Your 5-month plan for Cambridge B2 First (FCE)
1. Goal, deadline and feasibility
Goal: sit and pass B2 First in about 5 months (around early March 2027, about 21 weeks from today). I've assumed you haven't picked an exam date yet. Book one soon, because a fixed date makes the plan real.
Time: 6 hours a week for 21 weeks is about 125 hours. After holidays, illness and slow weeks, expect roughly 100 usable hours.
Honest check: Cambridge's own guidance for moving from B1 to B2 is much higher than that, in the range of 150 to 200 guided study hours. Your plan is possible but tight, and I can't promise a pass. Writing and speaking are your weak points, and they improve slowly. Three ways to improve your odds:
- Add 1 to 2 hours a week of easy input: podcasts, series or reading you enjoy. It's passive, so it doesn't count toward the 6 hours.
- Choose an exam date 6 to 8 weeks later (a later session, if one is available).
- Keep the date, and accept that your first attempt may also serve as a realistic benchmark.
Check the exam format, timings and marking criteria in the official Cambridge handbook. I'm giving a general outline, not the official syllabus.
2. Stages
| Stage | Weeks | You will be able to | Main practice | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Baseline and habit | 1–3 | Describe the exam parts, run your routine without effort, and name your top 5 recurring errors | One untimed past-paper section per skill to find weak spots; start an error log; 5-minute daily speaking recordings | Did you complete at least 80% of planned sessions for 3 weeks? Is the error log started? |
| 2. Accuracy and fluency base | 4–10 | Write clear, correct paragraphs. Speak for 1 minute on a familiar topic without long freezes | Coursebook units on grammar and vocabulary. Short writing tasks, rewritten after checking your errors. Weekly speaking with a partner or tutor | A 150-word written piece with noticeably fewer repeated errors. A 1-minute recorded talk with no more than 2 long pauses |
| 3. Exam skills by paper | 11–16 | Handle each exam task type, manage time per task, and write the required text types | Task-by-task past-paper practice, then timed. Writing practice by text type, plus feedback if you can get it. Listening with transcripts | A timed section for each paper. Compare with Stage 1 scores. Decide what to revisit |
| 4. Exam conditions and polish | 17–21 | Finish full papers on time and stay calm in speaking | Full past papers under real conditions (about 1 per week, alternating skills). Mock speaking test with a partner. Review the error log | Full-paper results trending up. In the final week, only light review and rest |
3. Weekly template for Stage 1
Weeks 1–2 are deliberately light: about 4 hours, not 6. You said you overdo the first two weeks, so this is the safeguard. Start at week 3 with the full schedule.
| Day | Time | Task |
|---|---|---|
| Mon evening | 45 min (Wk 3+: 1 h) | Coursebook: one short section, plus note 5 new words or phrases |
| Wed evening | 45 min (Wk 3+: 1 h) | Writing: one short task (80–100 words). Mark errors in the error log |
| Thu evening | 45 min (Wk 3+: 1 h) | Listening: one short past-paper part, then check with the transcript |
| Sun morning | 1.5 h (Wk 3+: 2 h) | Past-paper section (Reading or Use of English), then 15 min review of the week's errors and vocabulary |
| Daily | 5 min | Record yourself answering one question aloud. Listen back once |
| Fri or Sat | 0 (Wk 3+: 1 h) | Flexible slot: catch up on anything missed, or skip it and rest |
Spaced review: revisit new words and errors after 1 day, 1 week and 1 month. On Sundays, the 15-minute review covers last week's items. Once a month, spend 20 minutes on items from four weeks ago.
For the speaking freeze:
- Make recording yourself a daily habit, because it's low pressure.
- Learn a few phrases for buying time ("Let me think…", "That's an interesting question…").
- From Stage 2, add one live conversation a week with a tutor, an exchange partner or a friend.
For writing: always rewrite a corrected version. Fixing your own errors helps you more than just reading the corrections.
4. Review and catch-up rules
- Weekly check (5 min, end of Sunday): What did I finish? What slipped? What is the one thing to change next week?
- If you miss a session: use the flexible slot. If the slot is already used, drop the lowest-priority task (extra vocabulary before past-paper practice). Don't pile up missed sessions or double up next week.
- If you fall behind two weeks in a row: cut the scope (fewer tasks per session), not your sleep. If it keeps happening, tell me and we'll rebuild the plan from your real hours.
- If you're ahead: don't add hours. Use the extra time for easy input or speaking, and keep the schedule.
- Final stretch (weeks 17–21): full papers under real conditions: timed, no pauses, no dictionary. Spend the last week on light review and rest.
5. Resources by type
- Your coursebook, for grammar, vocabulary and topic structure.
- Your past papers, kept for checkpoints. Don't use them all up in Stage 1.
- The official exam handbook or sample papers, to check format and marking criteria.
- A speaking partner or tutor, and someone to give feedback on writing, if possible.
- Podcasts or videos at B1–B2 level for easy listening.
6. Questions and assumptions to confirm
- Do you have an exam date, or should I assume early March 2027?
- I assumed 6 hours is realistic every week. Is it, or are some weeks (holidays, work peaks) lighter?
- Which past papers do you have (full papers, with answer keys and writing samples)? That affects how I pace Stage 3.
- Can you get a speaking partner or writing feedback (a tutor, friend or online exchange)? Without feedback, writing improves more slowly.
- Is passing the goal, or a particular grade? I've planned for passing.
If you confirm or correct these, I'll adjust the plan.
Test run with a fictional learner. The plan states a guided-hours figure for B1 to B2 that the model gave from memory and the user did not supply; check it against the exam body's own guidance before relying on it. The stage outline is general, not the official syllabus.
它做什么
先用一小批问题了解情况（目标和截止日期、当前水平、每周真实可用的小时数、手头资料、以前哪里失败过），再把所需时间和你拥有的时间对照，不匹配就直说。它把目标拆成三到六个阶段，每个阶段都有可观察的成果、主题、练习、时长和检查点。它把第一阶段变成带间隔复习的每周模板，加上每周回顾和落后时的规则（砍范围，不砍睡眠），并建议每个阶段需要哪类资料。练习优先于阅读，计划按你的真实时间并留出缓冲。
输出
目标与可行性说明、阶段表、第一阶段的每周模板、复习与补救规则，以及需要你确认的假设。
适合什么场景
备考、学语言或学新技能、想要一份能坚持下去的计划的学习者。它不教具体学科，也不承诺分数或结果。
低风险：纯指令文件，没有脚本，不联网，不写文件。它只做计划和安排。不要把它的阶段当作官方大纲，请以考试机构自己的资料为准。已用一位虚构的学习者试用一次：计划可用，但它凭记忆引用了一个学习小时数，用户并没有提供，请自行核实。它不承诺任何结果。AIBars 原创（MIT）。