Tag: c1 advanced preparation course

Posted on

How to Use ‘Not Only… But Also’ in Cambridge English Exams (B2, C1 and C2)

The structure not only… but also is a particularly useful grammatical construction for Cambridge English exams. It allows you to connect two related ideas while placing emphasis on both of them.

Although it can be used in spoken English, it is more common in written English, making it especially useful in the Writing paper of the B2 First, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency exams.

It is also a structure worth learning because it demonstrates your ability to use more sophisticated ways of linking ideas. However, there are several grammatical rules to remember, and students often make small mistakes when trying to use it.

Let’s look at how it works and how you can use it accurately.

1. When do we use ‘not only… but also’?

We use not only… but also to emphasise two complementary aspects of the same subject or situation.

For example:

Not only is YouTube entertaining, but it is also educational.

Here, we are emphasising two positive qualities of YouTube: it is entertaining and educational.

We could simply say that YouTube is entertaining and educational, but the not only… but also construction gives the sentence greater emphasis and creates a more sophisticated structure.

An important point to remember is that the two elements should be complementary and logically consistent. In the examples below, both qualities are positive:

  • Not only is the course informative, but it is also highly practical.
  • Not only is exercise beneficial for our physical well-being, but it also improves our mental health.

The structure can also emphasise two negative aspects:

Not only have they broken the vase, but they’ve also spilled wine on the carpet.

Both events are undesirable, and the construction highlights the fact that one unfortunate incident has been accompanied by another.

2. Remember to use inversion in the first clause

This is probably the most common mistake students make with this structure.

When not only introduces the first clause, we must use inversion. In other words, we change the usual word order by placing the auxiliary verb before the subject.

Compare:

  • Incorrect: Not only YouTube is entertaining, but it is also educational.
  • Correct: Not only is YouTube entertaining, but it is also educational.

Notice the position of the verb is. It comes before the subject YouTube.

Here are some more examples:

  • Not only is the city expensive, but it is also extremely crowded.
  • Not only are these measures ineffective, but they are also costly.
  • Not only have we wasted time, but we’ve also spent a considerable amount of money.

The type of inversion depends on the verb tense and the grammatical structure of the sentence.

If you are using the verb to be, you simply place it before the subject:

Not only is the film entertaining, but it is also thought-provoking.

If you are using another verb in the present or past simple, you generally need the auxiliary verb do, does or did:

Not only does investing in renewable energy reduce carbon emissions, but it also creates jobs.

In this example, does comes before the subject investing in renewable energy. The main verb, reduce, remains in its base form.

3. Don’t use inversion in the second clause

Another frequent mistake is to use inversion in both clauses.

Remember that inversion is required after not only, but not after but also.

For example:

Not only does investing in renewable energy reduce carbon emissions, but it also creates jobs.

The second clause follows normal word order: subject (it), auxiliary verb (does), and main verb (create).

The following sentence is incorrect:

Not only does investing in renewable energy reduce carbon emissions, but also does it create jobs.

We don’t need to invert the second clause.

This is an important distinction. Students sometimes remember that inversion is necessary but then apply it to the wrong part of the sentence, or use it in both clauses.

4. You don’t always need to repeat the subject and verb

In some sentences, repeating the subject and verb in the second clause is unnecessary. This is particularly common when the two elements are closely related.

For example:

Not only is exercise good for our physical well-being, but also our mental health.

The second clause does not contain a subject or a verb. We understand that exercise is also good for our mental health.

We could write:

Not only is exercise good for our physical well-being, but it is also good for our mental health.

However, this version repeats information that is already clear from the first clause. The shorter version is more concise and avoids unnecessary repetition.

The same principle applies when the two elements share the same action:

Not only have they broken the vase, but also the mirror.

Here, we don’t need to repeat they have broken because the meaning is perfectly clear.

This is a useful way of making your writing more concise and avoiding unnecessarily repetitive sentences.

5. Make sure you use parallel structures

This is another important point, particularly when using this construction in your writing.

Parallelism means that the two elements connected by not only… but also should follow the same grammatical pattern.

For example, if you use adjectives in the first part, you should use an adjective in the second part:

Not only is YouTube entertaining, but it is also educational.

