Cambridge Reading Scoring

Cambridge Reading is marked against a fixed answer key, so the score is exactly what you earn: one or two marks a question, no penalty for wrong answers, no judgment calls. The interesting part is how those raw marks are weighted and converted.

Marks per Part

Exam	Part	Task	Questions	Marks each	Part total
A2 Key	Reading and Writing, Part 1	Short Texts (Multiple Choice)	6	1	6
A2 Key	Reading and Writing, Part 2	Multiple Matching	7	1	7
A2 Key	Reading and Writing, Part 3	Long Text Multiple Choice	5	1	5
A2 Key	Reading and Writing, Part 4	Multiple-Choice Cloze	6	1	6
A2 Key	Reading and Writing, Part 5	Open Cloze	6	1	6
B1 Preliminary	Reading, Part 1	Short Texts (Multiple Choice)	5	1	5
B1 Preliminary	Reading, Part 2	Multiple Matching	5	1	5
B1 Preliminary	Reading, Part 3	Long Text Multiple Choice	5	1	5
B1 Preliminary	Reading, Part 4	Gapped Text	5	1	5
B1 Preliminary	Reading, Part 5	Multiple-Choice Cloze	6	1	6
B1 Preliminary	Reading, Part 6	Open Cloze	6	1	6
B2 First	Reading and Use of English, Part 1	Multiple-Choice Cloze	8	1	8
B2 First	Reading and Use of English, Part 5	Long Text Multiple Choice	6	2	12
B2 First	Reading and Use of English, Part 6	Gapped Text	6	2	12
B2 First	Reading and Use of English, Part 7	Multiple Matching	10	1	10
C1 Advanced	Reading and Use of English, Part 1	Multiple-Choice Cloze	8	1	8
C1 Advanced	Reading and Use of English, Part 5	Long Text Multiple Choice	6	2	12
C1 Advanced	Reading and Use of English, Part 6	Cross-Text Multiple Matching	4	2	8
C1 Advanced	Reading and Use of English, Part 7	Gapped Text	6	2	12
C1 Advanced	Reading and Use of English, Part 8	Multiple Matching	10	1	10
C2 Proficiency	Reading and Use of English, Part 1	Multiple-Choice Cloze	8	1	8
C2 Proficiency	Reading and Use of English, Part 5	Long Text Multiple Choice	6	2	12
C2 Proficiency	Reading and Use of English, Part 6	Gapped Text	7	2	14
C2 Proficiency	Reading and Use of English, Part 7	Multiple Matching	10	1	10

From B2 First upwards, multiple choice, gapped text and C1 Advanced cross-text matching are worth 2 marks a question. The multiple-choice cloze and multiple matching are worth 1. At A2 Key the Reading score also includes the open cloze in Part 5, and at B1 Preliminary the open cloze in Part 6.

From Raw Marks to a Scale Score

Raw marks on each paper are converted to a score on the Cambridge English Scale. Cambridge publishes the raw marks that reach each CEFR boundary on its official practice tests. These are the only official figures; the conversion for a live exam is set for that exam version and is not published.

Exam	Raw marks available	Scale score: raw marks needed
A2 Key	30	140: 28 · 120: 20 · 100: 13 · 82: 7
B1 Preliminary	32	160: 29 · 140: 23 · 120: 13 · 102: 5
B2 First	42	180: 37 · 160: 24 · 140: 16 · 122: 10
C1 Advanced	50	200: 43 · 180: 32 · 160: 23 · 142: 17
C2 Proficiency	44	220: 36 · 200: 28 · 180: 22 · 162: 14

Estimate a Reading scale score from a practice test

Exam Raw marks

Uses Cambridge’s published anchor points and a straight line between them. Live exams are equated session by session, so treat anything within 3 points of a boundary as borderline.

Between two published points the estimate is a straight line, which is what this formula does. r is your raw mark, and r₁, S₁ and r₂, S₂ are the published points either side of it.

S \approx S_{1} + \frac{r - r_{1}}{r_{2} - r_{1}} \times (S_{2} - S_{1})

A linear estimate only. It is a guide to where a practice result sits, not a prediction of the live exam.

How It Counts Towards the Result

The Reading scale score is a quarter of the result at A2 Key and B1 Preliminary and a fifth from B2 First upwards. The overall score is the average of the skill scores, rounded to the nearest whole number:

Overall = \frac{R + W + L + S}{4}

A2 Key and B1 Preliminary: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking.

Overall = \frac{R + UoE + W + L + S}{5}

B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency: Use of English is the fifth score.

There is no minimum per skill. The grade is decided by the overall score:

Exam	Grade A	Grade B	Grade C	Level below	Reported range
A2 Key	140-150	133-139	120-132	100-119	82-150
B1 Preliminary	160-170	153-159	140-152	120-139	102-170
B2 First	180-190	173-179	160-172	140-159	122-190
C1 Advanced	200-210	193-199	180-192	160-179	142-210
C2 Proficiency	220-230	213-219	200-212	180-199	162-230

Each bar is the range an exam reports. The darkest band is Grade A, then Grade B and Grade C; the palest band is the certificate at the level below. Scores in the grey part are reported but carry no certificate.

Raising a Reading Score

Protect the two-mark parts. A wrong answer in B2 First Part 5 costs as much as two in Part 7.
Prove every answer from the text. The key is always supported by specific words; a feeling is not evidence.
Guess rather than leave a blank. A blank scores zero with certainty.
Fix the timing before the English. Unfinished parts are the most common reason for a low Reading score.

Practice parts for every level are on the Cambridge Reading samples page.

Kirill O'Nayd, Cambridge English exams expert

Written by Kirill O'Nayd

English test expert and educator at TestSucceed. He has spent years preparing candidates for Cambridge English Qualifications from A2 Key to C2 Proficiency, and taking apart how each paper awards its marks. See all TestSucceed preparation materials.