SPEAKING

PART 1
Part 1 is a nice, easy start. The examiner will ask you and the other candidate some basic
questions about you and your life. You shouldn't talk to the other candidate at this time. In this
section you will learn how to avoid some common mistakes, and how to prepare.

1. INTERACTION DIAGRAM

The examiner asks you questions. You answer. When the other candidate is talking, don't interrupt
or ask your own questions.

(The second examiner sits in the corner and just listens.)

2. DEAD AIR IS A CRIME

Here at CAE Exam Tips we love the radio, and we know that the worst thing a Disc Jockey or radio
presenter can do is leave 'dead air'. There should always, always be music or chat. If there is dead
air, listeners will switch to another station.

Dead air is just as bad in the speaking exam. It's a total of 15 minutes long. Some of that time will
be the examiner telling you what to do. Half of the time the other candidate will be talking. Did you
watch the video with Raphael and Maude? I timed how long Raphael spoke. In part 1 he spoke for
just 25 seconds. In parts 2, 3, and 4 he spoke for 84 seconds, 64 seconds, and 98 seconds. A total of 4
minutes 50 seconds. Not much time to show all the vocabulary and grammar he learned!

So the absolute number 1 most important lesson to learn about the speaking test is never leave
dead air. If you forget a word, keep talking. If you realise you just made a big grammar mistake,
keep talking. If no-one is smiling at you and you think you are doing badly - KEEP TALKING!
3. WHICH QUESTIONS TO EXPECT
Typical questions about your hometown, your home, your job, your hobbies, and your personality.
Plus one or two slightly more advanced ones. Here are a few you could prepare for:

 Where are you from?

 Do you have a job or are you still a student?
 How long have you been studying English?
 What do you enjoy most about learning English?
 How do you like to spend your free time?
 What would your ideal job be?
 Are you the kind of person who can do two things at once?
 Are you planning to do any courses in the near future?
 Do you use social networking sites a lot?
 Would you enjoy preparing food for a large number of people?
 Do you like to give yourself targets or goals?
 If you won the lottery what would you do?

4. THE RIGHT LENGTH OF ANSWER

TOO SHORT

Q - Do you like your job?

A - Yes.

Hey, come on! This is the CAE Speaking Test! A means advanced.

A BIT BETTER

Q - Do you like your job?

A - Yes, it is good. Having a job is good and my job is good.

Okayyyy... How about three sentences and use some C1 vocabulary?

THE RIGHT LENGTH

Q - Do you like your job?

A - Yes and no! I mean, it's a challenge and the work is varied. But sometimes the workload is
overwhelming and my work-life balance suffers.

(This is a good length and the vocabulary is spot-on. A longer answer might start to annoy
everyone. Let the other candidate have time to answer questions. Being selfish is not a good
strategy in the CAE speaking test.)

5. LEARN KEYWORDS, NOT SPEECHES

The examiners don't want to hear a rehearsed speech. You are not President Obama President
Hillary Clinton. You are not a politician or a newsreader. The point of the test is to see how well you
would cope in a spontaneous real-life situation.
So: learn some CAE level vocabulary that you can use for the questions you might be asked. The
offices of 'CAE Exam Tips' have floor-to-ceiling windows and we get a lot of light. One Advanced
(C1) level phrase to describe such a room is 'bright and airy'. If we took the exam, it would look like
this:

Examiner: 'What do you like about your job?"

Reply: 'I like helping people and our offices are bright and airy.'

or

Examiner: 'How has your life changed in the last 5 years?'

Reply: 'A lot! My company changed their office - the old one was quite dark and in a bad location.
The new one is bright and airy. It's nice to work there.'

6. BUILD YOUR VOCABULARY

Now that you have some idea about what will be in part 1 and you understand the importance of
using advanced language, it's time to start adding high-level words to your active vocabulary.

That's something only you can do, but I've created a page with lots of book recommendations.
You'll find the textbooks that I use in my classes, smartphone apps and so on.

Use this link - Courses, Products, Tools - or the link at the very top of the page.

But listen! YOU have to start using these new words. That means saying them in conversations,
writing them in emails, and being prepared to make some mistakes. If you aren't making mistakes
you aren't learning.

7. GET A BETTER GRADE - WITHOUT

SPEAKING!
As the interaction chart (above) shows, in this part of the test you shouldn't talk to the other
student. But most candidates 'switch off' when it's not their turn to speak. They stare at the desk
or at their hands.

WRONG! You should turn your body slightly towards the other candidate. Look at them and listen
to what they are saying. Nod, smile, be interested - the examiner will see this and feel more
warmly towards you and more positively about your English.

