INTRODUCTION This page describes the oral (speaking) exam for the Cambridge FCE (First Certificate in English) exam. You usually take the speaking exam together with one other student. The exam lasts about ! minutes and has four parts"
(1) Interview (3 minutes) Each of you will be asked basic #uestions about your home town$ family$ work or study$ leisure and future plans.
(2) Individual tasks (4 minutes) Each of you will be asked to compare two colour photographs and explain your personal feelings about them (you will be asked to speak for minute$ without any interruption). You will also be asked to gi%e your opinion about the other student&s photographs photographs (you will be expected to speak for about ' seconds).
(3) Joint task (3 minutes) You will be shown some pictures. You will be asked to discuss these with the other student and to make a decision. ometimes you will be asked to agree on the conclusion$ and sometimes you will be told that you may make different decisions.
(4) Tree!wa" dis#ussion (4 minutes) You will be asked to discuss (together with the other student and the examiner) some ideas that are connected with the *oint task. ome general ad%ice about
Keep it simple Try to a%oid complicated explanations or grammar if you are not sure about them. +f the truthful answer is difficult to explain$ you may want to say something easier in the exam.
Ask for explanations +f you don&t understand what you are meant to do$ ask the examiner to explain. For example$ you could say" Could you repeat the question, please? I'm sorry, could you explain the meaning of the word .... ? Could you please ask the question in another way?
Use full sentences ,%oid answers which are single words or lists
Finish the task -hen you are asked to compare and contrast two photos and to gi%e your personal feelings about them$ make sure that you lea%e some time for explaining your own %iews. +f you are asked to reach a conclusion in the *oint task$ try to do this within the time you are gi%en.
Keep speaking +f you need time to think about something$ try to keep speaking rather than remain silent. You could say things such as" during the inter%iew/ said to the inter%iewer0 Please give me a moment while I think aout the answer at the start of the indi%idual task/ talking to yourself0 !et me see ... what do these photographs show? at the start of the *oint task/ talking to the other student0 "hall we start y descriing what we see in the pictures? during the three1way discussion/ asking either the examiner or the other student0 #hat is your opinion? To a%oid wasting time$ make it clear when you ha%e finished talking. For example$ say something like" $hat's all I can think of at the moment
Practice 2efore the exam$ practice the test with another student (if you already know the other student who will be taking the speaking test with you$ ask him3her to practice with you).
You may find it useful to pay for some pri%ate lessons with an English teacher to prepare. +f you do this together with a friend then the lesson may be cheaper for you$ and you can practice the speaking test in a more realistic way.
$%&'IN* Interview (4 minutes 1 about .5 minutes for each candidate) The examiner will ask you some short #uestions about yourself To prepare for this part of the test$ think about short answers to typical #uestions. ome examples are shown below 2efore the inter%iew you will be asked to +ill in a seet gi%ing your first name$ family name$ home town and country/ you should hand this to the inter%iewer. The inter%iewer may ask you how to pronounce your name.
,our ome town - villa.e 6ame"
-hat is the name of your home town (pronounce it in the English way)7
8ocation"
-here is the town located7 +s it near to the capital city or any ma*or cities7 +s it inland or by the coast7
peciality"
+s your town well1known for something (for example$ a building or a type of food)7 -hat is the most interesting part of your town7
9eography"
+s it in a flat$ hilly or mountainous area7 :oes it ha%e a ri%er7
i;e"
+s it a large or small town7 -hat is the population7
Type"
:o you li%e in a city centre$ a suburb$ a town$ a %illage$ or in the countryside7
+ndustry"
-hat are the main industries7 -hat kinds of *obs do people do in your town7
En%ironment"
+s it clean or polluted7 +s it #uiet or noisy7 ,re there many parks and other green areas7
:o you like li%ing there7 ,re there many things to do7
Comparison"
+f you are not li%ing in your home town now$ what are the main differences between your current town and your home town7
,our +amil" i;e"
:o you ha%e a large or small family7
2rothers"
:o you ha%e any brothers or sisters7 ,re they older or younger than you7
=arents"
:o you li%e with your parents7 -hat do they do7
=ets"
:o you ha%e any pets7
,our work or stud" 6ow"
,re you working or studying at the moment7 Can you tell me something about yourself7
