FCE Speaking Exam

Part 2 – Interview Questionshttp://www.onlinetefltraining.com/50-fce-speaking-questions-for-part-1-the-interview/

In the first part of the exam, the interviewer will ask you and your partner several questions about everyday topics.

Possible topics to consider:

• Area where you live or used to live• Sports• Leisure (entertainment)• Work and study• Family and friends• Travel and holidays

Area where you live or used to live

• Is there anything you would like to learn about your country?

• Which area of your country would you like to get to know better?

• What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited near ….?

• Could you tell me something about the area where you grew up?

• Could you describe your family home to me?

Sports

• Are you interested in sport?• Is there a sport you’d really like to try?• What sports do people play most in

your country?• How much exercise do you take each

week?• Do you like to be physically active or do

you prefer relaxing?

Leisure

• How much TV do you watch in a week?• Tell us about a TV programme you’ve seen recently?• Do you have a favourite newspaper or magazine?• What do you spend your time doing?• Do you enjoy reading?• What sort of books do you read?• Does anyone you know have an interesting hobby?• What’s the difference between reading the news in the

newspaper and watching it on TV?• Who do you spend your free time with?• Do you prefer to be outside or inside when you have free

time?

Work and study• Do you find it easy to study where you live?• Do you use the internet to learn new things?• Do you prefer working on your own or with other

people?• What kind of work would you really like to do in

the future?• Are you happier doing mental or physical work?• Can you remember your first English lessons?• What do you think were the most important things

you learned at primary school?• Would you prefer to work for a big or small

company?

Family and friends

• Who do you spend your free time with• Who are the most important people in

your life?• Do you and your friends share the

same ideas?• Tell me about your best friend?• Do you normally go out with family or

friends?

Travel and holidays

Have you ever used your English on holiday?Where would you really like to go on holiday in the future?Do you like to plan your holidays carefully or do you prefer to just go?How do you prefer to travel? by train or by plane?What’s public transport like in your country?

FCE Speaking Exam

Part 2 – Comparing photoshttp://www.usingenglish.com/articles/how-to-teach-cambridge-first-certificate-fce-speaking-part-two.html

After simply answering personal questions in Speaking Part One, students really get down to business in the second part of the FCE Speaking test, which is an extended speaking task where each student speaks uninterrupted for a minute.

What students need to do to do well in FCE Speaking Part Two

The first thing to notice about the questions is that the word “describe” is not used at all. Therefore in the first (and main) part of the speaking task, the candidate should concentrate on comparing the two pictures as they have been told to. This can, and probably should, include talking about both similarities and differences, and I recommend that every sentence or pair of sentences that they come up with should compare or contrast the two photos. It is also theoretically possible to describe one picture for twenty seconds or so, then switch to the other and compare and contrast it with the first one. However, timing is difficult when you do it this way and it’s almost impossible to make sure that the things you say about the first picture are things that turn out to be relevant when comparing the second picture with it. In my experience, students trying to do this are also much more likely to run out time before even getting onto the second question.

These “compare not describe” instructions mean that phrases sometimes taught in FCE books like “in the top right corner” and “in the background” are of very little use – and sometimes actually dangerous as they usually lead to descriptions which are impossible to compare with the other picture. Instead, what students most need is language to compare and contrast. In approximate order of how useful it is likely to be in this part of the exam, language that should be taught and practised includes:

1. Both… and…/ … and… both2. …, whereas…3. …, but…4. …. In contrast,…5. Unlike…,….6. …, and so is/ does…7. …, and… is/ does too.8. …, and… is/ does as well.9. A/ One difference/ similarity (which stands out) is…10.One thing that… and… have in common is…

11.One of the (few) similarities/ differences between… and… is…12.Another/ An additional difference/ similarity (which is instantly apparent) is…13.The most obvious/ important/ apparent similarity/ difference (for me)

between… and… is…14.A striking similarity/ difference is…15.… and… are (quite/ very/ really/ really quite) similar/ different, for example…16.… and…. are (quite/ very/ really/ really quite) similar/ different in terms of…17.… is different/ similar, in that…18.…, as is/ does….19.… and… have a lot in common, for example…20.… and… don’t have much in common, but…21.There are more similarities than differences between… and… For instance,…22.The main similarity/ difference between… and… is…23.The only difference/ similarity between… that I can see is…24. In comparison to…,…25.Compared to…,…

26.A/ One contrast between… and… is that…27.… is (slightly/ a bit/ somewhat/ quite a lot/ a great deal/ substantially/ a

lot/ much/ far/ much much/ far far) … er/ more… than…28.… is not (nearly/ quite) as… as…29.…. In a similar way,…30.Contrasting… and…,…31.The most apparent difference/ similarity between… and… is…32.…and that is (more or less) the same for…33.… and… share…34.A more subtle difference is…35.… differs from… in that…36.…. Likewise,…37.Neither… nor…38.One resemblance between… and… is that…