Cambridge First Certificate In English 4 Pdf Free Download
Fatima Teem
B2 First shows that learners have the language skills needed to communicate confidently in an English-speaking environment. It is targeted at Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
There are Cambridge English Qualifications for schools, general and higher education, and business. B2 First is offered in two versions, B2 First for Schools, for school-aged learners, and B2 First, for general and higher education adult learners.[1]
The arrival of thousands of refugees from the Spanish Civil War and occupied Europe into the UK had created a growing need for language assessment. One hundred and forty-four students sat the first LCE exam on 21 June 1939. The exam was divided into three sections:
By 1943, the exam included a choice between "either prescribed texts or a paper in translation from and into English". By 1944, 18 languages were catered for in the translation paper, including Polish, Arabic, Hebrew, Czech, Persian and Swedish.
Many of those who took the exam served on active duty during World War II. The December 1943 exam pass list includes candidates from the Polish Army, the Polish Institute of Air Force Technology (RAF), the Netherlands Fleet Air Arm, and the Czechoslovak RAF Squadron. On one day in 1948 over 2,500 men and women of the Polish Resettlement Corps took the exam.
A special version of the exam was also made available to prisoners of war detained in Britain and occupied Europe. The test was made available to 1,500 prisoners of war in Britain, 900 of them Italians. In Germany, the test was offered at seven prisoners-of-war camps, with Indian prisoners of war encouraged to take the exam and/or School Certificate exams. After the war, the exam proved to be the most popular Cambridge English exam of the time, with over 4,000 candidates in 1947, compared to 2,028 candidates for the Certificate of Proficiency in English, now known as C2 Proficiency.[2]
In 1975, driven by evolving principles of communicative language teaching and testing, the exam was revised. The qualification was further updated in 1984 and 1996. Following the 1996 revision, the exam covered a greater range of writing, listening and speaking micro-skills. Its Speaking test format used two candidates and two examiners and the five papers were equally weighted, each representing 20% of the available marks.[3]
In January 2015, another set of revisions was introduced. The main changes were: the overall exam is now 30 minutes shorter; there are four exam papers, instead of five; and the Reading and Use of English papers have been combined into a single paper.[4]
B2 First is available in two versions: B2 First for adult learners, and B2 First for Schools, is designed for school-aged learners. Both are part of the Cambridge English Qualifications. B2 First and B2 First for Schools both have the same exam format (e.g. number of papers, number of questions, time allowance), but use different topics and content, targeted at the interests and experiences of adult and school-aged learners respectively.[1]
In January 2015, Cambridge English Scale scores replaced the candidate profile and standardised scores used for pre-2015 results. All candidates (pre- and post-2015) receive a Statement of Results, with those scoring high enough also receiving a certificate.[6]
Pre-2015 Statement of Results also had a Candidate Profile, which showed the candidate's performance on each of the individual papers against the following scale: exceptional, good, borderline and weak.
It is an upper-intermediate qualification used to demonstrate that a candidate can use everyday written and spoken English for work and study purposes.[9] By taking up and passing the B2 First (formerly known as the FCE and First Certificate Exam), the candidate certifies that they can understand the main ideas of complex communication, interact with some degree of fluency and spontaneity without great difficulty, engage in discussion in both familiar and unfamiliar situations, interact spontaneously without too much trouble, and communicate in detail, appropriate to the purpose and audience.[10] Many higher education institutions and professional employers accept B2 First for admissions or recruitment purposes.
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The First Certificate in English (FCE) is a B2 level exam for those individuals at an upper-intermediateproficiency in English. This First Certificate in English is the most commonly taken exam of all ESOL tests andis available in a computer and paper version. Many students taken this exam because it conveys a high mastery ofEnglish needed to work in a business and educational environment.
The FCE exam is for those individuals who can use everyday written and spoken English including understandingradio and TV programs and those who can take notes while listening to a lecture in English. Many individualstake this exam if they are going to study abroad or need certification for employment purpose. If you pass theFCE, your level of English is good enough to be of practical use in many types of job.
Although the First Certificate in English is comparable in difficulty to the TOEFL, the results for the TOEFLexpire after two years whereas the results of the FCE do not expire. The University of Cambridge hasput together a database to see who accepts this certification.
The First Certificate in English reading section is composed of 10 questions divided into three partsover the course of one hour. Part 1 of the FCE exam will give you a text followed by multiple choicequestions with 4 options. Part 2 will have an article with missing sentences or paragraphs. You willhave to choose from a list of possible options that properly fit into the article. There will be oneextra answer that will not be used. The last section, Part 3, will give you different prompts which youwould need to match with corresponding paragraphs or short text. The total amount of text isapproximately 2000 words.
The writing section of the First Certificate in English will take about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Thissection is divided into two parts; the first part provides you with information requiring an email orletter response of 120-150 words. The second part will allow you to select one of five options includingwriting an essay, an article, a report, a review, a letter of application, an informal letter, or ashort story. This response should be between 120-180 words.
The Use of English section of the First Certificate in English consists of 42 questions in 4 parts. Youwill have 45 minutes to complete this section. The first two parts will give you a text with single gapsthat you will have to identify the missing transition word (s). The first part will give you a list youwill choose from and the second part will require you to provide your own answers. The third part issimilar in structure as it provides you with a long text with a gap. You will be given a word that willrequire you to put into the correct tense to properly complete the sentence. The last part provides youwith two sentences, one sentences is missing word (s). You will have a key word to use that you willneed to modify to both fit into the sentence and keep the meaning of the first sentence.
The Listening section of the FCE has 30 questions in four parts. You will have 40 minutes to completethis section and all recordings will be repeated twice. You will be required to listen to conversationand answer questions based on what they directly said, identify the main idea/attitude/option ofspeakers, or choose a common theme among multiple speakers.
The Speaking section divides candidates into groups of two along with two examiners. If there are an oddnumber of candidates, the last group will have three candidates. The time allotted is 14 minutes perpair divided into four sections. In the first part, you will speak with the examiner and will beexpected to provide information about yourself and give your opinions. In Part 2, you will speak for oneminute about two photographs given to you by the examiners which you will be expected to compare,contrast, and react to them. The other candidate will do the same based on different photographs. Bothcandidates will have the opportunity to comment on the other photographs. Part 3 is a 3 minutediscussion with the other candidate based on pictures provided by the examiner. The last part willinclude the examiners based on questions from the dialogue in Part 3.
In order to pass and receive a certificate, you would need to achieve an A, B, or C. You will also get abreakdown on the five sections (reading, writing, listening, use of English, and speaking) as to whether youperformed exceptional, good, borderline, or week. In order to pass, however, you do not need to pass everysection.
When you complete an online undergraduate qualification you will receive credits, which are accredited under the nationally recognised Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) that you can put towards a degree, or further study:
The main difference between certificate and diploma courses relates to the level of learning involved. A certificate course is taught at a level equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree (Level 4), while a diploma is taught at the level of second-year university study (level 5).
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