Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)

This is an examination at an advanced level, which is recognised as an entrance requirement by British universities and for business and academic purposes overseas.

There are five components:

Reading

Candidates are expected to show comprehension of gist, detailed content, tone and register. They are also tested on their wider knowledge of vocabulary, usage and grammatical control.

There are two sections. In the first section there are twenty-five multiple-choice items. In the second section there are three texts, each between 350 and 550 words in length, with a total of fifteen items. Candidates must demonstrate comprehension of the text by completing a number of multiple-choice items.

Writing

Candidates must be able to write non-specialised texts of a descriptive, narrative and discursive nature.

There are five tasks from which the candidate chooses two. One of the five is based on an optional reading of one of three books. Responses should be approximately 300 or 350 words, as specified.

Listening

Candidates are expected to extract information, interpret speakers attitudes and recognise the implications of stress and intonation. Texts take the form of announcements, dialogues, extracts from radio programmes, etc.

There are usually three or four texts, each lasting between one and four minutes, with up to thirty items of the following task types: multiple-choice, true/false, matching information, gap-filling.

Speaking

Candidates may be tested either individually, in pairs or in groups of three. They must be able to discuss and comment on issues and express opinions.

The first task involves describing and comparing a set of thematically linked photographs. Candidates are then required to read a passage silently and to comment on, for example, its source, its intended audience etc. The final part consists of one or more communicative activities (discussion, planning, problem-solving, etc.).

Structural Competence

Candidates are expected to demonstrate their knowledge of current usage and control of the language system by completing a variety of tasks based partly on authentic texts. They are also required to read a text and answer comprehension questions and to summarise specified information from the text.

There are two sections. The first consists of forty-two items of the following four task types: cloze and three varieties of transformation exercise. The second section is a reading comprehension task with twelve to fifteen items and a summary writing task (approximately 80 words).

Weighting of components

Each component carries approximately 22% of the total marks except for Listening, which carries approximately 12%.

Results

There are three pass grades (A, B and C) and certificates are awarded to all successful candidates. Candidates who achieve a grade D or E are judged not to have reached the required standard for CPE.