The Cambridge English Scale explained A guide to converting practice test scores to Cambridge English Scale scores Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) Cambridge English Scale A2 Key B1 Preliminary B2 First C1 Advanced C2 Proficiency B1 Business Preliminary B2 Business Vantage C1 Business Higher 230 Grade A Proficient user 220 C2 Grade B 210 Grade A 200 C1 Grade C Grade A Grade B 190 Grade A Grade C Grade B Level C1 Grade A Grade C 180 Independent user Grade B B2 170 Grade A 160 B1 Basic user Grade B 150 Grade A 140 A2 130 Grade C Grade C Grade B Level B2 Distinction Grade C Level B2 Merit Level B1 Level B1 Pass Grade B Grade C Level A2 Level A2 120 A1 110 Level A1 100 Below A1 90 80 IELTS is mapped to, but will not be reported on the Cambridge English Scale Most Cambridge English Qualifications are now reporting results on the Cambridge English Scale * For B2 First, B2 First for Schools, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency, candidates receive an individual score for each of the four skills – reading, writing, listening, speaking – and Use of English In the live exams, each of the skills and Use of English are equally weighted, and a candidate’s overall score is calculated by adding all of the individual scores together and dividing by five (and then rounding to the nearest whole number) For B1 Preliminary, B1 Preliminary for Schools and B1 Business Preliminary, B2 Business Vantage and C1 Business Higher, candidates receive an individual score for the four skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking In the live exams, each skill is equally weighted, and a candidate’s overall score is calculated by adding all of the individual scores together and dividing by four (and then rounding to the nearest whole number) For A2 Key and A2 Key for Schools, candidates receive an individual score for each paper in the exam – Reading and Writing, Listening, and Speaking In the live exams, the Reading and Writing paper tests two skills so the score is doubled A candidate’s overall score is calculated by adding all of the individual scores together and dividing by four (and then rounding to the nearest whole number) A candidate’s grade and Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) level are based on their performance across the whole qualification, and there is no requirement to achieve a minimum score in each paper The following tables can be used as guidance to help you convert practice test scores to Cambridge English Scale scores Please note that these only apply when using official Cambridge English practice tests The conversion tables are intended to help you provide an indication of your students’ readiness to take the relevant qualification The scores you provide may not always reflect the results the students may achieve in a Cambridge English live exam They should not be used to try to predict precise scores in the live exam, but can be a useful diagnostic tool, indicating areas of relative strength and weakness The scores needed on any given exam to achieve the scores on the Cambridge English Scale shown in the tables below will vary due to a number of factors, so scores close to CEFR boundaries need to be reviewed carefully We recommend that this is approximately three Cambridge English Scale score points above and below the score needed to achieve the level, e.g 157–163 for Level B2 Students who achieve only slightly higher than the Cambridge English Scale score for a given level on a practice test may not achieve that level in the live exam, and we recommend that they continue working to improve so that they reach the desired level Copyright ©UCLES 2019 | CER/4240/V2/AUG19 A2 Key and A2 Key for Schools for exams from 2020 Reading The Reading section consists of Parts 1–5 of the Reading and Writing paper Correct answers in Parts 1–5 are worth mark each There are 30 possible marks in the Reading section Practice test score Cambridge English Scale score CEFR level 28 140 Level B1 20 120 Level A2 13 100 Level A1 82* – Cambridge English Scale score CEFR level *minimum score reported for A2 Key Writing The Writing section consists of Parts and of the Reading and Writing paper Candidates' answers in the Writing paper are marked by trained examiners who are certificated to mark at the level Parts and are marked using assessment scales which are linked to the CEFR 0–5 marks are given for each of the following criteria: Content; Organisation; and Language There are a possible 15 marks for Part and 15 possible marks for Part Whole marks only are awarded; there are no half marks given Marks for each of the criteria are combined to give 15 possible marks for each part In total, there are 30 possible marks in the Writing paper Listening Correct answers in the Listening paper are worth mark each There are 25 possible marks in the Listening paper Practice test score 26 140 Level B1 18 120 Level A2 12 100 Level A1 82* – Cambridge English Scale score CEFR level *minimum score reported for A2 Key Practice test score 23 140 Level B1 17 120 Level A2 11 100 Level A1 82* – Cambridge English Scale score CEFR level *minimum score reported for A2 Key Speaking Candidates take the test in pairs, but are assessed on their individual performance by trained examiners certificated to examine at the level Candidate speaking performances are assessed using scales which are linked to the CEFR The assessor gives 0–5 marks for each of the following criteria: Grammar and Vocabulary; Pronunciation; and