Exam day, mapped
Most exam-day nerves are just missing information. This page is the missing information: what happens, in what order, under what rules — so when you walk in, the only unfamiliar thing left is nothing.
The three written papers run in one sitting of about three and a half hours, always in the same order, with short breaks between them. Speaking is usually scheduled separately.
1 hour 15 minutes · 7 parts · 52 questions
Comes first, while you are freshest. Parts 1–4 are the short grammar and vocabulary tasks; parts 5–7 are the long reading texts. The clock is shared across all seven, so knowing which parts you do fast is worth marks.
1 hour 20 minutes · 2 tasks · 140–190 words each
Part 1 is a compulsory essay. Part 2 is your choice from an article, an email or letter, a report or a review. Two tasks, one clock — plan for forty minutes each.
about 40 minutes · 4 parts · 30 questions
Every recording plays exactly twice — missing something first time round is the design, not a disaster. On paper you get five extra minutes at the end to copy answers onto the answer sheet.
14 minutes, in pairs · 4 parts · 2 examiners
Usually on a different day or at a different time from the written papers. Your centre schedules it and tells you when — so check both dates the moment your confirmation arrives.
Most centres run both. Same tasks, same timing, same marking, same certificate — the choice is purely about how you work best, and which dates your centre offers.
The rules are strict because the certificate is worth something. None of them bite if you know them in advance — your centre’s confirmation email is the final word on the details.
The same identity document you registered with — a passport or national identity card — plus the Confirmation of Entry your centre sends. No ID, no exam; there are no exceptions on the day.
Be there well before the reported start time. Centres seat candidates, check documents and read the regulations aloud before anything begins — and late arrivals may not be admitted at all.
Phones and smartwatches are switched off and stored where the centre tells you — never at your desk, not even face down. Being found with one during the exam can mean disqualification.
For the paper-based exam: pencils, an eraser and a pen. A clear bottle of water is generally fine. Dictionaries, notes and your own paper are not — rough work goes on the question paper.
You take it with another candidate — occasionally in a three at the day’s last slot — and two examiners: one talks with you, the other only listens and assesses. Four parts, one after another.
The examiner asks about you: where you live, what you study or do, what you enjoy. Short, familiar questions to get you talking.
You get two photographs and speak alone for a minute — comparing them and answering the printed question above them. Then one short question about your partner's photos.
You and your partner discuss written prompts around a question, together. After the discussion you are asked to reach a decision — agreeing matters less than negotiating.
The examiner opens out the Part 3 topic with broader questions. Opinions with reasons are what earn marks here, not long words.
Your Statement of Results appears online first — typically two to three weeks after a computer-based exam, four to six after a paper-based one — and the printed certificate follows by post some weeks later.
The pass mark — grade C — is 160 on the Cambridge English Scale. A grade A (180–190) is reported at C1 level, and a score of 140–159 still earns a certificate showing B1-level ability — a hard exam day is never wasted.
Every paper described above exists here in full, under the real timing — the same order, the same clock, the recordings that play twice. Sit it now, while it costs nothing, and the real day becomes a repeat performance.
English Certificate Preparation is an independent study resource. We are not affiliated with, authorised by, endorsed by or in any way officially connected with Cambridge University Press & Assessment. “B2 First”, “C1 Advanced”, “FCE”, “CAE” and “Cambridge English” are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only to describe the examinations our practice material prepares you for.