Both entertaining and educational are adjectives.

Similarly, if you use nouns, you should generally use nouns in both parts:

The course provides not only practical advice but also valuable information.

And if you use verbs, make sure the two parts are grammatically consistent:

Not only does the policy reduce pollution, but it also improves public health.

Notice that both verbs are in the present simple: reduce and improves.

This brings us to another important aspect of parallelism: maintaining consistent verb tenses.

For example:

Not only did the company reduce its prices, but it also improved the quality of its products.

Both actions are in the past simple.

And in the present perfect:

Not only have they introduced new regulations, but they have also invested in renewable energy.

Both actions are in the present perfect.

When constructing sentences with this structure, pay attention to the grammatical form of both elements. They should be balanced and consistent.

6. Where should you place ‘also’?

One final detail worth remembering concerns the position of also.

We do not separate not only in the first clause. However, we can separate but and also in the second clause by placing also after the verb.

For example:

Not only is the city beautiful, but it is also relatively inexpensive.

Or:

Not only have they broken the vase, but they’ve also damaged the furniture.

However, when we omit the repeated subject and verb, also can appear directly before the second element:

Not only have they broken the vase, but also the mirror.

Both patterns are possible. The choice depends on whether you repeat the subject and verb in the second clause.

Summary: Six things to remember

Before using not only… but also in your Cambridge English exam, make sure you remember these six points:

  1. Use it to emphasise two complementary ideas. The two elements should be logically consistent.
  2. Use inversion after not only. Remember to place the auxiliary verb before the subject.
  3. Don’t use inversion after but also. The second clause follows normal word order.
  4. Avoid unnecessary repetition. You don’t always need to repeat the subject and verb in the second clause.
  5. Use parallel structures. Make sure the two elements have a consistent grammatical form and, where relevant, matching verb tenses.
  6. Pay attention to the position of also. It normally comes after the verb when the second clause is complete.

Final advice for your Cambridge English exam

The not only… but also construction is a useful way of making your writing more sophisticated, particularly when you want to emphasise two related arguments or advantages.

For example, in an essay about the benefits of investing in public transport, you could write:

Not only would greater investment in public transport reduce traffic congestion, but it would also help to improve air quality.

This is a natural and effective way of connecting two arguments without simply listing them.

You can use advanced grammatical structures in the B2 First exam as well as in C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency. The important thing is to use them accurately and appropriately. There is little benefit in attempting a sophisticated construction if you cannot control its grammar.

So, practise creating your own examples, paying particular attention to inversion and parallelism. Once you are comfortable with the structure, it can become a very useful addition to your grammatical repertoire.

For more help with grammar structures like this, check out my Essential Grammar course.

Posted on

The Most Useful Grammar Structure for Cambridge C1 and C2 Exams: The Passive Voice

What is the most useful grammatical construction you can use in your Cambridge English exam? Conditionals? Relative clauses? Cleft sentences? Perhaps reported speech?

All of these structures are important, particularly if you’re preparing for C1 Advanced (CAE) or C2 Proficiency (CPE). However, in my opinion, there’s one grammatical construction that is more useful than all the others: the passive voice.

Why? Because you can use it in almost every part of the Cambridge English exams. It appears frequently in Reading and Use of English, it’s particularly useful in formal writing, and you can even use it naturally in the Speaking paper.

Having helped thousands of students prepare for Cambridge English exams over more than 23 years, I’ve seen just how useful this structure can be.

And the good news is that it’s not particularly difficult to learn. The real challenge is knowing when and how to use it appropriately.

Let’s look at why the passive voice is so important and how you can use it to improve your performance in your Cambridge English exam.

1. The passive voice in Reading and Use of English

One of the reasons I consider the passive voice so useful is that it appears regularly in the Reading and Use of English paper, particularly in Part 4: Key Word Transformations.

If you’re not familiar with this task, you’re given a sentence, a key word and a second sentence with a gap. You have to complete the second sentence using the key word without changing it, ensuring that the meaning remains as similar as possible to the original.

Let’s look at an example from a C1 Advanced sample test.

Original sentence:

They say a visitor to the National Gallery damaged an eighteenth-century painting.

