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CAE score calculator: raw marks to Cambridge English Scale scores

Convert your C1 Advanced (CAE) 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 C1 Advanced practice tests. The Cambridge English Scale is the single score range Cambridge uses to report results for its English exams; C1 Advanced reports scores on it from 142 to 210.

Convert raw marks I already have scale scores

Skills converted: 5
Scores reported: 142–210
Pass (Grade C): 180
Grade A: 200–210

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

Step 1

Convert CAE raw marks to scale scores

Cambridge gives four anchor points for each paper of its official C1 Advanced 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 C1 Advanced practice tests

Raw marks Cambridge gives for each scale score on its official C1 Advanced practice tests
Scale score	Reading /50	Use of English /28	Writing /40	Listening /30	Speaking /75
200 (C2)	43	23	34	26	66
180 (C1)	32	16	24	18	45
160 (B2)	23	11	16	13	30
142 (lowest reported score)	17	8	10	11	17

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 CAE scores

For a pass (180), an official C1 Advanced practice test asks for about 64% in Reading (32/50) but only 57% in Use of English (16/28); Writing, Listening and Speaking all need 60%. Reading is the paper where a pass asks most of you.
For Grade A (200), every paper needs between 82% and 88% of the marks: Reading 43/50, Use of English 23/28, Writing 34/40, Listening 26/30, Speaking 66/75.
Between 180 and 200, one extra mark is worth about 2.9 scale points in Use of English but only about 1 in Speaking, because Use of English has 28 marks and Speaking has 75. 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 C1 Advanced score

Enter five scale scores, from the converter above, a mock report or a Statement of Results. C1 Advanced skill scores run from 142 to 210; the overall score is their average.

Reading Use of English Writing Listening Speaking

C1 Advanced · overall score 192 Grade C · CEFR C1

1 point to Grade B.

Enter five skill scores from 142 to 210, as shown on a C1 Advanced Statement of Results or mock report.

B2 First

C1 Advanced

Worked example

Worked example: from raw marks to a CAE grade

Paper	Raw mark	Where it falls	Scale score
Reading	36 / 50	between 32 (= 180) and 43 (= 200)	187
Use of English	18 / 28	between 16 (= 180) and 23 (= 200)	186
Writing	27 / 40	between 24 (= 180) and 34 (= 200)	186
Listening	21 / 30	between 18 (= 180) and 26 (= 200)	188
Speaking	52 / 75	between 45 (= 180) and 66 (= 200)	187

Take Reading: 36 is 4 marks above the 180 anchor, in a band of 11 marks that covers 20 scale points, so the estimate is 187. The five scale scores add up to 934, and 934 ÷ 5 = 186.8, which rounds to 187: Grade C at CEFR C1, 6 points below Grade B.

The quickest way up is usually the weakest paper. Here, Use of English and Writing are lowest (both 186); raising either by 10 scale points would add 2 points to the overall score. Find your own weakest paper with a full CAE mock test, which converts every paper for you.

Grades

What your CAE score means

Overall score	Result	CEFR level
200–210	Grade A	C2
193–199	Grade B	C1
180–192	Grade C	C1
160–179	Level B2	B2
142–159	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 C1 Advanced that means 177–183 around the pass mark, 190–196 around Grade B and 197–203 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

CAE raw marks per paper

Skill	Maximum	How the marks are earned
Reading	50	Reading and Use of English Parts 1, 5, 6, 7, 8: Part 1 8 × 1, Part 5 6 × 2, Part 6 4 × 2, Part 7 6 × 2, Part 8 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	75	Five assessor criteria (0–5, doubled) plus Global Achievement from the interlocutor (0–5, × 5)

Full conversion table: every raw mark for every paper

Reading (out of 50)

Raw	Scale
17	142
18	145
19	148
20	151
21	154
22	157
23	160
24	162
25	164
26	167
27	169
28	171
29	173
30	176
31	178
32	180
33	182
34	184
35	185
36	187
37	189
38	191
39	193
40	195
41	196
42	198
43	200
44	201*
45	203*
46	204*
47	206*
48	207*
49	209*
50	210*

Below 17: below 142, not reported.

Use of English (out of 28)

Raw	Scale
8	142
9	148
10	154
11	160
12	164
13	168
14	172
15	176
16	180
17	183
18	186
19	189
20	191
21	194
22	197
23	200
24	202*
25	204*
26	206*
27	208*
28	210*

Below 8: below 142, not reported.

Writing (out of 40)

Raw	Scale
10	142
11	145
12	148
13	151
14	154
15	157
16	160
17	163
18	165
19	168
20	170
21	173
22	175
23	178
24	180
25	182
26	184
27	186
28	188
29	190
30	192
31	194
32	196
33	198
34	200
35	202*
36	203*
37	205*
38	207*
39	208*
40	210*

Below 10: below 142, not reported.

Listening (out of 30)

Raw	Scale
11	142
12	151
13	160
14	164
15	168
16	172
17	176
18	180
19	183
20	185
21	188
22	190
23	193
24	195
25	198
26	200
27	203*
28	205*
29	208*
30	210*

Below 11: below 142, not reported.

Speaking (out of 75)

Raw	Scale
17	142
18	143
19	145
20	146
21	148
22	149
23	150
24	152
25	153
26	154
27	156
28	157
29	159
30	160
31	161
32	163
33	164
34	165
35	167
36	168
37	169
38	171
39	172
40	173
41	175
42	176
43	177
44	179
45	180
46	181
47	182
48	183
49	184
50	185
51	186
52	187
53	188
54	189
55	190
56	190
57	191
58	192
59	193
60	194
61	195
62	196
63	197
64	198
65	199
66	200
67	201*
68	202*
69	203*
70	204*
71	206*
72	207*
73	208*
74	209*
75	210*

Below 17: below 142, not reported.

* Above Cambridge's highest anchor for that paper: a straight line to 210 at full marks. All figures are estimates.

FAQ

CAE score questions

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

Use the marks Cambridge publishes for its official practice tests. In C1 Advanced Reading, for example, 32 out of 50 is 180 and 43 is 200. 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 CAE overall score calculated?

Your overall C1 Advanced 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, 187, 186, 186, 188 and 187 average 186.8, which rounds to 187: Grade C.

What CAE score do I need to pass?

180 on the Cambridge English Scale is a pass at Grade C. 193–199 is Grade B, and 200–210 is Grade A, which shows ability at C2. 160–179 earns a B2 certificate instead.

What is the lowest CAE score?

C1 Advanced reports scores from 142 to 210. A certificate is awarded only from 160; a result from 142 to 159 appears on the Statement of Results without a certificate.

How accurate is this CAE 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 CAE paper?

Reading 50, Use of English 28, Writing 40, Listening 30 and Speaking 75. 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
C1 Advanced 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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