These texts are listed as 'set texts' for the both the First Certificate and Proficiency exams. These are advanced level exams given by Cambridge ESOL and are recognized around the world. These optional texts can be used as a basis for essays in the written section of these exams. If you feel confident writing about literature then one of these books might be right for you. Each book is indicated as either a 'set text' for the First Certificate (FCE) or Proficiency (CPE).
1. Sara Paretsky: Deadlock
This thriller is a set text for the First Certificate Exam. Be sure to get the Oxford Bookworms Library edition as required by Cambridge.
2. Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice
This is a classic novel set in the 19th century. If you like history, this is the book for you. This is a set text for the First Certificate Exam.3. Anthony Hope: The Prison of Zenda
The Prisoner of Zenda is about the adventures of an English gentlemen in the fictional land of Ruritania. This novel was first published in 1894. It is a set text for the First Certificate Exam.4. George Orwell: 1984
This is one of the classic texts for a wide variety of exams including being a set text for the First Certificate Exam. It's an amazing book to read, and I highly recommend it as the choice for your set text.5. Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart
Set in mid-20th-century West Africa as the British colonize the country, this book is a set text for the Cambridge Proficiency Exam.6. J. B. Priestley: An Inspector Calls
An Inspector Calls is a play which you might also be able to see in London if you are lucky. This is a set text for the Cambridge Proficiency Exam.7. Ann Patchett: Bel Canto
Bel Canto is about an opera singer who becomes a hostage in a South American country. Bel Canto is a set text for the Cambridge Proficiency Exam.