Key word: ALLEGED

Second sentence:

A visitor to the National Gallery __________ an eighteenth-century painting.

The answer is:

A visitor to the National Gallery is alleged to have damaged an eighteenth-century painting.

Notice the grammatical construction: is alleged to have damaged.

This is a passive reporting structure. We use it when reporting what people generally say, believe or claim about something without identifying a specific person making the statement.

Here’s another example, this time from a C2 Proficiency sample test.

Original sentence:

The driver instructed passengers to move down the bus.

Key word: WAY

Second sentence:

Passengers __________ down the bus by the driver.

The answer is:

Passengers were instructed to make their way down the bus by the driver.

Here, the passive voice is relatively straightforward. The subject of the original sentence (the driver) becomes the agent in the passive construction, while passengers becomes the subject.

The more challenging aspect of this transformation is the fixed expression make your way.

What’s interesting about these two examples is that the C2 question actually uses relatively basic passive grammar, whereas the C1 question requires a more sophisticated structure.

This illustrates an important point: a higher-level exam doesn’t necessarily mean that every grammatical structure being tested is more complicated. Vocabulary, fixed expressions and the ability to recognise how language works in context are equally important.

2. The passive voice in the Writing paper

This is arguably where the passive voice becomes particularly useful.

If you’re writing an essay, report, proposal or formal letter, you’ll often need to adopt a neutral or formal register.

One way to achieve this is by using the passive voice.

Let’s look at some examples from actual Cambridge student writing.

C2 Proficiency example

The following examples come from a C2 Proficiency candidate’s essay. Interestingly, this candidate achieved maximum marks across the assessment criteria.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the essay was perfect or completely free of mistakes. It means that the writing demonstrated the standard required to achieve the highest marks.

Consider this sentence:

It should be noted that the things that irritate people will vary.

This is an excellent example of the passive voice being used appropriately.

Compare it with:

People should note that the things that irritate people will vary.

The second sentence is grammatically correct, but the first is more impersonal and arguably more appropriate for the context.

Here’s another example from the same essay:

It was once considered…

The candidate could have written:

People once considered…

Again, there’s nothing grammatically wrong with the active version. However, the passive construction creates a more neutral, impersonal tone.

These are relatively simple grammatical structures, but they’re very effective.

C1 Advanced example

Let’s look at another example, this time from a C1 Advanced essay.

The candidate wrote:

It has to be said that…

Compare this with:

I have to say that…

Both expressions are grammatically correct, but the passive construction is less personal and can be more appropriate in a formal essay.

Here’s another example:

Rules can be placed differently.

The candidate has used the passive voice correctly here, although there’s a vocabulary problem. We don’t normally say place rules. More appropriate verbs would be set, impose or implement.

For example:

  • Rules can be set differently.
  • Stricter rules could be imposed.
  • New regulations need to be implemented.

The important point is that the candidate has recognised an opportunity to use the passive voice rather than unnecessarily identifying the people responsible for setting or imposing the rules.

An example of how to improve your writing

Now let’s look at a weaker example from a B2 First essay.

The candidate wrote:

I think that my country has problems with pollution to the environment like all other countries.

There are several ways we could improve this sentence, but let’s focus on the use of the passive voice.

One possible alternative would be:

It is believed that this country, like many others, has problems with pollution.

Notice how we’ve changed I think to It is believed.

We’ve also changed my country to this country, making the statement less personal and more general.

Here’s another example from the same student’s essay:

I don’t know what should we do.

Apart from the word order problem, this sentence is rather informal and personal for an academic essay.

One possible improvement would be:

It is not known what should be done.

We’ve used two passive constructions here:

  • It is not known.
  • What should be done.

However, there’s an even better alternative:

The correct course of action is not clear.

This is a more sophisticated way of expressing the same general idea.

The lesson here is that you shouldn’t simply use the passive voice because you want to demonstrate advanced grammar. You should use it when it helps you communicate your ideas more effectively.

Ultimately, that’s what Cambridge examiners are looking for.

3. The passive voice in the Speaking paper

You might associate the passive voice primarily with formal writing, but it’s also extremely common in everyday spoken English.

