What’s in the Reading and Writing paper?
The A2 Key Reading and Writing paper has seven parts and different types of texts and questions. Parts 1–5 are about reading and Parts 6–7 are mainly about writing.
Part 1 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Read six short real-world texts for the main message. |
| How many questions are there? |
6 |
| How many marks are there? |
One mark for each correct answer |
Part 2 (Multiple matching)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Read seven questions and three short texts on the same topic, then match the questions to the texts. |
| How many questions are there? |
7 |
| How many marks are there? |
One mark for each correct answer |
Part 3 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Read one long text for detailed understanding and main ideas. |
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
| How many marks are there? |
One mark for each correct answer |
Part 4 (Multiple-choice cloze)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Read a factual text and choose the correct vocabulary items to complete the gaps. |
| How many questions are there? |
6 |
| How many marks are there? |
One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 5 (Open cloze)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Complete gaps in an email (and sometimes the reply too) using one word. |
| How many questions are there? |
6 |
| How many marks are there? |
One mark for each correct answer |
Part 6 (Guided writing)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Write a short email or note of 25 words or more. |
| How many questions are there? |
1 |
| How many marks are there? |
The question has a maximum of 15 marks available |
Part 7 (Picture story)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Write a short story of 35 words or more based on three picture prompts. |
| How many questions are there? |
1 |
| How many marks are there? |
The question has a maximum of 15 marks available |
What’s in the Listening paper?
The A2 Key Listening paper has five parts. For each part you have to listen to a recorded text or texts and answer some questions. You hear each recording twice.
Part 1 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Identify key information in five short dialogues and choose the correct visual. |
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
| How many marks are there? |
One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 2 (Gap fill)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Listen to a monologue and complete gaps in a page of notes. |
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
| How many marks are there? |
One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 3 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Listen to a dialogue for key information and answer five 3-option questions. |
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
| How many marks are there? |
One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 4 (Multiple choice)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Identify the main idea, message, gist or topic in five short monologues or dialogues and answer five 3-option questions. |
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
| How many marks are there? |
One mark for each correct answer. |
Part 5 (Matching)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Listen to a dialogue for key information and match five items. |
| How many questions are there? |
5 |
| How many marks are there? |
One mark for each correct answer. |
What’s in the Speaking paper?
The A2 Key Speaking test has two parts and you take it with another candidate. There are two examiners. One examiner talks to you and the other examiner listens. Both examiners give marks for your performance.
Part 1 (Interview)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Respond to questions, giving factual or personal information. |
| How long do candidates have to speak? |
3–4 minutes. |
Part 2 (Discussion)
| What do candidates have to do? |
Candidates discuss likes and dislikes, and give reasons. |
| How long do candidates have to speak? |
5–6 minutes. |
What’s in the Speaking paper?
The B2 First for Schools Speaking test has four parts and the student takes it together with another candidate.
There are two examiners. One of the examiners conducts the test (asks questions, gives the student a booklet with things to talk about, and so on). The other examiner listens to what the student says.
Summary
| Time allowed: |
14 minutes per pair of candidates |
| Number of parts: |
4 |
| The student has to talk: |
with the examiner
with the other candidate
on their own |
Part 1 (Interview)
| What’s in Part 1? |
Conversation with the examiner. The examiner asks questions and students may have to give information about themselves, talk about past experiences, present circumstances and future plans. |
| What do students have to practise? |
Giving information about themselves and expressing opinions about various topics. |
| How long does each student have to speak? |
2 minutes |
Part 2 (Long turn)
| What’s in Part 2? |
The examiner gives the student a pair of photographs to talk about and they have to speak for 1 minute without interruption. The questions about the photographs are written at the top of the page to remind the student what they should talk about. When they have finished speaking, the student’s partner then has to answer a short question from the examiner about their photographs. |
| What do students have to practise? |
Talking on their own about something: comparing, describing, expressing opinions. |
| How long does each student have to speak? |
1 minute per candidate, plus a 30-second response |
Part 3 (Collaborative task)
| What’s in Part 3? |
Conversation with the other candidate. The examiner gives the students a question and some written prompts. The students discuss these together for two minutes. The examiner will then ask them to make a decision together about the topic they have been discussing. |
| What do students have to practise? |
Exchanging ideas, expressing and justifying opinions, agreeing and/or disagreeing, suggesting, speculating, evaluating, reaching a decision through negotiation, etc. |
| How long does each student have to speak? |
A 2-minute discussion followed by a 1-minute decision-making task |
Part 4 (Discussion)
| What’s in Part 4? |
Further discussion with the other candidate, guided by questions from the examiner, about the same topic as the task in Part 3. |
| What do students have to practise? |
Expressing and justifying opinions, agreeing and/or disagreeing. |
| How long does each student have to speak? |
The discussion should last 4 minutes |