Interactive Communication Marks for each of these criteria are doubled The interlocutor gives a mark of 0–5 for Global Achievement This mark is then multiplied by three Examiners may award half marks Marks for all criteria are then combined, meaning there are 45 marks available in the Speaking test Practice test score 41 140 Level B1 27 120 Level A2 18 100 Level A1 10 82* – *minimum score reported for A2 Key Copyright ©UCLES 2019 | CER/4240/V2/AUG19 B1 Preliminary and B1 Preliminary for Schools for exams from 2020 Reading The Reading paper consists of six parts Correct answers in Parts 1–6 are worth mark each There are 32 possible marks in the Reading paper Practice test score 29 23 13 Cambridge English Scale score CEFR level 160 140 120 102* Level B2 Level B1 Level A2 – *minimum score reported for B1 Preliminary Writing The Writing paper consists of two parts Candidates' answers in the Writing paper are marked by trained examiners who are certificated to mark at the level using assessment scales which are linked to the CEFR 0–5 marks are given for each of the following criteria: Content; Communicative Achievement; Organisation; and Language Whole marks only are awarded; there are no half marks given Part is worth 20 marks and Part is worth 20 marks There are 40 possible marks in the Writing paper Listening Correct answers in the Listening paper are worth mark each There are 25 possible marks in the Listening paper Practice test score 34 24 16 10 Cambridge English Scale score CEFR level 160 140 120 102* Level B2 Level B1 Level A2 – *minimum score reported for B1 Preliminary Practice test score 23 18 11 Cambridge English Scale score CEFR level 160 140 120 102* Level B2 Level B1 Level A2 – *minimum score reported for B1 Preliminary Speaking Candidates take the test in pairs, but are assessed on their individual performance by trained examiners certificated to examine at the level Candidate speaking performances are assessed using scales which are linked to the CEFR The assessor gives 0–5 marks for each of the following criteria: Grammar and Vocabulary; Discourse Management; Pronunciation; and Interactive Communication The interlocutor gives a mark of 0–5 for Global Achievement and this mark is doubled Examiners may award half marks Marks for all criteria are then combined, meaning there are 30 marks available in the Speaking test Practice test score 27 18 12 Cambridge English Scale score CEFR level 160 140 120 102* Level B2 Level B1 Level A2 – *minimum score reported for B1 Preliminary Copyright ©UCLES 2019 | CER/4240/V2/AUG19 B2 First and B2 First for Schools Reading The Reading section consists of Parts 1, 5, and of the Reading and Use of English paper Correct answers in Parts and are worth mark each Correct answers in Parts and are worth marks each There are 42 possible marks in the Reading section Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 37 24 16 10 180 160 140 122* CEFR level Level C1 Level B2 Level B1 – *minimum score reported for B2 First Use of English The Use of English section consists of Parts 2, and of the Reading and Use of English paper Correct answers in Parts and are worth mark each In Part 4, answers which are partly correct receive mark and answers which are completely correct receive marks There are 28 possible marks in the Use of English section Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 24 18 11 180 160 140 122* CEFR level Level C1 Level B2 Level B1 – *minimum score reported for B2 First Writing Candidates’ answers in the Writing paper are marked by trained examiners who are certificated to mark at the level Answers are marked using assessment scales which are linked to the CEFR 0–5 marks are given for each of the following criteria: Content; Communicative Achievement; Organisation; and Language Whole marks only are awarded; there are no half marks given Marks for each of the criteria are combined to give 20 possible marks for each question There are 40 possible marks for the whole paper Listening Correct answers in the Listening paper are worth mark each There are 30 possible marks in the Listening paper Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 34 24 16 10 180 160 140 122* CEFR level Level C1 Level B2 Level B1 – *minimum score reported for B2 First Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 27 180 18 160 12 140 122* CEFR level Level C1 Level B2 Level B1 – *minimum score reported for B2 First Speaking Candidates take the test in pairs, but are assessed on their individual performance by trained examiners certificated to examine at the level Candidate speaking performances are assessed using scales which are linked to the CEFR The assessor gives 0–5 marks for each of the following criteria: Grammar and Vocabulary; Discourse Management; Pronunciation; and Interactive Communication Marks for each of these criteria are doubled The interlocutor gives a mark of 0–5 for Global Achievement This mark is then multiplied by four Examiners may award half marks Marks for all criteria are then combined, meaning there are 60 marks available in the Speaking test Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 54 36 24 14 180 160 140 122* CEFR level Level C1 Level B2 Level B1 – *minimum score reported for B2 First Copyright ©UCLES 2019 | CER/4240/V2/AUG19 C1 Advanced Reading The Reading section consists of Parts 1, 5, 6, and of the Reading and Use of English paper Correct answers in Parts and are worth mark each Correct answers in Parts 5, and are worth marks each There are 50 