FCE – First Certificate in English

FCE is the most widely taken Cambridge examination and the annual candidature is in excess of 250, 000.

  • Recognition

FCE has widespread recognition in commerce and industry, e.g., for public contact or work in banking, airlines, catering, etc. Many universities and other educational institutions recognise FCE for English language entrance requirements.

  • Candidature

The candidates for FCE come from a wide range of backgrounds and take the examination for a number of different reasons:

  • to gain employment (37%)
  • for further study (30%)
  • out of personal interest (33%)

Nationality – FCE is taken by candidates throughout the world in about 100 countries, although the total number of nationalities represented in the candidature is over 150. The majority of these candidates enter for FCE in European and South American countries. Many candidates also take the examination in the UK.

Age – Most candidates (about 75%) are under 25, with the average age being about 23.

Gender – About 65% of candidates are female.

Employment – Most candidates are students, although there are considerable differences in the proportion of students in different countries.

  • Exam Preparation

A large proportion of candidates (about 80%) undertake a preparatory course before taking the examination; most of these courses last between eight and twenty-four weeks.

  • Entries and Fees

The FCE examination can be taken twice a year, in June and in December. Fees are payable to the local centre, and will vary slightly from place to place.

The examination fee covers the cost of setting and marking the examination, booking the room, supervising the conduct of the examination etc.

  • Exam Content

The examination consists of 5 papers. Each of these papers is worth 20% of the total. A candidate’s overall FCE grade is based on the total score gained by the candidate in all five papers. It is not necessary to achieve a satisfactory level in all five papers in order to pass the examination. A, B and C are pass grades, D is a narrow fail, E is a fail and U is an unclassified result. The minimum successful performance which a candidate typically requires in order to achieve a Grade C corresponds to about 60% of the total marks.

  • Paper 1 Reading 1 hour 15 minutes 4 parts 35 questions
  • Paper 2 Writing 1 hour 30 minutes 2 parts 2 x 120-180 words
  • Paper 3 Use of English 1 hour 15 minutes 5 parts 65 questions
  • Paper 4 Listening 40 minutes 4 parts 30 questions
  • Paper 5 Speaking 15 minutes 4 parts 2 candidates, 2 examiners

Seit dem Schuljahr 2000/2001 haben unsere Schüler die Möglichkeit, einen Vorbereitungskurs für das FCE (First Certificate in English) zu besuchen. Dieser wird im Rahmen einer unverbindlichen Übung (2 zusätzliche Englischstunden pro Woche) an der Schule angeboten. In diesem „Kurs“ werden die Schüler auf die FCE-Prüfung vorbereitet, die weltweit von Handel und Industrie wie auch von vielen Universitäten anerkannt wird. Unsere Schüler bekommen somit einerseits eine Zusatzqualifikation, andererseits auch einen neuen Zugang zur „Fremdsprache“ Englisch.

Für weitere Informationen steht Ihnen gerne Frau Mag. Stella Winkler zur Verfügung

BEWIG

BEWIG ist ein Vorbereitungskurs auf den schriftlichen Teil der Buchhalterprüfung. Dieser Teil der Prüfung kann in der Schule abgelegt werden.