Whats in the Reading and Use of English paper?

The Cambridge English: Proficiency Reading and Use of English paper has different types of text
and questions. In one part, you may have to read one long text or three or more shorter, related
texts.
Summary

Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes

Number of parts: 7

Number of questions: 53

Length of texts: About 3,000 words to read in total

Texts may be from: Books (fiction and non-fiction), non-specialist articles from
newspapers, magazines and the internet.

Part 1 (Multiple-choice cloze)

What's in Part 1? A single text with eight gaps. Candidates must choose
one word or phrase from a set of four to fill each gap.

What do I have to practise? Idioms, collocations, fixed phrases, complementation,

phrasal verbs, semantic precision.

How many questions are there? 8

How many marks are there? 1 mark for each correct answer.

Part 2 (Open cloze)

What's in Part 2? A modified cloze test consisting of a text with eight

gaps. Candidates think of the word which best fits
each gap.

What do I have to practise? Awareness and control of grammar with some focus
on vocabulary.

How many questions are there? 8

How many marks are there? 1 mark for each correct answer.
Part 3 (Word formation)

What's in Part 3? A text containing eight gaps. Each gap corresponds to

a word. The stems of the missing words are given
beside the text and must be changed to form the
missing word.

What do I have to practise? Vocabulary, in particular the use of affixation, internal

changes and compounding in word formation.

How many questions are there? 8

How many marks are there? 1 mark for each correct answer.

Part 4 (Key word transformations)

What's in Part 4? Six discrete items with a lead-in sentence and a

gapped response to complete in 38 words including a
given key word.

What do I have to practise? Grammar, vocabulary and collocation.

How many questions are there? 6

How many marks are there? Up to 2 marks for each correct answer.

Part 5 (Multiple choice)

What's in Part 5? A long text followed by some multiple-choice

questions, each with four options (A, B, C or D).

What do I have to practise? Identifying detail, opinion, attitude, tone, purpose,

main idea, implication and how a text is organised.

How many questions are there? 6

How many marks are there? 2 marks for each correct answer.

Part 6 (Gapped text)

What's in Part 6? A text from which paragraphs have been removed and
placed in jumbled order after the text. Candidates
 must decide from where in the text the paragraphs
have been removed.

What do I have to practise? Understanding of cohesion, coherence, text structure,

global meaning.

How many questions are there? 7

How many marks are there? 2 marks for each correct answer.

Part 7 (Multiple matching)

What's in Part 7? A text, or several short texts, preceded by multiple-

matching questions. Candidates must match a prompt
to elements in the text.

What do I have to practise? Understanding of detail, opinion, attitude and specific

information.

How many questions are there? 10

How many marks are there? 1 mark for each correct answer.

Whats in the Writing paper?

In the two parts of the Cambridge English: Proficiency Writing paper, you have to show that you can write
different types of text in English.
Summary

Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes

Number of parts: 2

Number of questions: Part 1: one compulsory question

Part 2: one question from a choice of four

Set texts
Set texts for Cambridge English: Proficiency January 2016 December 2017:
Penelope Lively: Family Album (any edition)
F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby (any edition)
Teachers may choose to prepare candidates for questions on this set text by studying the film directed
by Baz Luhrmann (2013) as well as, or instead of, the novel.
Set texts for Cambridge English: Proficiency January 2018 December 2019:
 Colm Tibn: Brooklyn (any edition)
Teachers may choose to prepare candidates for questions on this set text by studying the film directed
by John Crowley (2015) as well as, or instead of, the novel.
M.L. Stedman: The Light Between Oceans (any edition)
Teachers may choose to prepare candidates for questions on this set text by studying the film directed
by Derek Cianfrance (2016) as well as, or instead of, the novel.
Candidates should not attempt the optional set text question in Part 2 unless they have the necessary
understanding of the text to answer the task set.

Teachers are best placed to judge which, if any, of the set texts and/or film version may be appropriate and
stimulating for a given teaching situation.

Part 1

What's in Part 1? Some material to read (two texts, each approximately

100 words). Using the information in this material, you
have to write an essay.