In fact, there are several expressions that you can use quite naturally in your Cambridge Speaking exam.

Here are five particularly useful examples.

1. I was born and bred in Madrid.

This is a very common expression meaning that you were born and grew up in a particular place.

Born and bred is a particularly natural way of talking about your hometown.

2. My hometown is known for its architecture.

We use is known for to describe something that a place or person is famous for.

Other possibilities include:

  • My hometown is renowned for its beautiful beaches.
  • The region is particularly well known for its traditional cuisine.

3. I’ve been told that the Earth is flat.

We use this expression when we want to report information without necessarily identifying who gave us that information.

It’s often unnecessary to mention the person responsible.

4. It’s said that AI will eventually take over the world.

This is another passive reporting structure.

We use expressions such as it’s said that, it’s believed that and it’s thought that to communicate general opinions or beliefs.

5. The photograph looks like it was taken at night.

This isparticularly useful in the collaborative and long-turn parts of the Speaking paper when describing photographs.

Notice the passive construction was taken.

These are all relatively straightforward expressions, but they’re natural, useful and appropriate for a wide range of speaking situations.

4. Why do we use the passive voice?

So far, we’ve looked at several examples of how the passive voice can be used in your Cambridge exam. But it’s also important to understand why we use it.

There are four main reasons.

A. To create a more formal or impersonal register

As we’ve already seen, the passive voice is particularly useful in formal writing because it allows us to present information without making everything about our personal opinions.

For example:

I believe that increased investment is needed.

Compare this with:

It is believed that increased investment is needed.

The second version is more impersonal and presents the idea as a general belief rather than an explicitly personal opinion.

B. To emphasise the action rather than the person performing it

Sometimes, the action itself is much more important than the person or people responsible for carrying it out.

For example:

Alien life has been discovered on Pluto.

The important information here is the discovery itself, not necessarily who made it.

We could add by scientists if we wanted to, but it’s not essential.

C. When the person performing the action is unknown or unimportant

For example:

The cathedral was built in the fifteenth century.

We don’t know who built the cathedral, and in this context, that’s not particularly important.

The focus is on the cathedral and when it was built.

D. To be less direct or less accusatory

The passive voice can also be useful when we don’t want to identify or directly blame the person responsible for something.

For example:

The project wasn’t finished on time.

This sentence doesn’t identify who failed to complete the project.

Perhaps it was Mary, perhaps it was the entire team, or perhaps there were circumstances beyond their control.

By using the passive voice, we can focus on what happened without directly accusing anyone.

5. How to form the passive voice

Finally, let’s have a quick look at how to construct a passive sentence.

Consider this sentence in the active voice:

Experts believe the Earth is spherical.

We have the familiar subject-verb-object structure:

  • Subject: Experts
  • Verb: Believe
  • Object: The Earth

To change this into the passive voice, we move the object to the beginning of the sentence.

The result is:

The Earth is believed to be spherical.

There are two important things to remember when forming the passive voice:

  1. The verb to be must be used in the appropriate tense.
  2. The main verb must be in the past participle form.

For example:

ActivePassive
They build houses.Houses are built.
They built the house.The house was built.
They are repairing the road.The road is being repaired.
They have completed the project.The project has been completed.
They will announce the results.The results will be announced.

Notice that the tense of the original sentence is maintained through the appropriate form of to be.

We can also include the person or thing responsible for the action using by:

The novel was written by George Orwell.

However, it’s important to remember that the agent isn’t always necessary. In many cases, we omit it because it’s unknown, obvious or simply unimportant.

Final thoughts: Make the passive voice your priority

There are plenty of grammatical structures you need to study if you’re preparing for Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency.

Conditionals, relative clauses, cleft sentences, inversion and reported speech are all important.

However, if I had to choose one grammatical construction that offers the greatest versatility across the different parts of the exam, it would undoubtedly be the passive voice.

You can use it in Reading and Use of English, particularly in Key Word Transformations. It’s extremely useful in formal writing, where you need to demonstrate an appropriate register, and it also appears naturally in everyday spoken English.

But remember one important thing: using advanced grammar isn’t about making every sentence as complicated as possible. It’s about choosing the most appropriate grammatical structure for the context.

