CAE Speaking Tips

Tips for the Advanced Cambridge Speaking Part

It's only 15 minutes long, but for many students the CAE Speaking Test is the most stressful part of the exam. A lot of students don't know what to expect and they don't feel confident and don't know how to prepare. At English Examination Institute we will give you all the tips needed to pass your Cambridge Advanced Exam. 

HOW IS PART 1 SPEAKING ADVANCED EXAM? 

Part 1 is a relaxed, nice and an easy start. The examiner will ask you and the other candidate some basic questions about you and your life. So the part A is going to be personal quesions and part B will be bit longer questions related to your life, hobbies and interests. At this time you shouldn't talk to your partner. The examiner asks you questions and you should answer about 2 to 3 sentences in part A and 4 to 5 sentences in part B. When the other candidate is talking don't interrupt him. (One way Interraction Speaking Part)

THE RIGHT LENGTH FOR PART 1 CAMBRIDGE ADVANCED SPEAKING

No one words answers . This is the CAE Speaking Test. They are expecting you to be an advanced speaker, so the perfect length would be between 2 and 5 sentences.

The right length:

Q - Do you like your job?

A – Kind of! I mean, it's difficult at times 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 get interrupted with a “Thank You”

GET YOUR VOCABULARY UP AND GOING FOR ADVANCED SPEAKING EXAM

It's time to start adding high-level words to your active vocabulary. You have to start using new words. At English Examination Institute we will encourage you to use them in conversations, in your writings and being prepared to make some mistakes. If you aren't making mistakes you aren't learning!!!

LEARN KEYWORDS, NOT SPEECHES FOR CAE SPEAKING


Examiners don't want to hear rehearsed speeches. The point of the test is to see how well you would cope in a spontaneous real-life situation, to enable you do this at English Examination Institute we teach you thoroughly how do focus on this part. 

USE YOUR BODY LANGUAGE TO GET POINTS

Most candidates 'switch off' when it's not their turn to speak. They stare at the desk or at their hands. You should not do that if possible. You should look at your partner or partners and listen to what they are saying. Nod, smile, be interested. Examiners will see this and feel more warmly towards and more positively about your English. 

SILENCE IS A CRIME IN THE ADVANCED SPEAKING EXAM

Silence is a bad thing 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 and half of the time the other candidate will be talking.. A total of 5 minutes is the real time you will be speaking in the full Speaking Exam. Not much time to show all the vocabulary and grammar you have learned.

So the absolute number one most important lesson to learn about the speaking test is never let silence set in. If you forget a word, keep talking. If you realise you just made a big grammar mistake, keep talking. If you think you are doing badly, keep talking.

WHICH QUESTIONS TO EXPECT IN PART 1 CAE SPEAKING

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?

HOW IS PART 2 SPEAKING ADVANCED EXAM? 

In part two of the Cambridge Advanced Speaking test, you are given a piece of paper with 3 photos on it. 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. Try to show off your vocabulary.

ONLY SPEAK ABOUT 2 OF THE PICTURES (PART 2 CAE SPEAKING)

You are asked to talk about two pictures. Choose two and say nothing about the third one. Weak candidates simply describe the pictures. 

Be careful because you are not asked to describe them. Strong candidates compare the pictures and then answer the questions

Silence is 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 will tell you what to do, but the questions to answer are also printed on the page with the photos. Refer to that page to make sure you talk about both questions. 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 well prepared candidates don't talk to the photos, they talk about the photos.

ALWAYS BE COMPARING

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:

Both ...

Whereas ...

While ...

There are always lots and lots of possible comparisons: indoors/outdoors, cheap/expensive, old/new, old/young, traditional/modern. At English Examination Institute we practice this part in class finding similarities and differences before you get to the exam.

SPECULATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

In most of the CAE speaking exam part 2 scenarios, the word 'might' will be in the instructions. For example: 'Say why the people might be checking the time'. 'Say how safety might be important in this job.' That's because 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…

It looks like…

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

Remember: 

  • Choose only two pictures
  • Always be comparing
  • Speculate
  • Answer both questions

HOW IS PART 3 SPEAKING ADVANCED EXAM? 

