FCE Introduction
The Cambridge First Certificate in English
examination, or FCE for short, is a qualification in English as a
Foreign Language awarded by Cambridge ESOL. The current version of the
exam was recently introduced for December 2008 and is sometimes referred
to as the 'revised FCE'. It is a popular exam with over 250,000
candidates per year.
FCE is one of five 'Main Suite' examinations offered by Cambridge ESOL. The level of FCE is described as
Intermediate. The table below shows how FCE fits into the Cambridge ESOL framework:
Because FCE is internationally recognised, people choose to take the
exam for work purposes, study purposes or just for their own interest.
Adapted from the 'FCE Handbook', which is available to order from Cambridge ESOL.
Parts:
FCE Paper 1 Reading:
Time allowed: 1 hour
| Part | Task type | Tests ability to | Questions |
|---|
| 1. Multiple choice | A text followed by multiple-choice questions with four options: A, B, C or D. | understand detail, opinion, gist, attitiude, meaning, tone, purpose and main ideas | 8 |
|---|
| 2. Gapped text | A text with missing sentences; candidates choose the sentence order from a jumbled list. | understand text organisation (how language achieves cohesion and
coherence) | 7 |
|---|
| 3. Multiple matching | One or several texts with prompt questions; candidates match the prompt to the relevant section of the text(s). | understand specific information, detail, opinion and attitude | 15 |
|---|
FCE Paper 2 Writing:
Time allowed: 1 hour 20 minutes
| Part | Task type | Tests ability to | Word length |
|---|
| 1. Compulsory task | Read input
information (including adverts, extracts from letters, emails,
schedules, etc. of up to 160 words) and write a Letter or Email. | make appropriate use of the input, write for a specific purpose and audience, with accurate language control | 120-150 |
|---|
| 2. Choice of one out of five tasks. | 2: (Questions 2-4) Candidates write one of the following: Article, Essay, Letter, Report, Review or Story.
|
write for a specific purpose and audience, with accurate language control | 120-180 |
|---|
FCE Paper 3 Use of English:
Time allowed: 45 minutes
| Part | Task type | Task focus | Questions |
|---|
| 1. Multiple choice | A text with
twelve gaps. Candidates choose the correct missing words by answering
twelve multiple-choice questions with four options. | Collocation, phrasal verbs, idioms, phrases | 12 |
|---|
| 2. Open cloze | A text with twelve gaps. Candidates fill in the
missing words. | Grammatical items | 12 |
|---|
| 3. Word formation | A text with ten gaps. Candidates form the missing
words from the given stem words. | Prefixes and suffixes, compound words | 10 |
|---|
| 4. Key word transformations | Eight separate questions, each containing a
lead-in sentence, followed by a 'key word' and a
second (gapped) sentence. Candidates complete
the second sentence in two to five words, and
must include the 'key word'. | Grammar and vocabulary | 8 |
|---|
FCE Paper 4 Listening:
Time allowed: Approximately 40 minutes
| Part | Task type | Tests ability to | Questions |
|---|
| 1. Multiple Choice | A series of
extracts with one or more speakers lasting around 30 seconds each.
Candidates answer one multiple choice question per extract, each with
three options: A, B or C. | pick out general meaning specific information, understand attitude and/or events from the text. | 8 |
|---|
| 2. Sentence completion | A three-minute monologue or dialogue. Candidates fill in the gaps to complete the sentences. | pick out general meaning or specific information from the text. | 10 |
|---|
| 3. Multiple matching | A series of related monologues lasting around 30
seconds each. Candidates match the extract to the correct option from a list of six. | pick out general meaning specific information, understand attitude and/or events from the text. | 5 |
|---|
| 4. Multiple choice | A three-minute monologue or dialogue. Candidates answer multiple choice questions
with 3 options: A, B or C. | pick out general meaning or specific information from the text. | 7 |
|---|
FCE Paper 5 Speaking:
Time allowed: 14 minutes
| Part | Task type | Tests ability to | Time |
|---|
| 1. Conversation between Interlocutor and each candidate | Candidates take it in turns to answer spoken questions that focus on interactional and social
language. | give personal information and talk about past, present and future experiences | 3 minutes |
|---|
| 2. Individual 'long turn' (1 minute) and
response from second candidate (20 seconds) | Each candidate is given a pair of photographs
and asked to talk about them, using the prompt
questions on the page. The second candidate
gives a brief response. Tasks focus on: comparing,
describing and expressing opinions. | speak for a long turn using appropriate language | 1 minute/20 seconds |
|---|
| 3. Two-way conversation between
candidates | Candidates are given spoken instructions, along
with visual and written prompts, and work on a
decision-making task. The focus is on sustaining
the interaction by: sharing ideas, expressing and
justifying opinions, agreeing and/or disagreeing,
suggesting, speculating, evaluating and
negotiating to reach a decision. | give opinions, agree & disagree, make suggestions etc; take turns | 3 minutes |
|---|
| 4. Discussion related to the task in Part 3 | Candidates answer spoken questions that focus
on: expressing and justifying opinions, agreeing
and/or disagreeing. | give and justify opinions, agree & disagree, take turns and explore topics | 4 minutes |
|---|
