B1 Preliminary for Schools case studies
B1 Preliminary for Schools · Put your knowledge to work in context.
B1 Preliminary for Schools is a Cambridge English Qualification at CEFR level B1, described by Cambridge as a qualification that shows learners have "mastered the basics of English and have practical language skills for everyday use." It sits between A2 Key for Schools or A2 Key and B2 First for Schools or B2 First, so it is normally the next step for a school-age learner who has already handled the A2 level. The exam tests all four English language skills - reading, writing, listening and speaking - across four papers, and takes about 2 hours 20 minutes in total. The B1 Preliminary for Schools case studies are 5 cases and about 2,968 words.
1Reading Part 3: two options, five minutes left
Marta is 13 and preparing for B1 Preliminary for Schools. In a timed Reading mock she has 45 minutes for the whole paper.
635 words, about 3 min2Writing Part 1: the email with a vague answer
Leo, 12, is doing Writing in a timed mock. He has 45 minutes for two parts.
609 words, about 3 min3Listening note completion: the correction and the missed gap
During a Listening mock, Noor hears Part 3, a note-completion task about a school environment club. The notes have one gap per line and the instruction says 'one or two words'.
578 words, about 3 min4Speaking Part 3: the partner who stops talking
In a Speaking mock, Ana and Ben, both 13, do Part 3. The examiner gives them a page with pictures of three fund-raising ideas for a new school library: a cake sale, a sponsored run, and a quiz night.
574 words, about 3 min5Reading Part 4: the sentence that 'sounds right'
Ravi is doing Reading Part 4: a text about a school's 'no-plastic week' with five numbered gaps and six sentences A–F. He reads the six options first and notices that two of them mention students, so he puts one in gap 1 and one in gap 4 because those paragraphs talk about students.
572 words, about 3 min