B2 First for Schools study guide
B2 First for Schools · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
B2 First for Schools is a Cambridge English Qualification at CEFR level B2, reported on the Cambridge English Scale in the 160–179 range. It is the school-age version of B2 First: the two are at the same CEFR level and follow the same format, but B2 First for Schools is tailored to the interests and experience of school-age learners, while B2 First is designed for adults. Both show that a learner can communicate effectively face-to-face, express opinions and present arguments, follow the news, and write clear, detailed English such as emails, letters, articles and reviews. The qualification sits between B1 Preliminary for Schools and C1 Advanced and is accepted by thousands of businesses and educational institutions worldwide. Topics on this exam: Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. The B2 First for Schools study guide has 4 sections and about 1,875 words.
01Reading and Use of English: Seven Parts, Two Skill Sets
Reading and Use of English is Paper 1 of B2 First for Schools. It lasts 1 hour 15 minutes, contains 52 questions in seven parts and is worth 40% of the total score.
477 words, about 2 min02Writing: Two Tasks, Four Criteria
Writing is Paper 2 of B2 First for Schools. It lasts 1 hour 20 minutes, contains two tasks and is worth 20% of the total score.
469 words, about 2 min03Listening: Four Parts, Thirty Questions
Listening is Paper 3 of B2 First for Schools. It lasts about 40 minutes, contains 30 questions in four parts and is worth 20% of the total score.
463 words, about 2 min04Speaking: Four Parts, Interactive Performance
Speaking is Paper 4 of B2 First for Schools. It lasts 14 minutes, has four parts and is worth 20% of the total score.
466 words, about 2 min