Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET)

Exam overview

What's in the exam?

Practical English for everyday use

Cambridge English: Preliminary uses real-life situations that are especially designed to help you understand factual information and show awareness of opinions, attitudes and mood in both spoken and written English.

Real-life language skills

Cambridge English: Preliminary is set at Level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages(CEFR). B1 is the level of English needed to:

• deal with everyday events
• read simple textbooks or magazine articles
• write letters on familiar subjects
• take notes in a meeting.

It shows that you can use English to communicate with native speakers for everyday purposes.

For example, at B1 level, you can expect to:

• understand the main points of straightforward instructions or public announcements
• deal with most of the situations you might meet when travelling as a tourist in an English-speaking country
• ask simple questions and take part in factual conversations in a work environment
• write letters or make notes on familiar matters.

Preparing for Cambridge English: Preliminary will give you these kinds of practical language skills.

Reliable

Backed by the largest research programme of its kind, Cambridge English exams provide the most reliable reflection of your language skills.

Choice

The Cambridge English: Preliminary exam is available internationally. Also, with paper-based and computer-based exam options, you can choose when and how you take your exam.

Fair

Cambridge English exams cover all major varieties of English and are designed to be fair to users of all nationalities and linguistic backgrounds.

Support

A wealth of materials is available to help you prepare for your exam.

A Cambridge English qualification

Once you have earned a Cambridge English certificate, you hold one of the most valuable English qualifications in the world.

Exam format

• Reading and Writing

  Available as a paper-based test
  Available as a computer-based test

  Download a free pack of sample papers (zip file)

  What’s in the Reading and Writing paper?

  The Cambridge English: Preliminary Reading and Writing paper has five parts for reading and three parts for writing. There are different types of texts and questions.  

  Summary

  Time allowed:	1 hour 30 minutes
  Number of parts:	Reading: 5; Writing: 3
  Number of questions:	Reading: 35; Writing: 7
  Marks:	50% of total

  ---

  Parts 1–8

  Part 1 (Multiple choice)

  What's in Part 1?	Five very short texts (they may be signs and messages, postcards, notes, emails, labels, etc.). You have to read them and choose which of the three sentences (A, B or C) is the best description of the text.
  What do I have to practise?	Reading notices and other short texts to understand the main message.
  How many questions are there?	5
  How many marks do I get?	One mark for each correct answer.

  Practise Part 1
  Now try Part 1 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Reading and Writing paper.

  ---

  Part 2 (Matching)

  What's in Part 2?	Five short descriptions of people and eight short texts to read. You have to match each person to a text.
  What do I have to practise?	Reading a lot of short texts to find specific information.
  How many questions are there?	5
  How many marks do I get?	One mark for each correct answer.

  Practise Part 2
  Now try Part 2 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Reading and Writing paper.

  ---

  Part 3 (True/False)

  What's in Part 3?	A long text and ten sentences about the text. You have to read the text and say if each sentence is true or false.
  What do I have to practise?	Reading a text quickly to find some information.
  How many questions are there?	10
  How many marks do I get?	One mark for each correct answer.

  Practise Part 3
  Now try Part 3 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Reading and Writing paper.

  ---

  Part 4 (Multiple choice)

  What's in Part 4?	A long text and five questions. You have to read the text and choose the right answer (A, B, C or D) for each of the five questions.
  What do I have to practise?	Reading to understand the detail of a text.
  How many questions are there?	5
  How many marks do I get?	One mark for each correct answer.

  Practise Part 4
  Now try Part 4 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Reading and Writing paper.

  ---

  Part 5 (Multiple-choice cloze)

  What's in Part 5?	A short text with ten numbered spaces. Each space represents a missing word and you have to choose the right answer from a choice of four (A, B, C or D).
  What do I have to practise?	Understanding vocabulary and grammar.
  How many questions are there?	10
  How many marks do I get?	One mark for each correct answer.

  Practise Part 5
  Now try Part 5 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Reading and Writing paper.

  ---

  Part 6
  (Sentence transformations)

  What's in Part 6? (Writing Part 1)	Five questions which are all about the same theme. For each question there is one complete sentence and a second sentence which has a missing word or words. You have to complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first sentence.
  What do I have to practise?	How to say the same thing in different ways in English, e.g. 'not warm enough' means the same as 'too cold'.
  How many questions are there?	5
  How many marks do I get?	One mark for each correct answer.