=re%ious"
-hat were you doing before you started your current work or studies7
English"
-hy are you studying English7
-here are you studying7 >ow long ha%e you been studying English7
/eisure >obbies"
-hat do you like doing in your spare time7 :o you ha%e any hobbies7
?usic"
-hat kind of music do you like7
ports"
:o you like sports7
>olidays"
>ow do you like to spend your holidays7
@eading"
:o you en*oy reading7
Films"
-hat sort of films do you like to watch7 -hat is your fa%ourite film7
0uture lans
,fter return"
+f you are li%ing in the AB now0 -hat do you plan to do when you return to your country7
ob"
-hat sort of *ob would you like to do in the future7
Future life"
-hat do you think you will be doing after 5 or years7
Country"
:o you want to li%e in your home country or abroad7
2ack to top
$%&'IN* Individual task (! minutes 1 about ' minutes for each candidate) You will be gi%en two photographs and asked to compare and contrast them$ and gi%e your opinion about them. You will only ha%e one minute to do this. Try to keep talking/ a%oid any long gaps. The pictures may show anything$ but typically the sub*ect will be" a building$ a landscape$ a town$ a person (or a group of people) doing something You can keep looking at the photographs while you are talking. :escribing each of the pictures You might start by gi%ing a brief description of each of the pictures. You do not ha%e to describe them in detail. +f you are not sure what the picture is$ use your imagination and say what you think it is. +t doesn&t matter if you are wrong. There are different ways in which you can refer to the pictures. For example" The first picture (referring to the one on the left or on top)/ the second3other picture (referring to the one on the right or on the bottom) The picture on the left 3 the left1hand picture/ the picture on the right 3 the right1hand picture The top picture 3 the picture on the top 3 the upper picture/ the bottom picture 3 the picture at the bottom 3 the lower picture ,fter introducing the pictures$ you may be able to refer to them using a sub*ect name$ for example the instead of picture you could say photo or photograph$ or you could refer to the For example" The first3second picture3photo shows ... Comparing and contrasting 8iking" + prefer , to 2. + like , more than 2. + like ,$ but + dislike 2. , is more ... than 2
9i%ing your opinion +n my opinion$ ... For me$ ... + think that ... Thinking of things to say 2ack to top
$%&'IN* Joint task (4 minutes) 2ack to top
$%&'IN* Tree!wa" #onversation (! minutes) The examiner will ask some #uestions related to the result of the *oint task 2ack to top
$%&'IN* &amle test This is an example of a possible speaking test for the First Certificate in English exam. There are no right answers for this kind of test. Example con%ersations are shown because they may gi%e you some useful ideas about how to answer these types of #uestions. You will not be expected to speak as fluently as ,lex and Yuko.
(1)* Interview (3 minutes)
Examiner"
9ood afternoon. Could + ha%e your mark sheets$ please7 Thank you. %the students hand their mark sheets to the examiner& ?y name is ?ark and this is my colleague usan. he is *ust going to be listening to us. o$ you are ,lex and Yuko7
,lex"
That&s right.
Yuko"
Yes. ,ctually my name is pronounced Yu1ko.
Examiner"
Yu1ko7
Yuko"
That&s fine.
Examiner"
Thank you. First of all we&d like to know something about you$ so +&m going to ask some #uestions about yoursel%es. 8et&s begin with your home town or %illage$ ,lex. -here are you from7
,lex"
+&m from 9ene%a$ in wit;erland
Examiner"
-hat kind of *obs do people in 9ene%a do7
,lex"
9ene%a has many banks$ hotels and *ewellery shops. wiss watches are well1known throughout the world.
Examiner"
,nd where do you come from$ Yuko7
Yuko"
+&m from 6ara$ in apan
Examiner"
Can you tell me something about 6ara7
Yuko"
6ara was once the capital city of apan.
+t contains many old temples and is famous for its deer park. Examiner"
:o you ha%e a large family$ ,lex7
,lex"
6ot really. +&m an only child. + li%e with my parents. -e ha%e a cat called Tommy.
Examiner"
-hat about you$ Yuko7
Yuko"
+ ha%e one elder brother and two younger sisters. + li%e with my mother and father and one of my grandmothers. -e don&t ha%e any pets.
Examiner"
>ow long ha%e you been studying English$ ,lex7
,lex"
+ studied English at school between the ages of ele%en and sixteen. +&%e been studying at a language school in 8ondon since eptember last year.
Examiner"
>ow do you like to spend your holidays$ Yuko7
Yuko"
+ like tra%elling around apan with one of my sisters. + also en*oy watching films and meeting my friends. ?y main hobby is playing the %iolin.
Examiner"
-hat kind of sports do you en*oy$ ,lex7
,lex"
+ li%e close to the wiss ,lps$ so + en*oy skiing in the winter. + also like swimming in the lake in summertime.
