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FCE score calculator: raw marks to Cambridge English Scale scores

Convert your B2 First (FCE) raw marks into estimated Cambridge English Scale scores for each paper, then see your overall score, grade and CEFR level. The conversion uses the marks Cambridge publishes for its official B2 First practice tests. The Cambridge English Scale is the single score range Cambridge uses to report results for its English exams; B2 First reports scores on it from 122 to 190.

Convert raw marks I already have scale scores

Skills converted: 5
Scores reported: 122–190
Pass (Grade C): 160
Grade A: 180–190

Updated 15 November 2026 · Anchors from Cambridge's practice-test guidance · Sources

Step 1

Convert FCE raw marks to scale scores

Cambridge gives four anchor points for each paper of its official B2 First practice tests. Between two anchors, the calculator moves along the scale in a straight line. The same anchors are in the table below the calculator.

Cambridge's anchor marks for B2 First practice tests

Raw marks Cambridge gives for each scale score on its official B2 First practice tests
Scale score	Reading /42	Use of English /28	Writing /40	Listening /30	Speaking /60
180 (C1)	37	24	34	27	54
160 (B2)	24	18	24	18	36
140 (B1)	16	11	16	12	24
122 (lowest reported score)	10	7	10	8	14

Source: Converting practice test scores to Cambridge English Scale scores (Cambridge University Press & Assessment). Figures apply to official practice tests; our own tests use the same conversion as an estimate.

What the anchors show

What Cambridge's anchors tell you about FCE scores

For a pass (160), an official B2 First practice test asks for about 64% in Use of English (18/28) but only 57% in Reading (24/42); Writing, Listening and Speaking all need 60%. Use of English is the paper where a pass asks most of you.
For Grade A (180), every paper needs between 85% and 90% of the marks: Reading 37/42, Use of English 24/28, Writing 34/40, Listening 27/30, Speaking 54/60.
Between 160 and 180, one extra mark is worth about 3.3 scale points in Use of English but only about 1.1 in Speaking, because Use of English has 28 marks and Speaking has 60. A few more correct key word transformations can move your overall score more than you might expect.

These are properties of Cambridge's practice-test anchors, so they describe official practice tests rather than any single live exam.

Step 2

Your overall B2 First score

Enter five scale scores, from the converter above, a mock report or a Statement of Results. B2 First skill scores run from 122 to 190; the overall score is their average.

Reading Use of English Writing Listening Speaking

B2 First · overall score 174 Grade B · CEFR B2

6 points to Grade A.

Enter five skill scores from 122 to 190, as shown on a B2 First Statement of Results or mock report.

B2 First

C1 Advanced

Worked example

Worked example: from raw marks to an FCE grade

Paper	Raw mark	Where it falls	Scale score
Reading	30 / 42	between 24 (= 160) and 37 (= 180)	169
Use of English	19 / 28	between 18 (= 160) and 24 (= 180)	163
Writing	26 / 40	between 24 (= 160) and 34 (= 180)	164
Listening	22 / 30	between 18 (= 160) and 27 (= 180)	169
Speaking	42 / 60	between 36 (= 160) and 54 (= 180)	167

Take Reading: 30 is 6 marks above the 160 anchor, in a band of 13 marks that covers 20 scale points, so the estimate is 169. The five scale scores add up to 832, and 832 ÷ 5 = 166.4, which rounds to 166: Grade C at CEFR B2, 7 points below Grade B.

The quickest way up is usually the weakest paper. Here, Use of English is lowest; raising it by 10 scale points would add 2 points to the overall score. Find your own weakest paper with a full FCE mock test, which converts every paper for you.

Grades

What your FCE score means

Overall score	Result	CEFR level
180–190	Grade A	C1
173–179	Grade B	B2
160–172	Grade C	B2
140–159	Level B1	B1
122–139	No certificate (score on the Statement of Results)	Not reported

Allow a margin. The marks needed for each score vary a little from one exam version to the next, so Cambridge treats results within about 3 points of a boundary as needing careful review. For B2 First that means 157–163 around the pass mark, 170–176 around Grade B and 177–183 around Grade A. If a practice estimate lands in one of those windows, aim a few points higher before you book.

Want to compare exams on one scale? The Cambridge English Scale calculator shows where the same overall score lands on both B2 First and C1 Advanced.

