a grade and want to know which paper to focus on
Common problems we help with
- Key word transformations and word formation keep costing marks
- Your writing is accurate but the register or genre conventions are wrong for a report or proposal
- Part 2 Speaking long turns run out of ideas, or you dominate the collaborative task
- Listening multiple matching is confusing, especially on the digital version
- You cannot decide between C1 Advanced and B2 First, or between C1 and C2
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Level-placement diagnostic to confirm which exam fits your level and goals
- Reading and Use of English: multiple-choice cloze, open cloze, word formation, key word transformations, gapped text and multiple matching
- Writing coaching for compulsory essays and optional tasks (letter/email, report, review, article, proposal as relevant to the level)
- Speaking practice in pairs or with a coach playing partner: interview, long turn, collaborative task and discussion
- Listening practice including multiple matching on paper and the digital drag-and-drop layout
- Timed practice papers with scores converted to the Cambridge English Scale using published conversion guidance
Not included
- Promising a grade or certificate
- Sitting any part of the exam for you, or access to live or confidential papers
- Writing assessed coursework for school programs that include Cambridge-style tasks
What you receive
- Level recommendation
- A short report on which exam to take, with reasons and the risk of choosing a higher or lower level.
- Paper-by-paper plan
- Weekly practice across the four papers, weighted towards the parts with most available improvement.
- Marked writing
- Essays and optional tasks annotated against the four Cambridge assessment subscales.
- Use of English error bank
- A personal record of transformation, collocation and word-formation errors to review before the exam.
- Speaking feedback
- Notes on grammar and vocabulary, discourse management, pronunciation and interactive communication.
How it works
Place
A diagnostic across the papers shows your current level and how far you are from the target grade.
Choose the exam
We agree the level and the exam session, paper or digital.
Build
Targeted coaching on Use of English and Writing, with Reading, Listening and Speaking practice.
Simulate
Full practice papers under timing, converted to the Cambridge English Scale, to check readiness.
The three exams at a glance
- B2 First
- Reading and Use of English (7 parts), Writing (2 parts), Listening (4 parts), Speaking in pairs. Common for school leavers and work at an upper-intermediate level.
- C1 Advanced
- Reading and Use of English (8 parts), Writing with a compulsory essay plus one choice, Listening (4 parts), Speaking in pairs. Widely used for university admission.
- C2 Proficiency
- Reading and Use of English (7 parts), Writing with a compulsory essay based on two texts plus one choice, Listening (4 parts), Speaking in pairs or threes. Evidence of mastery-level English.
- Cambridge English Scale
- Converts performance into a score per skill and overall, linked to a grade and CEFR level, so higher performance can be reported above the exam's target level.
- Writing assessment scales
- Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and Language — used to structure our written feedback.
Use of English: small items, big effect
Key word transformations test whether you can express the same meaning with a given word, often requiring a passive, reported speech, a phrasal verb or a fixed expression. Word formation tests prefixes, suffixes and negative forms in context. Because each gap depends on exact form, we build a personal error bank and revisit it until the same mistake stops appearing.
Writing to the genre
Cambridge examiners look for the conventions of each genre. A report needs headings and recommendations, a proposal needs a clear purpose and persuasive suggestions, and a review balances description with evaluation. At C2, the compulsory essay requires summarizing and evaluating the key points of two short texts. We explain the reader and purpose for each task, then mark your drafts against the Cambridge scales.
- B2 First: two tasks of about 140–190 words
- C1 Advanced: two tasks of about 220–260 words
- C2 Proficiency: essay of 240–280 words and a second task of 280–320 words
Paper or digital?
The content and timing are the same. Digital suits fast typists and lets you edit easily; on paper, some candidates find it easier to annotate texts. Since November 2025 some digital Listening matching tasks use a drag-and-drop layout, so we practice that format if you choose digital. Check the current exam handbook for any further updates.
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Sample Use of English error-bank entries (C1 Advanced)
A fictional university applicant keeps losing marks on key word transformations. Three entries from their personal error bank are shown.
Entry 1: passive with reporting verb
'People say the museum is haunted.' (SAID) → 'The museum IS SAID TO BE haunted.' Error pattern: you wrote 'is said that', which needs a different structure ('It is said that').
Entry 2: fixed expression
'I didn't expect the exam to be so easy.' (CAME) → 'The ease of the exam CAME AS A SURPRISE to me.' Pattern: learn 'come as a surprise' as a chunk.
Entry 3: word formation
'The results were completely ___ (EXPECT).' → 'unexpected'. Pattern: check whether the context requires a negative prefix.
Illustrative items written for this page, not taken from Cambridge papers. Real error banks are built from your own practice.
What you’ll need to provide
- Why you need the certificate and any required level or scale score
- Past results or school reports on your English level
- Planned exam session and paper or digital preference
- Completed homework, especially writing
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- Exam level and number of papers you want coaching on
- Volume of writing marked in detail
- Individual or paired Speaking practice
- Length of preparation before your exam session
Turnaround depends on
- Exam session date and registration deadlines at your centre
- Distance between your placement result and the target grade
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
Should I take B2 First or C1 Advanced?
Take the level you can reliably reach under exam conditions, unless your target organization requires a specific one. A strong B2 First result can be reported at C1 on the Cambridge English Scale, while a weak C1 Advanced performance may result in a B2 certificate or no certificate. We recommend a level after the diagnostic.
Do Cambridge certificates expire?
The certificates do not expire, but universities and employers may set their own rules about how recent your evidence of English must be. Check with them.
Can I practice paired Speaking without a partner?
Yes. A coach can act as your partner and examiner, and we can arrange paired sessions where possible. We focus on turn-taking, inviting your partner's views and reaching a decision in the collaborative task.
Are these the same as the old FCE, CAE and CPE?
Yes, those were the earlier names. The exams have been updated since, so use current-format practice papers.