Examiner"
-hat do you hope to do in the next few years$ Yuko7
Yuko"
,fter +&%e gone back to apan + hope to find an office *ob which uses my English. ,fter a few years + would like to get married and ha%e children.
(2) Individual tasks (4 minutes)
Examiner"
Thank you. 6ow +&d like each of you to talk on your own for about a minute. +&m going to gi%e each of you two different photographs and +&d like you to talk about them. ,lex$ here are your two photographs. They are pictures of ducks. =lease let Yuko ha%e a look at them.
Examiner"
Yuko$ +&ll gi%e you your photographs in a minute. ,lex$ +&d like you to compare and contrast these photographs$ saying which picture you like better and why. @emember$ you only ha%e about a minute for this so don&t worry if + interrupt you. ,lright7
,lex" ( minute)
+ feel a bit worried for the ducks$ because they may be hit by a car. 2oth pictures remind me how much humans ha%e changed the en%ironment. -e ha%e built many roads which animals ha%e to cross$ and remo%ed many lakes and trees. Examiner"
Thank you$ ,lex. Yuko$ which of these pictures do you prefer7
Yuko" (' seconds)
+ like the right1hand picture better. The ducklings look %ery sweet$ and the mother duck looks proud to be looking after them. 8ike ,lex$ +&m worried that they might be hit by a car. + hope they can find a proper lake instead of a puddle on a road. ?aybe it is a hot summer and it is difficult to find water.
Examiner"
Thank you. %the examiner takes ack the previous photographs& 6ow$ Yuko$ here are your two photographs. They show two paths in the English countryside. =lease let ,lex ha%e a look at them.
Examiner"
+&d like you to compare and contrast these photographs$ saying how you would feel walking on each of these paths. @emember$ Yuko$ you ha%e only about a minute for this$ so don&t worry if + interrupt you. ,lright7
Yuko" ( minute)
+ understand. 8et me see. Firstly$ + will describe the upper photo. This shows a path through a forest. +t is a well1made path.
+t looks like a road for a farmer&s car or tractor$ not for people. There aren&t so many trees in this picture. There is one tree in the foreground$ and some others in the background. To the right of the path is a field full of yellow flowers. + don&t know what kind of plant it is. The yellow flowers make this picture more colourful than the other one$ which is mostly green. + think both photos were taken in summer$ because the sun is shining and the trees and flowers are growing well. + would prefer to walk on the path shown in the top picture. +t looks more romantic 1 + want to go there with my boyfriend. +f it is a hot day$ there is a lot of shade under the trees and we can sit down on the bench and ha%e a picnic. Examiner"
Thank you$ Yuko. ,lex$ in which place would you prefer to be7
,lex" (' seconds)
+ prefer the place shown in the bottom picture. The land is #uite flat$ so you can see far into the distance. ?y home town is surrounded by mountains$ so it is unusual to see that kind of scenery there. + would like to cycle along that path with my friends.
Examiner"
Thank you.
(3) Joint task (3 minutes)
Examiner"
6ow$ +&d like you to talk about something together for about three minutes. +&m *ust going to listen. >ere are some pictures suggesting ways you might try to impro%e your English.
Examiner"
Talk to each other about how useful you find each of the ways of studying$ and then agree with each other on three that you would both recommend to a friend. You ha%e only about three minutes for this$ so$ once again$ don&t worry if + stop you and please speak so that we can hear you. ,lright7
Yuko"
,lright.
,lex"
Yuko"
o$ ,lex$ let&s take turns to choose a method of studying. -hich way do you like best7
,lex"
+ think that learning English on a computer is the best way. There is a lot of useful information on the internet.
Yuko"
Yes$ + agree. -e can study at any time by oursel%es. 2ut + find English con%ersation most difficult$ so talking to people is good for me.
,lex"
?eeting people is en*oyable$ too. +t&s easier to learn English if you can en*oy yourself at the same time.
Yuko"
-atching English films is fun$ don&t you think7 ?any %ideos and :D:s ha%e sub1titles$ making it easier to understand what is being said.
,lex"
Yes$ but + think + learn more by watching 2ritish tele%ision programmes.
Yuko"
-hat sort of programmes do you think are useful for studying English7
,lex"
-ell$ you can impro%e your listening by watching soap operas. You can hear how people really talk. ,nd you can learn a lot about 2ritish culture by watching the news and documentaries.
Yuko"
Yes$ in apan + used to watch 22C -orld$ a 2ritish news channel on satellite tele%ision. You can learn a lot by reading newspapers too$ but + don&t buy a newspaper %ery often. -hat about you7
,lex"
+ sometimes read the ?etro$ a free morning newspaper. ?y host family buys The Times each day$ but it is a bit difficult for me to understand.
