About CPE Academy

The CPE Academy app is designed specifically for students preparing for the challenging Use of English section of the Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) examination. It contains 30 exam-style texts with more than 300 individual assessments and replicates the exam experience, familiarising the user with the CPE examination structure and approach.

The CPE Academy content has been written by Michael Macdonald, a teacher of Cambridge exam candidates, and reviewed independently by a University of Cambridge ESOL examiner.

How to get the full version of CPE Academy

CPE Academy has 30 texts containing more than 300 Use of English assessments and can be used without an internet connection. Three texts are included in the free app.

To upgrade to the full version click ‘get full app’ on the home screen, or select the sad padlock icon within each test menu.

How to use CPE Academy

Choose a test: by selecting an exam part from the home screen, users are given a choice of texts to work with and information relating to their progress to date.

Parts 1, 2 & 3: each part contains 10 texts of approximately 160 words; each text contains eight questions; each question carries one mark.
Part 4: comprises 60 short texts or single-sentence assessments; each assessment carries two marks.

Exam and practice modes: when a test is selected there is the option to have marking shown in real time.

Timed tests: the time taken to complete each test is available upon completion and it is also possible to have a timer visible on screen while taking a test.

Review: a full transcript of each completed test is provided along with mark and time-taken statistics.

Features of this app

Main menu: users choose from Parts 1 – 4 to bring up a list of tests. Average scores for each exam part are displayed here, as well as users’ progress through the bank of tests, providing quick indication of where further work might be required.

Information: throughout the app there is an information icon, which, when selected, will provide instructions concerning a particular exam type and, in the case of the home and finish screens, useful information concerning the app and the CPE exam.

Test menu: by selecting an exam part from the home screen, users are given a choice of texts to work with and statistical information relating to their progress to date.

Exam and practice modes: by selecting the marks icon when in a test, right and wrong answers are identified in real time.

Timed tests: by selecting the timer icon when in a test, the time taken to complete the test is displayed live.

Transcripts: a complete record of completed texts, including mark scored and time taken, is available upon completion.

The CPE Use of English exam

The Cambridge English: Proficiency examination is a timed examination, with 1 hour and 15 minutes assigned to the Reading and Use of English section, which is worth 40% of the available grade.

In order to allow ample time for the reading parts (Parts 5 – 7) of this section, it is advisable to complete Parts 1 – 4 as quickly as possible while maintaining accuracy. For instance, completing each part in fewer than five minutes will allow 55 minutes in which to complete the reading parts.

The pass threshold of the Cambridge English: Proficiency examination is 60%.

The CPE Academy app replicates Parts 1 – 4 of the Cambridge exam:

Part 1. Multiple choice cloze

This part of the exam mostly tests vocabulary, idioms, collocations, shades of meaning, phrasal verbs, complementation, semantic precision and fixed phrases.

It contains a text with eight blanks, each prompting multiple-choice questions. Each question has four possible answers, only one of which is correct. One mark is awarded for each correct answer.

Part 2. Open cloze

This part of the exam has a lexico-grammatical focus, testing candidates’ awareness and control of grammar, fixed phrasing, collocation, semantic precision, phrasal verbs and, to an extent, vocabulary (the particles/prepositions for phrasal verbs).

It contains a text with eight gaps, each gap representing a missing word. No hints are given: you must think of the correct word for each gap. One mark is awarded for each correct answer.

Part 3. Word formation

This part of the exam focuses on affixation, internal changes and compounding in word formation, and vocabulary, specifically comparatives, wish, verbs and prepositions followed by gerunds or infinitives, the active and passive voice, indirect speech, phrasal verbs, idioms, conditionals and inversion.

It contains a text with eight gaps, each gap representing a missing word. Beside each gap is a ‘prompt’ word that must be altered in some way to complete the sentence correctly. One mark is awarded for each correct answer.

Part 4. Key word transformations

This part of the exam has a lexical/lexico-grammatical focus, testing lexis, grammar and vocabulary.

It contains six sentences, each followed by a ‘key’ word and an alternative sentence conveying the same meaning as the first but with a gap in the middle. Use the keyword provided to complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Do not change the keyword provided. Each correct answer is broken down into two marks.