This short guide from Intercambioidiomas will give candidates the necessary tools to pass the use of English section of the C1 Advanced. It offers study tips and exam technique as well as authentic practice for all the tasks in this section of the exam.
The use of English and reading part of the exam lasts for 90 minutes in total. You need to answer all of the parts of the text but you can do it in the order that you like (start with the parts you find easiest). For those of you who have done the B2 First exam, many of the parts will be familiar to you. You can look at suggested times for each part of the exam and the points they are worth in C1 exam help.
The exam:
The C1 Advanced, formally named Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) is the advanced level of the Cambridge English Qualifications by Cambridge Exam English. As it is an advanced (C1) level certificate, it is an in depth, high-level qualification that demonstrates that the candidates able to achieve this level are prepared for employment or higher education. More than 8,000 educational institutions and businesses around the world currently accept the C1 Advanced and this number is increasing daily.
Key Data:
CEFR level: C1
Scale score: 180-199
Test format: Computer or paper based
Number of parts: 4
Exam length: 4 hours
The C1 Advanced demonstrates that you can:
- Achieve a university level course
- Communicate effectively and in detail
- Form part of the workplace
- Express yourself fluently
Exam outline:
| USE OF ENGLISH AND READING (1:30 minutes) |
| (PART 1) For questions 1-8 read the text and decide which word (A-D) best completes the gap 8 POINTS
(PART 2) For questions 9-16 read the text and fill on the gap with one word. USE ONLY ONE WORD 8 POINTS (PART 3) For questions 17-24 read the text and use the (root) word given to form the correct word that best completes the sentence 8 POINTS (PART 4) For questions 25-30 complete the sentences with 2-5 words so that it has a similar meaning to the first, include the word given. 12 POINTS (PART 5) For questions 31-6 read the extract of a text and answer the questions with the best option (A-D) 12 POINTS (PART 6) For questions 37-40 you need to match the sentence to the correct text (A-D). YOU CAN USE EACH LETTER MORE THAN ONCE 8 POINTS (PART 7) For questions 41-46 read the text and fill in the gaps with the best option (A-G). There is one extra option that is not to be used 12 POINTS (PART 8) For questions 47-56 read the text (A-D) and answer the questions with the best option (A-D) 10 POINTS |
| WRITING (1:30 minutes) |
| (PART 1) An essay of 220-260 words
(PART 2) choose one of three options (a letter, review, proposal or report) and write 220-260 words |
| LISTENING (40 minutes) |
| (PART 1) For questions 1-6 you need to listen to the situations and choose the correct option (A-C) to answer the questions 6 POINTS
(PART 2) For questions 7-14 listen to the dialogue and fill in the gaps with a short phrase. 1-3 WORDS 8 POINTS (PART 3) For questions 15-20 you will listen to an interview. Answer the questions with the correct option A-D 6 POINTS (PART 4) For questions 21-30 you will listen to 5 people talking about the same topic. For questions 21-25 in task 1 choose the correct option A-H and for the questions 26-30 in task 2 choose from the options A-H 10 POINTS |
| SPEAKING (15 minutes) |
| (PART 1) Interview: answer personal questions
(PART 2) Long turn: compare images and answer a question (PART 3 Collaborative task: discuss a situation (PART 4) Discussion |
In this part of the exam the candidate must read a sentence and then complete a second sentence with 3-6 words so that it has the same meaning as the first sentence. The task provided you with a word that you must use in the exact form. If the word is SAID, you must use SAID and not say or saying. DO NOT CHANGE THE WORD PROVIDED! It is a test of your grammatical and lexical knowledge. Sometimes the sentence can be completed with only 2 words or more than 6, but these answers are not valid as the task states that you must use 3-6 words, in other words, the word provided + 2,3,4 or 5 more words.
Try the Deleting Technique. You take the sentence transformation, for example:
You´ll have a great time no matter where you go
REGARDLESS You´ll have a great time ________ where you go
YOU MUST CONSIDER WHAT IS THE SAME IN BOTH SENTENCES AND THEN DELETE WHAT IS THE SAME IN THE FIRST SENTENCE
You´ll have a great time no matter where you go
REGARDLESS You´ll have a great time ________ where you go
YOU ARE LEFT WITH NO MATTER AND ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS THINK OF THE SYNONYM FOR IT.
Answer: regardless of
Check out our extra resources in PDF booklets on:
110 EXPRESSIONS FOR SENTENCE TRANSFORMATIONS
