¡Descarga CAE speaking test part 1 tips y más Esquemas y mapas conceptuales en PDF de Inglés solo en Docsity!
CAE SPEAKING TEST
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. 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?
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. 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?
8. Related Articles
SPEAKING TEST PART 1 - COMMON QUESTIONS AND
SAMPLE ANSWERS
What do you enjoy most about
learning English?
ANSWER 1
Well, there are two answers: The first is that I enjoy the English language itself. I just like the way it sounds, I've always liked it since I was a child. The second answer is that English is the modern lingua franca, that is, I can talk to everybody in the world. No language barrier between me and somebody from China or Saudi Arabia or Sweden! Marina, Italy
ANSWER 2
For me, next to the use of the English language, the culture and the literature is really what I like studying a language. But the most important reason why I learn languages, mostly English and Spanish, is the reason to be able to communicate with people around the world. F., Switzerland
ANSWER 3
for things that are close to us; that is for things
that are far away. ‘That was in 2011’.”
What do you do here/there?
ANSWER 1
I have been working as a Marketing Consultant for [company] since 2011. This is also the reason I moved to Switzerland because I found exactly the job opportunity I was looking for. F., Switzerland
“Fine, but a bit dry. Can you spice it up a bit?”
How long have you been
studying English?
ANSWER 1
I have been studying English since high school, which means since 1997. I also had English as a subject at university and spent some holidays in an English speaking country. The last one was Australia. F., Switzerland
“A missed opportunity to use an advanced
adjective. The last one was Australia, which was
breathtaking/life-changing/beyond belief.”
Are you the kind of person who
can do two things at once?
ANSWER 1
As a first reaction I would say yes – but this is not correct. I can watch television and being in the internet at the same time, but when it needs some kind of concentration for both things, I prefer doing one thing after the other, because then it is done correctly. F., Switzerland
“Can is a modal verb, so the verb that follows,
watch, has to be in the base form. But so do all
the other verbs that connect to ‘can’ - I can
WATCH television and BE on the internet at the
same time.”
How do you usually like to spend
your free time?
ANSWER 1
It depends on the amount of time. But in generally I love reading my books, being with friends and family and doing sports, in particular running and yoga. And I just started riding the motorbike, which is a lot of fun. But most important for me is travelling. F., Switzerland
Are you planning to do any
courses in the near future?
ANSWER 1
Yes! As I really enjoy the English classes at work – it is kind of a variety to the normal daily business life. And of course I still want to continue to improve my English skills. So next goal is the proficiency level... F., Switzerland
If you could go anywhere in the
world, where would you go?
Why?
ANSWER 1
If I could go anywhere, I would go to Asia or Africa. The reason is simple, because I spent the last 7 months in North, Central and South America and Australia, so these two continents are
