Speaking
Speaking - General Information
• You will have a partner sitting next to you.
• Remember, you will have 15 minutes and it will count for 20% of your final mark.
• The Speaking exam consists of 4 parts:
• Part 1 (Conversation) is a talk with the examiner, where he/she will ask you questions. This will
take about 2 minutes. You will not have to talk with your partner in this part. The examiner will
probably ask you questions about your hobbies, education, work, interests, experiences, things
you like and don’t like, friends and family, entertainment, daily life, sports, holidays and future
plans, etc.
• Part 2 (Long Turn) is a test where you will get between 2 and 5 coloured photos. This will takes
about 4 minutes. You will have to choose 2 or 3 photos out of them all and answer the
questions about them. You can compare them. Under the photo’s are questions that you need
to answer. Questions might be: “Compare the photographs and say what the people are
enjoying about doing these things.”, or “Say what is good and bad about these types of
holidays.”, or “Say what the people are looking at and why.”, or “Say why they have chosen this
sort of holiday.”. Don’t forget to answer the questions while you’re speaking. Don’t describe
the photo! Look at the figurative meaning of the photo, so try to think of what’s behind the
activity the people are doing in the photo! They may ask you to compare. If they do, then say:
“This photo shows a man riding a bike while this one shows a motorbike.” Don’t say: “This
man is riding a bike and this man is not”, this is incorrect. Your partner will get different photo’s.
For the photo’s you’ll have 2 minutes. When you finish, the examiner asks your partner a
question about your photos, your partner should then talk for 30 seconds. Then the same
happens, only then it happen the other way around.
• Part 3 (Spider Web) is a test where you will get a paper with a
spider web. This will take about 4 minutes. In the spider web are
5 key words linking to a question. You will get 15 seconds to
read it, and you and your partner will have to talk about it for 2/3
minutes and make a decision. Don’t say nothing when your
partner talks, also talk yourself. This also means that you have
to give your partner a chance to talk. Ask your partner questions
and react to what they say. If you don’t listen and react to your
partner, you’ll get a bad mark. You also don’t have to agree with
each other, having disagreements will keep a conversation
going. At the end don’t forget to agree with a decision! When the
2/3 minutes are over, the examiner will ask you and your partner a question. You and your
partner will have to talk about that question for 1 minute.
• Part 4 (Detailed Conversation) is a test where you have to talk about the topics from part 3 in
more detail. This will take about 5 minutes. The examiner asks you a question, and you should
answer it. You should also respond to your partner’s answer and ask for their opinion. Listen
carefully to the questions, because they are not written down. They can ask the same questions
as in part 1.
Speaking - Tips
• Before entering the exam room, only speak English with your partner.
• Don’t repeat questions that are being asked!
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