What if my partner is shy or aggressive?
Useful Phrases for FCE Speaking Part 2 - the Long Turn
Here are some useful phrases you can use in part 2 of the FCE speaking test. I've also written some example sentences so you can see how to use them properly. All my example sentences are based on these photos.
The top picture shows...
The bottom picture shows...
[The top picture shows a man riding a bicycle, while the bottom picture shows a man riding a motorbike.]
In one photo there are...
In the other photo there are...
[In one photo there are some wonderful, snow-covered trees while in the other photo there are cars in the background.]
In the picture above it looks as if...
In the one below it looks like...
[In the picture above it looks as if a bear is chasing the man while in the one below it looks like the man is chasing somebody else.]
Both pictures show...
In both pictures there are...
They're both quite similar because they both show...
[Both pictures show men traveling on their own.]
There are... in both photographs.
[There are men riding alone in both photographs.]
This picture shows... but that one...
[This one shows a cold country but that one looks quite hot.]
In one respect the pictures are quite similar because...
[In one respect the pictures are quite similar because the men look very fit and sporty.]
One difference between the pictures is that...
[One difference between the pictures is that we can see other cars and people in this picture.]
The biggest difference between them is that this one... but the other one...
[The biggest difference between them is that this one has a bear in it but the other one doesn't have any bears.]
This one looks more ... than that.
[This one looks more fun than that.]
Doing ... isn't so ... as...
[Riding a motorbike in a busy city isn't so healthy as riding a bike in the fresh air.]
In my opinion...
I'd say that...
I think...
It seems to me...
My view is that...
[My view is that this bear has been photoshopped into that picture. There's no way that's a real picture. It seems to me that the maker of FCE Exam Tips tried to make this more interesting by putting a bear in the photo.]
Another thing that's different is...
Something else that's different is...
[This is a cold place, whereas this place looks hot. Another thing that's different is that this motorbike looks quite old and cheap, while the bike seems quite expensive.]
They're alike in another way, too.
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[Both men look strong and healthy. They're alike in another way, too - they are both adventurous and don't mind traveling alone.]
FCE SPEAKING TEST PART 3
In part 3 you given a spider web with five keywords linking to a question. It looks like this:
You get about 15 seconds to read everything, then you have to discuss it with your partner for 2 minutes. When the 2 minutes is over, the examiner will stop you and he will ask another question. You discuss that question for another minute.
Interaction diagram
You speak to your partner, and listen to what they say.
About the 2015 changes
In 2015 Cambridge changed the First exam. They changed the name (from First Certificate in English to Cambridge English:First) and they made some improvements to different parts of the test.
In the old version of Speaking part 3, candidates had 3 minutes to discuss the 5 topics AND say which was the most important. This led to a lot of messy conversations where students started by deciding what the most important thing was and talking nonsense for 2 and a half minutes.
The new version is better - you have 2 minutes to explore the 5 topics, and THEN another minute to decide which is most important or the best.
Collaborative task
This part of the exam is called the Collaborative Task. To collaborate means to work as a team. Imagine you had a discussion with a friend or work colleague in your own language - you wouldn't talk for two minutes while the other person said nothing (at least I hope you wouldn't) and you would listen to what the other person said and be interested in it (at least I hope you would).
So - treat your partner like an EQUAL - give them equal chance to speak and be prepared to agree and disagree with them in a respectful way.
Have you ever played chess with a clock? You make your move, hit the button, your clock stops ticking and your partner's clock starts. It would be very useful to have one of these clocks while practicing this part of the exam. At the end you should both have spoken about the same amount of time. (Of course 5 or 10 seconds difference is no big deal.)
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Another way to think of it is like a tennis practice - you hit the ball to your partner with the goal of playing for as long as possible.
You will get a good grade if you ask questions and react to what the other student says.
You will get a bad grade if you are selfish, don't listen, or try to monopolise the conversation.
What if my partner is shy or aggressive?
There's normally no need to worry about this.
First, you can find a speaking test partner and register for the exam together. Then you will know who your speaking test partner will be. Problem solved.
Second, if you do end up with an aggressive speaking partner, you will have lots of time in parts 1, 2, and 4 to show your speaking skills. In part 3, try your best to politely interrupt and to be sociable - the examiners will notice and you will gain points while the other student is losing them.
If your partner is too shy, just give them opportunities to talk as normal, wait a few seconds for an answer, then answer them yourself if needed. You know - exactly what you would do in your own language.
5. I can't talk about 5 points in detail in 2 minutes!
True! And you don't have to. In fact, you probably shouldn't. it's much better to have a really good, deep conversation about three of the topics than to race through and mention five. The good discussions in my classes tend to hit 3 or 4 topics.
6. Help! We don't agree about anything!
it doesn't matter - it's all about opinions. There are no right or wrong answers, only good or bad discussions. If you disagree, explain why. Try to persuade your partner that your way is right. But also, when your partner says something good, react. 'Oh, that's a good point, I hadn't thought of that.'
Cambridge are only interested in the quality of the discussion and the quality of your language (your grammar and vocabulary). You won't lose points if you say something crazy like:
“We shouldn’t build new parks because tourists hate green spaces. We should build more concrete buildings if we want to attract more tourists.”
In fact, those sentences are relevant to the task (providing parks is one of the 5 topics) and there's some good vocabulary.
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