Preparatory Course for Cambridge First Certificate in English
Introduction
The First Certificate in English (FCE) is the most widely taken Cambridge EFL examination, with more than a quarter of a million candidates yearly.
The FCE examination tests the ability of candidates to handle the main structures of the English language with some confidence, show knowledge of a wide range of vocabulary and communicate in a number of social situations. When listening or reading, candidates should be able to go beyond able to pick out items of information, and they should be able to distinguish between main and subsidiary points and between the gist of a text and specific detail. They should be able to write texts of various types, showing the ability to develop an argument as well as describe or recount events.
An FCE certificate is widely recognized in the English-speaking world as proof that a person can do office work in English or take a course of study where English is the language of instruction. Learners at this level can be assumed to have sufficient ability to operate effectively in English in many clerical, secretarial and managerial posts.
Prerequisites
You should have studied English at advanced level or higher. You may also qualify for this course by taking our placement test.Course Schedule and Fees
Details of course schedules and school fees are on our Course Schedule and School Fees page.
The FCE Examination
The FCE examination is held each year in March, June and December in about 1,900 centres worldwide. Candidates must enter through a recognised centre. It comprises 5 papers: reading, writing, use of English, listening and speaking.
Reading
You should be able to read texts of various kinds (informative and general interest) and to show understanding of gist, detail and text structure, and deduce meaning.
Writing
The writing test will require you to write letters, articles, reports and compositions for a given purpose and target reader, covering a range of topics.
Use of English
In the test, you will be asked to show your knowledge and control of the language system by completing a number of tasks, some of which are based on specially written texts.
Listening
You will be with short extracts and longer monologues, announcements, extracts from radio programmes, news, features, etc., at an intermediate level.
Speaking
The standard test format is two candidates and two examiners. You must be able to respond to questions and interact in conversational English.
Examination Grades Each of the 5 FCE papers is scored on a maximum of 40 marks, making a total of 40 x 5 = 200 marks. However, examination results will not be reported as a numerical score, but as one of five grades A, B, C, D and E. A, B and C are passing grades. D and E are failing grades.