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Test Format
B1 Preliminary for Schools is made up of four papers developed to test students’ English skills. You can see exactly what’s in each paper below.
Paper
Reading
45 minutes
Writing
45 minutes
Listening
30 minutes, including 6 minutes transfer time
Speaking
12–17 minutes per pair of candidates
Content
6 parts / 32 questions
2 parts /
2 questions
7 parts / 44 questions
4 parts
Marks
25%
25%
25%
25%
Purpose
Shows you can read and understand the main points from signs, newspapers and magazines.
Shows you can use vocabulary and structure correctly.
You have to be able to follow and understand a range of spoken materials including announcements and discussions about everyday life.
Shows how good your spoken English is as you take part in conversation by asking/answering questions and talking, for example, about your likes and dislikes. Your Speaking test will be conducted face to face with one or two other candidates and two examiners. This makes your test more realistic and more reliable.
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