  Practise Part 6
  Now try Part 6 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Reading and Writing paper.

  ---

  Part 7
  (Short communicative message)

  What's in Part 7? (Writing Part 2)	The instructions tell you who to write to and what you should write (a postcard, note, email, etc.).
  What do I have to practise?	Writing short messages.
  How many questions are there?	1
  How much do I have to write?	35–45 words
  How many marks do I get?	This question has a total of 5 marks.

  Practise Part 7
  Now try Part 7 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Reading and Writing paper.

  ---

  Part 8
  (Continuous writing)

  What's in Part 8? (Writing Part 3)	You have a choice of two questions: an informal letter or a story.
  What do I have to practise?	Writing letters and stories.
  How many questions are there?	1
  How much do I have to write?	About 100 words
  How many marks do I get?	This question has a total of 15 marks.

  Practise Part 8
  Now try Part 8 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Reading and Writing paper.

  ---

  DOs and DON’Ts

  DOs

  1. Make sure you know all the task types by looking at practice tests.
  2. Make sure you do lots of general reading practice in class and at home, especially the kinds of texts used in the Cambridge English: Preliminary test.
  3. Keep a vocabulary notebook to write down new words and make notes about how to use each word.
  4. Read all the instructions carefully and look at any examples.
  5. Make sure that you can skim and scan (read a text quickly for the main ideas or to find specific information).
  6. Check your answers and make sure you have written them in the correct place on the answer sheet.
  7. Make sure that your handwriting is clear and easy to read.
  8. Read each text before you try to answer the questions.
  9. Use a pencil, not a pen, on the answer sheet.

  DON'Ts

  1. Don't leave answers blank, even if you aren't sure of the answer.
  2. Don't worry if there is a word you don't know. Try to guess its meaning.
  3. Don't write a full, rough copy of Writing Part 2 and 3. Just write quick notes to plan your answer.
  4. Don't worry too much about making grammar mistakes in Writing Parts 2 and 3. Communicating is the important thing.

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  FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

  If I fail the Writing paper, will I fail the whole test?

  No. You do not pass or fail the individual papers; you just get a score for the whole exam. If you do not do very well in the Writing, but you do well in the other parts of the exam, you have a good chance of passing the whole test. Your Statement of Results will show how well you did for Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking – Exceptional, Good, Borderline or Weak.

  In the exam, if I don't understand a word on the paper, can I ask what it means?

  In the exam, you should ask if you don't understand what you have to do in a task (the instructions) or if you don't know how to fill in your answer sheet, etc. However, you should not ask about anything like the meaning of a word in a text. If you don’t understand a word, you can try to guess the meaning. Remember, you may not need to understand this word to answer the questions.

  Will I get extra time to write my answers onto the answer sheet?

  No. Before 1 hour and 30 minutes is finished, you have to finish writing your answers on the answer sheet.

  How many questions do I have to get right to pass Cambridge English: Preliminary?

  To pass Cambridge English: Preliminary, you need to get a standardised score of 70 out of 100 or more of all the available marks for Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. For a ‘Pass with Merit’, you need to get a standardised score of 85 out of 100 or more

  Are things such as greetings, endings and dates included in the word count in Part 3?

  Greetings and endings count in the word limit, but dates and addresses do not. A signature counts as one word.

  You are expected to open and close a letter. If you don’t, you will not get the full marks available.

• Listening

  Available as a paper-based test
  Available as a computer-based test

  Download a free pack of sample papers (zip file)

  What’s in the Listening paper?

  The Cambridge English: Preliminary Listening paper has four parts. For each part you have to listen to a recorded text or texts and answer some questions. You hear each recording twice. 

  Summary

  Time allowed:	About 30 minutes, plus 6 minutes to copy answers on to the answer sheet
  Number of parts:	4
  Number of questions:	25
  Marks:	25% of total

  ---

  Parts 1–4

  Part 1 (Multiple choice)

  What's in Part 1?	Seven short recordings. For each recording there is a question and three pictures (A, B or C). You have to listen to the recordings and choose the right answer.
  What do I have to practise?	Listening to find key information.
  How many questions are there?	7
  How many marks do I get?	One mark for each correct answer.

  Practise Part 1
  Now try Part 1 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Listening paper.

