B2 First or C1 Advanced for my child?

Usually the one the school offers that year: B2 First around year 11, C1 Advanced in the last two years. If the goal is a university application, aim for C1 Advanced or a grade A in B2 First, because selective courses typically ask for 180 or more on the Cambridge scale. The diagnostic in the first lesson settles it if you are unsure.

Is there a C1 Advanced for Schools?

No. For Schools versions exist for A2 Key, B1 Preliminary and B2 First only. C1 Advanced is one exam for everyone; school candidates sit the same paper as adults.

Does a Cambridge certificate expire?

No, the certificate itself has no expiry date. Universities and employers can still set their own rule on how recent a result must be, so check the course page before relying on an old certificate.

Is B2 First enough for a British or Dutch university?

Sometimes. Warwick accepts Cambridge scale scores from 170 for some courses and 180 or 190 for others; VU Amsterdam asks for 180. A grade A in B2 First (180 to 190) meets many of these; a grade B or C usually does not. Check the exact course, and read our guide on whether a school grade already replaces the test.

Can we book the exam through you?

No. Exams are booked through the school or a local authorised centre, which also sets the fee. We help you pick the session and prepare for it.

Both exist, with the same content, scale and certificate. Which one is offered depends on the centre. We practise the format the student will actually sit, including the on-screen tools of the computer-based version.

Cambridge English

Cambridge B2 First and C1 Advanced preparation, ages 13 to 18

In short: We prepare students aged 13 to 18 for Cambridge B2 First, including B2 First for Schools, and C1 Advanced, the two Cambridge certificates that German, Austrian and Swiss schools build into the upper years: all four papers, timed mock exams and detailed feedback on writing and speaking, 1-to-1 online in 60-minute lessons from £52.50 an hour. A Cambridge certificate never expires.

Cambridge is the certificate families in German-speaking countries already know. Cambridge English recommends B2 First (for Schools) for school years 11 and 12 and C1 Advanced for years 12 and 13; Bavaria's education ministry recommends C1 Advanced for Gymnasien; and Swiss Exams calls B2 First the most widely taken Cambridge exam in Switzerland. Many schools run a preparation course and an exam sitting through a local centre.

Both exams have four papers: Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking, about three and a half hours for B2 First and four for C1 Advanced. Results come on the Cambridge English Scale: 160 to 179 is B2 and 180 to 199 is C1, so a strong B2 First result already certifies C1, and a top C1 Advanced result certifies C2.

School courses are group courses. What they rarely give is what decides grades A and B: marked writing with the assessment scales in front of the student, a speaking partner who pushes back, and timing practice under exam conditions. That is what the 1-to-1 lessons add; they do not replace the school course or the hundreds of hours a level takes.

13 to 18
Ages: 1:1
1-to-1 online, 60-minute lessons: from £52.50
per hour: 17 October 2026
Facts checked

Who this is for

Gymnasium, AHS and Matura students sitting B2 First or C1 Advanced through school, who want individual feedback on top of the school course.
International-school students who want a certificate alongside MYP, IGCSE or the Diploma, often for a university application.
Students applying to English-taught degrees who prefer a certificate that never expires over an IELTS result that most universities accept for two years.
Students aiming for grade A: 180 or more on B2 First reports C1, and 200 or more on C1 Advanced reports C2.
Students who need Writing and Speaking practice that a class of 25 cannot provide.

What the course covers

Lessons follow the exam the student has booked and the papers where the diagnostic shows the most to gain.

Reading and Use of English

The seven or eight task types, how the distractors work, and the vocabulary and grammar patterns the Use of English parts test again and again.

Writing

The compulsory essay and the second task of the student's choice, written to the published assessment scales and marked with written feedback the student can act on.

Listening

Task-by-task strategy, prediction from the questions, and the accents and speeds of the recordings.

Speaking

The paired format rehearsed live: the interview, the long turn, the collaborative task and the discussion, with the tutor as examiner and as partner.

Timing and exam day

Where the minutes go in each paper, what to skip and return to, and how answer sheets and the computer-based format differ.

Mock exams

Two full timed mocks from official past material before the exam, marked against the scales, with a plan for the final weeks.

