Cambridge English Scale calculator: overall score, grade and CEFR level
Enter the five Cambridge English Scale scores from a Statement of Results or a mock report. The calculator averages them the way Cambridge does and shows your overall score, grade and CEFR level for B2 First (FCE) or C1 Advanced (CAE), and where that score sits on both exams.
6 points to Grade A, which earns a C1 certificate.
Enter skill scores between 122 and 190, as shown on a B2 First result or mock report.
B2 First
C1 Advanced
What is the Cambridge English Scale?
The Cambridge English Scale is the single score range Cambridge uses to report results for its English exams, from A2 Key to C2 Proficiency. B2 First reports scores from 122 to 190 and C1 Advanced from 142 to 210, and on both your overall score is the average of five skill scores.
Because the scale is shared, a Cambridge scale score carries the same CEFR meaning on both exams covered here: 160–179 is B2 and 180–199 is C1, whichever exam you took. What differs is the part of the scale each exam can report, and the grade and certificate it gives a particular score.
Where B2 First and C1 Advanced sit on the scale
| Result | B2 First (FCE) | C1 Advanced (CAE) |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate at C2 | — | 200–210 (Grade A) |
| Certificate at C1 | 180–190 (Grade A) | 193–199 (Grade B), 180–192 (Grade C) |
| Certificate at B2 | 173–179 (Grade B), 160–172 (Grade C) | 160–179 (Level B2) |
| Certificate at B1 | 140–159 (Level B1) | — |
| Score reported, no certificate | 122–139 | 142–159 |
| Pass mark | 160 | 180 |
The two exams overlap between 160 and 190, where either can award a B2 or a C1 certificate; FCE vs CAE explains how to use that overlap when you choose an exam. A2 Key, B1 Preliminary and C2 Proficiency report on the same scale, with their own ranges listed on Cambridge’s results page.
How the overall Cambridge score is calculated
- 01Five skill scores
Reading and Use of English is one paper but produces two scores, so every candidate gets five: Reading, Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking.
- 02Add and divide by five
Each skill is worth 20%, which makes the Reading and Use of English paper worth 40% of the overall score.
- 03Round to a whole number
The rounded average is your overall score on the Cambridge English Scale.
- 04Read the grade from the overall score alone
No paper has its own pass mark, so a weaker skill can be balanced by a stronger one.
Worked example: one set of scores on both exams
| Skill | Scale score |
|---|---|
| Reading | 184 |
| Use of English | 176 |
| Writing | 181 |
| Listening | 190 |
| Speaking | 186 |
| Total | 917 |
| Overall (÷ 5, rounded) | 183.4 → 183 |
A candidate takes C1 Advanced and scores Reading 184, Use of English 176, Writing 181, Listening 190 and Speaking 186. The total is 917, and 917 ÷ 5 = 183.4, so the overall score is 183: Grade C on C1 Advanced at CEFR C1, 10 points below Grade B.
The same 183 on B2 First would be Grade A, with a certificate stating C1. Same level, different certificate: one says C1 Advanced, the other B2 First.
Raising Use of English by 10 points, to 186, makes the total 927 and the overall 185. And 183 is within about 3 points of the 180 pass mark, the margin Cambridge’s practice-test guidance flags for careful review, so this candidate should aim higher before relying on a pass.
Turning raw marks into scale scores
This page starts from scale scores. If you have raw marks instead, such as 30 out of 42 in Reading, convert them with your exam’s own calculator first: the FCE score calculator for B2 First or the CAE score calculator for C1 Advanced. Each also covers that exam’s results and grades.
Cambridge’s own conversion tables apply only to its official practice tests, and Cambridge says they should not be used to predict precise live-exam scores. Our full mocks report all five skills as estimated scale scores, ready to enter above: FCE practice tests · CAE practice tests.
Cambridge score calculator questions
How is the Cambridge score calculated?
Each of the five skills (Reading, Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking) gets a Cambridge English Scale score. Add the five, divide by five and round to a whole number: that is the overall score, and it alone decides the grade.
What is the Cambridge grading scale?
Each exam awards Grades A, B and C, plus a certificate one CEFR level below its target for a lower score. On B2 First, 160–179 is Grade C or B (B2), 180–190 Grade A (C1) and 140–159 a B1 certificate. On C1 Advanced, 180–199 is Grade C or B (C1), 200–210 Grade A (C2) and 160–179 a B2 certificate.
What is a good Cambridge score?
It depends on the exam and on what you need it for. A pass is 160 on B2 First and 180 on C1 Advanced; Grade A starts at 180 and 200. If a university or employer has set a requirement, the good score is the one that meets it, including any minimum per skill.
Is Cambridge Proficiency C1 or C2?
C2 Proficiency is Cambridge’s exam at CEFR level C2, the level above C1 Advanced. Like the other Cambridge English Qualifications, it reports results on the Cambridge English Scale, and a lower result can still earn a certificate at C1.
Can this calculator convert raw marks?
No. It starts from scale scores. To turn raw marks, such as 30 out of 42 in Reading, into scale scores, use the FCE score calculator or the CAE score calculator, then enter the results here.
Sources: Cambridge English results and scale scores · Converting practice test scores to Cambridge English Scale scores · B2 First Information for Candidates · C1 Advanced Information for Candidates · B2 First Handbook for Teachers · C1 Advanced Handbook for Teachers.
Updated 15 November 2026. Exam facts are checked against the Cambridge University Press & Assessment documents above. Found an error? Tell us through the contact page.
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