Cambridge English Exam Resources

This page is full of my recommendations for good books and exercises to help you pass the B2 First Certificate (FCE) or C1 Advanced (CAE) examinations. The Cambridge English exam resources on this page will help you prepare yourself for the exam. If you follow the strategies I teach you on this website and in my video courses, you will not need to spend lots of money and time going to language schools.

C1 Advanced: CAE PRODUCTS

'Ready for Advanced' (left) is a good coursebook. I have used this in the past. It just gives you exam practice as well as some grammar and vocabulary which you should know for the exam. It does not have listening cds, but the Teacher's book (middle) does! The coursebook has a 'grammar reference' section which is really useful for explaining difficult grammar areas. The workbook (right) has lots of exam exercises, but it does not have a grammar reference. It does have a cd and listening exercises though which can be really useful!

 

Students tell me that the listening exercises in the exam are harder than the ones in the coursebook. However, you can find listening samples on youtube and a practice test book like the one below will also have some. A practice test book is also a really good way to measure your current level and progress:

 

 

These 2 books are also very good for grammar practice:

 

The British Council website also has lots of useful information and exercises.

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B2 First: FCE PRODUCTS

'Ready for First' is a coursebook full of exam exercises and useful grammar and vocabulary for the exam. The coursebook also has a 'grammar reference' with explanations of difficult language topics. If you buy the coursebook with key (like in the picture below) you can check your own work! The coursebook below doesn't come with cds. The workbook below has listening exercises and a cd but it doesn't have a 'grammar reference'.

There are also listening samples for free available on youtube. 

These books are very good for extra grammar practice and 'Recycling Your English' has some FCE exercises:

The British Council website also has some good English language information and exercises.

Practising for the exam with real tests is important to judge if you are ready to take the exam. You can watch some videos of me teaching you strategies using sample tests on this webpage or I suggest buying the following book:

ready for first test book

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