Every Cambridge writing task is read by a trained examiner and given a mark from 0 to 5 on each of four subscales — three at A2 Key. The subscales are the same at every level; what a 5 means rises with the exam.
| Subscale | What earns a high band | What pulls it down |
|---|---|---|
| Content | Every point in the task covered and developed; the reader is fully informed. | A missing or misunderstood content point; irrelevance. |
| Communicative Achievement | The conventions of the genre, a consistent register, and ideas that hold the reader’s attention. | An essay written like a chat, a report with no clear purpose, a letter in the wrong register. Not assessed at A2 Key. |
| Organisation | Clear paragraphing and a logical line, with varied linking and referencing. | One long block of text; the same three linkers repeated; ideas in no particular order. |
| Language | A range of vocabulary and grammar for the level, used with control; errors that do not get in the way. | A narrow range played safe, or ambitious language with errors that obscure meaning. |
Each subscale is marked on its own, and bands 2 and 4 sit between the described bands 1, 3 and 5. Whole marks only.
A2 Key: Content, Organisation and Language, so each of the two tasks is out of 15 and the writing total is 30.
B1 Preliminary to C2 Proficiency: four subscales, each task out of 20, the paper out of 40.
Cambridge’s writing scales are one ladder linked to the CEFR. A band 5 at one exam describes roughly the same performance as a band 3 at the exam above. At B1 Preliminary, for example, band 5 Organisation asks for a text that is "generally well organised and coherent, using a variety of linking words and cohesive devices", while band 3 asks for "basic linking words and a limited number of cohesive devices" — the A2 Key band 5 description.
| Exam | Band 3 describes | Band 5 describes |
|---|---|---|
| A2 Key | A1-A2 performance | Strong A2 performance |
| B1 Preliminary | B1 performance | B2 performance |
| B2 First | B2 performance | C1 performance |
| C1 Advanced | C1 performance | C2 performance |
| C2 Proficiency | C2 performance | The top of C2 |
That is why a band 3 is a solid pass on each exam, and why the band 5 model answers on our samples pages read noticeably above the level of the exam they answer.
| Band | Content | Organisation | Language (A2 Key) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | All content is relevant; the reader is fully informed. | Connected and coherent, using basic linking words and a limited number of cohesive devices. | Everyday vocabulary generally appropriate; simple grammar with a good degree of control; errors noticeable but meaning clear. |
| 3 | Minor irrelevances or omissions; the reader is on the whole informed. | Connected using basic, high-frequency linking words. | Basic vocabulary reasonably appropriate; simple grammar with some control; errors may impede meaning at times. |
| 1 | Irrelevance or misinterpretation; the reader is minimally informed. | Unlikely to be connected, though simple connectors may appear. | Isolated words and phrases; few simple forms, limited control. |
B1 Preliminary adds Communicative Achievement: band 5 "uses the conventions of the communicative task to hold the target reader’s attention and communicate straightforward ideas"; band 3 uses them "in generally appropriate ways"; band 1 "communicates simple ideas in simple ways". Its Organisation and Language bands sit one step above A2 Key’s.
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: 26 · 120: 18 · 100: 12 · 82: 8 |
| B1 Preliminary | 40 | 160: 34 · 140: 24 · 120: 16 · 102: 10 |
| B2 First | 40 | 180: 34 · 160: 24 · 140: 16 · 122: 10 |
| C1 Advanced | 40 | 200: 34 · 180: 24 · 160: 16 · 142: 10 |
| C2 Proficiency | 40 | 220: 34 · 200: 24 · 180: 16 · 162: 10 |
Estimate a Writing scale score from a practice test
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.
A linear estimate only. It is a guide to where a practice result sits, not a prediction of the live exam.
The Writing 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:
A2 Key and B1 Preliminary: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking.
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 |
Model answers with subscale marks for every level are on the Cambridge Writing samples page.
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.