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Course Contents

CPE Preparation — full course

10 modules · 40 lessons · 10 Review Labs · 3 Mock Exams · Final Simulation

  1. KETKey · A2
  2. PETPreliminary · B1
  3. FCEFirst · B2
  4. CAEAdvanced · C1
  5. CPEProficiency · C2

The course

C1 to C2, exam-ready.

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Listening
  • Speaking
  • Use of English
  • Exam technique
  • 40 Lessons
  • 10 Review Labs
  • 3 Mock Exams
  • ~55 Hours
  • Final CPE Simulation
  • 50 in total

Skills you'll develop

Five strands. Every module.

ReadingUse of EnglishWritingListeningSpeaking

Expected outcomes

By the end, you will…

  • Walk into the Cambridge C2 Proficiency exam knowing every paper, every part and every task type.
  • Read and listen to authentic C2 material for gist, detail, attitude, opinion and inference.
  • Write across all C2 genres — essay, article, report, proposal, review, formal letter/email — with native-like register control.
  • Speak fluently and abstractly across all three Speaking parts: interview, long turn and collaborative discussion.
  • Deploy genuinely C2 grammar — inversion, cleft, ellipsis, substitution, nuanced modality — naturally in real communication.
  • Sit three full mock exams plus a final CPE simulation under realistic timing.

Module roadmap

10 modules · 40 lessons

Module 1 · Lessons 01–04

Language, Identity & Influence

How language constructs who we are — and how we sway others

CEFR C2

→ Project a precise, evaluative voice; read attitude and rhetorical intent; respond to abstract prompts with nuance rather than formula.

Lessons

  1. 01

    Voice, Identity & C2

    What CPE rewards at C2 — and where your voice sits now

    Talking about who you are with C2 precision rather than rehearsed lines.

  2. 02

    Part 1 with Edge

    Sounding like a person, not a candidate

    Holding personal conversation with nuance, dry humour and stance.

  3. 03

    Lexical Precision

    R&UoE Part 1 — connotation, collocation and shade

    Choosing the exactly right word in real adult writing.

  4. 04

    Reading Between the Lines

    Listening Part 1 — attitude, tone and implication

    Hearing what speakers mean, not just what they say.

What you'll be able to do

  • Articulate what CPE actually rewards at C2 and self-locate honestly against it.
  • Speak in Part 1 with evaluative precision, register-shifting and controlled stance.
  • Decode connotation, collocation and shade of meaning in R&UoE Part 1.
  • Track tone, attitude and implication across Listening Part 1 extracts.

Review Lab 1

Review Lab 1 — Identity & Influence Warm-up

Review Lessons 01–04

A communicative warm-up across Speaking P1 with abstract prompts, R&UoE P1 lexical-precision items, three Listening P1 extracts on tone, and a 180-word reflective paragraph on how language shapes how you come across.

Projecting a C2 voiceLexical precision under pressureReading attitude in speechSelf-locating against C2 expectations

Open Review Lab

Module 2 · Lessons 05–08

Grammar in Action

Structures that get marks and get meaning

CEFR C2

→ Use advanced structures naturally in speech and writing; transform meaning precisely; take accurate notes from live speech.

Lessons

  1. 05

    Key Word Transformations

    Patterns, paraphrase and precision

    Paraphrasing accurately — a real-world editing skill.

  2. 06

    Inversion & Cleft

    Emphasis that lands in speech and writing

    Foregrounding what matters when you speak persuasively.

  3. 07

    R&UoE Part 2 Open Cloze

    Grammar in discourse, not in isolation

    Following — and writing — texts that hang together.

  4. 08

    Listening Part 2 Notes & Detail

    Sentence completion from extended monologue

    Note-taking in lectures, briefings and talks.

What you'll be able to do

  • Perform Key Word Transformations with control and natural meaning.
  • Use inversion and cleft sentences for emphasis in real speech.
  • Approach Open Cloze with grammar-in-discourse awareness.
  • Complete sentence-completion tasks from extended audio.

