If you are taking the Cambridge C1 Advanced exam soon or you are preparing a class of students to take the exam, you are probably wondering about the best books for Cambridge C1 Advanced preparation. There are so many books out there: big ones, tall ones, short ones, long ones, ones written by well-known authors, ones written by your friend’s neighbour, ones which have lovely shiny pictures and ones that are nothing but text. There are even books written by Breakout English! But there are only a few books that I think deserve to be called the best books for Cambridge C1 Advanced.
I’ve been teaching Cambridge exams and writing materials to help my students learn and other teachers teach for many years. During that time, I’ve come across a huge range of C1 Advanced books and materials. However, it’s not always one-size-fits-all with exam preparation books, so I’ve chosen my favourite options in a few different categories depending on teaching and learning context.
Contents
Best overall book for Cambridge C1 Advanced
Straight to Advanced – Richard Storton and Zoltán Rézmüves, Macmillan
This book gets into the details of the exam without spending too much time on lengthy explanations or other fluff. The grammar sections are on-point and the training sections are clear. It’s also got some interesting topics that can be easily expanded upon and discussed when used in the classroom. The writing bank, grammar bank, word lists and online workbook complete the package.
Best book for an intensive course
Compact Advanced – Peter May, Cambridge
This is how to prepare for the exam as quickly as possible. It includes 10 units that focus on pure exam practice and training with to-the-point grammar and vocabulary sections to boot. The thing I like most about Compact Advanced is that the level isn’t reduced for training purposes. The listening and readings you get are just as challenging as they will be in the real exam, something which other course books don’t always succeed in.
Best book if you’ve got lots of time
Ready for Advanced – Roy Norris and Amanda French, Macmillan
If a more complete Cambridge C1 Advanced books exists, I haven’t found it. It goes into a lot of detail about each section of the exam, meaning you’ll have plenty of training on how to go about it. Some of the grammar and vocabulary sections are slightly overthought or overexplained, but you’ll also find useful language which isn’t touched by shorter course books. Don’t expect to get through this book in an average length course, but if you’ve got time, it’s a good choice.
Best supplementary book
Exam Booster for Advanced – Carole Allsop, Mark Little and Anne Robinson, Cambridge
You can use this to supplement material in the classroom or as a self-study book. Each section of the exam is broken down into short units which also focus on common topics seen at C1 level. You may need to use more than just this book if you are preparing for the exam by yourself, but this does a good job of looking at different parts of the exam and making you think about how to deal with each task effectively.
Best exam practice book
Advanced Trainer – Felicity O’Dell and Michael Black, Cambridge
Getting authentic exam practice is an essential part of exam preparation, but spending hours and hours doing practice papers without any input isn’t going to suddenly make you pass the exam. The good thing about Advanced Trainer is that it includes 2 in-depth units that explain in detail how to do the exam tasks. Then you’ve got 4 more practice tests to apply what you’ve learnt. There’s also Advanced Trainer 2 for those who want even more.
Best for flexible courses
Formula C1 Advanced – Helen Chilton and Lynda Edwards, Pearson
Formula C1 Advanced combines exam preparation with digital resources and an app. The book is designed so it can be used for long or short courses, with core units and extended sections. There is also the Formula C1 Exam Trainer which focuses purely on the exam tasks and technique.
Advanced Writing Plus
Work on C1 Advanced essays, reports, proposals, reviews, letters and emails with guided practice, model answers and an answer key.
Digital PDF: €9.95 · Also available in paperback
Very useful and practical information to consider when you are sitting for your C1 exam in a near future. Thank you
You’re welcome Vivianne. So glad it was useful!