B2 First

Exams and tests
- B2 First

Our exam names have changed

We've changed the names of our exams to make it easier to understand how to progress from one qualification to the next.

Read about our new exam names

UK university applications

Find out which Cambridge English exam is best to help you apply to study in the UK.

Exams for UK university

Who accepts B2 First?

These are just a few of the leading organisations that will accept your certificate:

Freie Universität Berlin
Deloitte
Ernst and Young
Marks and Spencers
HSBC
StudyPortals

Find out more

B2 First, formerly known as Cambridge English: First (FCE), is one of our Cambridge English Qualifications. It is our most popular exam, accepted by thousands of businesses and educational institutions worldwide.

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A B2 First qualification proves you have the language skills to live and work independently in an English-speaking country or study on courses taught in English.

This exam is the logical step in your language learning journey between B1 Preliminary and C1 Advanced.

Key facts

CEFR level:	B2 What's this?
Scale score:	160–179 What's this?
Test format:	Computer or paper-based
No. of papers:	4
Exam length:	About 3.5 hours

A B2 First qualification shows that you can:

communicate effectively face-to-face, expressing opinions and presenting arguments
follow the news
write clear, detailed English, expressing opinions and explaining the advantages and disadvantages of different points of view
write letters, reports, stories and lots of other types of text.

Reasons to choose B2 First:

Accepted for entry to foundation/pathway/pre-sessional courses in English-speaking countries.
Accepted for entry to undergraduate programmes taught in the medium of English in non-English-speaking countries.

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