This page walks through what is actually in front of you in each of the four papers of B2 First and C1 Advanced - how many parts, how many questions, how long, and which task type appears where - and then explains how those papers turn into one number on the Cambridge English Scale. If you are drilling towards either exam, the Myndaq Cambridge B2 First and C1 Advanced course works through the same paper structure. For choosing between the two levels and building a study plan, read the Cambridge B2 First and C1 Advanced guide.
The short version
- Four papers in both exams: Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening, Speaking. B2 First runs about 3.5 hours in total, C1 Advanced about 4 hours.
- Reading and Use of English is the long one. Cambridge gives it 40% of the marks in B2 First; every other paper is smaller.
- You get five scores, not four. Use of English is reported separately from Reading, and the overall score is the average of all five.
- Speaking is face to face, with another candidate and two examiners, whether you sit the digital or the paper-based exam.
- 160 on the scale certifies B2 on B2 First; 180 certifies C1 on C1 Advanced.
B2 First paper by paper
Reading and Use of English - 1 hour 15 minutes, 7 parts, 52 questions
Cambridge splits this paper into four language parts and three reading parts:
- Part 1 - multiple-choice cloze, 8 questions
- Part 2 - open cloze, 8 questions
- Part 3 - word formation, 8 questions
- Part 4 - key word transformations, 6 questions
- Part 5 - multiple choice on a text, 6 questions
- Part 6 - gapped text, 6 questions
- Part 7 - multiple matching, 10 questions
Parts 1 to 4 are the Use of English half, and they are where the paper is won or lost on time: 30 items that reward accurate grammar, collocation and word families rather than reading speed.
Writing - 1 hour 20 minutes, 2 parts, 140-190 words each
Part 1 is compulsory. Cambridge gives you an essay title plus two ideas, and you argue a position using both of those ideas and one of your own. Part 2 is a choice of one question from four, and the text types Cambridge lists for it are an article, an email, an essay, a letter, a review, a report (B2 First only) and a story (B2 First for Schools only). Both parts have the same 140-190 word range.
Listening - about 40 minutes, 4 parts, 30 questions
- Part 1 - multiple choice on short unrelated extracts, 8 questions
- Part 2 - sentence completion, 10 questions
- Part 3 - multiple matching, 5 questions
- Part 4 - multiple choice on one long text, 7 questions
Cambridge publishes this paper as "about 40 minutes" rather than a fixed duration, so time your practice to 40 and let your centre's confirmation of entry settle the exact session length.
Speaking - 14 minutes per pair, 4 parts
Cambridge publishes 14 minutes for a pair of candidates and 20 minutes for a group of three. You take it with another candidate, in front of two examiners: one conducts the test, the other listens and assesses.
- Interview, 2 minutes - the examiner asks about you: personal information, experiences, plans.
- Long turn, 1 minute of uninterrupted speech per candidate on a pair of photographs, then a 30-second question to the other candidate.
- Collaborative task, about 2 minutes discussing written prompts with your partner, then 1 minute to reach a decision together.
- Discussion, 4 minutes - the examiner opens up the Part 3 topic to both candidates.
C1 Advanced paper by paper
Reading and Use of English - 1 hour 30 minutes, 8 parts, 56 questions
The same seven B2 First parts appear, in the same order, plus one that does not exist at B2:
- Part 1 - multiple-choice cloze, 8 questions
- Part 2 - open cloze, 8 questions
- Part 3 - word formation, 8 questions
- Part 4 - key word transformations, 6 questions
- Part 5 - multiple choice, 6 questions
- Part 6 - cross-text multiple matching, 4 questions
- Part 7 - gapped text, 6 questions
- Part 8 - multiple matching, 10 questions
Part 6 is the structural difference. Instead of reading one text, you read several short texts by different writers and match statements about where they agree, disagree or take a different angle. Four questions, and they are comparison questions, not detail questions.
Writing - 1 hour 30 minutes, 2 parts, 220-260 words each
Part 1 is a compulsory essay built from an input text: you say which of two given points matters more and justify it. Cambridge describes the language it is looking for as evaluating, expressing opinions, hypothesising, justifying and persuading. Part 2 is a choice of one from three, from letter or email, proposal, report and review, with the context, topic, purpose and target reader all specified in the question.
Listening - about 40 minutes, 4 parts, 30 questions
The parts carry different weights from B2 First:
- Part 1 - multiple choice, 6 questions
- Part 2 - sentence completion, 8 questions
- Part 3 - multiple choice, 6 questions
- Part 4 - multiple matching, 10 questions
Speaking - 15 minutes per pair, 4 parts
Cambridge publishes 15 minutes per pair and 23 minutes per group of three.
- Interview, 2 minutes on interests, studies and career.
- Long turn, about 1.5 minutes per candidate: you speak for a minute about two of three pictures, comparing and speculating, then your partner answers for 30 seconds.