possible marks in the Reading section Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 43 32 23 17 200 180 160 142* CEFR level C2 C1 B2 – *minimum score reported for C1 Advanced Use of English The Use of English section consists of Parts 2, and of the Reading and Use of English paper Correct answers in Parts and are worth mark each In Part 4, answers which are partly correct receive mark and answers which are completely correct receive marks There are 28 possible marks in the Use of English section Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 23 16 11 200 180 160 142* CEFR level C2 C1 B2 – *minimum score reported for C1 Advanced Writing Candidates’ answers in the Writing paper are marked by trained examiners who are certificated to mark at the level Answers are marked using assessment scales which are linked to the CEFR 0–5 marks are given for each of the following criteria: Content; Communicative Achievement; Organisation; and Language Whole marks only are awarded; there are no half marks given Marks for each of the criteria are combined to give 20 possible marks for each question There are 40 possible marks for the whole paper Listening Correct answers in the Listening paper are worth mark each There are 30 possible marks in the Listening paper Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 34 24 16 10 200 180 160 142* CEFR level C2 C1 B2 – *minimum score reported for C1 Advanced Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 26 18 13 11 200 180 160 142* CEFR level C2 C1 B2 – *minimum score reported for C1 Advanced Speaking Candidates take the test in pairs, but are assessed on their individual performance by trained examiners certificated to examine at the level Candidate speaking performances are assessed using scales which are linked to the CEFR The assessor gives 0–5 marks for each of the following criteria: Grammatical Resource; Lexical Resource; Discourse Management; Pronunciation; and Interactive Communication Marks for each of these criteria are doubled The interlocutor gives a mark of 0–5 for Global Achievement This mark is then multiplied by five Examiners may award half marks Marks for all criteria are then combined, meaning there are 75 marks available in the Speaking test Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 66 45 30 17 200 180 160 142* CEFR level C2 C1 B2 – *minimum score reported for C1 Advanced Copyright ©UCLES 2019 | CER/4240/V2/AUG19 C2 Proficiency Reading The Reading section consists of Parts 1, 5, and of the Reading and Use of English paper Correct answers in Parts and are worth mark each Correct answers in Parts and are worth marks each There are 44 possible marks in the Reading section Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 36 28 22 14 220 200 180 162* CEFR level C2 C2 C1 – *minimum score reported for C2 Proficiency Use of English The Use of English section consists of Parts 2, and of the Reading and Use of English paper Correct answers in Parts and are worth mark each In Part 4, answers which are partly correct receive mark and answers which are completely correct receive marks There are 28 possible marks in the Use of English section Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 22 17 13 220 200 180 162* CEFR level C2 C2 C1 – *minimum score reported for C2 Proficiency Writing Candidates’ answers in the Writing paper are marked by trained examiners who are certificated to mark at the level Answers are marked using assessment scales which are linked to the CEFR 0–5 marks are given for each of the following criteria: Content; Communicative Achievement; Organisation; and Language Whole marks only are awarded; there are no half marks given Marks for each of the criteria are combined to give 20 possible marks for each question There are 40 possible marks for the whole paper Listening Correct answers in the Listening paper are worth mark each There are 30 possible marks in the Listening paper Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 34 24 16 10 220 200 180 162* CEFR level C2 C2 C1 – *minimum score reported for C2 Proficiency Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 24 18 14 10 220 200 180 162* CEFR level C2 C2 C1 – *minimum score reported for C2 Proficiency Speaking Candidates take the test in pairs, but are assessed on their individual performance by trained examiners certificated to examine at the level Candidate speaking performances are assessed using scales which are linked to the CEFR The assessor gives 0–5 marks for each of the following criteria: Grammatical Resource; Lexical Resource; Discourse Management; Pronunciation; and Interactive Communication Marks for each of these criteria are doubled The interlocutor gives a mark of 0–5 for Global Achievement This mark is then multiplied by five Examiners may award half marks Marks for all criteria are then combined, meaning there are 75 marks available in the Speaking test Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 66 45 30 17 220 200 180 162* CEFR level C2 C2 C1 – *minimum score reported for C2 Proficiency Copyright ©UCLES 2019 | CER/4240/V2/AUG19 B1 Business Preliminary Reading The Reading section consists of Parts 1–7 of the Reading and Writing paper Correct answers in Parts 1–7 are worth mark each There are 45 possible marks in the Reading section Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 39 30 18 160 140 120 102* CEFR level Level B2 Level B1 Level A2 – *minimum score reported for B1 Business Preliminary Writing The Writing section consists of Parts 