什么是英语第一证书(FCE)考试？

　　剑桥五级英语水平考试(MSE)系列考核从初级到高级的英语技能。FCE为剑桥五级英语水平考试系列的第三级，其水平相当于欧洲委员会制定的欧洲语言教学大纲的B2级水平是中高级英语水平考试。

　　What is FCE?

　　The Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE) is the third level of the Cambridge exams in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). It is an upper intermediate level exam, set at Level B2 of the Council of Europe's Common European Framework for modern languages, and recognises the ability to deal confidently with a range of written and spoken communications.

　　FCE的报考对象

　　FCE为剑桥五级英语水平考试系列的第三级，是为具备中上级水平的英语学习者设计的考试。达到FCE水平的学生应具备用英语在英语国家工作、学习或旅游的能力，有丰富的词汇量、并能在不同场合熟练运用口、笔、语能力进行交流。FCE每年有100多个国家的270,000多考生参加该考试。

　　Who is FCE for?

　　FCE is designed for learners whose command of English is adequate for many practical everyday purposes, including business and study. Successful candidates will have a wide grasp of vocabulary, and should be able to construct an argument and use appropriate communication styles for a variety of situations. They also need to show an awareness of register and of the conventions of politeness and degrees of formality as they are expressed through language.FCE is taken by more than 270,000 people each year in more than 100 countries. It is a valuable qualification for anyone who wants to work or study abroad or to develop a career which requires language skills, including business, medicine, engineering and many other professions.

　　为什么要考FCE？

　　国际认可、终生有效的英语能力证书；

　　高质量的国际英语考试；

　　系统提高英语听、说、读、写四会能力的最佳方式；

　　提供实际的语言能力证明(如在旅游行业里的文书性、文秘性、行政性工作的能力)。

　　FCE等同于雅思考试4.5到6级的水平(可以作为在英国及其他诸多以英语为母语的国家里学生入大学或上大学预科的语言能力要求)。

　　是公司招聘及高校录取的资格要求(他们把FCE证书当作持有者有能力用英语从事各项工作或进入大学及A1水平深造的证明)。

　　Why choose FCE?

　　FCE is recognised by many universities and other educational institutions as proof of intermediate level English skills, and these institutions accept it as meeting part of their entrance requirements.

　　Because the examinations are based on realistic tasks, an FCE certificate is an important asset for anyone who wants to work or study abroad, or in international business. Employers throughout the world recognise FCE. It indicates sufficient proficiency in English to be of practical use in clerical, secretarial and managerial jobs in many industries, in particular tourism,swherescontact with English speakers is required. Successful candidates have the ability to deal with routine letters and telephone enquiries, and to cope with some non-academic training courses and simple textbooks and articles. Studying for FCE will also help learners to improve their language skills and to use them in a wide range of contexts.

　　考试内容

　　FCE由五部分试卷组成:阅读、写作、英语应用、听力及口试。每部分试卷各占考试总分的20%。

　　阅读(试卷1) 时间: 1小时15分钟

　　试卷由四部分组成,每部分包括一到两篇文章及相应的阅读理解题。文章类型及内容取材于日常生活中能接触到的题材，包括宣传单、报纸杂志或书信。

　　考生应具备理解文章要点、推测含义、识别文章结构及提取细节信息的能力。

　　写作(试卷2) 时间: 1小时30分钟

　　试卷由两部分组成，每部分各要求考生写一篇字数为一百二十到一百八十字的文章。第一部分的写作要求是固定的，写一篇商贸信函。第二部分则有多个题目供考生选择。两部分试卷都为考生提供写作情景以及写作对象。这就要求考生在写作过程中考虑如何根据这些因素来组织材料及选择回复形式。

　　英语应用(试卷3) 时间：1小时15分钟

　　考试内容包括：完型填空、句型转换、改错和构词。该部分主要考核学生辨识和使用英语词汇和语法结构的能力。

　　听力(试卷4) 时间：约40分钟

　　考生将听到短篇对话、独白、通告及采访片断等录音材料。考生不要求听懂材料的每一个词，但要具备理解要点和提取细节信息的能力。

　　口试(试卷5) 时间：约14分钟

　　考生以两人一组应试。考试通过考生之间及与考官的交谈来考核学生用英语谈话和交流的能力。口试包括两部分：首先为介绍部分，即考生用约一分钟的时间来自我介绍；第二部分为两个考生展开讨论。

　　What does the exam involve?

　　FCE has five papers

　　Reading/Writing/Use of English/Listening/Speaking

　　Each of the written papers is returned to Cambridge for marking and assessment. The Speaking Test is conducted by two locally based examiners who examine candidates face to face. All examiners are accredited by Cambridge ESOL.

　　Reading (Paper 1) 1 hour 15 minutes

　　The Reading paper assesses candidates' ability to read and understand texts taken from fiction and non-fiction books, journals, newspapers and magazines. Candidates are expected to be able to show understanding of gist, detail and text structure, and deduce meaning.

　　Writing (Paper 2) 1 hour 30 minutes

　　The Writing paper assesses candidates' ability to write non-specialised text types such as letters, articles, reports, compositions and reviews of 120-180 words covering a range of topics and target readers and also set texts.

　　Use of English (Paper 3) 1 hour 15 minutes

　　In the Use of English paper, candidates are expected to demonstrate their knowledge and control of the language system by completing various tasks at text and sentence level. These include filling gaps, transforming words and phrases, and identifying errors in texts.

　　Listening (Paper 4) 40 minutes (approx.)

　　The Listening paper assesses candidates' ability to understand the meaning of spoken English, and to extract gist and meaning from spoken text. The texts are taken from a variety of text types including interviews, discussions, lectures and conversations.

　　Speaking (Paper 5) 14 minutes (approx.)

　　The Speaking Test assesses candidates' ability to interact in conversational English in a range of contexts. It contains four parts, including an interview section, individual long turns of about one minute, a collaborative task and a discussion. Candidates are provided with stimulus material such as photographs and drawings.

　　Candidates normally take the Speaking Test in pairs.