  ---

  Part 2 (Multiple choice)

  What's in Part 2?	A longer recording (one person speaking or an interview) and six questions. You have to listen to the recording and choose the right answer (A, B or C) for each question.
  What do I have to practise?	Listening to find specific information and detailed meaning.
  How many questions are there?	6
  How many marks do I get?	One mark for each correct answer.

  Practise Part 2
  Now try Part 2 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Listening paper.

  ---

  Part 3 (Gap-fill)

  What's in Part 3?	A longer monologue (one person speaking) and a page of notes which summarise the text. Six pieces of information are missing from the notes. You have to listen to the recording and fill in the missing information.
  What do I have to practise?	Listening for information.
  How many questions are there?	6
  How many marks do I get?	One mark for each correct answer.

  Practise Part 3
  Now try Part 3 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Listening paper.

  ---

  Part 4 (Gap-fill)

  What's in Part 4?	An informal conversation and six sentences. You have to listen to the conversation and decide if each sentence is true or false.
  What do I have to practise?	Listening for detailed meaning, attitude and opinion.
  How many questions are there?	6
  How many marks do I get?	One mark for each correct answer.

  Practise Part 4
  Now try Part 4 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Listening paper.

  ---

  DOs

  1. Read the instructions carefully for each part.
  2. Look at the question paper material (the questions, text and pictures) and think about what kind of information you are going to hear.
  3. Listen to and look at the example question.
  4. Answer as much as you can when you hear the recording for the first time.
  5. Check your answers and find any missing answers when you hear the recording for the second time.
  6. Answer all the questions even if you are not sure - you probably understand more than you think and even a guess may be correct.
  7. Only transfer your answers to the answer sheet when you are told to do so at the end of the test.
  8. Be careful when you are transferring your answers to the question sheet.

  DON'Ts

  1. Don't worry if you don't hear the answer the first time. Everything is played twice.
  2. Don't panic if you don't understand everything in the text – you probably don't need to.
  3. Don't use a pen. You must use a pencil.
  4. Don't change your answers when you are transferring them to the answer sheet.

  ---

  FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

  If I fail the Listening paper, will I fail the whole test?

  No. You do not pass or fail the individual papers; you just get a score for the whole exam. If you do not do very well in the Listening, but you do well in the other parts of the exam, you have a good chance of passing the whole test. Your Statement of Results will show how well you did for Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking – Exceptional, Good, Borderline or Weak.

  I am hard of hearing. Will I lose marks?

  No, you won't. You or your teacher must contact your Cambridge ESOL centre to make special arrangements.

  What types of listening skills are tested in the Cambridge English: Preliminary Listening test?

  You will need to show that you can listen for gist (the main point), listen for specific information and recognise the attitudes and opinions of the speakers. You will hear individual people talking (monologues) and two people talking to each other (dialogues).

  How many questions do I have to get right to pass Cambridge English: Preliminary?

  To pass Cambridge English: Preliminary, you need to get a standardised score of 70 out of 100 or more of all the available marks for Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. For a ‘Pass with Merit’, you need to get a standardised score of 85 out of 100 or more

  Does it matter if I make a spelling mistake?

  No (as long as it is possible to recognise the word), unless it is a common, high-frequency word, e.g. Monday, or where the spelling of the word is dictated.

  Can I wear headphones in the Listening paper?

  Ask your centre whether you can use headphones or not – it depends how they choose to run the exam.

• Speaking

  Face-to-face Speaking test

  Download a free pack of sample papers (zip file)

  What’s in the Speaking paper?

  The Cambridge English: Preliminary Speaking test has four parts and you take it together with another candidate. There are two examiners. One of the examiners talks to you and the other examiner listens.  

  Summary

  Time allowed:	10–12 minutes per pair of candidates
  Number of parts:	4
  Marks:	25% of total
  You have to talk:	with the examiner with the other candidate on your own

  ---

  Parts 1–2

  Part 1 (Interview)

  What's in Part 1?	Conversation with the examiner. The examiner asks questions and you give information about yourself, talk about past experiences, present job, studies, where you live, etc., and future plans.
  What do I have to practise?	Giving information about yourself.
  How long do we have to speak?	2–3 minutes

  Practise Part 1
  Now try Part 1 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Speaking paper.

  ---

  Part 2 (Discussion)

  What's in Part 2?	The examiner gives you some pictures and describes a situation to you. You have to talk to the other candidate and decide what would be best in the situation.
  What do I have to practise?	Making and responding to suggestions, discussing alternatives, making recommendations, negotiating agreement.
  How long do we have to speak?	2–3 minutes

  Practise Part 2
  Now try Part 2 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Speaking paper.

