C1 Advanced mock tests

Cambridge English C1 Advanced

Free practice tests

C1 Advanced practice test 1: A full-length C1 Advanced practice paper: 56 reading and use-of-English questions, two writing tasks, 30 listening questions and the four speaking parts.
C1 Advanced practice test 2: A full-length C1 Advanced practice paper: 56 reading and use-of-English questions, two writing tasks, 30 listening questions and the four speaking parts.
C1 Advanced practice test 3: A full-length C1 Advanced practice paper: 56 reading and use-of-English questions, two writing tasks, 30 listening questions and the four speaking parts.
C1 Advanced skills practice: Short untimed practice for each C1 Advanced skill, including writing and speaking.

About C1 Advanced

C1 Advanced, still widely called CAE or the Certificate in Advanced English, tests English at Level C1 of the Common European Framework. It is taken on paper or on a computer. Cambridge states that the content, the scoring and the certificate are the same in both.

There are four papers: Reading and Use of English (1 hour 30 minutes), Writing (1 hour 30 minutes), Listening (about 40 minutes) and Speaking (15 minutes for a pair of candidates, 23 minutes for a group of three). Reading and Use of English, Writing and Listening are taken together. Speaking is with one or two other candidates and two examiners, and is usually on another day.

The Statement of Results shows five Cambridge English Scale scores: Reading, Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking. Each counts equally. The overall score is their average, rounded to the nearest whole number. There is no pass mark on a single paper.

A score of 200 to 210 is Grade A and the certificate states CEFR C2. 193 to 199 is Grade B and 180 to 192 is Grade C, both certificates at C1. 160 to 179 receives a certificate at B2. Scores from 142 to 159 are reported and do not receive a certificate. Scores below 142 are not reported. The certificate itself does not expire; each university or employer decides how long it will accept a result.

C1 Advanced exam pattern

About 4 hours

Reading and Use of English: 1 hour 30 minutes, 8 parts, 56 questions
Writing: 1 hour 30 minutes, 2 parts
Listening: About 40 minutes, 4 parts, 30 questions
Speaking: 15 minutes per pair; 23 minutes for three candidates, 4 parts