FCE and CAE preparation: 4-, 8- and 12-week study plans

Before you start: book the exam

You register for B2 First or C1 Advanced directly with an authorised exam centre, not with Cambridge. The cost depends on the exam and on where you take it, so ask your centre. Exam dates run throughout the year, but not every centre offers every date (how to register, exam dates).

Paper or computer? Both lead to the same qualification, with the same tasks, timings and marks. The computer-based exam gives results in 5–10 working days instead of normally 4–6 weeks. On screen you type your Writing with a word count but no spell-checker, multiple-choice options have no letters, and the Listening matching task is drag and drop. If you choose the computer, practise typing your essays under time pressure. The B2 First and C1 Advanced format pages compare the two versions in full.

Which plan?

The 8-week plan

Weeks 1–2: find your starting point. Take one full mock under exam timing: B2 First Mock Test 1 or C1 Advanced Mock Test 1. Read every explanation and note the three parts where you lost the most marks. If you are unsure which exam to book, take Mock 1 of both and compare (see B2 First vs C1 Advanced).

Weeks 3–5: fix one paper at a time. Take two or three single-paper tests a week, weakest paper first. Write one essay and one Part 2 task every week and act on the feedback before writing the next. Use the part guides to learn exactly what each task tests. On busy days, a mini mock keeps you practising.

Weeks 6–7: simulate exam day. Take one full mock each week at the same time of day as your exam, in one sitting, with no pauses inside a paper. Record a Speaking test and listen back to it.

Week 8: review and rest. Redo the questions you got wrong, reread your best writing and rehearse your timing for each paper. Do not take a new full mock in the last three days.

The 4-week plan

Week 1: one full mock in a single sitting, then a careful review of every wrong answer. Pick the two parts that cost you the most marks.

Week 2: a single-paper test or a mini mock on most days, weakest paper first, plus two timed writing tasks. Read the part guide before each test of a part you find hard.

Week 3: a second full mock at the time of day of your exam. Compare each part with your first mock and spend the rest of the week on whatever did not improve.

Week 4: redo your wrong answers, reread your feedback and do short, light practice only. No new full mock in the last three days.

The 12-week plan

Weeks 1–2: diagnose and learn the format. Take a full mock, then read the guide to every part, so that no task surprises you. Start a vocabulary notebook of whole phrases and word families.

Weeks 3–6: build skills. Give each week one focus: Reading and Use of English, then Writing, Listening and Speaking, then repeat. Take two single-paper tests a week and read or listen to English for at least twenty minutes a day outside the tests.

Weeks 7–10: practise under exam conditions. Take a full mock every fortnight, with targeted single-paper practice in between on the parts your mocks show are weakest.

Weeks 11–12: simulate and review. One full mock in week 11 at the time of your exam, then the same review-and-rest routine as the final week of the 8-week plan.

The week of the exam

• Check your Confirmation of Entry from the centre for the date, time and place of each paper. Cambridge says Speaking test dates depend on local arrangements, so your Speaking test may be on a different day from the other papers.
• Bring your ID: the original document with your photo, for example a passport or national ID card, valid on the day of the exam. Check with your centre which form of ID it accepts (what to expect on exam day).
• Computer-based exam: try Cambridge's digital sample tests (on the B2 First and C1 Advanced preparation pages) so the screen layout is familiar.
• Rest. No new full mock in the last three days; reread your feedback instead.

After the exam: results

Results for computer-based exams are available 5–10 working days after the exam session, and for paper-based exams normally 4–6 weeks after it. Your Confirmation of Entry gives the final date, and you check results online with the Candidate ID and Secret Number on it. The paper certificate is usually sent to your centre 3–4 weeks after a computer-based exam, or 7–10 weeks after a paper-based one. A Cambridge English certificate does not expire, although universities and employers can decide how long they accept results for (Cambridge results).

If you are taking B2 First

Use of English Parts 2–4 reward regular, short practice. Do a few key word transformations most days, and plan every essay in paragraphs before you write: one point per paragraph, covering both notes and your own idea. In Listening Part 2, check your answers make sense in the sentence on the second hearing.

If you are taking C1 Advanced

The jump from B2 is mostly in reading load and writing range. Train yourself to finish Reading and Use of English in 90 minutes with time to check, because Parts 5–8 are long. In Writing, the essay asks you to discuss two of three points and say which matters more; practise that structure, and vary your vocabulary with collocations rather than rare words. Use the word formation guide to learn the prefixes and suffixes C1 tests.

How many mocks is enough?

Three or four full mocks in eight weeks is a sensible number. More practice helps only if you review each mock properly before taking the next. Each exam has six full mocks on this site: B2 First mock tests and C1 Advanced mock tests.

Last updated 15 November 2026.