Cambridge English: Preliminary Vocabulary List

Vocabulary and key background concepts from the Cambridge English: Preliminary and Preliminary for Schools Vocabulary List.

Receptive Vocabulary

Words that a candidate is expected to understand when reading or listening, but which are not the focus of a question.

Productive Vocabulary

Words that a candidate needs to know and use correctly to answer an examination question.

CEFR Level B1

The language proficiency level covered by the Cambridge English: Preliminary and Preliminary for Schools Vocabulary List.

Cambridge Learner Corpus

A collection of over 44 million words of English, based upon evidence of language use by learners from all over the world.

English Vocabulary Profile

A resource showing the most common words and phrases that learners of English need to know in British or American English, assigned levels from A1 to B2 on the CEFR.

Multi-word Verbs (List Inclusion Rule)

Phrasal verbs included in the vocabulary list when their meaning is not transparent (e.g., find out, get along); literal multi-word verbs are excluded.

Unsuitable Topics

Sensitive topics considered unsuitable for Preliminary examinations (e.g., war and politics) which are excluded from the vocabulary list.

be over (phr v)

To be finished or ended, as in 'The game is over- you're too late!'

boot (n)

Footwear (a pair of boots) or the luggage compartment of a car (American English: trunk).

break down (phr v)

To stop working or functioning, as in 'The car has broken down.'

break in (phr v)

To enter a building illegally by force, as in 'Someone broke in and stole the computer.'

break up (phr v)

To end a school term or to separate/disband, as in 'When does school break up?' or 'The pop group has broken up.'

bring up (phr v)

To raise a child, as in 'She was brought up in London.'

call for (phr v)

To pick someone up or collect them, as in 'I'll call for you at 7.'

call in (phr v)

To pay a short visit, as in 'She called in to see a friend.'

carry on (phr v)

To continue doing something, as in 'He carried on walking despite the rain.'

carry out (phr v)

To perform or execute a plan or instructions, as in 'She carried out the plan according to the instructions.'

cross out (phr v)

To draw a line through written text, as in 'Cross it out and write it again.'

deal with (sth) (phr v)

To take action to handle or solve a situation, as in 'I've had some problems to deal with.'

depend (on/upon) (v & phr v)

To be determined or conditioned by something, as in 'It depends on what you want to do.'

drag (v)

To move something on a computer screen, as in 'Just drag and drop the file into the trash can.'

due (adj)

Expected to arrive or happen at a particular time, as in 'The next bus is due in five minutes.'