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What is B2 First?
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Presentation of the exam
B2 FIRST
General structure
The exam is made up of four sections: Reading & Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking. The

B2 FIRST exam lasts about 3 hours and 30 minutes:

Section Content Purpose

Assesses the candidate's ability to understand a

variety of written documents (short sentences,
Reading & Use 7 parts excerpts from novels, articles) in English.

What is B2 First ?
of English 52 Candidates must answer comprehension questions
75 minutes questions (about details of the texts or their overall meaning)
and questions more focused on vocabulary and
grammar.
B2 First is a test issued by a department of the University of Cambridge specialised in the editing,
assessment, teaching, and certification of English levels. It is aimed at anyone who, throughout the
world, wishes to have their B2 level certified in English. Assesses the candidate's ability to express
Writing themselves in writing in an organised, clear, and
2 parts
80 minutes precise manner and to adapt to different
After passing this test, the candidate receives a diploma certifying their results which is valid for life. communication situations.

A widely recognised test Assesses the candidate's ability to understand a

variety of audio recordings (short sentences,
The B2 First certificate is highly recommended for high school students and for anyone entering
Listening 4 parts dialogues, interviews, speeches…) in English about
higher education. Indeed, level B2 corresponds to the level expected of a student leaving high school about 40 30 everyday life or work.
in France, the diploma makes it possible to prove "proficiency in English at level B". The B2 First minutes questions Candidates must answer questions which may
qualification is accepted as a certificate of the level of English required for international students' relate to the general meaning of the extract, to
admission to Polytechnique in France. Cambridge English exams are recognised by over 25,000 details or to the points of view expressed.
universities, employers and governments around the world. A lot of universities in the UK, the US and
more accept B2 First as proof of an acceptable level of English to welcome students.
Speaking Assesses the candidate's ability to express
14 minutes per themselves orally in an organised, clear, and precise
As for companies, in the UK, companies like Bayer, BMW, IBM, Rolls Royce, and Unilever require the B2 4 parts
pair of manner and to adapt to different communication
First certificate. You can find the list of the universities, corporations, government bodies, charitable candidates situations.
organisations and more (from any country) that accept the B2 First qualification on the Cambridge
English official website.

Content of the sections

Some schools in non-English countries make all their students take the B2 First exam. In the
professional world, having validated a B2 level can open a certain number of doors, Cambridge English
You can take this exam on paper or on a computer. These two versions of the exam lead to the same
internationally recognised certificate. In all cases, the speaking section will take place face-to-face. Sections Types of exercises

The Reading & Use of English section consists of 52 questions, is divided into 7 parts, and lasts 75 Part 1 – Multiple-Choice Cloze
minutes. The candidate encounters different types of exercises: MCQs, fill-in-the-blank texts, The candidate reads a text in which there are eight words missing. To
transformation of words, rephrasing of sentences, and associations between different written fill each gap, 4 answer choices are suggested, only one is correct.
documents. The seven parts relate to different texts in various formats, styles, and themes.
Part 2 – Open Cloze
The candidate reads a text in which there are eight words missing.
The Listening section is composed of 30 questions, divided into 4 parts, and lasts 40 minutes. The
For this exercise, there is no suggested answer.
candidate must answer multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions as well as complete matching
exercises. Part 3 – Word Formation
The candidate reads a text in which 8 words are missing. The root of
The Writing section lasts 80 minutes. The candidate must produce two written texts during the the missing word is given and the candidate must use it to form a
word that fits in the gap.
allotted time: one of the subjects is imposed, the other is to be chosen from three different text
formats (an article, an email, and a review). Each exercise offers a different communication situation Part 4 – Key Word Transformations
and uses a variety of language skills to assess the candidate's language level as accurately as possible. The candidate reads a sentence. The same sentence is rephrased
Reading and below, but with a gap. The candidate must use a given word and
The Speaking section is carried out with another candidate and lasts approximately 14 minutes. This Use of form a set of 2 to 5 words to insert in the second sentence so that it
test is divided into four parts, some of which require the candidate to express themselves alone, English has the same meaning as the first. There are 6 questions.
others which require them to collaborate and speak with the other test taker. Each task requires the
Part 5 – Multiple Choice
candidate to use different language skills so as to assess their language level as fully as possible. The The candidate reads a long text about which he is asked 6 multiple-
Speaking section can also be taken alone or with two other candidates, but these cases are rarer. The choice questions. 4 suggested answer choices, only one is correct.
content of the exam remains the same, only the duration of the test changes.
Part 6 – Gapped Text
The candidate reads a text which has six sentences missing. The
candidate is provided with 7 sentences. They must find and place
correctly the 6 sentences that fit in the gapped text.

