Failed Cambridge English (FCE/CAE/CPE)? Here's Your Recovery Plan

Pro tip: There is no way to resit one paper, because the certificate is awarded on the mean of five scores from a single administration. Before paying for a retake, look at the five scores on your Statement of Results and work out which one is pulling the mean down, since that is where a few points buys the most. If you sit just below a grade boundary, an Enquiry on Results may be cheaper than a resit: Stage 1 is a clerical re-check and Stage 2 is a full re-mark of the Writing test, with the charge refunded if your grade changes. Speaking cannot be re-checked because those tests are rated live by two examiners and are not recorded, and the grade can move down as well as up.

• Leaving answers blank on the objective papers
  Cambridge states plainly that a correct answer gets 1 or 2 marks and both a wrong answer and no answer get zero. There is no penalty for guessing anywhere in the exam. Every gap on the Reading and Use of English and Listening answer sheets should have something in it before time is called.
• Entering the exam a level above your ability
  Each exam reports a certificate one CEFR level down if you fall short: a C1 Advanced candidate scoring 160 to 179 gets a B2 certificate, and below 142 gets no certificate at all. If a sample test puts you below roughly half marks on the objective papers, the level below will produce a better certificate for the same fee.
• Mixing British and American spelling
  Cambridge accepts American spelling but requires consistency. Writing organise in one answer and organize in another is treated as an accuracy problem. Pick one variety before the exam and hold it across all four papers.
• Miscounting words in key word transformations
  Contractions count as two words. Didn't is did not, which is two of your three to six word allowance. Candidates lose marks on transformations that are grammatically perfect but one word over the limit.
• Writing far beyond the word limit
  Cambridge states you only lose marks for extra length when it brings in unimportant or confusing detail, which is what over-writing almost always does. In C1 Advanced the range is 220 to 260 words per task. A shorter answer covering every content point is acceptable; a 400-word answer is not.
• Describing the photographs in Speaking Part 2
  The task is comparing and speculating, not describing. Cambridge's own guidance lists do not simply describe the photographs among its don'ts. Answer the printed questions at the top of the page, which exist to remind you what to talk about.
• Preparing memorised answers for Speaking and Writing
  Cambridge advises against it directly, because prepared answers almost never fit the actual question, and Communicative Achievement is judged on whether the response suits this task and this reader. Prepare structures and strategies instead of scripts.
• Using a pen on the machine-read answer sheets
  On the paper-based version, answers written in pen on the Reading and Use of English or Listening answer sheets cannot be read by the marking machine and score zero. Those sheets need a pencil and an eraser. The Writing paper is the opposite: it must be written in pen.
• Waiting until the end to transfer Reading and Use of English answers
  Cambridge advises copying answers to the answer sheet part by part as you finish each one, because no transfer time is built into that paper. The Listening paper is different: it gives 5 minutes at the end specifically for transferring.
• Treating the four papers as pass or fail individually
  You cannot fail a paper. The overall score is the mean of five scale scores covering Reading, Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking, so a weak paper is diluted by four others. Work out which single score is dragging your mean down and spend your remaining time there.

• FCE (B2), CAE (C1), CPE (C2)
• Computer or paper-based options
• Lifetime validity unlike IELTS
• Grade A, B, C pass levels
• Widely recognized in Europe
• Speaking test with two candidates