14.1 Interpreting Your Statement of Results

What You Receive After A2 Key

Quick Answer: After Cambridge A2 Key, you get a Statement of Results (SoR) first, then a certificate later if you meet the conditions for certification. The SoR reports your overall Cambridge English Scale score, your CEFR level, your grade (A, B, or C when you pass at A2 or above), and four skill scores: Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.

Cambridge does not treat A2 Key as a single “pass/fail percentage” on a school-style answer sheet. Your performance is converted onto the Cambridge English Scale. For A2 Key, the band that matters for most decisions is 100–150. That scale score is what teachers, schools, and employers can compare across sessions and across Cambridge exams.

You should expect two different documents on two different timelines:

1. Statement of Results (SoR) — the detailed score report you use for study decisions, school placement talks, and understanding strengths/weaknesses.
2. Certificate — the formal qualification document (when awarded) that arrives after the SoR, once Cambridge and your centre complete the certification process.

If your overall performance is below the A2 pass band but still within the reported A2 Key range, you may still receive recognition at CEFR A1 (typically when the overall scale score is 100–119). Always read the SoR text and the skill profile carefully rather than assuming “no certificate” means “no useful score.”

The Main Numbers on Your Statement of Results

Overall score (Cambridge English Scale)

Your overall score is a single number on the Cambridge English Scale. For A2 Key decisions, remember these bands:

These bands match how Cambridge reports A2 Key: 120 is the usual threshold people treat as the A2 pass line for Grades C–B, while 140+ is Grade A and signals B1-level performance on this qualification’s scale.

The overall score is not “total marks correct ÷ total marks × 100.” It is produced from your skill scale scores. In practice, treat overall as the average of the four skills—Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking—each equally important.

CEFR level on the SoR

The SoR also indicates the CEFR level associated with your overall performance. CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) is the international ladder A1 → A2 → B1 → B2 → C1 → C2.

For A2 Key candidates:

• A2 is the target level of the exam (typically overall 120–139).
• B1 can appear for Grade A candidates (overall 140–150), even though the exam you sat was A2 Key.
• A1 can appear for candidates in the 100–119 band when that outcome is awarded.

CEFR on the SoR is useful when a school or employer asks “What level are you?” in international terms. Grade letters (A/B/C) are Cambridge’s grade labels for this exam; CEFR is the wider level language.

Grade (A, B, or C)

When you pass at A2 or above, Cambridge reports a grade:

A Grade C is still a real A2 qualification. Do not treat Grade C as “almost failed.” It means you met the A2 standard. Grade B means you are comfortably inside A2. Grade A means your scale score has moved into the B1 reporting range for this exam.

Four skill scores: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking

Under the overall score, the SoR breaks performance into four skills:

Important teaching points candidates often miss:

• Reading and Writing share one paper and 60 minutes, but they produce two separate skill scores.
• Because Reading and Writing each count 25%, that paper effectively drives half of your overall result.
• Listening and Speaking each count 25% as well—there is no “optional” skill for the average.
• Cambridge does not normally require a separate minimum pass in every skill for the overall grade in the simple way some school tests do. A low skill can still pull the average down. That is why a 145 Reading and a 105 Writing can still create a weaker overall than a balanced profile.

Each skill score is also reported on the Cambridge English Scale. Read them as a profile, not as decoration.

Example Score Profiles (How to Read Them)

Profile 1 — Balanced A2 pass (Grade C)

Study message: You passed. Keep all four skills active, but notice Speaking is the softest number. Add short daily speaking routines (Part 1 personal questions + Part 2 discussion phrases) so a retake or B1 bridge does not stall on speaking confidence.

Profile 2 — Strong Listening/Speaking, weaker Writing

Study message: Do not celebrate only the high Listening score. Writing at 112 is below the A2 band. Prioritise Part 6 content points and Part 7 story structure, plus Language (accuracy of simple tenses, connectors, and spelling of high-frequency words).

Profile 3 — Grade A signal for B1 readiness

Study message: This is a strong “ready to start B1 Preliminary prep” profile. Begin longer reading texts, more extended writing, and B1-style listening/speaking tasks while the habits from A2 Key are still fresh.

When Results and Certificates Arrive

Timelines vary by centre, exam session, and whether you took digital or paper A2 Key. Use these as planning ranges candidates commonly work with—not as a promise for one specific test date.

Statement of Results timing

Digital sessions usually release results faster because scripts and computer-based processing move more quickly. Paper sessions need marking and administrative steps that take longer.

Practical advice:

• Ask your centre for the exact results-release information for your session.
• Check the results channel your centre used when you registered (online results service / centre communication).
• Do not assume a friend who sat a different format will get results on the same day as you.

Certificate timing

The certificate arrives later than the SoR. As a planning guide many candidates use:

These certificate windows are longer than SoR windows because certificate production and centre distribution come after results are confirmed. A gap between “I can already see my scores” and “I hold the paper certificate” is normal.

If you need a certificate for a school application, visa-related English evidence, or a workplace deadline, plan backward from the deadline: exam date → SoR → certificate. Do not book the exam one week before a hard document deadline unless your centre has confirmed an exceptional timeline.

How to Use Weaker Skill Scores to Plan Next Study

The SoR’s greatest study value is the skill profile. After results day, complete this short diagnostic loop:

Step 1 — Rank the four skill scores

Write them from lowest to highest. Your lowest skill is first priority unless two skills are almost equal and both sit below 120.

Step 2 — Map each weak skill to concrete tasks

Step 3 — Build a two-week repair block

Example if Writing is lowest:

• Days 1–3: Three Part 6 emails/notes with a content-point checklist before you write.
• Days 4–6: Three Part 7 picture stories using past simple + sequence words (first, then, after that, finally).
• Days 7–10: Rewrite earlier scripts after self-check for articles, verb forms, and connectors.
• Days 11–14: One mixed mock paper, but score Writing against the three criteria first, then check other skills.

Step 4 — Decide: retake A2 Key, or move toward B1?

Use overall + profile, not hope:

Step 5 — Avoid common results traps

Results Day Checklist

1. Record overall score, grade/CEFR, and all four skill scores in one place.
2. Circle any skill below 120 or more than about 10–15 points below your strongest skill.
3. Note SoR date and expected certificate window for your format.
4. Choose one 2–4 week focus skill with a task list from the table above.
5. Only then decide on retake, school submission, or B1 Preliminary start date.

If you can explain your SoR in one minute—“My overall is X, Grade Y, weakest skill is Writing at Z, so my next two weeks are Part 6/7”—you have interpreted the document correctly and turned results into a study plan.