Review Lab 2

Review Lab 2 — Use of English Clinic

Review Lessons 05–08

A communicative grammar clinic: pairs solve mixed R&UoE items together, justify their answers aloud, then run a 'live grammar' Speaking P3 task using the target structures.

Transformation controlCohesionListening for detailTalking through grammar

Open Review Lab

Module 3 · Lessons 09–12

Word Power

Lexical range, formation and the essay

CEFR C2

→ Form, choose and combine words with C1 precision; read long arguments closely; write an essay that argues, not just describes.

Lessons

  1. 09

    Word Formation in Depth

    Suffixes, prefixes and internal change

    Expanding active vocabulary by family, not by item.

  2. 10

    R&UoE Part 3 in Context

    Word formation under exam pressure

    Hearing forms in interviews and recognising them on the page.

  3. 11

    Reading Part 5 Close Reading

    Multiple choice on a long text

    Reading long-form journalism with comprehension and stance.

  4. 12

    Writing Part 1 The Essay

    Argument, balance and cohesion

    Writing the kind of structured argument university and work demand.

What you'll be able to do

  • Use prefixes, suffixes and internal change to form C2 vocabulary.
  • Decode R&UoE P3 stems and choose register-appropriate forms.
  • Read long opinion texts and answer detail / inference questions.
  • Plan and draft a CPE essay with stance, balance and cohesion.

Review Lab 3

Review Lab 3 — Essay Workshop

Review Lessons 09–12

A collaborative essay studio: learners co-plan a CPE essay prompt, write to time, swap for peer critique using a CPE-style band guide and discuss revisions aloud in a Speaking P3 frame.

Stance writingPeer critiqueLexical rangeSpeaking about ideas

Open Review Lab

Module 4 · Lessons 13–16

Reading & Listening Strands

Discourse, opinion and the long turn

CEFR C2

→ Compare opinions across sources; track cohesion in long texts; follow long interviews; talk fluently for a minute on photo prompts.

Lessons

  1. 13

    Reading Part 6 Across Texts

    Cross-text multiple matching of opinion

    Reading several writers on one issue and seeing where they agree.

  2. 14

    Reading Part 7 Gapped Text

    Cohesion, reference and discourse signposts

    Following long-form arguments without losing the thread.

  3. 15

    Listening Part 3 Long Interview

    Tracking attitude over time

    Listening to long interviews and forming your own response.

  4. 16

    Speaking Part 2 Long Turn

    Comparing photos with timing and stance

    Speaking for a minute with structure, comparison and personal angle.

What you'll be able to do

  • Match opinions and attitudes across four short texts (P6).
  • Reconstruct cohesion in gapped long texts (P7).
  • Track ideas and attitude across a long interview (Listening P3).
  • Compare, speculate and answer in Speaking Part 2 with timing.

Review Lab 4

Review Lab 4 — Reading Scenarios Lab

Review Lessons 13–16

Learners receive a 'topic dossier' (4 short texts + a gapped long-read + a photo pair), read in groups, then run a discussion that includes a Speaking P2 long turn and a P3-style decision.

Cross-text readingCohesionLong turnDiscussion

Open Review Lab

Module 5 · Lessons 17–20

Mock Exam 1 & Writing Genres I

First full sitting, then the formal genres

CEFR C2

→ Sit a CPE paper end-to-end; reflect on it as a communication event; write formal proposals and reports that get read and acted on.

Lessons

  1. 17

    Mock Exam 1 Full Sitting

    Reading & Use of English · Listening · Writing · Speaking

    Experiencing the full exam rhythm — a real performance event.

  2. 18

    After the Mock Patterns & Voice

    Genuine lesson: error patterns, recasting and stance language

    Turning mistakes into named useful language you can hear yourself use.

  3. 19

    Writing Part 2 The Proposal

    Persuasion, structure and formal register

    Writing a proposal a decision-maker would actually approve.

  4. 20

    Writing Part 2 The Report

    Neutral register, sections and recommendation

    Producing the kind of report used at work and in study.

What you'll be able to do

  • Complete a full Mock Exam under timed conditions.
  • Diagnose patterns in your own performance and reframe them as language goals.
  • Write a CPE Proposal with persuasive structure and formal register.
  • Write a CPE Report with neutral register, headings and recommendation.