If you can use the passive voice accurately and naturally, you’ll have a very useful tool at your disposal, not just for your Cambridge English exam, but for your English in general.

Check out my Essential Grammar Course for more help with the most useful asvanced structures and concepts!

Posted on

10 Most Common Mistakes in the Writing Paper

Cambridge English exam tips – B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency

Based on my observations and 20 years experience helping students prepare for the Cambridge English exams, it’s the writing paper that many candidates struggle with the most. In fact, I would say that in about 80% of the results statements I see from students who have taken the exams, the writing paper is the lowest score of all, and that can make a big difference. It can be the difference between a pass and a fail, or it could be the difference between an A and a B or a B and a C.

However, it’s not that difficult to get a few extra marks just by avoiding some of the most common mistakes that students make. So, the following are the top 10 most common mistakes that students make in the writing paper of the Cambridge English exams, whether it’s the B2 first C1 Advanced or C2 proficiency

10: Bad Punctuation

This is quite a common mistake, but you may be a little surprised that it’s not further up the list. I’ve put it at number 10 because there is no marking criterion which specifically evaluates punctuation. It’s very useful when writing any composition for the Cambridge English exams to keep in mind the marking criteria that the examiners use, which is as follows:

  • content
  • communicative achievement
  • organization
  • language

Punctuation is evaluated in the organization criterion because bad punctuation can really affect the flow of the text and it can be quite difficult to read a composition which is badly punctuated. What I’m really referring to here is the use of the comma because in most texts you don’t need to use a lot of different punctuation. See this video on how to use the comma in English writing for help with that.

9 Not Linking Ideas

When correcting essays, I often see paragraphs of seven or eight very short, basic sentences, without any no linking of ideas, just one sentence with one idea, then another idea, then another idea. You can use basic linkers like and, but and because if they’re appropriate, or you can use more advanced cohesive devices like furthermore, in addition however, nonetheless, nevertheless and so on. It’s also a good idea to use relative clauses (either defining or non-defining relative clauses) to link ideas rather than lots of short sentences. In my online grammar course I go into a lot of detail on clauses as it’s one of the one of the modules.

8 Including Irrelevant Content

This is related to the content criterion, and it’s very important to only do the task which is set and do not include any extra information that is not specifically asked for in the task. In the instructions to the task, Cambridge offer a guide to the word length that you should use for the composition: this is only a guide. You should get quite close to that word length, but it’s not a strict limit. However, if you write too many words it’s very possible that you have included some irrelevant content and you will be penalised for that, so be careful. Pay attention to the task and do not include any irrelevant content.

7 Not Completing the Task

This is a very common mistake. Many exam candidates don’t pay enough attention to the task, and they don’t do everything that is asked for in the task. Often there are many aspects to the task as you can see from this example:

I recommend you underline the different aspects of the task because if you’re not paying attention there is a danger that you won’t really complete the task, and the examiners will consider that the target reader is not fully informed. So, it’s a balance between completing the task (doing everything that is asked of you), but not doing too much and not including irrelevant content. If you can make sure the target reader is fully informed and you haven’t included any irrelevant content, you should get five out of five for the content criterion.

6 Not Using the Conventions of the Task

What do I mean by the conventions of the task? Well, if you’re writing an essay, for example, you should include an introductory paragraph, two or three main body paragraphs and a conclusion paragraph. If you’re writing a letter, you should start the letter in an appropriate way and end the letter in an appropriate way. If you’re writing a report or a proposal, you should have a title and sub-headings for each section – those are the conventions of report writing. If you are writing an article, the style should be quite engaging and the target reader should not feel like they are reading an essay. There should be a clear difference between the different tasks. There are different styles of writing, and that should be represented. In my online Cambridge exam preparation courses, I go into a lot of detail on how to do that, but often it is just common sense: If you read articles in your own language, you should know how to write an article. If you read reviews, you should know how to write a review, and so on.

