Eligibility

The Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) examination is for candidates who can communicate in English at an advanced level to work at a managerial or professional level, or to follow a course of academic study at university level. 

CAE is the right exam for you if the following describes your linguistic skills now or the level of skills you are working towards:

• Your first language is not English.
• You can use English in an effective way for business or study purposes.
• You can use English with confidence and flexibility.
• You can produce well-structured, clear and detailed pieces of writing on complex issues.

Exam Components (revised from December 2008)

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

Reading (Paper 1): 1 hour 15 minutes

This paper has four parts comprising a range of texts with accompanying comprehension tasks.  A text may consist of several short pieces. The style and content of the texts is based on the types of material that candidates can expect to encounter in everyday situations such as newspapers, magazines, journals, books (fiction and non-fiction), promotional and information leaflets. 

Candidates are expected to be able to understand the main point and the development of the theme of the text, identify text structure, deduce meaning or read closely to extract specific details.

Writing (Paper 2): 1 hour 30 minutes

Candidates demonstrate their ability to write 180-220 words for Part 1 and 220-260 words for Part 2. At this level, they should have a good control of written English and be able to use the appropriate tone and register for different audiences. They are required to complete two tasks.  Task types include an article, a report, a proposal, a letter, an entry for a competition, a contribution to a longer piece, an essay, an information sheet and a review. Two set texts will also be included, with one text-specific question on each. 

Use of English (Paper 3): 1 hour

Candidates complete a variety of tasks which test their lexical knowledge, and their ability to recognise and use the structures of English in context. The tasks include multiple-choice cloze, open cloze, word formation, gapped sentences and key word transformations. 

Listening (Paper 4): approximately 40 minutes

This paper tests candidates’ ability to understand and extract information from a number of recorded texts such as announcements, radio broadcasts, speeches, talks, lectures, interviews, discussions, etc. Candidates are tested on their ability to understand the main points, details and specific information of what they hear, and recognise the attitudes and opinions of the speakers. Task types include multiple choice, sentence completion and multiple matching. 

Speaking (Paper 5): approximately 15 minutes

Candidates demonstrate their ability to sustain conversation and interaction with others. They are normally assessed in pairs by two locally-based examiners. Task types include short exchanges between the interlocutor and each candidate; a one-minute individual ‘long turn’; a collaborative task involving the two candidates; and a follow-up discussion. 

Test Schedule and Fees

Session:    Mid-year 2011
Exam Date:   15 June 2011
Speaking Test Window:    27 May to 19 June 2011 
Session:    Year-end 2011
Exam Date:   07 Dec 2011
Speaking Test Window:    18 Nov to 11 Dec 2011 

The Speaking paper is held within the specified periods, and the special arrangements are made at the discretion of CEFL Headquarters, taking into account the needs and conditions of CEFL Member Institutions.  

Click here to contact the Cambridge ESOL Centre Exams Manager for the actual exam dates, especially for Paper 5, and the latest fees if you are a walk-in/external candidate or feeder school representative.

Registration

Candidates can register with CEFL Headquarters via CEFL Member Institutions because the CAE exam can only be taken at an Authorised Centre for the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, and entries, which must be accompanied by fees, cannot be sent directly to Cambridge ESOL.  

There must be a minimum of 10 candidates for the CAE exam at each sitting. Candidates are not allowed to enter for the same exam more than once in the same session or window period.  

The closing date for registration is at least 10 weeks before the actual exam date to ensure that exam entry arrangements and Special Arrangements for candidates with a disability or specific learning difficulty can be made in strict accordance with the requirements of the Cambridge ESOL examination board. It should be noted that your nearest authorised Cambridge ESOL exam centre may set registration deadlines that are earlier than those published. 

Click here to contact the Cambridge ESOL Centre Exams Manager for the actual closing dates for entries, exam registration and other arrangements if you are a walk-in/external candidate or feeder school representative.

Results

With the exception of Paper 5, all exam scripts are returned to Cambridge ESOL for marking and grading.  

Five or six weeks after the exam, all candidates receive an enhanced Statement of Results, showing the relative strengths and weaknesses of the candidates’ performance in each of the papers by means of a graphical profile. In addition, the statement will show a standardised score out of 100 to give candidates a clearer understanding of their exam performance so that they can determine how much additional preparation will be needed for CPE. 

The overall rade is based on the candidate's total score in all the papers. There are three Pass grades: A, B and C. The minimum successful performance which a candidate typically requires in order to achieve a Grade C corresponds to about 60% of the total marks. Successful candidates are awarded the Cambridge ESOL CAE certificate, which is valid for life, approximately 10 weeks after the exam. Candidates judged not to have reached the required standard for CAE receive the D or E Fail grades.  

If you have any questions about your results, you should contact the CEFL Member Institution where you registered for the exam. 

Click here for general information on Cambridge ESOL Examinations.

Click here for further information on the CEFL CAE course.

Click here to find your nearest CEFL Centre if you want to take a preparatory course for the CAE exam.