What are the pass marks for FCE, CAE and CPE?
The percentage of marks needed to achieve each grade may vary from session to session depending on the precise difficulty of the individual papers which make up the particular examination. The approximate range of percentages for each grade at FCE, CAE and CPE level are:

Grade A 80% and above
Grade B 75% to 79%
Grade C 60% to 74%
Grade D 55% to 59%
Grade E 54% and below.

This information appears on the Statement of Results.

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What marks are given to different papers?
Each paper is equally weighted at 40 marks. The candidate's aggregate score for all of the papers is then used in awarding a grade.

This information is included in the FCE, CAE and CPE Information for Candidates documents, in the Learner Resources section.

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If papers have more than 40 available marks, how is a candidate's total out of 40 calculated?
For each of the papers, the mark awarded to the candidate is weighted to a mark out of 40 in this way:

Candidate's score × 40 ÷ maximum number of possible marks.

This gives each paper in the examination equal importance. The weighted marks for each paper are then added together to give an aggregate score, and it is this score on which the grade is based.

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Why does the C grade have a wider percentage of marks than the A or B grades?
The Main Suite examinations are focused at a particular level of language proficiency, unlike examinations such as IELTS, which covers the spectrum of ability from Waystage to Advanced.

Therefore, the primary function of these examinations is to identify passing (and failing) candidates. The higher grades are far enough from the Pass cutoff to suggest a distinctly higher level of achievement, and this is recognised by the award of B and A grades.