Part 7 – Multiple Matching

The candidate reads a text divided into four parts. 10 questions are
asked, each asking the candidate to indicate in which paragraph (A,
B, C or D) specific information is given.

Part 1 – Compulsory Question

The candidate writes an essay of approximately 150 words on an
imposed theme, several arguments to be included in the written
production are also imposed.
Writing
Part 2 – Situationally Based Writing Task
The candidate is provided with three options: to write an article, an
email or a review. They must choose one and write approximately
150 words.

Listening Part 1 – Multiple Choice (short extracts)

The candidate listens to eight short situations. A multiple-choice
 question (3 answer choices, only one correct answer) is asked about The examination centres are independent organisations. Therefore, registration fees may vary from
each situation. one center to another. The Cambridge English recommended price is €212. To find out about exam
dates, fees, and modalities, we invite you to reach out to the exam centres located near you.
Part 2 – Sentence Completion
The candidate listens to a single recording that lasts about 3
minutes. They must fill in ten gapped sentences with a word from
the recording.

Part 3 – Multiple Matching

The candidate listens to five short monologues on the same subject.
Evaluation
The speakers are all different and express an idea that corresponds
to one of the answer choices. Each speaker must be associated with You will be assessed on the Cambridge English Scale, a score scale used to report Cambridge English
the statement that corresponds to them. exam results. It is possible to transcribe the score obtained at the B2 First qualification into a CEFR
level.
Part 4 – Multiple Choice (long audio)
The candidate listens to a long recording. They are then asked seven
multiple-choice questions (3 answer choices, only one correct
answer). Cambridge English Scale Grades CEFR level

180 – 190 Grade A C1

Part 1 – Interview
The candidate is asked questions on everyday life topics for
173 – 179 Grade B B2
approximately 1 minute.

Part 2 – Long Turn

160 – 172 Grade C B2
The candidate answers a question relating to two photographs that
are presented to them. They must also answer a question about the
photographs presented to the other candidate. Each candidate
140 – 159 Level B1 B1
Speaking speaks approximately 1 minute.

Part 3 & 4 – Collaborative Task and Discussion

In part 3, the two candidates must exchange ideas on a given You will get a specific score for each section of the B2 First test, from which an average will be
problem (2 minutes). They then have to decide which idea they calculated so that you obtain your overall score.
discussed was the best (1 minutes).
In part 4, the examiner takes turns asking them questions on the
same topic. Reading & Use of English
This sections is composed of two parts and results in two different scores.
The Reading part is marked out of 42 points, spread over 4 exercises.
The Use of English part is marked out of 28 points, spread over 3 exercises.

How to register for the test? Writing

This section is marked out of 40 points, spread over 2 exercises and different criteria: content,
communicative achievement, organisation, and language.
Registration is done directly with an approved examination centre anywhere in the world. Contact
details for all exam centres are listed on the Cambridge English official website.
Listening
You can register up to 6 weeks before the exam (if taken on paper) and 2 weeks before (if taken on
This section is marked out of 30 points, spread over 2 exercises. Each correct answer is worth 1 point.
computer).
Speaking
This section is marked out of 60 points, spread over 4 exercises and different criteria: grammar and
vocabulary, discourse management, pronunciation, and interactive communication.

Example of a Statement of Results

Source : https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/fr/exams-and-tests/first/results/

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