Introduction
The Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) exam is properly called the Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English. Most British universities will accept it as a language qualification for a new student, though some Humanities courses might prefer Proficiency. The Advanced English exam is the same level of difficulty as the Council of Europe C1 exam, or ALTE level 4. Most people would take this exam after the the Cambridge English:First exam (FCE) and before, or instead of, the Proficiency exam.
This exam is made up of five tests which have a total of 200 marks. You will need more than 120 (60%) to pass the exam. The lowest pass mark is a C, and fail marks are D and E. The tests are Reading, Writing, English in Use, Listening and Speaking. You do not need to get a pass mark in all of these papers to pass the exam. If you pass the exam, you will be told which papers you did particularly well in. If you fail, you will be told which were your worst papers. The tests you will find here are designed to help you practice for the exam. They are the same level of difficulty as the CAE, but because we have no association with the Cambridge Examining Board UCLES, these papers are not original CAE exam papers and are not endorsed by UCLES.
The first Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) exam was introduced in December 1991. Now about 60,000 people from 127 countries take the exam every year. The majority of candidates are under 25 years old, and from Europe or South America. Exams are usually in June and December. You usually get your results about two months after the exam, and your certificate about six weeks after that. (These times are not fixed, and can change with circumstances.)
In 2003 institutions such as the European Business School, London and the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (University of London) accepted students who had passed the CAE.
The examinations are based on realistic tasks, and show that you can use English in real-life situations. For example you should be able to take part in discussions with groups of native speakers, and be able to say clearly what you feel and what your ideas are. You should be able to write appropriate English in informal and business situations, and understand at least enough to know what is going on when watching TV or film documentaries.
Candidates should be relaxed and fluent in English. They should know something about how English life and culture affects the language (e.g. use of irony, understatement and register) and they should be able to express themselves in good English even in unexpected or complicated situations.
To find out even more about the CAE exam, look for your local British Council, and ask them for the CAE Handbook.