Crazy? Not really. There's a lot of research into body language, but you can see for yourself. Look
at this photo. Who looks stressed, struggling to understand? Who looks confident and in control?
 PART 2
In part two of the Cambridge English: Advanced Speaking test, you are given a piece of paper with
3 photos on. The photos are almost always about people.

You have to talk about 2 of the pictures, on your own, for a minute. Then the examiner will ask the
other candidate a question about your pictures. Next, the other candidate will have to talk for a
minute about some different pictures, and you will be asked a question about those pictures. The
technique for answering this follow-up question is the same as Speaking Test Part One - respond in
about 3 sentences and try to show off your vocabulary.

In this section we will focus on what to say in your 60 second 'long turn'. In the exam, you don't get
time to plan or make notes, so now is the time to prepare! (When you've read the tips, be sure to
watch the videos, especially the public coaching one.)

1. Interaction Diagram

In this part of the test, nobody should interrupt you, and you shouldn't talk when the other student
is talking.

2. HOW TO AVOID COMMON MISTAKES

 You are asked to talk about TWO pictures. Choose two and say nothing about the third
one.
 Weak candidates simply describe the pictures: "I can see a car. The car is red. There is a
tree." You aren't asked to describe them. Strong candidates compare the pictures - that's
explained more below.
 Don't waste the first five seconds by explaining which pictures you have chosen. Just start
comparing the pictures! (If you feel you have to make it clear, you can point to the
pictures you have chosen.)
  Dead air ... is still a crime! You get 60 seconds to do this task. Use all of it! When your time
is up the examiner will stop you.
 The examiner tells you what to do, but the task is also printed on the page with the
photos. Refer to that page to make sure you talk about both bullet points.
 While you are comparing the photos, try to look at the examiner and the other candidate
from time to time. It's hard because you have to look at the pictures, but strong
candidates don't talk to the photos - they talk about the photos.

3. ABC - ALWAYS BE COMPARING

When the examiner gives you the instructions for the task, he or she will always start, 'I'd like you
to compare two of the pictures and say...' Comparing is the heart of the task.

If you aren't comparing, you aren't scoring points.

Comparing means saying what's the same in your chosen pictures and what is different. There
are many ways you can do that, but the easiest way is to use the magic CAE words:

The Three Magic Words

 Both ...
 Whereas ...
 While ...

How should you use these? Let's look at two photos and listen to Ernesto trying to compare them:

"Both pictures show men using phones."

That's great, Ernesto, but the goal isn't to talk for 60 seconds... the goal is to say as much as you
can in the time you are given! So talk a bit faster...

"Whereas in this picture the man is wearing a suit, in this picture the man is dressed in some kind
of traditional costume."
"While the businessman is sending a text or checking his portfolio, the man in the fluffy hat is
checking his voicemail."

There are always lots and lots of possible comparisons - indoors/outdoors, cheap/expensive,
old/new, old/young, traditional/modern - even if you have no imagination, you can practice
finding similarities and differences before you get to the exam. (One way to do that is to take any
two photos and find 5 similarities and 5 differences.)

4. LET'S PUT A START TO THIS

SPECULATION
In most of the CAE speaking exam part 2 scenarios, the word 'might' will be in the instructions.
'Say why the people might be checking the time'. 'Say how safety might be important in this job.'
That's because the examiners want to know if you can use speculative language.

Useful speculative phrases include:

 Perhaps
 It seems like
 They might have
 It could be that

etc

Look at these photos - imagine the task is 'Say why the people might be wearing hats.'

"Perhaps these men are retired and are spending their day feeding ducks by the lake. In contrast,
the policeman has to wear a hat for his job. It could be that he hates wearing the hat, whereas
the old men have probably chosen to wear theirs. Maybe it's a sunny day and they want to
protect their heads from the sun, while the policeman's helmet might protect him from
attackers."

5. PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

In the last example there was a lot of speculative language, but also a lot of comparing language.
See how easy it is?

Let's put it all together - A student called Heidi tries with a real example from Cambridge.
The examiner gives Heidi this page and says, 'Here are your pictures, Heidi. They show students
doing different activities. I'd like you to compare two of the pictures and say how students can
benefit from doing these activities, and how helpful the activities might be in preparing them for
their future lives.'

(Remember: only two pictures / always be comparing / speculate.)

