FCE Speaking Guide

Cambridge FCE Guide /

The Speaking section of the Cambridge First Certificate (FCE) evaluates your ability to ... You’ll talk to two examiners and another candidats in four part with especific time.

Duration:

14 minutes. You will only speak for about 5 minutes in total!

Format:

Two examiners (one taking notes) and two or three candidats

Skills Tested:

Our expert teachers include an official Cambridge Examiner (Andrea) and native English teacher (Matt) who together have decades of experience in preparing hundreds of students for FCE. We know you are probably nervous and hate the speaking part but we've used our expertise to produce this guide which covers (we hope!) everything and will make things a Lot easier for you but if we have missed anything or you have a question then please get in touch!

Before to start we're going to give you some tips!

Nerves

You are going to be nervous - of course you are! But remember that the examiner is nervous too. She (and it normally is a she) is doing her job and it's more difficult than it appears...

But remember this: We know that you are nervous. We know you have worked hard to get here. We know it is important for you. We want you to do well! We are on your side!

Andrea writes: Being an examiner can be quite stressful. We have to follow a script exactly and keep an eye on the time. We have to ensure that each section lasts a certain amount of time and that each candidate is given the same opportunity to speak. On top of that (a nice connector by the way!) we are also assessing each candidate. Sometimes I feel like a juggler! And then we might do up to 20 exams in a single day which can be exhausting,

Psychology

If you've read our guide to the marking criteria you'll notice that it says nothing of psychology but it is an important part of human interaction. You, your partner and the examiner are human so...

Be friendly, smile, use eye contact and your hands when speaking and remember to say thank you to the examiners at the end.

Mistakes

You are going to make mistakes but big deal! Everyone makes mistakes in life! If you make a mistake but correct yourself quickly that's fantastic but if not just move on and don't worry about it.

Part 1

Breaking the ice. The objective of this part is answer 2 or 3 questions about your life. That's it!

It will been 2 minutes.

How it works?

The examiner will always start the exam like this:

Examiner: Good morning/afternoon/evening. My name is .......... and this is my colleague ........... And your names are?

Jack: My name is Jack

Maria: And I'm Maria

Examiner: Can I have your ID/COE please?

Students give documents to examiner.

Examiner: First we'd like to know something about you. Jack, where do you live?

Jack: I live in Barcelona in Spain.

Examiner: And you Maria?

Maria: I live in Almagro, near here.

TIP! The only important thing to remember here (apart from your name!) is that when you are asked where are you live give a really short answer. I live in Madrid in Spain or I'm currently living in London is fine. Some websites say you need to give a longer answer - THIS IS INCORRECT! You are not assessed on this question.

Both students will usually be asked two (or occasionally 3) questions about their lives.

Here's some of the topics and example questions you might face:

Where you live

Tell us about your home.

What do you like about living in your town?

Hobbies/free time

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Who do you like to spend your free time with?

Your family

Do you prefer to spend time with friends or family?

Who are you most like in your family?

Sports

Do you prefer to play or watch sports?

Do you enjoy doing exercise?

Studying

Do you plan to study anything new in the future?

Do you prefer studying alone or with others?

Friends

Tell us about your best friend.

Have you done anything interesting with your friends recently?

Technology

Do you have a favourite website?

Do you enjoy playing computer games?

Travel

Which country would you like to visit in the future?

Have you ever used English while travelling?

Your likes/dislikes

Do you like shopping?

Tell us about a TV show you really like.

There a a few important things to note

The tenses

Useful Language

Reacting naturally to questions

Length of answers

Now, it's your turn!

Practice with this list!

Part 2

The photographs!. The objective of this part is to speak for about a minute comparing two photographs and answering a question about the photographs. You will also be asked a question about your partner's photographs and your answer should last 20 to 30 seconds.

How it works?

You will be given something like this:

The examiner will then say:

Here are your photographs. They show people talking in different situations. I'd like you to compare the photos and say why the people have chosen these methods to speak to people.

Remember that the examiner is following a script? Well, that's exactly what she's doing here. She will always say the words in red above. The light words in black give a brief description of what's in the photos and the words in blue are the question for you to answer.

The point is that as soon as you see the photos you can forget about what the examiner is saying. You know you have to compare the photos and you know what question to answer because it's printed above the photos. So when you see the photos immediately focus on them.

There's no real right or wrong way to do this but if you have a structure to follow, it will make things much easier.

