Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET)

Cambridge English: Preliminary, also known as the Preliminary English Test (PET), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge English Language Assessment (previously known as University of Cambridge ESOL examinations). Cambridge English: Preliminary is an intermediate level qualification which demonstrates the ability to communicate using English for everyday purposes.

Launched in 1980, Cambridge English: Preliminary is designed to show that learners can use their English language skills in everyday situations when working, studying and travelling. It is focused on Level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Cambridge English: Preliminary is offered in two variations: Cambridge English: Preliminary for adult learners and Cambridge English: Preliminary for Schools, for school-aged learners. Both versions of the exam lead to the same qualification, the Preliminary English Test. Both versions have the same exam format (three exam papers) – the only difference is that the topics in the ‘for Schools’ version have been targeted at the interests and experiences of school-aged learners.

Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) for Schools is part of a suite of qualifications designed specifically for school-aged learners, which includes Cambridge English: Key (KET) for Schools, focused on CEFR Level A2, and Cambridge English: First (FCE) for Schools, focused on CEFR Level B2.

Cambridge English: Preliminary was launched by the University of Cambridge Local Exam Syndicate (UCLES) in 1943 as the Preliminary English Test. It had been created as a special exam to meet the contingencies of the Second World War – catering for the large numbers of foreign servicemen needing English. However, despite recording over a thousand candidates during its first year, the exam was discontinued at the end of World War II (1946).

It was not until the late 1970s that UCLES reconsidered and explored the viability of a preliminary level exam that tested language at a level approximately two-thirds of the way towards Cambridge English: First (FCE). Cambridge English: Preliminary was reintroduced in 1980 and offered to candidates throughout the 1980s in restricted entry form.

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