5 Using an Inappropriate Register

I see this a lot. Exam candidates often don’t use the appropriate register, ie. the level of formality for the task. For an essay, it’s always the same, you should use a neutral to a formal register. For the part two tasks, it will always depend on the target reader. If you have to write a letter to an institution or somebody you don’t know, you should use quite a formal register, but if you’re writing a letter to a friend, of course you should use an informal register. That’s quite obvious and commonsensical, but sometimes it’s not that clear. If you have to write an article for a magazine, the register you use will depend on the type of magazine you’re writing an article for. You must identify the register that you need to use and be consistent throughout your composition. A common mistake I see a lot is when a student uses some really formal vocabulary in one sentence and then quite a colloquial expression in another sentence. Again, you will be penalised for that because you must be consistent with a register throughout

4 Not Using a Wide Range of Vocabulary

We are talking about exams here, and you need to be trying to demonstrate your level and show off the vocabulary you know, so try to avoid repetition. Sometimes you need to repeat vocabulary as it may be impossible to find a synonym, but in general you should try not to repeat yourself. Also, if you use an adjective, and you feel it’s quite a basic adjective, spend a few seconds trying to come up with a more advanced synonym. You do want to try to impress the examiners, that is part of what taking an exam is, so try to come up with more impressive, more sophisticated vocabulary. Of course, sometimes, you’ll need to use basic vocabulary and that’s okay: you need to use a mix. But, in order to get five out of five in the language criterion, the examiners are looking for some less common lexis used in the composition, but it must be appropriate. Just throwing in lots of really advanced words and expressions which are not really appropriate for the the text or for the context is not what the examiners are looking for. So, yes try to come up with a wide range of advanced vocabulary, but it must be appropriate and fit with the register.

3 Not Using a Wide Range of Grammatical Structures

In the language criteria, the examiners look at the grammar and the vocabulary you use and a big mistake that candidates often make is using very limited grammar. You need to demonstrate how much grammar you know and to be able to use it appropriately in the right context to express your ideas effectively. So, think while you’re writing a sentence: “Could I express this idea using some advanced structures?” Maybe I could use inversion, or maybe I could use a cleft sentence, or maybe I could use a conditional.” You don’t need to include every advanced grammatical structure you know in one composition, but just think about how you can make a sentence a little bit more sophisticated and advanced. So, keep the grammar in mind whenyou’re writing your your composition

2 Not Checking for Mistakes

When you finish writing, I highly recommend you give yourself a few minutesto check your composition and correct the silly little mistakes that almost everybody makes. Manage your time well and give yourself a few minutes correct some of those really basic mistakes.

1 A Lack of Planning

The most common mistake that I’ve observed students make from my 20 years experience helping students prepare for the examis a lack of planning. A lack of planning before you start writing your composition. This is number one because I know that most of you – most students who who take the the exam – don’t plan your writings before you start, usually because you’re worried about the time constraints.

You should plan what type of vocabulary you want to use, what grammatical structures to use, the organization of the text, the content you’re going to include and the way you’ll link ideas. It is really much easier and quicker to write the text if you dedicate a few minutes before you start writing. In my online preparation courses, I actually recommend that you spend about 15 minutes of the 45 minutes you have in total (40 minutes for the B2first) planning your composition before you even start writing it. I know very few students do that, but I honestly think it’s good advice because the more time you spend planning, the less time you’ll need to write and the fewer mistakes you’ll make too. I promise you’ll find it much easier.

BONUS TIP! Practise

You must practise before the exam. If the first time you write an essay, report, letter, review or article is on the day of the exam, you’re going to struggle. You’re going to struggle with how to structure your essay, you’re going to struggle with the vocabulary and the grammar. So… practise! You don’thave to show it to anybody but just write and go through the process. It’s time to bite the bullet!

Posted on

My Essential Grammar Online Course

"This course is really a must for everyone who wants to learn English correctly.
In my opinion, it was very helpful that Ben started every module with the essential grammar to repeat and then moves on to the more difficult parts.
Everything is explained well and with a lot of examples understandable at once.
The best grammar course I've ever seen.
It helped me a lot, because I learned English twenty years ago and I didn't really understand all of the grammatical structures. That changed thanks to Ben.
I would highly recommend that course to everyone who needs refreshing in English Grammar." Sabine Hämer

If you're struggling to reach an advanced level of English, this is the course for you. Whether you're planning to take a Cambridge English exam or just want to level-up your grammar, this comprehensive course based on my 21 years of experience teaching English will help you achieve your objectives.