  ---

  Part 3 (Extended turn)

  What's in Part 3?	The examiner gives you a colour photograph and you have to talk about it.
  What do I have to practise?	Describing photographs.
  How long do we have to speak?	3 minutes in total; 1 minute to talk about the photograph.

  Practise Part 3
  Now try Part 3 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Speaking paper.

  ---

  Part 4 (General conversation)

  What's in Part 4?	Further discussion with the other candidate about the same topic as the task in Part 3.
  What do I have to practise?	Talking about your opinions, likes/dislikes, experiences, habits, etc.
  How long do we have to speak?	3 minutes

  Practise Part 4
  Now try Part 4 from the sample Cambridge English: Preliminary Speaking paper.

  ---

  DOs and DON’Ts

  DOs

  In general

  1. Practise your English, in and out of the classroom, as much as you can.
  2. Listen carefully to the examiner's questions.
  3. Ask the examiner if you don't understand what you have to do.
  4. Speak clearly so that both examiners and your partner can hear you.
  5. Remember that both the examiners want you to do well in the test.

  In Part 1

  1. Talk to the examiner, not your partner.
  2. Make sure you can spell your name.
  3. Try to give more than one-word answers

  In Parts 2 & 4

  1. Talk to your partner, not the examiner.
  2. Ask your partner questions.
  3. Listen to your partner's answers and look at them to show you are interested in what they are saying.
  4. Give your partner a chance to speak too.

  In Part 3

  1. Talk about everything you can see in the photograph, e.g. colours, clothes, time of day, weather.
  2. If you don’t know a word, try to explain what you mean in other words.

  DON'Ts

  In general

  1. Don't worry too much about making grammatical mistakes.
  2. Don't worry too much if you don't know a word.
  3. Don't worry if your partner is a stronger or weaker speaker than you. The examiners assess you individually.
  4. Don't sit in silence in the test, even if you are nervous. Examiners can't give you marks if you don't speak.

  In Parts 2 & 4

  1. Don't speak for too long without involving your partner.

  In Part 3

  1. Don't try to talk about things/ideas outside the photograph.
  2. Don't stop talking if there is a word you don't know, just talk about something else you can see.

  ---

  FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

  What’s in the Cambridge English: Preliminary Speaking paper?

  The Cambridge English: Preliminary Speaking test has four parts and you take it together with another candidate. There are two examiners. One of the examiners talks to you (the interlocutor) and the other examiner listens and completes the mark sheet (the assessor).

  Can I take the test alone?

  No. You are examined in pairs (i.e. two students together) with two examiners. At centres with an uneven number of candidates, the last three candidates take the test together. The test is longer when three candidates take the test. Candidates cannot choose to take the test in a group of three.

  Why are there two examiners?

  One examiner (the interlocutor) speaks to you, and the other (the assessor) does not take part in the test but listens to you speak and interact with the other candidate. Both examiners give you a mark, but the assessor gives more detailed marks than the interlocutor.

  What happens if the other candidate won’t let me speak?

  Examiners know how to deal with this situation, and give both of the candidates an opportunity to speak. It is important both to talk and to give the other candidate the chance to talk. Remember, there is also a time in the test when you speak on your own.

  What should I do if I don’t understand what the examiner asks me to do?

  You can ask the examiner to repeat the instructions. However, you should listen carefully and try to understand them the first time. Don’t worry if you don’t understand a word. You can ask your partner to explain a word in Parts 2 and 4, but you must always talk in English!

  Will my speaking be compared to my partner's speaking?

  You are assessed on your own speaking, and not compared to your partner(s).

  Do I have to pass the Speaking test to pass the Cambridge English: Preliminary exam?

  No, if you do well on the other papers you can still pass the exam.

  Do the Part 1 Phase 2 questions remain the same each year or vary?

  They vary, but will always be on general topics.

Cambridge English: Preliminary preparation resources

Cambridge ESOL offers a comprehensive range of printed and online exam preparation and support products and services for teachers and learners for all Cambridge English exams.

Materials to buy

Past Paper Packs

Past Paper Packs

Each pack provides teachers with everything they need to give students authentic practice for the exams:

1. 10 copies of each of the papers with photocopiable answer sheets
2. CD with audio recordings for the Listening paper
3. comprehensive Teacher Booklet.

