Cambridge PET

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CAMBRIDGE PET EXAM

The Cambridge PET exam is also known as Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET). If you study for the test, you are preparing basic language skills that are useful for everyday use.  A PET certificate shows your employer or school that you can:

• read articles and textbooks in simple English
• write emails about common topics
• take notes in a meeting
• be aware of opinion and mood in written texts and spoken language.

According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL), the Cambridge PET exam is level B1. There are three papers in the Cambridge PET exam: Reading Writing, Listening and Speaking.

READING AND WRITING IN THE CAMBRIDGE PET EXAM

The reading and writing paper of the PET takes one hour and a half to complete.

READING

The reading section is worth 50% of the marks, there are 5 parts and 35 questions in total. The purpose of the reading section is to show you can understand the principle ideas as you read. You will need to use vocabulary and grammar structures correctly as you answer questions about signs, newspapers, and magazines.

1. Reading Part One: Multiple Choice.There are 5 short texts with 5 corresponding questions. The corresponding questions have got 3 possible answers to choose from, but only one is correct. There is one mark per correct answer.
   
2. Reading Part Two: Matching.
   You will read a series of 8 short texts and answer 5 questions. You have to decide which of the texts corresponds to the questions. There is one mark per correct answer.
3. Reading Part Three: True/False.
   After reading a text you must decide if the 10 question statements are true or false. Each question is worth one point.
4. Reading Part Four: Multiple Choice:
   You will read one text and answer 5 multiple choice questions, each worth one mark. This part often tests your ability to understand the emotions and opinions.
5. Reading Part Five: Multiple Choice Cloze:
   Part five consists of 1 text in which there are some missing words or phrases (gaps). There are 10 multiple choice questions where you choose the correct word to fill the gap. As with the other parts, you are awarded 1 mark per correct answer. This part tests vocabulary and grammar.

WRITING

Regarding the writing section of this paper, it consists of 3 parts and 7 questions in total.

1. Writing Part One: Sentence Transformation. There are 5 questions consisting of a pair of sentences. The second sentence has some words missing and you have to complete it so that it means the same as in the first sentence. There is one mark available per question.
2. Writing Part Two: Guided Writing. You have instructions in a short message or email. You must follow these instructions and write about each of the three things as indicated. There are 5 possible marks for part 2 of the Cambridge PET exam.
3. Writing Part Three: Extended Writing. You choose either to write a story or a letter to a friend. You must write approximately 100 words and there are 15 marks available.