- anahitadubey13
How I got a 189/190 on the Cambridge FCE exam✨
(Yes, I completely and wholly accept the fact that the title is a flex. After all, the bragging rights come with the certificate ;)
But, jokes apart, let's focus on the topic.
-What is the Cambridge FCE exam??
I know that most of us might not know about the FCE examination held by Cambridge every year, honestly, even I came to know about it just a few months ago, so let me just brief you a bit on it. Now the FCE exam is a part of the exams held by the CEFR level. CEFR stands for The Common European Framework Of Reference For Languages and it is an international standard for describing language ability. It's a way in which teachers, institutions, universities, or employers check and verify your language ability and basic communication skills. It describes language ability on a six-point scale, from A1 for beginners, up to C2 for those who have mastered the language.
To make it easier for you to understand, I've attached a layout below which kind of gives you a better understanding of the different levels.
Now there are many practice tests that you can find on the Cambridge website itself (link below) which will help you to determine what level you're currently on and which test you should take so you don't end up overestimating or underestimating your abilities.
When I gave the test, I passed for the FCE or the B2 level so this blog is mostly going to be about the tips and tricks on how to prepare for that. Moving on, the examination itself is divided into four broad categories:
1) Reading
2) Writing
3) Listening
4) Speaking
These categories are assessed separately and each one of them has its own area of focus which analyzes your ability in that field only.
-Reading
Your first obstacle would be reading which consists of seven parts with rising levels of difficulty. Parts one and two mostly consist of fill-in-the-blanks and are fairly easy. Along with that, parts three and four involve you changing a given word or phrase according to the sentence yet not altering the basic meaning of the sentence. Now part five is your common unseen passage which most of us have been doing since grade 1, so it's not really that hard. The real deal is parts six and seven where you'll be given essays or extracts of conversations where you need to not only understand the meaning but also match it with the sentence which complements your given extract.
Just reading through the excerpts won't really help you much because most of the time the sentences sound almost alike. It's the minor differences that you need to identify and see where the sentence best fits in. So, read thoroughly.
-Writing
Moving on to your next roadblock, writing. Now writing consists of two parts- a compulsory essay and a choice in the second part. There will be only one topic for the essay but it will consist of three sub-topics on which it's necessary for you to provide your point of view. Two of the sub-topics will already be given, whereas the third one is up to you. Usually, essay topics are based on debatable yet relatable issues that we all face at least once, so it's better that you stay true to yourself and write what you really think about the topic. The second part gives you a choice between a review, article, report, or sometimes even an email. Here, it's advisable to write about the topic which you know the most about as finally it's your pov of things and ability to communicate your thoughts that they're looking for.
Also, some people think that using many big words will get make you sound smarter, don't ever make that mistake. Of course, using a wide vocabulary is a must, but you don't want the invigilator to be banging his/her head after reading your paper. Try to use jargon and anecdotes so that you can show the invigilator that you relate to the topic; stay away from slangs and short forms as much as possible. Remember, your main goal should be to express your ideas in a quick and understandable way.
-Listening
Accept it, listening is a skill that most of us lack. For me personally, this was the hardest part of the entire exam, I mean on a comparative scale. Listening consists of four parts, again with rising levels of difficulty. Part one will have eight small recordings accompanied by MCQs related to those recordings. From part two onwards, the recordings will start becoming lengthier, for example, it could be a recording of an interview or an argument which you'll have to listen to very attentively because here people neither agree nor disagree completely so it's hard for you to really determine their stand on the topic.
All the recordings will have a proper sound quality and will be played twice. My advice is just to listen to the recording the first time because usually, the fill-in-the-blanks are in order of the recording itself. During the second recording, finalize and write your answers while it is playing because afterward it just gets messy trying to remember everything. Also, sometimes it might be a little hard to understand the British accent so make sure to train your ears by listening to conversations in that accent from before itself.
-Speaking
Before moving on to this part of the test, let me tell you a little about my experience. On the day of the exam, I woke up with absolutely no voice coming from my mouth; it was as if I had the world's worst sore throat. I finished two bottles of really nasty cough drops that day, and I'm not even exaggerating, I have eye-witnesses! Since the speaking part was the last I somehow made myself audible by the end of the day, but speaking was something I was confident about so I knew I had to give my best. By this, I just wanted to tell you that of course, how you speak and express yourself is obviously important, but not more important than what you speak.
Speaking consists of four parts, each requiring you to explain a little something about yourself. In speaking you will be going in with one more candidate and both of you will be simultaneously "interviewed". In the first part, they usually ask your name. Now our first instinct is one-word answers, but remember, one-word answers are never the right answers. Always say your full name and don't forget to add additional information such as where you live or which school you go to for example:
Interviewer: Hello, what's your name?
Me: Hello, my name is Anahita Dubey. I'm from Navi Mumbai and I live in an apartment with my family of four.
In the second part, you will be shown two photographs and will be asked to describe and compare them. While describing, mention even the smallest details, no matter how insignificant they are. Also, make scenarios in your head. If it's a picture of a crowded park for example, then say that it must be a Sunday, that's why the park is full of people and families of all kinds. Don't forget to mention which picture appeals to you more and why it has a greater impact on you. You will be asked some questions on it; try to explain the reason behind each and every one of your answers.
The third and fourth parts will involve your conversation as well as cooperation skills. The interviewer will present you with a problem and some solutions related to it; your job will be to discuss the most ideal solution for the problem and why you think that it is so. This part is a little tricky as here you can't be opinionated and just say yes or no. If you don't like a point then explain why or why not and also make sure that you don't talk too less or too much. Use phrases like, "I understand what you're saying but,..." or "This is just what I feel, I'd love to hear your opinion on it". Politeness with preciseness is the key here, so remember to practice that at all times.
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