English C2
This certificate for the C2 examination is recognized by the Spanish Association of Higher Education Language Centres (ACLES), the CRUE and the Generalitat de Catalunya.
This English exam is for any member of the university community wishing to accredit level C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), whether for personal or professional reasons.
The C2 exam evaluates the candidate’s degree of competence through integrated tasks that combine distinct language skills.
The exam consists of the following tests:
| Test | Duration |
| Listening & Writing | 90 mins approx. |
| Writing | 60 mins approx. |
| Reading & Speaking | 45-50 mins approx. |
All the parts of the exam have equal weighting.
All certificates awarded by the Language Service are valid both within the UAB and the Catalan university system.
| Proficient User - C2 |
| Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. |
Candidates must demonstrate the ability to write complex texts using the vocabulary and grammatical resources appropriate to this level, in order to produce a logically structured, clear and fluent text that helps the reader understand the content adequately.
Candidates should write a minimum of 400 words.
Example of a Writing task
Evaluation criteria
This test evaluates the ability to understand distinct texts and graphs, select relevant information and then integrate this into an oral task, adapting where necessary. Candidates must also demonstrate their ability to reply to questions on a given topic in a fluent and well-structured manner.
The test consists of three parts:
Part 1. Formal presentation. Candidates have 30 minutes’ preparation time before the task
Part 2. Questions on the topic presented. The examiner will ask a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 questions.
Part 3. Discussion of a topic
The test is carried out individually and takes, in total, about 45-50 minutes (30 minutes’ preparation + 16-20 minutes’ task).
Example of a Speaking test
Evaluation criteria
Candidates must demonstrate their comprehension of an audio text of an informative nature drawn from a broad range of topics; the texts may even be abstract, complex and specialist. The audio, which last approximately 10 minutes, will be played twice.
On the basis of their notes, candidates must then write a text of about 500 words that should include ideas from the audio text and also their own opinion on the topic in question.
Example of a Listening & Writing task
Test audio: a fragment from a BBC video on the origins of the Open University
Evaluation criteria
The Reading and Listening & Writing tests are evaluated by two examiners based on established assessment criteria. In the event of any discrepancy, the tasks are then evaluated by a third assessor.
The Reading & Speaking test is evaluated by two examiners based on established assessment criteria. The interviewing examiner is provided with holistic criteria and the assessing examiner has analytical criteria.
Criteria for Passing
To pass the level C2 exam, candidates must obtain a minimum of 50% in each test and a 60% global mark.
