FIRST CERTIFICATE IN ENGLISH

SPEAKING PART

PART 1
( 3 minutes)

The examiner will ask you both to talk briefly about yourselves by
answering questions such as:

First of all, wed like to know something about you.

Where are you from?
What do you like about living in your town?
What is there for young people to do in your area?

PART 2
(2 or 3 minutes)

You will each be asked to talk for a minute without interruption.

You will each have two different photographs to talk about. You must
compare, contrast and speculate.
You will also have to answer a question after your partner has spoken.

1 MINUTE

COMPARE
CONTRAST
SPECULATE

QUESTION

PART 2: FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE

Compare and Contrast
there's no difference between ... / they're much the same ...
it's a bit like ... / as against ... / However. ..
Nevertheless... / Although... / Notwithstanding...
On the one hand / On the other hand,... / for all that
in contrast to ... / in spite of this / in spite of the fact that
all the same / having said that ... / At the same time

Speculating
Id say hes about ready to quite his job.
It might need some oil.
He could be in the garden.
It looks like a miniature motor.
Perhaps he needs some time off work.
Maybe they want to come and visit this summer.
Its difficult to say, but Id guess that its used for cleaning
house.
Im not really sure, but I think they enjoy hiking in the
mountains.

Linking expressions

Giving opinions

In addition,
/ In fact, / In other words,
For instance,
/ That is to say, / Moreover
For example, / Similarly / Besides,
Nevertheless / Whats more / Because of this
Even so, / On the other hand

Personally, I would say that

Im not really very interested in
Its very hard to say, but
If I had to choose , I would .....

Describing each of the pictures

1.
2.

3.

You might start by giving a brief description of each of the pictures.

You do not have to describe them in detail.
If you are not sure what the picture is, use your imagination and say what you think it is. It doesn't matter if you are
wrong.
There are different ways in which you can refer to the pictures.

Describing:
The first/second picture/photo shows ...
This picture must have been taken outdoors/indoors/ in a park / in a bedroom
Comparing and contrasting:
Use most of the comparing and contrasting functional language.
However.
Nevertheless...
On the one hand / On the other hand,... Although...
Speculating:
Id say hes about ready to quite his job.
It might need some oil.
He could be in the garden.
Use other speculating functional language.
Giving your opinion:
In my opinion, ... For me, ... I think that ... I prefer A to B. / I like A more than B. / I like A, but I dislike B. / A is more ...
than B

Part 2:
Study places:
CANDIDATE A, compare and contrast these photographs, and say why the people have
chosen these places to study. You have a minute to do this.

CANDIDATE B, do you ever study in a library?

USEFUL PHRASES:
Well, the people in these photos are studying in very different places. In the first photo, there are several students in a library, in the
second, a girl is studying on the floor. This picture must have been taken in her bedroom or any other part of the house.
The students seem to be working in paris, helping each other. I think studying with other people is enjoyable you can share
information and learn more easily. Perhaps they have chosen to study in the library because they can have easy access to lots of
books.
I get the impression that the girl is not very comfortable sitting on the floor. She looks like shes a bit ansxious. Shes clearly
concentrating hard on her work. She may have chosen to work in her bedroom because she can be sure she wont be interrupted.

PART 2
DOING EXERCISE:
CANDIDATE B, compare and contrast these photographs, and say how good these forms of
exercise might be for the people in the photos. You have a minute to do this.

CANDIDATE A, do you like team sports?

USEFUL PHRASES:
The people in these photos are doing very different types of exercise. The boys in the first photo are playing football and they
seem to be enjoying themselves more than the people in the second photograph, who are exercising in a gym. For children, I
think outdoor sport is healthier than working out in a gym. Football is an excellent form of exercise and it also teacher children
the importance of teamwork.
In the second photo, I think the young woman looks bored. She probably exercises several times a week to keep fit or to avoid
putting on weight. There are more people on the background but maybe they have never met before. Perhaps all of them have
full-time jobs and they come to the gym after work.

PART 3
(3 or 4 minutes)

You will be asked to discuss something together woithout interruption by the

examiner.
You will have a page of pictures to help you.

Travel Problems (discuss and evaluate)

Have a look at the picture which shows different problems people may have when
they travel.
How serious are these problems for the people involved?
What can people do to avoid these problems?

PART 3: FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE

1.- Starting a discussion
Why dont we start by ?
Shall we first?
Lets begin with (shall we?)
We could start by talking about

2.- Introducing the topic

First of all, I would like to say that

I would like to begin by

Many people think that
Why do some people believe ?

3.- Involving the other person

What do you think (about) ?
Do you agree with that?
What would you say?

4.- Interrupting/Showing you

want a turn
Can I just say ?
Sorry to interrupt, but
Yes, and as well as that

5.- Adding an opinion

Apart from that
And theres another thing..
Not only that
Actually
So far

6.- Advantages
The main advantage is that
Another advantage is that
Disadvantages
Another disadvantage is
Last but not least,

7.- Bringing the discussion to an

end
So lets decide which
Shall we make a decision?
Anyway, we have to decide

8.- Giving opinions

For me, one of the most important.. is
I just think that what matters is .
The most important factor for me is .
Personally, I would say that
Im not really very interested in
Its very hard to say, but
If I had to choose , I would .....

PART 3
Travel Problems (discuss and evaluate)

- Have a look at the picture which shows different problems people may have

when they travel (go on holiday).

How serious are these problems for the people involved? / What can people do to avoid these problems?

Sample dialogue:
A: Some of the problems are really serious, dont you think?
B: In my opinion, some of these situations can be frightening if you are
travelling on your own in a foreign country. For example, getting ill and
needing to see a doctor Would you agree with that?
A: Yes, absolutely. Thats much more serious than having a long delay at the
airport. What do you think?
B: Im not sure I agree with that. Having to wait for hours can be really
upsetting, particularly for people with children or elderly people.. What do
you think of the people who are stuck in a traffic queue? Is that a serious
problem?
A: Do you think some of these problems can be avoided?
B: Well, the man who has lost his way could have planned his journey, dont
you think?
A: I couldnt agree more.
B: In a nutshell when you are planning to go on holidays you must foresee
and prevent the possible problems that might occur.

PART 4
(3 or 4 minutes)
The examiner encourages you to develop the discussion in Part 3 by
asking questions such as:
Do you like adventure holidays?
Has anything like this ever happened to you? How did you react?
How dangerous is it to go on safari holidays?