TIP! DO NOT describe the photos. This is a very common mistake. You are asked to compare the photos NOT describe them. When candidates try to describe they often find they don't have the vocabulary to do this because they are unfamiliar with what is shown in the photo. This causes them to get stuck and lose valuable time.

So how do you do this?

Here's our recommended structure:

1. Buy a little time

You need to start speaking quickly as soon the examiner stops speaking. You've already had a few seconds to look at the photos but if you need more time you could start with:

Well, let me have a quick look

OK, let's see what we have

Just give me a moment to have a look

These are all natural expressions that native speakers use to organise their thoughts.

2. Answer the question

Why should you answer the question first?

TIP! It's important to answer the question so we recommend doing this first so you don't run out of time!

The key here is speculation. Using the photos above as an example, obviously we don't know why the people have chosen these methods so here are some options to speculate:

I reckon the women prefer to speak face to face because...

The women might prefer to speak face to face because...

I suppose the women prefer to speak face to face because...

I guess the women prefer to speak face to face because...

It's possible the women prefer to speak face to face because...

It looks like the women prefer to speak face to face because...

Maybe the women prefer to speak face to face because...

I'd say the women prefer to speak face to face because...

You can also use these verbs to speculate:

The women on the right seem relaxed and look as if they're enjoying the chat.

They look like lifelong friends.

Based on what they're wearing, the weather appears to be a bit chilly.

The woman on the left seems to be talking to her grandchild.

Modals can be used for speculating too:

The women on the right must be enjoying the chat.

The woman on the left may/might/could be talking to her grandchild.

3. Talk about similarities and/or differences

Let's have a look at a few more examples first:

Notice anything? PEOPLE! It's not guaranteed but it is very likely that the photos will have people in them. So, you can talk about:

Their age, alone or in a group, their clothes, their emotions, what they are doing, the environment (e.g. urban or rural), the weather, indoors or outdoors, the landscape.

Some expressions we can use to begin comparing:

A similarity/difference that stands out is...

A similarity/difference that catches my eye is...

Something that both photos have in common...

A similarity between both photos is...

A striking/obvious difference...

Andrea writes: These expressions include great vocabulary that is much better than These two photos have similarities and differences that we hear all the time! Another useful idea is to avoid saying In the first picture I can see...and in the second I can see... Instead you could refer to what is happening in each situation and use the magic words whereas/while to introduce a difference.

Comparing

The magic words are whereas/while to talk about differences:

The woman on the left is speaking on Skype whereas/while the other women are speaking face to face.

Another great way to compare is using comparatives.

The woman on the left is probably speaking more louder/more loudly than the two women.

The women in the park look more relaxed.

The woman on the left doesn't look as young as the women in the park.

To talk about similarities you could say:

Something that both pictures have in common is...

A similarity that they share is...

A common theme in the two pictures is...

Organising ideas

Remember it's important to have a structure and a great way to do this is to use connectors and sequencers:

To begin with.../On top of that.../Also...

Secondly.../Additionally...

Finally...

On the one hand...on the other hand...

...while/whereas...

4. Keep talking

You might not need to do this but if there is still time, you could say something like:

Let's see what else there is to talk about...

Let's have another look...

Ah! I've just noticed that...

Ah! I've just seen something else...

If you are really stuck, you could give your own opinion about the photos:

If I had to choose, I'd prefer to speak face to face.

Personally speaking, I would rather speak face to face.

If you put everything together you have something like this:

1 So, let’s have a quick look then. Well, to begin with...

2 I guess that the woman on the left is speaking using a computer because she is a long way from the other person. These women here could be colleagues on their lunch break.

3 An obvious difference that stands out is that this woman is talking by video, maybe on Skype whereas the women on the right are speaking face to face. It looks like they are in a park. Something that is common to both photos is that all of the women look relaxed and happy.

4 So, what else can I see? Ahh, I’ve just noticed that the woman on the left is older than the others. Maybe the boy she is talking to is her grandson and he lives in another country.

TIP! DO NOT MEMORISE THIS! This is just a guide to help you be organised. Choose the vocabulary that you feel more comfortable with and you'll also have to adapt what you say according to the photographs of course.

Second part

Once your partner has spoken for a minute about their photos, the examiner will ask you a question related to them and you should give a 20 to 30 seconds answer. Pay attention to your partner's photographs, try to think of some vocabulary related to them and anticipate the question you might be asked. In the photos that we've been looking at in this part the question might be:

Which way of communicating do you prefer?

That's a good question! Personally speaking I usually prefer face to face because I can see and understand the other person better. Sometimes when I use Zoom, for example, the quality of the sound and picture isn't very good.

