A separate exam-preparation track for learners who finished the 10-unit The Oxford Term course and are entering Cambridge C1 Advanced. One part of the real exam at a time, precision strands running weekly, a mini-mock every fourth week, and a full-mock block at the end.
| Paper | Time | Weight | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading & Use of English | 1 h 30 min · 56 questions | 40% | P1 MC cloze · P2 open cloze · P3 word formation · P4 key word transformations · P5 long-text MC · P6 cross-text matching · P7 gapped text (paragraphs) · P8 multiple matching |
| Writing | 1 h 30 min · 2 tasks | 20% | P1 essay (compulsory, 220–260 words: summarise and evaluate) · P2 one of three: letter/email, proposal, report or review |
| Listening | ≈40 min · 30 questions | 20% | P1 short extracts · P2 sentence completion (exact words) · P3 conversation — attitude & agreement · P4 five monologues, two simultaneous tasks |
| Speaking | 15 min per pair | 20% | P1 interview · P2 long turn (photographs + question) · P3 collaborative task · P4 five-minute abstract discussion |
| Result | Scale score | Certifies at |
|---|---|---|
| Grade A | 200–210 | CEFR C2 — the stretch target |
| Grade B | 193–199 | CEFR C1 |
| Grade C | 180–192 | CEFR C1 (pass) |
| Below pass | 160–179 | CEFR B2 certificate |
Phase 1 · Part mastery — weeks 1–16
Multiple-choice cloze
Eight gaps of precise lexical choice — collocation, connotation, fixed phrase. Depth of vocabulary, tested at speed.
Open cloze & word formation
Function words with no options, then derived forms with affix combinations and internal change (deep → depth).
Key word transformations
Six exact reformulations, up to 2 marks each — the structural patterns catalogued; a weekly strand from here to the exam.
Use of English under time
Parts 1–4 at exam pace. The error profile picks the next month's drills.
Long-text multiple choice
Detail, opinion, tone, purpose and implication — 2 marks each.
Cross-text matching
THE distinctive C1 task: four writers on one topic, held in mind simultaneously — where do they agree, differ, qualify? A literature-review skill.
Gapped text & matching
Whole paragraphs restored by large-scale structure, then ten items scanned under pressure — plus the 56-in-90 timing drill.
Full Paper 1
Reading and Use of English complete in one sitting: 90 minutes, 40% of the exam.
The essay
Compulsory: summarise and evaluate two of three given points in 220–260 words. The concession paragraph taught as structure.
Proposal, report, review, letter
Choose two strong genres; register and reader taught as decisions, with banded exemplars.
Extracts & conversation
Interacting speakers: gist, attitude, opinion and agreement — the stress-is-meaning skill from Unit 1, examined.
Writing + Listening
Both writing tasks in 90 minutes, then a full Listening paper with the real recording flow.
Completion & double matching
Exact-word transcription, then five monologues carrying two simultaneous tasks — main point and speaker attitude.
Interview & long turn
Fluent personal response, then the photograph comparison with its closing question: compare, speculate, hypothesise.
Negotiate & discuss
The three-minute collaborative task, then five minutes of abstract discussion — a position developed, qualified and defended under pressure.
Speaking, examined
The full 15-minute paired test with a second teacher as assessor — unfamiliar partners, exam-room protocol.
Phase 2 · The full-mock block — weeks 17–20
The whole exam
All four papers across the week, real timing. Component profile plus predicted grade.
Weakest component first
Remediation grouped by mock profile — each candidate drills only their two weakest parts.
Exam conditions
One sitting per paper, answer sheets, live speaking — the dress rehearsal.
Tune-up & logistics
Light review: collocation cards, one listening, one long turn. Documents, times, sleep.