Raw marks

FCE raw marks per paper

Skill	Maximum	How the marks are earned
Reading	42	Reading and Use of English Parts 1, 5, 6, 7: Part 1 8 × 1, Part 5 6 × 2, Part 6 6 × 2, Part 7 10 × 1
Use of English	28	Parts 2 and 3 (8 × 1 each), Part 4 (6 key word transformations × up to 2)
Writing	40	Two tasks, each marked out of 20: four criteria from 0 to 5
Listening	30	30 questions, one mark each
Speaking	60	Four assessor criteria (0–5, doubled) plus Global Achievement from the interlocutor (0–5, × 4)

Full conversion table: every raw mark for every paper

Reading (out of 42)

Raw	Scale
10	122
11	125
12	128
13	131
14	134
15	137
16	140
17	143
18	145
19	148
20	150
21	153
22	155
23	158
24	160
25	162
26	163
27	165
28	166
29	168
30	169
31	171
32	172
33	174
34	175
35	177
36	178
37	180
38	182*
39	184*
40	186*
41	188*
42	190*

Below 10: below 122, not reported.

Use of English (out of 28)

Raw	Scale
7	122
8	127
9	131
10	136
11	140
12	143
13	146
14	149
15	151
16	154
17	157
18	160
19	163
20	167
21	170
22	173
23	177
24	180
25	183*
26	185*
27	188*
28	190*

Below 7: below 122, not reported.

Writing (out of 40)

Raw	Scale
10	122
11	125
12	128
13	131
14	134
15	137
16	140
17	143
18	145
19	148
20	150
21	153
22	155
23	158
24	160
25	162
26	164
27	166
28	168
29	170
30	172
31	174
32	176
33	178
34	180
35	182*
36	183*
37	185*
38	187*
39	188*
40	190*

Below 10: below 122, not reported.

Listening (out of 30)

Raw	Scale
8	122
9	127
10	131
11	136
12	140
13	143
14	147
15	150
16	153
17	157
18	160
19	162
20	164
21	167
22	169
23	171
24	173
25	176
26	178
27	180
28	183*
29	187*
30	190*

Below 8: below 122, not reported.

Speaking (out of 60)

Raw	Scale
14	122
15	124
16	126
17	127
18	129
19	131
20	133
21	135
22	136
23	138
24	140
25	142
26	143
27	145
28	147
29	148
30	150
31	152
32	153
33	155
34	157
35	158
36	160
37	161
38	162
39	163
40	164
41	166
42	167
43	168
44	169
45	170
46	171
47	172
48	173
49	174
50	176
51	177
52	178
53	179
54	180
55	182*
56	183*
57	185*
58	187*
59	188*
60	190*

Below 14: below 122, not reported.

* Above Cambridge's highest anchor for that paper: a straight line to 190 at full marks. All figures are estimates.

FAQ

FCE score questions

How do I convert FCE raw marks into a Cambridge English Scale score?

Use the marks Cambridge publishes for its official practice tests. In B2 First Reading, for example, 24 out of 42 is 160 and 37 is 180. For a mark in between, count how far it is from one anchor to the next and move the same distance along the scale. The calculator on this page does this for all five papers.

How is the FCE overall score calculated?

Your overall B2 First score is the average of your five scale scores (Reading, Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking), rounded to the nearest whole number, and there is no pass mark for individual papers. In the worked example on this page, 169, 163, 164, 169 and 167 average 166.4, which rounds to 166: Grade C.

What FCE score do I need to pass?

160 on the Cambridge English Scale is a pass at Grade C. 173–179 is Grade B, and 180–190 is Grade A, which shows ability at C1. 140–159 earns a B1 certificate instead.

What is the lowest FCE score?

B2 First reports scores from 122 to 190. A certificate is awarded only from 140; a result from 122 to 139 appears on the Statement of Results without a certificate.

How accurate is this FCE score calculator?

It gives an estimate. Cambridge says its conversion figures apply only to official practice tests and should not be used to predict precise scores in the live exam, because the marks needed for each score change slightly from one exam to the next. Treat any result within about 3 points of a grade boundary as uncertain.

How many marks are there in each FCE paper?

Reading 42, Use of English 28, Writing 40, Listening 30 and Speaking 60. Reading and Use of English are one paper but two separate scores.

Sources

Converting practice test scores to Cambridge English Scale scores (Cambridge University Press & Assessment)
Cambridge English Qualifications: results
B2 First Handbook for Teachers

CambridgeMock is independent and not affiliated with Cambridge University Press & Assessment. The straight-line conversion between Cambridge's anchors, and the extension above the highest anchor, are our own estimate, not an official algorithm.

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