Yuko"
8et&s see ... which pictures ha%e we missed7 -e ha%en&t mentioned books or cassette tapes yet.
,lex"
9rammar books and dictionaries are important$ aren&t they7 -e can use them to impro%e our writing and to learn new words.
Yuko"
,lex"
Yes$ let&s do that. -hat about tapes7
Yuko"
+ sometimes buy tapes with my grammar books or reading books$ but they are #uite expensi%e.
,lex"
+ like listening to 2ritish music tapes or C:s$ but it is hard to understand the words.
Yuko"
You can study the lyrics$ but maybe you can&t learn so much %ocabulary that way.
,lex"
+ think the pen represents writing letters. + had an English pen1friend when + was in wit;erland. That was a good way of learning English.
Yuko"
Yes$ but + prefer writing e1mails or using %oice mail on the computer. You can get a reply more #uickly.
,lex"
That&s true. + don&t write so many letters these days 1 + use the computer at the internet cafe.
Yuko"
+ think we&%e mentioned all of the methods. 8et&s choose the three we will recommend.
,lex"
-e both seemed to think computers are useful.
Yuko"
Yes$ and we agreed that books should be one of our choices.
,lex"
o which one shall we choose for the third method7 + nominate %ideos and films.
Yuko"
=ersonally + belie%e that meeting people is more important. +f you ha%e English1speaking friends$ you will keep on studying.
,lex"
Yuko"
o shall we make our recommendations7
,lex"
Yes$ let&s do that.
Yuko"
+ suggest the following. First" computers$ second" books$ third" talking to people. :o you agree7
,lex"
Yes. Computers$ books and con%ersations are all good ways of studying English.
Examiner"
Thank you.
(4) Tree!wa" dis#ussion (4 minutes) Examiner"
Yuko$ do you think it is good that computers are being used more commonly in schools7
Yuko"
+ think so. =eople can find a lot of useful information using computers. There are some bad points about them too$ though.
Examiner"
-hat sort of bad points can you think of7
Yuko"
-ell$ if people spend too much time looking at the computer screen$ they may ha%e less time to meet people and they might become less acti%e. +n apan$ schoolchildren are putting on weight. They spend so much time studying or playing games on a computer$ or watching tele%ision.
,lex"
+t may not be good for the eyes to look at a TD or computer screen all day. + think that&s why more people need to wear glasses or contact lenses.
Examiner"
:o you think there is much difference between writing a letter and sending an e1mail$ ,lex7
,lex"
-riting a letter using pen and paper takes more time and effort$ + think. +t isn&t so easy to correct mistakes as it is on a computer.
Examiner"
:o you prefer recei%ing a letter or an e1mail7
,lex"
+t&s nice to get a letter from someone. ?y parents write letters to me while +&m li%ing away from home$ and + like to recei%e those %ery much. 2ut + like to get e1mails from my friends$ because + can write back and get a reply #uickly. + check e%ery day to see if + ha%e recei%ed any e1mails.
Examiner"
-hat about you$ Yuko7
Yuko"
orry$ could you please repeat your #uestion7
Examiner"
Certainly. + was *ust asking you whether you prefer to get a letter or an e1mail.
Yuko"
Examiner"
:o you belie%e what you read in the newspapers or see on tele%ision$ ,lex7
,lex"
=eople say we are li%ing in the information age. 2ut you can&t trust all the information you recei%e. ometimes the stories in newspapers are in%ented by the *ournalists$ because they know that people want to read about gossip.
Examiner"
:o you belie%e what you read on the internet$ Yuko7
Yuko"
,nyone can put information on the internet$ so you can&t trust it completely. You ha%e to be careful.
Examiner"
:o you think English is taught well in your home country$ Yuko7
Yuko"
+ think that the English teachers in apan concentrate on grammar too much. -e don&t ha%e much opportunity to practice speaking. The class si;e is %ery large 1 often there are ! students or more. @ecently the go%ernment has encouraged young nati%e English teachers to come to apan$ but it is difficult for them because they aren&t trained teachers and they can&t speak apanese. >ow well is English taught in wit;erland$ ,lex7
,lex"
+ think it is easier for us to learn English in wit;erland. There are four languages spoken in different parts of the country$ so learning languages is important for us. There are many tourists and business people who speak English$ so we can practice outside of the school sometimes. 2ut the best way to learn English is to %isit an English1speaking country.
Yuko"
Yes$ + agree. ?y speaking and listening skills ha%e impro%ed a lot since + came to England to study.
Examiner"
Thank you. That is the end of the test.
