C2 Proficiency mock tests

Cambridge C2 Proficiency (Certificate of Proficiency in English)

Free practice tests

C2 Proficiency practice test 1: A full C2 Proficiency practice paper: Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking.
C2 Proficiency skills practice: Untimed C2 practice by skill: all seven Reading and Use of English parts, the four Listening parts, both Writing tasks and the three Speaking parts.

About C2 Proficiency

C2 Proficiency, still widely called CPE, tests English at the top of the Common European Framework. It is aimed at people who need to study at postgraduate level or to negotiate and persuade in senior professional work. The same tasks are used on the digital exam and on paper.

There are four papers. Reading and Use of English lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and has 7 parts and 53 questions. Writing lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and has two tasks. Listening lasts about 40 minutes and has 4 parts and 30 questions; each recording is heard twice. Speaking lasts 16 minutes for a pair of candidates, or 24 minutes for a group of three, and has 3 parts, with two examiners.

The Statement of Results gives a Cambridge English Scale score for Reading, Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking, and an overall score that is the average of those five, equally weighted. The scale scores used for this exam run from 162 to 230. From 200 to 230 the result is grade C, B or A at level C2. From 180 to 199 the certificate is at level C1.

Reading, on the Cambridge English Scale, comes from parts 1, 5, 6 and 7 of the first paper (44 marks). Use of English comes from parts 2, 3 and 4 (28 marks). Writing is two tasks of 20 marks each. Listening is one mark per question. Speaking is assessed by the examiners across the whole test, not as a set of separate part scores.

C2 Proficiency exam pattern

about 4 hours

Reading and Use of English: 1 hour 30 minutes, 7 parts, 53 questions, 72 marks
Writing: 1 hour 30 minutes, 2 tasks, 20 marks each
Listening: about 40 minutes, 4 parts, 30 questions, 30 marks
Speaking: 16 minutes for a pair; 24 minutes for three, 3 parts