Now, it's your turn!
You can practice with this videos

Leadership

Search video...

01:23

Play Video

01:25

Play Video

01:22

Play Video

01:24

Play Video

Part 3

Interaction! Interaction! Interaction!. The objective of this part is discuss a topic with you partner for about 2 minutes. Then to spend 1 minute making a decision about the topic.

How it works?

You will be given something like this:

Then she'll say:

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

I’d like you to imagine that a town wants more tourists to visit. Here are some ideas they’re thinking about and a question for you to discuss.

First you have some time to look at the task.

The examiner shows you the task. You have 15 seconds to look at it.

Now, talk to each other about why these ideas would attract more tourists to the town.

Again the examiner is reading the red parts from a script. The red words are always the same while the black ones depend on the topic.

TIP! Andrea writes: Use this time to check you understand the central question and then focus on ONE of the options and think about something to say. You don't have time to think of ideas for all of them.

TIP! You can almost forget the examiner in this part as you will only be talking with your partner. Interaction is absolutely vital. If you haven't seen it yet, have a look at Interactive Communication in the Marking Criteria. In Part 2 you have to speak for a long amount of time but Part 3 is completely different as you should speak in small chunks and then let your partner speak, listen to what they say, respond with your ideas and move on.

It doesn't matter who starts but one of you should say something like this to start the conversation:

Shall I go first?

Do you want me to start?

Which one shall we start with?

Then give a brief opinion of one of the topics and next ask you partner their opinion about it. They should agree or disagree, add a reason of their own and then move on to the next topic.

So how do you do this?

First, let's look at how NOT to do it:

Student A: I think having more shops is a good idea so people can buy things. What do you think?

Student B: I completely agree. And putting up security cameras is good because there will be less crime. What's your opinion?

Student A: Yes, I totally agree...

Andrea writes: As an examiner I hear exchanges like this all the time and although it's not terrible, it's boring, it's basic vocabulary and it sounds artificial. Luckily for you it's easy to improve quickly!

Here's another version of the same conversation:

Student A: Well, for me more shops is an excellent idea because people will come to the town if there are high quality goods on offer. Any ideas?

Student B: Yep, good point! I was thinking exactly the same thing. On top of that it will help the local economy. What about security cameras? I always want to feel safe when I'm on holiday so for me they are crucial.

Student A: I'm with you 100%.

For a start it is much more informal yep and therefore more natural which is exactly what examiners want. On top of that (remember this connector to add information!) it has a much wider range of vocabulary.

Notice that we aren't using What do you think? to end your turn because again, it's basic vocabulary. Here are some better options:

Any ideas/thoughts?

What do you reckon?

What's your take?

How do you feel about this?

What do you make of it?

Instead of using I think to give opinions, for me is used, which is better. Here are some other better alternatives to saying I think:

I'd say...

In my eyes...

I reckon...

I guess...

The way I see it...

TIP! You don't have to talk about all the options. In fact if you only talk about four, you'd be able to talk more in depth about them.

Also notice the language used to agree is interesting - I'm with you 100%. Here are some other natural options to show agreement:

Absolutely!/Exactly!/For sure!

Good point!

I was thinking the same!

Spot on!

I know/see what you mean.

You've got a point there.

TIP! It's always a good idea to disagree with your partner at least once because if you agree all the time, it's boring and by disagreeing you could use richer language, such as:

I'm not so sure about that

I'm not with you

Yeah, but...

I'd say the exact opposite

Not necessarily

Moving on

It's important to keep the discussion moving so when you've both spoken about one topic, to move on to the next topic you could say something like:

What about...?

Moving on to...

Shall we talk about...?

Any ideas about..?

How do you feel about...?

TIP!

Try to NATURALLY interrupt your partner if you hear there's a pause in what they're saying. This is something we all do in real life, natural conversations.

It's a good idea to link two or even three of the options together. In the above example, you could say:

Shops and a nightclub would both be good for the economy.

If you don't understand one of the options then don't talk about it! If your partner talks about it and asks you about it you could say:

Good point - I can't think of anything to add at the moment.

If you get stuck and can't think of anything to say, try involving your partner. At the same time, if you see that your partner is having problems, you can help them. This is all a natural part of interactive communication.

After two minutes you'll have one minute to make a decision based on your discussion. You'll probably be asked to choose the best or the most/least important of the options. Using our example above the examiner might ask:

Now you have about a minute to decide which option would be the most important.

It's important here NOT to do this:

Student A: I think we should choose security cameras so people feel safe.