- Collaborative task - about 2 minutes discussing written prompts with the other candidate, then 1 minute to reach a decision together. In a group of three Cambridge stretches those to 3 minutes and 2 minutes.
- Discussion, 5 minutes on questions arising from the Part 3 topic.
What actually changes between the two levels
B2 First
- Reading and Use of English - 1 hour 15 minutes, 7 parts, 52 questions
- Writing - 1 hour 20 minutes, 140-190 words, Part 2 chosen from four options
- Listening - about 40 minutes, 4 parts, 30 questions
- Speaking - 14 minutes per pair, 20 minutes per group of three
- Total - about 3.5 hours
C1 Advanced
- Reading and Use of English - 1 hour 30 minutes, 8 parts, 56 questions, including one task that has no B2 First equivalent: cross-text multiple matching
- Writing - 1 hour 30 minutes, 220-260 words, Part 2 chosen from three options
- Listening - about 40 minutes, 4 parts, 30 questions
- Speaking - 15 minutes per pair, 23 minutes per group of three
- Total - about 4 hours
The Listening paper is the one place where the two exams look identical on paper. The parts differ, and so does the material, but the length and the question count do not - which is worth knowing if you are timing your practice.
How the Cambridge English Scale score is built
You receive a Cambridge English Scale score for each of the four skills and a fifth for Use of English. Cambridge states that for B2 First, B2 First for Schools, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency, "a candidate's overall score is calculated by adding all of the individual scores together and dividing by five (and then rounding to the nearest whole number)."
Two consequences follow. First, the one paper you sit for Reading and Use of English arrives as two of the five reported scores, so it carries two-fifths of the overall figure - which is the same 40% share it has in the B2 First raw marks, but split into two numbers you can be strong in one of and weak in the other. Second, because Cambridge weights the five equally, a shortfall on any one of them moves the overall score by only a fifth of that shortfall: drop 20 points on Writing and the average falls 4. That cuts both ways. A single collapsed paper is worth diagnosing rather than panicking over, and equally, no single brilliant paper will drag a weak overall score into the next band on its own.
B2 First score bands
- Grade A - 180-190 on the Cambridge English Scale; the certificate reports C1
- Grade B - 173-179; B2
- Grade C - 160-172; B2
- Level B1 - 140-159; the certificate reports B1
- No certificate - 122-139
A score of 122-139 appears on the Statement of Results, but no certificate is issued for it.
C1 Advanced score bands
- Grade A - 200-210 on the Cambridge English Scale; the certificate states C2
- Grade B - 193-199; C1
- Grade C - 180-192; C1
- Level B2 - 160-179; the certificate states B2
- No grade or certificate - 142-159
Cambridge's own statement-of-results factsheet adds the limits at both ends: anyone scoring 180-210 receives a Certificate in Advanced English; 160-179 earns a certificate stating ability at B2; 142-159 receives no grade, no CEFR level and no certificate; and scale scores below 142 are not reported at all for this exam.
Grade A at C1 Advanced reports C2 - with a caveat Cambridge prints in the same document: C1 Advanced "is not designed to assess the full range of skills at Level C2", and it recommends taking C2 Proficiency to demonstrate C2 properly. The mirror of that caution applies at B2 First, where Grade A reports C1 on a B2 exam.
Digital and paper-based: same papers, different room
Cambridge is explicit that "the qualification at the end is the same, but there are differences in the exam delivery, experience and timing". In a digital entry you get an on-screen timer, headphones for Listening, a word counter and a notes-and-highlighter function; a paper-based entry uses pen and pencil with a digital audio player for Listening. Digital sittings are available up to 365 days a year, paper-based ones on set dates. The Speaking test stays face to face either way.
Practise in the mode you booked. The parts and timings above do not move, but a word counter you have never used, or a Part 2 gapped text on paper you have only ever done on screen, costs minutes you planned to spend elsewhere.
Quick answers
How many questions are in the Reading and Use of English paper?
52 in B2 First, across seven parts in 1 hour 15 minutes; 56 in C1 Advanced, across eight parts in 1 hour 30 minutes.
Does Use of English get its own score?
Yes. Cambridge reports five scale scores - Reading, Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking - and averages all five for the overall score.
What score do I need for a certificate?
On B2 First, 160 gives Grade C and a B2 certificate, and 140-159 still earns a certificate at B1. On C1 Advanced, 180 gives Grade C and a C1 certificate, and 160-179 earns a certificate at B2.
Is the Speaking test longer with three candidates?
Yes. Cambridge publishes 20 minutes per group of three for B2 First and 23 minutes for C1 Advanced, against 14 and 15 minutes per pair.
Which C1 Advanced task has no B2 First equivalent?
Part 6 of Reading and Use of English: cross-text multiple matching, four questions, where you compare opinions across several short texts by different writers.
How long is each exam in total?
Cambridge gives about 3.5 hours for B2 First and about 4 hours for C1 Advanced, with Speaking often scheduled separately by the centre.