Review Lab 5

Review Lab 5 — Proposal & Report Studio

Review Lessons 17–20

Mixed teams receive a real-world brief, agree a position in a Speaking P3 task, split into proposal vs report drafters and present back with peer critique against CPE band descriptors.

Formal genresPersuasionCollaborative decision-makingPeer critique

Open Review Lab

Module 6 · Lessons 21–24

Listening & Speaking Strands

Many voices, real interaction

CEFR C2

→ Track multiple speakers and opinions; negotiate, persuade and mediate; sustain a real discussion under exam pressure.

Lessons

  1. 21

    Listening Part 4 Many Voices

    Multiple matching from monologues

    Tuning into five different voices on the same theme.

  2. 22

    Speaking Part 3 Deciding Together

    Collaborative task that reaches a real decision

    Talking your way to a shared decision — at work, in study, anywhere.

  3. 23

    Speaking Part 4 Extended Opinion

    Discussion with stance, nuance and follow-up

    Holding your own in a real intellectual conversation.

  4. 24

    Negotiation & Mediation

    Persuasion, diplomatic disagreement, repair

    Disagreeing without breaking the relationship.

What you'll be able to do

  • Match opinions across five short monologues (Listening P4).
  • Run a collaborative task that actually reaches a decision.
  • Sustain extended opinion in Speaking Part 4 with stance and nuance.
  • Negotiate, mediate and disagree diplomatically under pressure.

Review Lab 6

Review Lab 6 — Paired Speaking Lab

Review Lessons 21–24

Full simulated Speaking sittings in trios (two candidates + observer/examiner) with rotation, peer feedback against CPE Speaking criteria, and a short R&UoE warm-up to keep the spiral live.

All Speaking partsNegotiationPeer assessmentDiplomatic disagreement

Open Review Lab

Module 7 · Lessons 25–28

Advanced Grammar & Spiral R&UoE

Stance, modality, nominalisation

CEFR C2+

→ Express stance, calibrate certainty and write/speak with nominalised, cohesive density without losing voice.

Lessons

  1. 25

    Inversion, Cleft & Fronting

    Stance structures that earn marks

    Sounding considered and emphatic without sounding theatrical.

  2. 26

    Modality & Hedging

    Calibrated certainty across genres

    Saying exactly how sure you are — no more, no less.

  3. 27

    Nominalisation & Cohesion

    Density and flow in long texts

    Writing the dense, formal prose CPE Writing and real reports use.

  4. 28

    Spiral R&UoE Mixed Practice

    All four parts in one sitting

    Switching modes fluently between exam parts under time.

What you'll be able to do

  • Use inversion, cleft and fronting for stance — not for show.
  • Calibrate certainty with modality and hedging across genres.
  • Use nominalisation for cohesion in reports and long texts.
  • Move fluently across all four R&UoE parts in mixed practice.

Review Lab 7

Review Lab 7 — Full R&UoE Lab

Review Lessons 25–28

A communicative R&UoE lab: pairs race through all four parts on a shared theme, then run a Listening P2 note-taking task and a Speaking P2 long turn on the same topic to keep the language alive.

All R&UoE partsStance languageCohesionSpeaking from text

Open Review Lab

Module 8 · Lessons 29–32

Mock Exam 2 & Writing Genres II

Mid-course sitting, then Review and Correspondence

CEFR C2+

→ Sustain performance across a long paper; write reviews with voice; handle formal and semi-formal correspondence with tact.

Lessons

  1. 29

    Mock Exam 2 Full Sitting

    Reading & Use of English · Listening · Writing · Speaking

    Building exam stamina the only way it can be built — by doing it.

  2. 30

    After the Mock Stamina & Strategy

    Genuine lesson: pacing, decision-making, stance language

    Naming the language you'll use to manage time, decisions and risk.

  3. 31

    Writing Part 2 The Review

    Personal voice, evaluation and recommendation

    Writing the kind of review people actually read and trust.

  4. 32

    Writing Part 2 Email & Letter

    Formal and semi-formal correspondence

    Handling sensitive emails at work and in study with tact.

