FCE B2 First Speaking Exam Part Two Cambridge FCE Speaking Test Advice
Hello.
I’m Mia.
Welcome to Oxford Online English!
In this lesson, you can learn about how to
do the Cambridge FCE speaking exam part two.
In this lesson, you can see what to expect
in part two of the speaking test and how to
improve your score.
You’ll see how the questions are structured,
and you can learn useful phrases that will
help you to compare photos and speculate on
what could be happening.
We’ll also look at sample questions and answers.
Part One: what to expect in part two of your
FCE Speaking Exam.
What happens in part two?
In part two, you’ll be given two photographs.
You have to compare the two photographs and
answer a question about them.
You’ll have about one minute for this.
Your partner will then be asked a short question
related to your photographs.
You need to manage your time carefully during
part two.
You only have around one minute to speak,
and you need to compare the photos and answer
the question.
There will be a prompt written underneath
the photos, to remind you of the question.
So you can look at this to help you remember.
Make sure you leave enough time to answer
the question after comparing the photos.
You don’t need to speak to your partner in
this part of the exam.
However, after your partner has finished speaking,
you will be asked a short question that’s
related to your partner’s photos.
It’s important to listen carefully to what
your partner says when he or she is speaking,
because you don’t want to repeat anything
they’ve said.
Listening may give you some good ideas on
how to respond to your question.
Part Two: how to compare photographs.
OK, now that you’ve seen what will happen
in this part of the exam, let’s look at some
example photographs and how to compare them.
This will give you a good idea of what this
part of the test will look like.
Have a look at our first set of photographs.
They show people drinking.
It’s a good idea to start your comparison
with a general statement about what is happening
in the first photograph.
For example, “In the first picture, I can
see a man sitting by himself in a cafe.”
Or, “Looking at the first photo, I can see
a man drinking coffee by himself in a cafe.”
It is important to remember that you’re not
describing the photos.
You’re comparing them with each other.
After you’ve mentioned the first photo, you
need to directly compare that with the second
photo.
In this situation, you could say, “Whereas
in the second photo, I can see a group of
friends drinking in a restaurant,” or, “But
in the second photo, there are friends drinking
together.”
When you compare your photos, if you’re not
sure what to compare, it’s a good idea to
look at the obvious similarities between them
first.
For example, “In both pictures, we can see
people drinking.”
Remember to use comparative adjectives and
adverbs when you compare the pictures.
For example, “The second photo shows a busier,
livelier environment than the first photo.”
Some useful phrases and words you can use
to compare similarities are “in the same way,”
“similarly,” “likewise,” and “also.”
For example, “The first photo shows a man
drinking coffee in an informal setting.
Similarly, the second photo was also taken
in a casual place.”
Or, “In the first picture, we can see a man
relaxing and drinking coffee.
In the same way, the people in the second
picture also look very relaxed and happy.”
It’s important to remember, when you’re comparing
photos, you’re not just comparing the things
that are similar.
You should also look at the differences between
them.
Some useful expressions that compare and contrast
differences are “by contrast,” “on the other
hand,” “however,” “whereas,” and “while.”
Look at the following examples.
“The man in the first picture is drinking
coffee, while the friends in the second picture
are drinking wine.”
“The man in the first photo is sitting by
himself.
However, the second photo shows a group of
friends sitting together.”
You could also say, “In the second picture,
I can see a group of friends enjoying the
company.
By contrast, the man in the first picture
seems happy on his own.”
Many candidates focus too much on describing
the photos.
This is a mistake.
Focus on comparing the photos from the beginning
of your answer.
Use some of the key words and phrases we’ve
studied in this section.
This will make your answer more focused and
detailed, which will help you achieve a higher
score in your exam.
Part Three: what can I say about the photos?
So now you’ve compared the photos.
You might be thinking, “OK, what do I do next?
What else can I possibly say about these photos?”
The next step is easy.
After you’ve compared the photos, it’s a good
idea to speculate about them.
This means saying what you think is happening
in the photos and why you think this.
Look at this example photo.
What could you say about this photo?
You could say, “The boy looks like he’s enjoying
himself,” or, “It seems like he’s having a
good time,” or, “He could be going to meet
some of his friends.”
