CAE Cambridge English Exam - All you need to know

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• published: 23 Oct 2014
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Are you thinking of taking the CAE exam? I'll tell you everything you need to know about the exam to decide if it is for you. Did you know that many people can take the CAE instead of the IELTS? If you have decided to take the CAE, I'll give you details on all the different parts of this Cambridge exam, and also tell you about the 2015 changes. Here are some of the questions that I cover in this video: - What is the exam for? - Who takes the exam? - How hard is the test? - How long is the exam? - What are the different sections of the test? - What are the different test questions like? - How is the test changing? Did you understand the lesson? Take the quiz on it here: http://ww.engvid.com/cambridge-english-exam/ TRANSCRIPT Hello, everyone. I'm Jade. What we're talking about today is the CAE test. This is a Cambridge exam, and it tests the advanced level of English. So, we're going to generally look at the parts of the test, and then in the next part of the video, we'll look at the test in more detail, so you'll know exactly what to expect if you're going to take this exam. So, who takes this test? This is a test that people choose to take because they want to go to university in an English-speaking country, or you want to do a course in English at a university. You might also be taking this because you need it as part of your visa requirements. Or you might be doing it because you just want to take the test. Not so many people do that, but I've met some. What's in the test? There are five parts at the moment; a reading part, a writing part, a listening part, a speaking part, and also this use of English, which is a vocabulary and grammar combined test that's seeing where you are with that. Importantly, though, in 2015, the reading test and the use of English will be together in one part. So, that means there'll just be four... There'll be four parts 2015 onwards. This... I should also say about this test that it's a Secure English Language Test. That means that you do it in a test center and you have to prove your identity. It's a formal test, and it's one of the reasons why this test is well-respected, and you can use it to enter university and things like that, because the results that you get are trusted. You can do this test on paper or computer; you have a choice. And it tests from... At the lower end, you could be intermediate, and the top end proficiency which is very, very, very, very high. So, that's a broad survey of what's in the test. Now we're going to look at the parts in more detail. So, we have... Let's start with the reading test. The reading test is one hour and 15 minutes. There are four parts. This will be 20% of your overall mark, and you'll be expected to read 3,000 words. What kinds of text will you be reading? Well, you'll be reading newspapers, fiction, non-fiction, and promotional copy. So it could be a variety of texts that you might just encounter in life in an English-speaking country. The skills that it's looking for is... It will be looking for your ability to read for gist, which is like the general meaning, but also detail. These are different reading skills. When you're reading for detail, you'll have to find a specific part of the text and read very closely for your answer, whereas gist relates to the general meaning. And when you're answering the questions, sometimes it will be multiple choice. So, you know, A), B), C), and sometimes you'll need to fill in a gap. So, you need to go back to the test... To the text, read closely, and find your answer so you can fill in the gap. It's also testing you on your ability to interpret tone in a text. So, perhaps not just the literal words written there on the page, but when we understand tone, we get an extra sense of what it really means. And also opinion, so you're reading something, and then you're making... When you're reading it for opinion, you get a sense of what is actually meant, and you'll need to express what is meant through opinion, through people's opinion. And you'll be expected to understand the main ideas of the text as well. When we come back, we're going to look at the other parts of the test in closer detail. Let's have a look at the writing part of the exam in closer detail-this is a magnifying glass-and the use of English part of the exam. So, the writing part of the test is two questions. It's going to be 20% of your overall mark. And it's one hour, 30 minutes. Now, what you need to do in the writing test is... Question one is compulsory, that means you have to answer it; you don't have a choice. In this question, first of all, you need to read an extract, so there'll be a short text, up to 150 words, that you need to read before you write your own answer.