What you'll be able to do

  • Complete a second full Mock Exam with better strategy and stamina.
  • Extract communication and language goals from mock performance.
  • Write a CPE Review with personal voice, evaluation and recommendation.
  • Write CPE Emails and Letters across formal/semi-formal register.

Review Lab 8

Review Lab 8 — Review & Correspondence Studio

Review Lessons 29–32

Teams co-draft a Review and a chain of emails around one scenario, justify choices aloud in a Speaking P3/P4 frame and peer-critique against CPE Writing descriptors.

Evaluative writingRegister controlJustificationPeer critique

Open Review Lab

Module 9 · Lessons 33–36

Exam Strategy in Action

Time, error, recovery, polish

CEFR C2+

→ Manage time across all four papers; self-correct in flight; recover and repair in speech; edit writing to land in 45 minutes.

Lessons

  1. 33

    Time Across All Papers

    Pacing R&UoE, Reading and Listening

    Pacing yourself in any high-stakes reading and listening task.

  2. 34

    Error Patterns & Self-Correction

    Genuine teaching: noticing, naming, fixing

    Catching yourself mid-sentence and recovering elegantly.

  3. 35

    Speaking Under Pressure

    Repair, recasting, recovery in real time

    Sounding fluent even when something goes wrong.

  4. 36

    Writing in 45 Minutes

    Planning, drafting and editing to time

    Producing a polished piece in 45 minutes — useful far beyond CPE.

What you'll be able to do

  • Time-manage Reading & Use of English and Listening with rules of thumb.
  • Diagnose your own error patterns and name them in real time.
  • Repair, recast and recover under speaking pressure.
  • Plan, draft and edit a Writing task in 45 minutes without panic.

Review Lab 9

Review Lab 9 — Endurance Lab

Review Lessons 33–36

A half-paper timed sitting (R&UoE + Listening) followed by a group talk: pairs name what slowed them down, swap strategies and run a Speaking P3 task on 'how to perform under pressure'.

PacingStrategy talkRepair languageReflection talk

Open Review Lab

Module 10 · Lessons 37–40

Mock Exam 3 & Final CPE Simulation

Last sitting, final polish, exam-day readiness

CEFR C2+

→ Walk into the real exam already familiar with the rhythm; speak and write with polish, range and interaction; manage exam-day nerves with language strategies.

Lessons

  1. 37

    Mock Exam 3 Full Sitting

    Reading & Use of English · Listening · Writing · Speaking

    Doing the exam one last time before the real one — calmly.

  2. 38

    After the Mock Closing the Gaps

    Genuine lesson: targeted reformulation and register polish

    Naming the last few gaps and the language that closes them.

  3. 39

    Speaking Polish Range & Interaction

    Range, fluency and interaction marks

    Sounding like a confident C1 user, not a candidate.

  4. 40

    Writing Polish & Exam Day

    Register, cohesion, and the day itself

    Walking into exam day with a plan and the words for it.

What you'll be able to do

  • Complete a third full Mock Exam with confident pacing.
  • Close gaps with targeted, named language interventions.
  • Polish Speaking for range, fluency and interaction marks.
  • Polish Writing for register, cohesion and exam-day readiness.

Review Lab 10

Review Lab 10 — Final CPE Simulation

Review Lessons 37–40

A full simulated exam day — Reading & Use of English, Listening, Writing and Speaking — followed by a group talk in which learners articulate, in C1 English, what changed across the course.

Full exam performancePulling it all togetherStance & nuanceExam-day language

Open Review Lab

Mock Exam Pathway

Assessment that teaches

  1. Readiness Check →

    Before Lesson 01 — warm-up, no pass/fail

  2. Warm-up Review Lab

    Review Lab 1

  3. Mock Exam 1 + 'After the Mock: Patterns & Voice'

    Module 5

  4. Mock Exam 2 + 'After the Mock: Stamina & Strategy'

    Module 8

  5. Mock Exam 3 + 'After the Mock: Closing the Gaps'

    Module 10

  6. Final CPE Simulation

    Review Lab 10

  7. Final Exit Test →

    End-of-course check