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CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English)
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Certificate of Proficiency in English is designed to offer a high-level qualification in the language to those wishing to use English for professional or study purposes. CPE is at Level C2 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) has developed a framework which covers six levels of proficiency aligned to the CEFR and shows what learners can typically do at CPE level.
CPE has five papers:
- Reading
- Writing
- Use of English
- Listening
- Speaking
Reading (Paper 1), 1 hour 30 minutes
The Reading paper assesses the ability to read and understand texts taken from a wide range of sources, including fiction and non-fiction books, journals, newspapers and magazines. Students are expected to understand the meaning of written English at word, phrase, sentence, paragraph and whole text level. It includes understanding of text content, organisation and structure, and the development of ideas, opinions and attitudes.
Writing (Paper 2), 2 hours
The Writing paper assesses the ability to write non-specialised texts types such as letters, articles, reports and reviews for a given purpose and target reader, covering a wide range of topics. The paper also includes questions on set texts. Responses are of 300-350 words in length.
Use of English (Paper 3), 1 hour 30 minutes
In the Use of English paper, students are expected to demonstrate their knowledge and control of the language system by completing various tasks at word, sentence and text level. These include gap-filling and word formation exercises, comprehension questions and a summary writing task.
Listening (Paper 4), 40 minutes (approx.)
The Listening paper assesses the ability to listen to and understand texts taken from a variety of text types including interviews, discussions, lectures and conversations. It tests the ability to understand the meaning of spoken English, to extract information from a spoken text and to understand speakers' attitudes and opinions.
Speaking (Paper 5), 19 minutes (approx.)
The Speaking Test assesses the ability to interact in conversational English in a range of contexts. The paper contains three parts, which take the form of an interview section, a collaborative task and individual long turns with follow-up discussion. Students are provided with picture and written stimulus and normally take the Speaking Test in pairs.
Results
Each component carries 20% of the total marks. There are three pass grades (A, B and C) and certificates are awarded to candidates who achieve these grades. Candidates who achieve a grade D or E are judged not to have reached the required standard for FCE
Once awarded Cambridge ESOL CPE certificates are valid for life.
Find out more about CPE
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