Preparation for the Speaking Test (CAE)

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 3

Parts 2 and 3 CAE

Tips to help you do well in the 

Speaking test this week. 

Speaking test

The test will be held on Thursday the 16th of April and Friday the 17th of April - It is graded as a 2-test so please make sure that you have looked at this LessonUp carefully.

1. Check your school mail for a list of who your speaking partners will be and the time of your test. 
2. Check your school mail for the Google Meet link to take part in your Speaking test.

How are we going to do it?

• You will have been given one or probably two speaking partners.
  
• You will be shown three photos and you need to describe your photos and answer a question about the photos. This is an individual task lasting 1 minute.
• Then, you will be asked to take part in a group discussion about  a question on a mind map which you need to discuss together. This task will take about 4 minutes, and then you have one minute to come to a conclusion about which is the most important answer to the question.
• You will receive a mail with the names of your partners, the time of your test and the Google Meet link
• Use the next few slides to practice and revise the usful language for these tasks. 

We are going to use Part 2: (Long Turn) of the CAE as the first part of our 2-test for Thursday and Friday

Example Task

At this stage of the interview the examiner will say something on the lines of:

Q: In this part of the exam I'm going to give each of you three photographs and I'd like you to talk about them on your own for about a minute and also to answer a question briefly about your partner's photographs.

Q: Here are your pictures (Candidate A). They show people in different educational settings. I'd like you to talk about two of these photos and compare the settings and say how the students may be feeling in each one.

Q: All right?

Tips!

1. The picture set will have a general theme but try to find two that are either very similar or very different in some way. This will give you a basis on which to compare and/or contrast the two pictures. In the exampleon the previous slide, pictures two and three show two contrasting educational settings: the formal lecture theatre in picture two compared to the relaxed outdoor scene in picture three.

2. In terms of hypothesizing, pictures two and three offer a good opportunity to speculate on how students in each contrasting situation might be feeling. Think about opportunities for hypothesizing when choosing your pictures.

Tips!

3. Signpost the end of your talk by adding a personal reaction to the pictures. For example: 

'The two people in picture three look like they're enjoying themselves but personally, I think I'd prefer to spend my study time in a lecture theatre where I'd be more able to concentrate on learning'.

4. Many people preparing for the CAE oral exam worry about not having enough to say in the time available or not having enough time to express their ideas. The best way to get the timing right is to practise making short talks on various topics on your own. (Or in front of a friend if you're feeling brave!)

Useful language for hypothesising and comparing

I think it might be / could be

It looks like 

It looks like as if it 

It's more like a (lecture hall) than a (classroom)

It's got (...............) than (.................)

We are going to use Part 3: (Discussion task) of the CAE as the second part of our 2-test for Thursday and Friday

Example Task

Discussion Task: The examiner will say something on the lines of:

Now, I'd like you to talk about something together for about two minutes.

Here are some different ways in which people communicate and a question for you to discuss. First you have some time to look at the task.

Now, talk to each other about the advantages and disadvantages of communicating

in these different ways.

Decision Task: Now you have about a minute to decide which two ways of communicating are the least effective.

Tips!

It will help both yourself and your partner(s) if you work together collaboratively on this task.

1. Be prepared to ask your partner for his or her opinion rather than simply stating your own.

2. Listen 'actively' to what your partner says, responding to comments he or she makes. Use expressions such as the following to comment on something:

"That's an interesting point."

"I was interested in what you said about ..."

"So, when you say ..., do you mean ...?"

"Could you explain what you mean by ...?"

Tips!

3. Use expressions to allow yourself time to think. For example: 'That's a good question.', 'Well, let me think ...'

4. In order to bring the discussion to a constructive conclusion try using expressions such as the following:

"So, weighing up the pros and cons, do you think ...?"

"Are we generally in agreement that ...?"

"So, all in all do we feel ...?"

"Essentially, do we all agree that ...?"

"So, to sum up ..."

"So, in general ..."

"It seems we've reached the conclusion that ...;"

Most important of all

Remember - you are not in competition with your speaking partner! 

Good Luck