How to use the Cambridge FCE and CAE level checker
B2 First and C1 Advanced both report a single Cambridge English Scale score, and that one score settles the grade as well as the level printed on the certificate. The top band is reported one level above the exam you sat, the passing bands at that level, and the band under the pass mark one level below. Pick the exam, enter the score, and the checker shows both at once.
A score at or above a threshold falls into that band. Points to the next band are rounded up, so adding the figure shown really does move you into the band above. When you are already in the top band the checker says there is nothing above it.
All four thresholds are editable. The defaults are the September 2026 figures and they can be revised, so enter the bands printed on your own statement of results if they differ. The checker does not rebuild a scale score from individual paper scores.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cambridge exams do not simply pass or fail you at the level you sat. The scale score falls into a band, and the band decides whether the result is reported at the level above, at that level, or at the level below.
The grade of that band. With a Grade C threshold of 160 pts, a score of 160 pts is Grade C, while 159 pts drops into the lower-level band.
The bands are published but they can be revised and they differ between the two exams. The values here are September 2026 defaults, so the numbers on your own statement of results give the accurate answer.