C2 Proficiency syllabus

Cambridge's highest English qualification, at CEFR level C2. Four papers, reported on the Cambridge English Scale.

Reading and Use of English

7 parts, 53 questions, 72 marks · 1 hour 30 minutes

About 3,000 words to read in total. Parts 1, 5, 6 and 7 produce the Reading score (44 marks). Parts 2, 3 and 4 produce the Use of English score (28 marks). In parts 2 and 3 the answer is one word. In part 4 the gap is completed in 3 to 8 words, including the key word unchanged.

  • Part 1: multiple-choice cloze, 8 questions, 1 mark each (Reading)
  • Part 2: open cloze, 8 questions, 1 mark each (Use of English)
  • Part 3: word formation, 8 questions, 1 mark each (Use of English)
  • Part 4: key word transformations, 6 questions, up to 2 marks each (Use of English)
  • Part 5: multiple choice on a long text, 6 questions, 2 marks each (Reading)
  • Part 6: gapped text, 7 gaps chosen from 8 paragraphs, 2 marks each (Reading)
  • Part 7: multiple matching, 10 questions, 1 mark each (Reading)

Writing

2 tasks, 20 marks each · 1 hour 30 minutes

Each task is marked from 0 to 5 on Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation and Language, giving 20 marks a task. The two tasks carry equal weight.

  • Part 1: a compulsory essay of 240–280 words, summarising and evaluating two short texts
  • Part 2: one task from a choice of three, 280–320 words: an article, a letter, a report or a review

Listening

4 parts, 30 questions, 30 marks · about 40 minutes

Each recording is heard twice. One mark per question. The 40 minutes include about 2 minutes to check answers on the digital exam, and 5 minutes to transfer answers on paper.

  • Part 1: three short extracts, two three-option questions each
  • Part 2: sentence completion on a monologue, 9 questions, one to three words
  • Part 3: five four-option questions on a conversation
  • Part 4: five short monologues and two matching tasks, 10 questions, five correct options from eight in each task

Speaking

3 parts · 16 minutes for a pair; 24 minutes for three

Two examiners. The assessor marks Grammatical Resource, Lexical Resource, Discourse Management, Pronunciation and Interactive Communication. The interlocutor marks global achievement. Candidates are assessed on their own performance across the whole test.

  • Part 1: interview with the interlocutor, 2 minutes (3 minutes for three candidates)
  • Part 2: a collaborative decision-making task with pictures, 4 minutes (about 6 minutes for three)
  • Part 3: a 2-minute long turn for each candidate, then a discussion, 10 minutes in all for a pair (about 15 minutes for three)