THE CAE EXAM - Paper Structure - Reading & Use of English, Writing, Listening & Speaking

Oct 1, 2026

Uploaded by James

Overview of the CAE exam structure across four components: Reading & Use of English, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. Details each paper’s timing and breakdown by part, including task types such as multiple-choice cloze, open cloze, word formation, key word transformation, gapped text, and multiple matching. Specifies writing prompts and word limits, listening question formats and approximate durations, and speaking task timings and interaction types with focus areas like cohesion, attitude, and opinion exchange.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Paper 1: Reading & Use of English

Parts 1-8 and task formats

Paper 2: Writing

Part 1 and Part 2 task types

Paper 3: Listening

Parts 1-4 task formats

Paper 4: Speaking

Parts 1-4 timing and interaction

| THE CAE EXAM | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | • The CAE exam consists of four components: Reading & Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking. | | | | | | | • Here is the structure for the CAE exam: | | | | | | | PAPER 1: READING & USE OF ENGLISH
1 HOUE 30 MINUTES | | | | | | | Part | Number of
questions | Task types | | Focus | Format | | 1 | 8 | Multiple choice cloze | | The main focus is on vocabulary, e.g. idioms, collocations, fixed phrases, complementation, phrasal verbs, semantic precision. | A modified cloze containing 8 gaps followed by eight 4-option multiple-choice items. | | 2 | 8 | Open cloze | | Awareness and control of grammar with some focus on vocabulary. | A modified cloze test containing eight gaps. | | 3 | 8 | Word formation | | Vocabulary, in particular the use of affixation, internal changes and compounding in word formation. | A text containing 8 gaps. Each gap corresponds to a word. The stems of the missing words are given beside the text and must be changed to form the missing word. | | 4 | 6 | Key word transformation | | Grammar, vocabulary, collocation. | 6 separate items, each with a lead-in sentence and a gapped second sentence to be completed in 3 to 6 words, one of which is a given 'key' word. | | 5 | 6 | Multiple choice | | Detail, opinion, attitude, tone, purpose, main idea, gist, implication, text organisation features (exemplification, comparison, reference) | A text followed by six 4-option multiple-choice questions. | | 6 | 4 | Cross-text multiple matching | | Understanding of opinion and attitude; comparing and contrasting of opinions and attitudes across texts. | Four short texts, followed by multiple-matching questions. Candidates must read across texts to match a prompt to elements in the texts. | | 7 | 6 | Gapped text | | Cohesion, coherence, text structure, global meaning. | A text from which paragraphs have been removed and placed in jumbled order after the text. Candidates must decide from where in the text the paragraphs have been removed. | | 8 | 10 | Multiple matching | | Detail, opinion, specific information, implication | A text or several short texts, preceded by multiple-matching questions. Candidates must match a prompt to elements in the text. | |
PAPER 2: WRITING 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES | | | | | | | Part | Number of
questions | Task types | | Format | | | 1 | 1 | Writing an essay with a discursive focus. | | Candidates are required to write an essay, between 220 and 260 words, based on two points given in the input text. They will be asked to explain which of the two points is more important and to give reasons for their option. There is a word limit of between 220-260 words. | | | 2 | 1 | Writing one from a number of possible text types based on acontextualised writing task. | | Candidates have a choice of task. The tasks provide candidates with a clear context, topic, purpose and target reader for their writing. The output text types are: letter/email, proposal, report or review. There is a word limit of between 220-260 words. | | |
PAPER 3: LISTENING 40 MINUTES (APPROX.) | | | | | | | Part | Number of
questions | Task types | | Focus | Format | | 1 | 8 | Multiple choice cloze | | Feeling, attitude, opinion, purpose, function, agreement, course of action, gist, detail, etc… | Three short extracts from exchanges between interacting speakers with two multiple-choice questions on each extract. | | 2 | 10 | Sentence completion | | Specific information, stated opinion. | A monologue lasting approximately 3 minutes. Candidates are required to complete the sentences with information heard on the recording. | | 3 | 5 | Multiple choice | | Attitude, opinion, agreement, gist, feeling, speaker purpose, function, detail. | A conversation between2 or more speakers of approximately 4 minutes. There are six multiple-choice questions, each with four options. | | 4 | 7 | Multiple matching | | Gist

FAQs

What are the four components of the CAE exam?

The exam consists of Reading & Use of English, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.

How is Paper 1 (Reading & Use of English) divided and what task types appear?

Paper 1 includes Parts 1-8 with task types such as multiple choice cloze, open cloze, word formation, key word transformation, multiple choice, cross-text multiple matching, gapped text, and multiple matching.

What are the speaking tasks and their approximate timings in Paper 4?

Paper 4 includes a short conversation (about 2 minutes per candidate), a long turn with a response (about 4 minutes), a discussion with a decision phase (about 4 minutes plus reading time), and a collaborative discussion (about 5 minutes).

Oct 1, 2026

Uploaded by James