Her answer: "They're both young students, girls, and both in a traditional school setting. This
picture shows a student on her own, whereas this student is in her whole class. She has the
support of a teacher, but this student doesn't have that. She has to learn to study on her own, and
that's not bad. I think she might be studying for a test or - oh! Probably she's just doing her
homework. Both are useful skills for her future. I'm sure she has a lot of tests and homework still
ahead of her! While the first student is doing her homework for tomorrow, this one has already
done her homework and now she's presenting it to the whole class. That's useful - she'll have to do
presentations when she gets a job or give a speech when she gets married! What else? Well, it's
beneficial for the second girl to practice this - but I think doing the research will have more benefit
in the future, because you have to prepare before you can give a good presentation."

PART 3
In part 3 you and your speaking test partner are given a 'mind-map' (or 'spider web') with five
keywords linking to a theme. The themes are often universally interesting ones such as 'health' or
'the environment'. If the topic is 'health', the keywords will be things like 'diet', 'exercise', 'sleep',
and so on. Have you ever had a conversation about the food you eat or how well you slept? Of
course you have. In part 3, that's what you do. (The theme in this picture is communication.)

It's often called the 'collaborative task' because for the first time in the CAE Speaking test, you
have to work as a team.

You discuss the first question for two minutes, and then there's another question you talk about for
one minute.
View fullsize
1. Interaction diagram
You discuss things with your partner.

2. About the 2015 changes

In the olden days, part 3 used pictures instead of keywords. Cambridge changed it because
candidates described the pictures instead of discussing the topics.

Cambridge also split the task in two. Before 2015, candidates were given 3 minutes to discuss the
topics AND decide which was the most important. They changed it because a lot of candidates
quickly decided which topics were the most important and had nothing left to talk about.

The new system helps make sure students have a full discussion before coming to a decision.

3. What is 'collaboration'?
Collaboration means team work. In parts 1 and 2 you talked on your own. If you were following
these tips, you looked at your speaking test partner and listened to what they said. But now you
have to talk to them, too.

Imagine you're watching Roger Federer playing tennis against Rafael Nadal. It's fascinating
because they keep hitting the ball back to each other. What will the other person do with the ball
now? That's the excitement of tennis.

Now imagine that Nadal hits the ball to Federer, and Federer catches it, holds it in the air, and runs
around the stadium saying 'Look at me! Look at me!' It would be entertaining for a short time, but
then everyone would get angry and begin to hate the Swiss superstar. The angriest person of all
would be the umpire, who would announce that Federer had lost the match.

To succeed in part 3, you have to

 ask your partner questions

 agree and disagree with what they say
  include them in every step of the process
 be interested in what they have to say

The difference between you and Federer is that you aren't trying to 'beat' your partner. By hitting
the ball to them (asking them questions/letting them talk) you will both win.

4. What if my speaking partner is

shy/nervous/aggressive?
If you're worried about this, you're not alone! Almost every candidate gets stressed thinking about
who their partner might be and how this partner might ruin THEIR chances of getting a good
grade!

The first thing to know is - you can choose your partner! If you know someone who is taking a CAE
course in your area you can register together and list them as your speaking partner. Problem
solved!

But if you don't have that luxury, don't worry - the only person who affects your grade is you. The
Cambridge examiners are EXPERTS and they have seen everything many times before. They will
understand whatever situation you are in.

If your partner talks too much in part 3 they will penalise him, but not you. If you have to talk too
much because the other candidate is so nervous, that won't count against you.

Whatever happens in part 3, the examiners will assess your performance in the whole Speaking
test in a fair way.

(Having said that, you should be able to interrupt people who are talking too much - see Speaking
Test part 4, bullet point 7 for some ideas.)
5. Common mistakes
 Monologues (you shouldn't talk more than 20/25 seconds without passing the ball to your
partner)
 Not reacting to your partner's ideas
 Getting stuck on 1 topic (it's very easy to talk about one keyword for a long time, but you
should try to organise your conversation so that it covers everything on the mind map)
 Rushing through all the topics without analysing them at all (it's better to talk about 4 in a
meaningful manner than 5 in a superficial way)
 Dead air (many candidates race through the 5 topics in less than a minute, look up at the
examiner and are shocked to find they have more time. Keep talking until the examiner
stops you! These topics are HUGE with many, many issues behind them)
 Nodding and other non-verbal communication (socially normal, but this is a speaking test.
At least say 'yes' while you are nodding!)
 Getting sidetracked (for example, if the topic is 'How important are these things for our
health?' many candidates will say explain why health is important. That's not the
question! The correct answer to 'how important' is: not important/quite important/very
important.)