What do I have to practise? Writing a discursive essay in which you have to

summarise and evaluate the key points contained in
two texts of approximately 100 words each.
Candidates must integrate a summary of these key
points, an evaluation of the abstract arguments
involved and their own ideas on the topic in a coherent
essay.

How many questions are there? One compulsory question.

How much do I have to write? 240280 words

Part 2

What's in Part 2? A choice of four questions (25). For Questions 24,

you may have to write an article, a letter, a report or a
review.

What about Question 5? If you read one of the set books and want to write
about it, you may decide to try Question 5. You have a
choice of two tasks, 5(a) or 5(b) for this question. You
may have to write an article, essay, letter, report or a
 review.

What do I have to practise? Writing different types of text as specified above,

based on a given context.

How many questions are there? One question from a choice of four.

How much do I have to write? 280320 words

On this site
Whats in the Listening paper?
The Cambridge English: Proficiency Listening paper has four parts. For each part you have to
listen to a recorded text or texts and answer some questions. You hear each recording twice.
Summary

Time allowed: About 40 minutes

Number of parts: 4

Number of questions: 30

Part 1 (Multiple choice)

What's in Part 1? Four short, unrelated recordings lasting approximately

1 minute each. You have to listen to the recordings
and answer two multiple-choice questions for each
recording. Each question has three options (A, B or
C).

What do I have to practise? Listening for gist, detail, function, purpose, topic,
speaker, addressee, feeling, attitude, opinion, etc.

How many questions are there? 6

How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

Part 2 (Sentence completion)

What's in Part 2? A monologue or prompted monologue lasting 34

minutes. The questions are a series of incomplete
sentences. You have to listen to the recording and
identify the information you need (one to three words)
to fill each gap.

What do I have to practise? Listening for specific information, stated opinion.

How many questions are there? 9

How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

Part 3 (Multiple choice)

What's in Part 3? A recording with interacting speakers lasting 34

minutes. You have to listen to the recording and
answer a series of multiple-choice questions, each
with four options (A, B, C or D).

What do I have to practise? Listening for opinion, gist, detail, inference.

How many questions are there? 5

How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

Part 4 (Multiple matching)

What's in Part 4? Five short, themed monologues, of approximately 35

seconds each. There are two multiple-matching tasks.
 Each multiple-matching task requires the selection of
the five correct options from a list of eight.

What do I have to practise? Gist, attitude, main points, interpreting context.

How many questions are there? 10

How many marks are there? One mark for each correct answer.

Whats in the Speaking paper?

The Cambridge English: Proficiency Speaking test has three parts and you take it together with
another candidate. There are two examiners. One of the examiners (the interlocutor) conducts the
test and the other examiner (the assessor) listens to what you say and takes notes.
Summary

Time allowed: 16 minutes per pair of candidates

Number of parts: 3

You have to talk: with the examiner

with the other candidate
on your own

Part 1 (Interview)

What's in Part 1? Conversation between the interlocutor and each candidate.

The examiner asks each of you a series of questions,
addressing a question to each of you in turn, to give you
an opportunity to talk about yourselves.

What do I have to practise? Giving information about yourself and expressing your
opinion or speculating about various topics.

How long does Part 1 last? 2 minutes

Part 2 (Collaborative task)
What's in Part 2?
What do I have to practise?
How long does Part 2 last?
Part 3 (Long turn and discussion)
What's in Part 3?
What do I have to practise?
How long does Part 3 last?
The interlocutor gives you some spoken instructions and
one or more pictures to look at. First, you have to answer a
question which focuses on your reaction to aspects of one
or more pictures (1 minute). The second part is a decision-
making task which you have to do with the other
candidate.
Sustaining an interaction: exchanging ideas, expressing
and justifying opinions, agreeing and/or disagreeing,
suggesting, speculating, evaluating, reaching a decision
through negotiation, etc.
4 minutes
The interlocutor gives you a card with a question and some
ideas on it and you have to speak for about 2 minutes on
your own. After you finish, your partner has to comment
and the interlocutor then asks you both a question on the
same topic. The interlocutor follows the same procedure
with your partner and then leads a discussion with both of
you.
Speaking on your own for a longer time, expressing and
justifying opinions, developing topics.
10 minutes (2-minute long turn for each candidate and
then approximately 6 minutes for the discussion).