More Buy now

Speaking Test Preparation Pack

Speaking Test Preparation Pack

This comprehensive teacher resource pack from Cambridge ESOL is designed to help teachers who are preparing students for their Speaking test. It includes:

1. Student Worksheets and candidate visuals
2. Teacher’s Notes
3. DVD showing real students taking a Speaking test.

More Buy now

Online Practice Test

Online Practice Test

Get extra exam practice with a flexible and comprehensive Online Practice Test from the people who set the exams. It includes:

1. a full practice test for each language skill (excluding speaking)
2. automatic scoring
3. a score report
4. detailed answer feedback.

Try Buy now

Top Tips for PET revision guide

Top Tips for PET revision guide

Get your exam preparation off to a good start. Written by experienced Cambridge ESOL examiners, this handy A5-sized guide gives you essential advice (‘tips’) for each of the three papers of Cambridge English: Preliminary. It includes:

1. a real exam paper to try
2. recordings of Listening paper
3. answers and sample answers
4. video of real students taking the Speaking test.

Try Buy now

More official preparation materials

A huge range of official Cambridge English preparation materials are also available from the Cambridge University Press website. Materials include printed and digital resources to support teachers and help learners prepare for their exam.

Books for study

Books for study

A huge range of coursebooks, practice tests and learning resources are produced by independent publishers in the UK and overseas to help you prepare for Cambridge English: Preliminary.

Find books for study

Free materials

To help you get started, Cambridge ESOL has some free materials which you can download:

Sample papers
Download sample papers for Cambridge English: Preliminary.

Download now

Computer-based free samples
These tests allow you to see what a full CB test will be like and show the types of questions that will appear in the live exam.

Try now

PET Vocabulary List
Gives teachers a guide to the vocabulary needed when preparing students for Cambridge English: Preliminary and Preliminary for Schools.

Read now

Cambridge English: Preliminary – Information for Candidates
A handy guide to the exam, with an overview of what’s involved and examples of papers.

Information for candidates
Información para candidatos
Informações para os Candidatos
Πληροφορίες για υποψηφίους
受験者の手引き

Understanding your Statement of Results
Shows you the detailed, meaningful information you will receive once you have taken your exam.

Read now

Summary Regulations for Candidates
All the important information you need to know when taking the exam.

Read now

Exam dates

Exam dates for 2012

Note: Not all centres offer the exam on all dates below.
Please contact your centre to find out what dates they offer.

The Speaking paper is held by separate arrangement within a specified period or ‘window’.
Please contact your centre for more details.

View a summary of all exam dates for 2012 | 2013 (PDF).

Results

Your results

Cambridge English: Preliminary gives detailed, meaningful results. All candidates receive a Statement of Results. Candidates whose performance ranges between CEFR Levels B2 and A2 will also receive a certificate.

Statement of Results

This document outlines:

• Your candidate result. This result is based on your total score in all three papers.
  
• A graphical display of your performance in each paper (shown against the scale Exceptional – Good – Borderline – Weak).
• A standardised score out of 100 which allows you to see exactly how you performed. It has set values for each grade, allowing comparison across sessions of the exam.

Find out more at Understanding your Statement of Results – Cambridge English: Preliminary

You can access your results through the Cambridge ESOL Results Online website. Results Online access details are provided by exam centres.

Your certificate

• Cambridge English: Preliminary – Level B2

New for September 2011
Pass with Distinction

Exceptional candidates sometimes show ability beyond Level B1. From September 2011, if you achieve a Pass with Distinction, you will receive the Preliminary English Test certificate stating that you demonstrated ability at Level B2.

• Cambridge English: Preliminary – Level B1

Pass with Merit, Pass

If you achieve a Pass or Pass with Merit in your exam you will be awarded the Preliminary English Test certificate at Level B1. Reaching this level shows that you are developing your language abilities and are ready for the next challenge.

• Level A2 certificate

We believe it is important to recognise your achievement, even if you do not reach Level B1.

If your performance falls within Level A2, you will receive a Cambridge English certificate stating that you demonstrated ability at Level A2.

Results Verification Service

If you need to allow employers, universities or other organisations to verify your examination results, just send them your Candidate ID and Candidate Secret Number (printed on your Confirmation of Entry) and they can check your results quickly and securely online at http://verification.CambridgeESOLonline.org.

Further information on results

• Results enquiries and appeals
• Malpractice
• Lost certificates