6. Useful language
Linking words and ways to organise the discussion. The examiners will be impressed if you
can:

 combine two keywords into one point ("well, I think exercise and sleep are similar things -
they're both connected to your physical health")
 move from topic to topic in an elegant way ("so I totally agree with you that exercise can
contribute a lot to having a healthy life. And I think that brings us to this point about sleep,
because if you exercise a lot you'll sleep better.")
 include your partner in the process ("So shall we move to the next point?)

Some useful language about asking questions and agreeing/disagreeing can be found in part 4
(scroll down), but they are also essential parts of your toolkit in part 3.

7. The second third

So you spent two minutes talking about the theme, and you discussed most/all of the keywords.
The examiner will stop you, and then ask you a follow-up question. It will include words like 'most',
'best', or 'easiest'. These words make it possible for you to come to a decision.
If the topic was health, the examiner will say, 'Now you have about a minute to decide which of
these things can benefit people the most.'

Note that word 'minute'! Deciding the answer too soon will lead to ... dead air! Always start by
eliminating two or three options (giving reasons).

Start by saying, 'Well it definitely ISN'T [xxx] because [yyy].'

PART 4
Part 4 takes the topic from part 3 and extends it. While CAE Speaking test part 3 is quite
structured, you have more freedom in part 4. You can answer questions in a more natural way, like
you would in everyday conversation. However, there are some strategies to keep in mind, and the
questions can be quite challenging.

1. Interaction Diagram

The examiner asks you a question, which should lead into a conversation with your partner.
2. Essential CAE Speaking test part 4 tips
 This is a continuation of part 3, with questions on the same theme. There are two kinds of
question here - one where YOU should answer and one where you should discuss it with
your partner.
 If it’s a question for YOU, the examiner will say your name. If it’s a question to DISCUSS,
the examiner will indicate it with a gesture.
 If it’s a ‘solo’ question for your partner, you should still listen and pay attention because
there’s a good chance you’ll be asked to follow that up.
 You don't have to reach a decision together or talk about keywords, but you do have to
use the same techniques I’ve mentioned - ask your speaking partner questions, organise
your responses with linking words etc. Your replies in this section can be longer than in
part 3.

3. Which questions should you prepare

for?
Questions in part 4 can be extremely varied from one exam to the next. Take a look at these:

- Are we too obsessed with healthy eating and physical fitness nowadays?

- Do you agree that experience is the best teacher?

- What is the best age to retire?

Clearly it would be hard to rehearse an answer for every question they might ask you! So it's more
rational to think in terms of what topics frequently appear in the exam, and then sit and work on
your vocabulary for those topics.

Common topics are:

-HEALTH- -THE ENVIRONMENT- -SOCIAL ISSUES- -JOBS-

-TECHNOLOGY- -RELATIONSHIPS- -MONEY-

4. Simple ways to include your partner in

the discussion
Questions. Ask lots of questions. Always start part 3 by saying, 'What do you think?' and in part 4
ask for feedback after you've given your opinion. Say what you think about the topic and finish
with

 ... don't you agree?

 ... or do you have a different opinion?
 ... or maybe you know more about it?
 What's your idea?
 What do you think?
 What are your thoughts on all of this?
 Wouldn't you say?
 How do you feel about that?
 How do you see it?

It would be quite impressive to refer to something your partner said earlier in the exam. For
example, if she is a dentist and the topic in part 4 is health, you could say, 'You're an expert in this
area - what do YOU think?'

5. How to agree or disagree

While candidates tend to agree on most topics, a certain amount of disagreement is good - it
makes the discussion more interesting. Disagreement also prolongs a discussion, and can be done
in a friendly way. Give reasons why you are agreeing or disagreeing.

 I fully agree because...

 Yes, that's right. And...
 I agree with you 100 percent.
 You're partly right, but...
 I couldn't agree with you more.
 I see exactly what you mean!
 Tell me about it! (informal)
 I'm not so sure about that, because...
 I think we're going to have to agree to disagree.
 I must take issue with you on that.
 It's unjustifiable to say that...

6. Delaying tactics/stalling for time

There will be times in the exam where you don't have anything to say right away. You need a
second to think, but you want to avoid dead air. So you need to 'buy time' with phrases such as
these:

 Well, now, let me see

 Let me think ...
 Oh, what a great question!
 Well that’s something I’ve never really thought about but, on reflection, I’d say that...

7. If you need to interrupt

If your partner talks a bit too long, it's okay for you to politely stop the flow of words.

 Can I add something here?

 Is it okay if I jump in for a second?
 If I might add something...
 Can I throw my two cents in?
 Sorry to interrupt, but...