Student B: Yes, I agree.

The problem here is that you still have most of the minute left and nothing else to talk about! At the same time one minute is not long so don't discuss the options again in detail. A great way to start this part is to rule out one or two of the options. To rule out is a phrasal verb (that Cambridge love!) that means to eliminate. So you could say something like:

We both said before that security cameras were a waste of time, so why don't we rule out this option?

This is fantastic because you're reducing the number of options and secondly by saying we both said before you're showing that you understood what you said in part A.

We both said before that parks were a great idea because they are free and healthy so why don't we choose that option?

If your partner agrees, that's it! You've made a decision. However, similar to Part 2 (comparing the photographs), you need to keep speaking until the examiner says Thank you so perhaps you could say Actually I think I'm going to change my mind because... or you could also use those spare seconds to confirm your choices: So to sum up, we both agree that the best option would be providing parks?

You could also give your personal opinion:

Actually I'm not so keen on parks as they're boring. I'm gonna pick the nightclub because...

TIP!

You don't have to reach a decision. The important thing is that you try to.

You don't have to agree with your partner. If you choose two different things (or three) that's absolutely fine. There's no right or wrong choices. It really doesn't matter. Just make sure you give reasons for your choice.

Part 4

It Depends!. The objective for this part of the exam is to discuss in more detail the topic from Part 3 with your partner and the examiner.

How it works?

Let's say the topic in Part 3 was tourism. The examiner will ask you both a number of questions such as:

Some people say we travel too much these days. What do you think?

It depends doesn't it? Maybe yes, rich people travel too much which is bad for the environment but on the other hand some people don't have time to travel because they work a lot.

Another question might be:

Why do people like to go abroad on holiday?

Again, it depends! People is very general and they go abroad for lots of reasons. There are no right or wrong answers here. Just give your opinion.

Because you need to think a bit more time fillers are important again here.

You could begin your answer with:

To be honest with you I'd say that...

I've never thought about it before but...

That's a really good question...

Or combine them:

That's a really good question. To be honest with you I've never thought about it before but I'd say...

Interaction is key again!

As in Part 3 involve your partner. Agree or disagree with them, add information and ask their opinion.

TIP! It's common here to be asked a question about your country. For example Where do tourists like to go in your country?

It's a good idea to give examples in this part, which is an opportunity to use some great language:

Some people say we travel too much these days. What do you think?

An answer could begin like this:

Well in the case of rich people, yes I think they do. On the other hand, some people don't have enough time or can't afford to travel often.

Another answer might be:

When it comes to rich people I believe they do. Having said that, others don't have the time or the means to do it.

Personally speaking, I don't travel by plane so much because I care about the environment.

TIP! Exactly the same as in Part 3, if you get stuck and can't think of anything to say, try involving your partner. At the same time, if you see that your partner is having problems, you can help them. This is all a natural part of interactive communication.

And then the examiner will say the magic words!

That is the end of the test.

If you've made it this far then we hope we've been able to help you. And if you're doing the test soon then Good Luck!

FAQs

1- Can I do the speaking part with someone I know such as a friend?

It's not guaranteed but generally, yes. You should ask the coordinator on the day before taking the Speaking part to check if you can.

2- What if my partner has much better (or worse) English than I do?

Don't worry about it! The marks are given on an individual basis. Your performance is assessed against the marking criteria and NOT against your partner.

3- What if I don't understand a question?

The examiner can repeat the question but cannot “explain” things to you. If this happens, you should try to get the “main idea” of the question and try to reply the best you can!

4- Is it a problem if the examiner stops me by saying thank you before I've finished speaking?

No, this is a good thing! It means you’ve said enough.

5- What if I freeze?

Take a deep breath and perhaps you can buy time by asking the examiner to repeat the question. Hopefully this will bring you back on track.

6- In Part 3 what if my partner doesn't speak much or speaks a lot?

Again, as in number 2, you are assessed individually so don't worry! If this happens, your partner's mark in Interactive Communication will be low(er). All you need to do is try to involve them by asking questions.

7- What if I don't speak for 1 minute in Part 2?

The examiner will encourage you to go on, e.g. by using body language or pointing to the question above the photos. If you feel that you have nothing else to say, you should say so by saying “That's it”/”Finished” or “I’ve got nothing else to say” for instance. However, it’s important that you reach the minute. If you look at out Part 2 guide this won't be a problem!

8- How is the exam different if there are 3 students?

Everything is the same but the exam lasts 20 minutes instead of 14.

Have another question?
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