B2 First and C1 Advanced at a glance

Levels and scores	B2 First: 160 to 179 is B2; grade A (180 to 190) reports C1. C1 Advanced: 180 to 199 is C1; grade A (200 to 210) reports C2. C2 Proficiency: 200 to 230.
Papers	Reading and Use of English, Writing, Listening, Speaking. About 3.5 hours for B2 First, about 4 hours for C1 Advanced. Paper-based or computer-based, same content and certificate.
For Schools versions	A2 Key, B1 Preliminary and B2 First have a for Schools version: same level, format and certificate, topics chosen for school-age candidates. There is no C1 Advanced for Schools.
Validity	Cambridge certificates do not expire. Universities set their own rules on how recent a result must be.
Recognition	Cambridge cites over 18,000 universities, employers and governments; C1 Advanced alone over 11,000 institutions. Examples: Warwick accepts Cambridge scale scores from 170 to 190 depending on the course, VU Amsterdam 180.
Fees, example centre	Anglo-German Institute Stuttgart, 2026-27: B2 First from €265 (school rate €229), C1 Advanced from €275 (school rate €239). Every centre sets its own fee.
In schools	Cambridge recommends B2 First (for Schools) for years 11 and 12 and C1 Advanced for years 12 and 13. Bavaria's ministry recommends C1 Advanced for Gymnasien. Swiss Exams: B2 First is the most widely taken Cambridge exam in Switzerland.
Hours per level	Cambridge's guideline is about 200 guided learning hours per CEFR level, roughly 500 to 600 cumulative hours to reach B2 and 700 to 800 for C1.

Scores and formats from Cambridge English; fees from the centre's published flyer; university thresholds from the universities' own pages.

B2 First or C1 Advanced?

Take the exam the school offers in that year: B2 First around year 11, C1 Advanced in the final years. For university applications, C1 Advanced or a grade A in B2 First is the result most selective courses want. A student with a secure B2 can sit C1 Advanced; a student at B1+ should take B2 First first.

Tutoring does not replace the hours a level takes

Moving from B1 to B2 or from B2 to C1 takes a few hundred guided hours by Cambridge's own guideline. Ten hours of tutoring sharpen a student who is already at the level; they do not lift a student across one. The diagnostic in the first lesson tells you which case you are in before you buy more hours.

How it works

1
Diagnostic with real tasks
One task from each paper in the first lesson, marked on the Cambridge scales, so you know the starting point and the exam that fits.
2
Plan per paper
Hours go where the diagnostic shows the most to gain, usually Writing and Speaking, with the school course covering the rest.
3
Weekly lessons, timed homework
One lesson a week, a timed task between lessons, written feedback on every piece of writing.
4
Two mocks, then exam day
Full timed mocks three and one weeks out, a final plan for the last days, and the booking made through the school or a local centre.

How many hours?

A student already working at the target level needs about 10 hours of exam technique across the four papers in the 6 to 8 weeks before the exam. A student half a level below needs a term, about 20 hours, with writing homework in between. Five hours cover Writing and Speaking alone when the school course does the rest.

5 hours

£330

£66 per hour

Writing and Speaking only, for students whose school course already covers Reading, Use of English and Listening.

10 hours

£650

£65 per hour

Exam technique across all four papers in the 6 to 8 weeks before the exam, for a student already at the target level.

20 hours

£1,250

£62.50 per hour

A term of preparation for a student half a level below the target, with writing homework between lessons.

Not sure yet? Start with the 3-hour Taster for £210: the level check plus two full lessons.

Exam fees are paid to the exam centre, not to us.

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Frequently asked questions

B2 First or C1 Advanced for my child?: Usually the one the school offers that year: B2 First around year 11, C1 Advanced in the last two years. If the goal is a university application, aim for C1 Advanced or a grade A in B2 First, because selective courses typically ask for 180 or more on the Cambridge scale. The diagnostic in the first lesson settles it if you are unsure.
Is there a C1 Advanced for Schools?: No. For Schools versions exist for A2 Key, B1 Preliminary and B2 First only. C1 Advanced is one exam for everyone; school candidates sit the same paper as adults.
Does a Cambridge certificate expire?: No, the certificate itself has no expiry date. Universities and employers can still set their own rule on how recent a result must be, so check the course page before relying on an old certificate.
Is B2 First enough for a British or Dutch university?: Sometimes. Warwick accepts Cambridge scale scores from 170 for some courses and 180 or 190 for others; VU Amsterdam asks for 180. A grade A in B2 First (180 to 190) meets many of these; a grade B or C usually does not. Check the exact course, and read our guide on whether a school grade already replaces the test.
Can we book the exam through you?: No. Exams are booked through the school or a local authorised centre, which also sets the fee. We help you pick the session and prepare for it.
Paper or computer?: Both exist, with the same content, scale and certificate. Which one is offered depends on the centre. We practise the format the student will actually sit, including the on-screen tools of the computer-based version.

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