Posted on

How to prepare for the Cambridge English Exams – 6 essential tips

B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency (FCE, CAE, CPE)

In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need to take exams. People would just study to gain knowledge for practical use and enjoy the process.

But, in the real world, there are situations in which it is necessary to demonstrate your English level (job interviews, university applications, immigration processes) and exam certificates are often required. The Cambridge English exams (specifically the B2 First, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency levels) are particularly prestigious and sought after, so getting one of these qualification can be very valuable.

I’ve been helping students prepare for the Cambridge English exams for almost two decades now and these preparation tips are based on my experience and observations over those years.

1. Get to know the exam (like the back of your hand!)

I’ve had students who didn’t really have an advanced level of English but they passed the C1 exam because they prepared so well. They really got to know the exam. And, on the other hand, I’ve known people who had a very high level, maybe even C2, but they took the advanced exam and failed because they were a little bit too cocky… a little bit too confident and they didn’t really know what the exam was asking of them. So, that is the number one tip, and it’s the most important: get to know the exam like the back of your hand.

2. Start preparing early

Start your preparation early! I recommend at least two months preparation, six months would be great… why not a year? If you’re thinking of taking the exam next year, start preparing now. You can’t really have too much time preparing for this exam because it’s not really just about learning a few grammar areas a little bit of vocabulary and practicing your speaking. These are big and difficult exams; even the B2 First is a tough exam, so you need to improve your level of English in general. Don’t leave it until the last minute, you’ll soon realise that you need more time.

Don’t know where to start? Check out my Complete Cambridge English exam preparation courses here

3. Dig out your old grammar notes

This is very useful and practical tip. You’ve probably studied a lot of grammar at school and you’re probably bored with it, but that grammar will be extremely useful in the exam. You have studied it, you know it, so you need to revise it, You need to refresh your memory of all that grammar you have studied over the years. So, dig out your old notes. Your own notes are the best notes because you wrote them and you’ll remember what you were thinking when you wrote those notes and you’ll have a connection to that time, so it’s better than just reading a book that somebody else has written. Your own notes are more valuable.

4. Immerse yourself in English

Immerse yourself in the language. Surround yourself with english. This should be pretty obvious. These are not easy exams so to prepare you really need to expose yourself to as much input of the language as possible. Very obvious activities like watching films and series in English, Youtube videos in English, joining Facebook groups where you can chat to people in English, reading in English (different books if possible or just internet articles on various subjects). You need to expand your vocabulary as much as possible for the exam, and there’s a lot of text to read in little time. Generally, immerse yourself in the language as much as possible… and that leads me on to tip number five.

5. Pay attention!

It’s all well and good immersing yourself in the language, surrounding yourself with all this input… but, if you don’t pay attention, you’re not going to get the full benefit from it. You can read a book and enjoy the book, and that’s great… if you’re not preparing for an exam. But you are preparing for an exam, so you need to pay attention to the grammar that is used, the vocabulary, the punctuation, etc. When you finish the exam, I recommend that you do the opposite, I recommend you just do things in english for fun, but as you’re preparing for an exam, you need to pay attention.

6. Find a study buddy

Find a partner you can study with. Ask around… ask your friends, your family, your colleagues at work, your classmates. Try to find somebody who’s also studying for the same exam. If you can’t find anyone, look further afield. Get on the internet and find relevant Facebook groups, Discord channels, Telegram communities, and so on. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are studying for these exams, so there are a lot of people that really need to practise and find a partner like you. The advantages of finding a study partner are numerous, not only for the speaking paper of the exam (practising the speaking paper is extremely useful) but also for sharing resources, motivation and accountability purposes. Also, if you have a partner who’s taking the same exam as you, you can actually do the speaking part of the exam together, which is so benficial.

If you follow these tips, you’ll stand a much better chance of passing your exam and getting your desired score.

Want to pass with the best score possible? Check out my online preparation courses for detailed tips on how to approach every part of the B2 First, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency Cambridge English Exams.

Ben Gill