8–9 of the Reading and Writing paper Candidates’ answers in the Writing paper are marked by trained examiners who are certificated to mark at the level using assessment scales which are linked to the CEFR Part is worth 10 marks and Part is worth 20 marks There are 30 possible marks in the Writing section Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 27 20 13 160 140 120 102* CEFR level Level B2 Level B1 Level A2 – *minimum score reported for B1 Business Preliminary Listening Correct answers in the Listening paper are worth mark each There are 30 possible marks in the Listening paper Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 26 20 12 160 140 120 102* CEFR level Level B2 Level B1 Level A2 – *minimum score reported for B1 Business Preliminary Speaking Candidates take the test in pairs, but are assessed on their individual performance by trained examiners who are certificated to examine at the level Candidate speaking performances are assessed using scales which are linked to the CEFR The assessor gives a mark of 0−5 for each of the following criteria: Grammar and Vocabulary; Discourse Management; Pronunciation; and Interactive Communication The interlocutor gives a mark of 0−5 for Global Achievement This mark is then doubled Examiners may award half marks Marks for all criteria are then combined, meaning there are 30 marks available in the Speaking test Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 27 18 12 160 140 120 102* CEFR level Level B2 Level B1 Level A2 – *minimum score reported for B1 Business Preliminary Copyright ©UCLES 2019 | CER/4240/V2/AUG19 B2 Business Vantage Reading The Reading paper consists of five parts Correct answers in Parts 1−5 are worth mark each There are 45 possible marks in the Reading paper Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 38 27 19 10 180 160 140 122* CEFR level Level C1 Level B2 Level B1 – *minimum score reported for B2 Business Vantage Writing The Writing paper consists of two parts Candidates’ answers in the Writing paper are marked by trained examiners who are certificated to mark at the level using assessment scales which are linked to the CEFR Part is worth 10 marks and Part is worth 20 marks There are 30 possible marks in the Writing section Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 26 18 12 180 160 140 122* CEFR level Level C1 Level B2 Level B1 – *minimum score reported for B2 Business Vantage Listening Correct answers in the Listening paper are worth mark each There are 30 possible marks in the Listening paper Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 25 19 13 180 160 140 122* CEFR level Level C1 Level B2 Level B1 – *minimum score reported for B2 Business Vantage Speaking Candidates take the test in pairs, but are assessed on their individual performance by trained examiners who are certificated to examine at the level Candidate speaking performances are assessed using scales which are linked to the CEFR The assessor gives a mark of 0−5 for each of the following criteria: Grammar and Vocabulary; Discourse Management; Pronunciation; and Interactive Communication The interlocutor gives a mark of 0−5 for Global Achievement and this mark is doubled Examiners may award half marks Marks for all criteria are then combined, meaning there are 30 marks available in the Speaking test Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 27 18 12 180 160 140 122* CEFR level Level C1 Level B2 Level B1 – *minimum score reported for B2 Business Vantage Copyright ©UCLES 2019 | CER/4240/V2/AUG19 C1 Business Higher Reading The Reading paper consists of six parts Correct answers in Parts 1−6 are worth mark each There are 52 possible marks in the Reading paper Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 42 32 23 14 200 180 160 142* CEFR level Level C2 Level C1 Level B2 – *minimum score reported for C1 Business Higher Writing The Writing paper consists of two parts Candidates’ answers in the Writing paper are marked by trained examiners who are certificated to mark at the level using assessment scales which are linked to the CEFR Part is worth 10 marks and Part is worth 20 marks There are 30 possible marks in the Writing section Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 26 18 12 200 180 160 142* CEFR level Level C2 Level C1 Level B2 – *minimum score reported for C1 Business Higher Listening Correct answers in the Listening paper are worth mark each There are 30 possible marks in the Listening paper Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 24 18 13 200 180 160 142* CEFR level Level C2 Level C1 Level B2 – *minimum score reported for C1 Business Higher Speaking Candidates take the test in pairs, but are assessed on their individual performance by trained examiners who are certificated to examine at the level Candidate speaking performances are assessed using scales which are linked to the CEFR The assessor gives a mark of 0−5 for each of the following criteria: Grammatical Resource; Lexical Resource; Discourse Management; Pronunciation; and Interactive Communication, and these marks are doubled The interlocutor gives a mark of 0−5 for Global Achievement and this mark is multiplied by five Examiners may award half marks Marks for all criteria are then combined, meaning there are 75 marks available in the Speaking test Practice Cambridge English test score Scale score 68 45 30 17 200 180 160 142* CEFR level Level C2 Level C1 Level B2 – *minimum score reported for C1 Business Higher Copyright ©UCLES 2019 | CER/4240/V2/AUG19