Guide for B2 First (FCE) [Updated 2025]

The B2 First (FCE) is the Cambridge English exam to certify a B2 level. Here, I will explain everything you need to know about the B2 exam from Cambridge.

Updated on 20/01/26

The B2 First (FCE) is a Cambridge Assessment English exam that certifies a B2 level of language proficiency in English, as described in the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Until 2015, the name of this test was First Certificate in English (FCE), and even today, several years later, everyone still refers to it as FCE.

This B2 level exam aims to certify that you can live, study, and work independently in an English-speaking country. Thus, with a B2 you not only know and master the basics of English, but you can practically lead a normal life in an English-speaking country.

What is B2 Level

According to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), a person with a B2 level is already able to navigate comfortably in academic and work situations where a certain command of a specific language is required. Therefore, according to the CEFR, a speaker of English at a B2 level:

– Is capable of understanding the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, even when they are of a technical nature, provided they are within their area of expertise.
– Can interact with native speakers with a degree of fluency and naturalness such that the conversation flows effortlessly for both parties.
– Can produce clear and detailed texts on various topics, as well as defend a point of view on general topics, providing the pros and cons of different options.

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), p. 26.

What Parts Does the B2 First (FCE) Have

Unlike the A2 Key and the B1 Preliminary, the Cambridge FCE has 5 parts. 4 of these parts correspond to the basic skills of any language (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking), while the other (Use of English) explicitly assesses the use of grammar and vocabulary in English:

However, although the exam consists of 5 parts and the certificate contains 5 different marks, the test is conducted in 4 sessions, as Reading and Use of English are combined.

Now let’s take a detailed look at each part of the Cambridge B2 First (FCE).

B2 First (FCE): Reading & Use of English

• Tasks: 7 parts (4 parts of Reading and 3 parts of Use of English)
• No. of items: 52 (30 items from Reading and 22 items from Use of English)
• Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes

B2 First (FCE): Reading

In this part of the B2 First, candidates must be able to understand short and medium-length texts from newspapers, magazines, research journals, books, and promotional and informational material.

The Reading section of the FCE is divided into the following 4 parts:

• Part 1:
  • No. of questions: 8
  • Description: Fill in 8 gaps in a short text. For each gap, there are 4 options (A, B, C, or D) of words or expressions, of which only one is correct.
• Part 5:
  • No. of questions: 6
  • Description: Read a long text and answer 6 multiple-choice questions with 4 options each (A, B, C, or D). The text is usually an extract from a novel.
• Part 6:
  • No. of questions: 6
  • Description: There is a long text with 6 gaps. Additionally, there are 7 sentences (A – G). Choose the correct sentence for each of the 6 gaps. One of the options must remain unused.
• Part 7:
  • No. of questions: 10
  • Description: Read several short texts or a long text divided into sections (A, B, C, D, E, …). Answer 10 questions with the letter of the paragraph or section where the answer is found.

B2 First (FCE): Use of English

In the Use of English section of the B2 First, candidates must demonstrate their mastery and understanding of the use of the language in terms of grammar and vocabulary.

The Use of English section of the FCE consists of the following 3 parts:

• Part 2:
  • No. of questions: 8
  • Description: There is a short text with 8 missing words. For each gap, you must write a word or expression that fits correctly both grammatically and semantically.
• Part 3:
  • No. of questions: 8
  • Description: There is a short text with 8 missing words. At the end of each line with a gap, there is a word whose root matches the one needed in the gap. You have to transform that word to fit grammatically and semantically in the gap.
• Part 4:
  • No. of questions: 6
  • Description: There are 6 pairs of sentences, and the second sentence in each pair is incomplete. Additionally, we are given a word in uppercase. The goal is to complete the second sentence using between 2 and 5 words (including the uppercase word), so that the meaning of the second sentence is the same as that of the first.

B2 First (FCE): Writing

• Tasks: 2 parts
• No. of items: 2
• Duration: 1 hour and 20 minutes

In the Writing section of the B2 First, candidates must complete 2 written tasks with a length of between 140 and 190 words, and they have 80 minutes to do so.

• Part 1: Essay
  • No. of questions: 1
  • Description: A situation is presented to the candidate about a class debate on a specific topic accompanied by a question and two ideas. They must write a essay discussing the two provided ideas and one of their own.
• Part 2:
  • No. of questions: 3 (choose one)
  • Description: Three possible tasks are presented, from which candidates must choose only one. These tasks can be an article (article), letter (letter), email, report (report), or review (review).