In part 3 you and your speaking test partner are given a 'spider web' with five keywords linking to a theme. It's often called the 'collaborative task' because for the first time in the CAE Speaking test you have to work as a team and speak to your partner. You discuss the first question for two minutes, and then there's another question you talk about for one minute.

KEY IDEAS FOR CAE PART 3 SPEAKING

In parts 1 and 2 you talked on your own, but now you have to talk to them and have a dynamic and casual conversation. 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

By hitting the ball to them (asking them questions/letting them talk) you will both win.

WHAT ABOUT THE PARTNER I GET?

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 that 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. But if you don't have that opportunity, don't worry because the only person who affects your grade is you. Cambridge examiners have seen all different types of situations before. Even though, you should interrupt people who are talking too much and jump in.

COMMON MISTAKES (PART 3 ADVANCED SPEAKING)

Monologues: You shouldn't talk more than 20/25 seconds without letting your partner interact.

Not reacting to your partner's ideas.

Getting stuck on one topic: You should try organise your conversation so that it covers almost all topics on the mind map.

Rushing through all the topics without analysing them at all: It's better to talk about 3 in a meaningful manner than 5 in a superficial way.

Silence: Keep talking until the examiner stops you.

Nodding, smiling and other non-verbal communication

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.

USEFUL VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS FOR SPEAKING ADVANCED CAMBRIDGE EXAM

Linking words and ways to organise the discussion. Try not to worry at English Examination Institute we cover all of these topics in our courses to get you going. The examiners will be impressed if you can:

Combine two keywords into one point.

Move from topic to topic in an elegant way.

Include your partner in the process.

PART 3 TASK B ADVANCED CAMBRIDGE SPEAKING EXAM 

Get to an agreement: Follow-up question

So you spent two minutes talking about the theme, and you discussed most 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 get to a decision.

HOW IS PART 4 SPEAKING ADVANCED EXAM? 

Part 4 takes the topic from part 3 and extends it. 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.

ESSENTIAL SPEAKING TIPS FOR PART 4 CAMBRIDGE ADVANCED SPEAKING EXAM

* You should consider this part of the exam as a continuation of part 3. Use the same techniques as part 3 - ask your speaking partner questions, organise your responses with linking words etc. Your replies in this section should be longer than in part 1.

* The biggest mistake students make in this section is thinking they should talk to the examiner. But after you've answered it you should bring your partner into the discussion. When the discussion runs its course, the examiner will ask a new question (still on the same general theme). 

MOST COMMON TOPICS IN PART4 ADVANCED SPEAKING

HEALTH

THE ENVIRONMENT

SOCIAL ISSUES

JOBS

TECHNOLOGY

RELATIONSHIPS

MONEY

WAYS TO BUY TIME

There will be times in the exam where you don't have anything to say right away and you need a second to think, but you want to avoid silence. 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 that…

I’d say that...

WAYS 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...

Sorry to interrupt, but...

WAYS TO INCLUDE YOUR PARTNER IN THE CONVERSATION

... 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?

WAYS TO AGREE AND DISAGREE

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...

Recomendaciones para las otras partes del examen Advanced de Cambridge

Desde English Examination Institute hemos creado los mejores consejos para ti. Nuestros cursos desarrollan en profundidad todos estos consejos además de incluir recursos y prácticas continuas para que puedas dar lo mejor de ti mismo en la prueba. Los consejos para los exámenes estarán en inglés ya que presuponemos que si usted tiene nivel para acceder a un curso de ADVANCED CAE tiene el nivel suficiente para entender nuestras recomendaciones. Vamos allá!!!

CONSEJOS PARA LA PARTE DE SPEAKING

CONSEJOS PARA LA PARTE DE USE OF ENGLISH

CONSEJOS PARA LA PARTE DE READING

CONSEJOS PARA LA PARTE DE LISTENING

CONSEJOS PARA LA PARTE DE WRITING

ESTRUCTURA DEL EXAMEN DE ADVANCED

INFORMACIÓN ADICIONAL PARA CAE

NUESTROS CURSOS DE PREPARACIÓN DE ADVANCED (CAE)

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