B1 Preliminary (PET): how to pass without ending up with A2 instead of B1
How many points do you need on B1 Preliminary to get a certificate? Fewer than you think: 120. But if you score anywhere from 120 to 139, the certificate will say A2. And an A2 certificate will not meet an employer’s or a university’s “B1” requirement.
What score puts B1 on the certificate?
You need at least 140 on the Cambridge English Scale, the single scale used across Cambridge exams. Each skill is marked separately, and the overall result is the average of the four. Within each level there is also a grade: A, B or C.
Score between 102 and 119 and there is no certificate at all. The score only appears on your Statement of Results. Cambridge publishes the bands for the neighbouring exams on its results page.
Three different exams can give you a B1 certificate. On A2 Key only the top grade does it, Grade A, which means 140–150. On B2 First you get B1 if you score 140–159 and fall short of B2. And B1 Preliminary itself shows B2 on the certificate from 160 upwards.
Hence the temptation: ace Key or scrape through First. A neighbouring exam really can give you the level you need. Still, do not plan around it: Key leaves no headroom above, and First is pitched a level higher than yours.
If the requirement says “B2”, prepare for B2 First from the start. If it accepts several certificates, first work out which international English exam to choose.
Thirty-two reading questions weigh the same as two short pieces of writing
| Paper | Time | How many tasks | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 45 min | 6 parts, 32 questions | from short notices to a long text with missing sentences and words |
| Writing | 45 min | 2 parts | reply to an email using notes, then write an article or a story of your choice, each about 100 words |
| Listening | 30 min, including 6 to copy your answers onto the answer sheet | 4 parts, 25 questions | pick a picture, catch the gist of short dialogues, fill in gaps, follow opinions in an interview; you hear each recording twice |
| Speaking | 10–12 min per pair, 15–17 per group of three | 4 parts | talk about yourself, describe a photo, discuss options with a partner, talk about habits and experiences |
Each of the four papers is worth exactly a quarter of the overall result. So 32 reading answers count for as much as two short texts in Writing. Treat writing as a formality and you put a quarter of your result at risk.
There is also a school version, B1 Preliminary for Schools: same level and format, topics chosen for teenagers. For adults Cambridge designed the standard B1 Preliminary.
A 100-word story is harder than a work email
The first writing task feels familiar to anyone who works with email. A message arrives with notes beside it, and you reply in about 100 words. The second task is your choice: an article or a story, again about 100 words. Each text can earn up to 20 marks.
People who have read work emails in English for years often underestimate the second part. The story looks like the easy option. Then it turns out to rest entirely on past tenses: was walking, had left, suddenly saw. Work email rarely needs these forms, so they never get practised.
Checking takes one evening. Write one article and one story of about 100 words. See which needed more corrections. You will know which to choose on exam day before you leave home.
In Speaking you have to agree with someone else
You will not speak alone: another candidate sits next to you, sometimes two, and two examiners sit opposite. One asks the questions and may join online. The other listens in silence. First you talk about yourself, then you describe a colour photo for about a minute.
Part 3 is different. For four minutes you and your partner discuss options and have to reach a decision together. In mock tests Ukrainian candidates often deliver a fine monologue and stop. Their partner delivers another. Two speeches, no discussion.
I’d choose the museum.
I’d choose the museum. What do you think? the last four words hand the turn to your partner
Now your partner answers you, and the conversation is moving. In Part 4 the examiner asks about likes, experiences and habits, so you are back to talking about yourself.
What to do before you register
- Reread the requirement word for word. Besides the level, it may say how recent the result must be.
- Check where you are now. Our English level test takes about 5 minutes and has 16 questions. Compare the result with what each CEFR level means.
- Count the hours. If you already have A2, B1 is another 160–240 hours of study away. From zero an adult needs 350–490, which at an hour a day is roughly a year to sixteen months. Both figures come from a Cambridge University Press overview.
- Do all four papers of a sample test against the clock. A free sample of each sits on the official B1 Preliminary format page.
- Work on your weakest paper. A story in past tenses and a dialogue with a partner are hard to practise alone. One-to-one lessons with a teacher suit them well. The teacher checks your texts and plays your partner in Part 3 of Speaking.
If the sample shows a whole paper falling apart, hold off registering. A score of 139 still gets you a certificate. Just not the one you started all this for.