B2 First (FCE): Listening

• Tasks: 4 parts
• No. of items: 30
• Duration: 40 minutes (approx.)

Candidates must demonstrate that they can understand phone messages, radio programmes, news, advertisements, stories, anecdotes, talks, etc. Moreover, they must also be able to grasp different types of oral interactions: conversations, interviews, discussions, plays, etc.

The Listening section of the B2 First (FCE) is divided into the following parts:

• Part 1:
  • No. of questions: 8
  • Description: 8 different extracts of conversations or monologues are played, and for each one, the correct answer (A, B, or C) must be chosen for a question.
• Part 2:
  • No. of questions: 10
  • Description: A person giving a talk on a specific topic is heard. There is a text with 10 gaps, for which you must write a word or short phrase.
• Part 3:
  • No. of questions: 5
  • Description: 5 people are heard one at a time, speaking about a common topic. You must match a sentence (A – H) with each speaker.
• Part 4:
  • No. of questions: 7
  • Description: An interview or interaction between two people is heard. There are 7 multiple-choice questions for which the correct answer (A, B, or C) must be chosen.

B2 First (FCE): Speaking

• Tasks: 4 parts
• Duration: 14 minutes (approx.)

The Speaking exam of the B2 First (FCE) also takes place in pairs or threes. Throughout this exam, candidates interact with each other and with the interlocutor (examiner).

The FCE Speaking exam is divided into the following parts:

• Part 1: Part 1 consists of a series of personal questions asked by the examiner to the candidates. It starts with their name, background, etc., and then moves on to relatively everyday topics.
• Part 2: In this part, candidates must compare two photos and answer a question about them in approximately 1 minute. Each candidate has a different pair of photos with a different theme. After each comparison, the other candidate must answer another question related to the theme.
• Part 3: In part 3, the examiner presents a situation to the candidates and a question with a set of ideas for discussion. Candidates must interact with each other by responding to the question for 2 minutes. Subsequently, the interlocutor poses another question to the candidates that they must answer in 1 minute.
• Part 4: In this part, the interlocutor will ask different questions to the candidates. These questions arise from the theme of part 3. The interlocutor may ask independent questions to each candidate or request that they talk to each other.

FCE Sample Test / FCE Exam in PDF

You can download a completely free FCE sample exam in PDF below.

Even if you download this B2 First exam, I recommend you save it for when you are ready for level B2. If you are not close to this level, taking exams may be somewhat frustrating and you will be wasting your time and material.

How the B2 First (FCE) is Scored

If you are an English teacher or are preparing for the FCE on your own, you should know how to score the B2 First (FCE). So pay attention:

• Reading: has 30 items. Items from parts 1 and 7 count for 1 point (up to 18), while items from parts 5 and 6 count for 2 points (up to 24). A maximum of 42 points can be achieved.
• Use of English: has 22 items. Items from parts 2 and 3 count for 1 point (up to 16), and items from part 4 count for 2 points (up to 12). A maximum of 28 points can be achieved.
• Writing: has 2 tasks and each task is worth 20 points. A maximum of 40 points can be achieved.
• Listening: has 30 items in total and each item scores 1 point. A maximum of 30 points can be achieved.
• Speaking: the entire Speaking section is worth up to 60 points.

Remember that to calculate the score, you cannot add points from different parts. What you need to do is calculate the percentage of each part and then average the 5 percentages.

How to Calculate the Score for Your B2 First (FCE) Exam

To know how to calculate the score for the B2 First (FCE), you simply need to follow the instructions in this article or use our B2 score converter and calculator.

The Best Books to Prepare for the B2 First (FCE)

Although I discuss each book in more detail in this post, here is my favourite list of books to prepare for the FCE:

1. Complete First (FCE) – 2nd Edition
2. Compact First
3. Cambridge English First 1
4. Cambridge First Trainer
5. Exam Essentials: Cambridge English First 1
6. Cambridge English Fi Practice Tests Plus Volume 1
7. Reading for First
8. Cambridge English Skills Real Reading
9. Cambridge English Skills Real Writing
10. Writing for First
11. 101 Word Transformation Sentences for FCE
12. The Ultimate B2 First (FCE) Writing Guide
13. Language Practice for First
14. Destination B2
15. Grammar & Vocabulary for First
16. Cambridge English Skills Real Listening & Speaking