These phrases, “looks like,” “seems like,”
and “appears,” are very useful when you want
to talk about what could be happening in a
photo.
You can also use modal verbs, like “could”
or “might,” to speculate.
Using this language shows the examiner that
you can speculate about something.
However, you can make your answer even stronger
by adding reasons why you think this.
Look at the examples again.
“The boy looks like he’s enjoying himself
because he’s outside with a football, and
it seems like he’s having a good time, as
he’s doing something fun on a beautiful day,
and he could be going to meet some of his
friends because you can’t play football by
yourself.”
These sentences are even better, as you’ve
shown the examiner that you can speculate
and also give your reasons behind your ideas.
This will help you give longer, more interesting
answers.
When you’d like to talk about what you think
could be happening in the photos, but you’re
not 100% sure, you can use a phrase like,
“I guess,” “I imagine,” “I suppose,” “perhaps,”
or “possibly.”
For example, “I suppose it’s a warm day, as
the boy is wearing a T-shirt,” or, “I imagine
it’s the summer holidays, because there’s
a blue sky, and the boy isn’t at school.”
You could be wrong.
It might not be the summer holidays or a warm
day, but by using these phrases, whether you’re
right or wrong doesn’t matter.
You’re only speculating.
There’s no right or wrong answer.
It only matters that your answer is clear
and coherent.
Part Four: what makes a good answer.
By now, you should have a good idea of what
you can expect in the exam and how to talk
about the photographs you’ll see.
Now we’re going to look at some sample questions
and answers to review what you’ve seen so
far.
Please, remember that your answers need to
be around one minute long.
My sample answers are much shorter than this
because they’re not complete answers.
OK, have a look at these photographs.
The examiner says, “Here are your photographs.
They show people painting.
I’d like you to compare the two photographs
and say which painting you like the most and
why.
All right?”
Now look at this answer.
“In the first photo, I can see a man painting
a picture.
He’s a professional artist.
The painting is very big and has different
colors in it.
He’s a very good artist.
The picture is beautiful.”
This is an OK answer, but there’s a problem.
Can you see the problem?
It’s only describing one picture instead of
comparing them both.
Remember, this is a very common mistake.
Here’s another example.
“In the first photo, I can see a man painting
a picture.
He’s a professional artist, whereas the man
in the second photo isn’t.
He’s painting for a hobby or because he likes
it.”
This is a better answer.
It’s comparing both photos instead of describing,
and you can see here how the conjunctions,
“whereas” and “or,” make the answer longer
and more fluent.
However, this answer still isn’t showing speculation
about the photos.
How do you know the first man is a professional
artist?
How do you know the second man is painting
just as a hobby?
So how should it be done?
Let’s look at this answer.
“It looks like the man in the first picture
is a professional artist because he’s standing
in a studio, whereas the man in the second
photo is painting outside.
It seems like he’s painting as a hobby because
I can see that his picture is more basic than
the first one.”
This is much better.
You can see here how using expressions, like
“looks like” and “seems like,” show that you’re
speculating about the photos, as well as comparing
them.
This would get you a higher score in your
FCE speaking exam.
It’s also very important to remember to answer
the question within your minute.
The question is always related to the photos
you’re shown.
It’s a good idea to link your answer to your
comparison.
Here’s an example.
“It seems like he’s painting as a hobby, as
I can see that his picture is more basic than
the first one.
However, I like this painting the most because
it’s simple and bright.
It’s a happy painting.”
This answers the question very simply, but
still manages to answer the full question.
However, if you have a little more time, it’s
a good idea to add more detail to your answer,
to make it even better.
Have a look at this answer.
“I like the second painting the most, because
although it’s more simple, it’s very bright
and colorful.
I like that he probably painted it while he
was relaxing outside, in contrast to the man
in the first photo, who I think paints for
his job.
In my opinion, it’s a happier painting, and
I would enjoy seeing this kind of painting
on my wall.”
You can see here how adding more adjectives
and opinions makes your answer more complex
and interesting.
This answer also links back to the points
you made when comparing the photos.
This helps to make your answer more coherent
and clear.
Now that you’ve seen these example questions
and answers and learned how to compare and
speculate, you should have a good idea of
how to do well in Part Two of your Cambridge
Speaking Exam – good luck!
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