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Cambridge English: Advanced (C1) - Speaking CAE

In this post you will learn everything there is to know about the CAE Speaking
paper, also called  Cambridge English: Advanced  (CAE-C1), I promise. The
Speaking paper is one of the four parts in regular Cambridge English exams. In
this  article, I will outline the four different parts of the Speaking Paper
for  Cambridge English: Advanced  (C1-CAE) and you will find a video and
sample materials for each of these four parts.

General Considerations
• There are 4 parts in this paper.
• It takes place in pairs.
• There are two examiners and two candidates.
• During the exam you have to  interact  with one of the  oral examiners
(the interlocutor), and with your partner.
• The other examiner does not speak. He/she only takes notes.
You now have a video of a full real Speaking test, and a description of
each of the parts, with examples of the types of questions and the material
used in the exam. I hope you find it useful. Read the examiner's comments
here.
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Speaking Part 1 - Interview (2 minutes)

During this part, the examiner asks you different questions about your personal
and professional background (interests careers, jobs, etc.) You will also have to
express your opinion about various topics. This is an individual task, so you only
interact with the examiner. However, you must pay attention to the questions that
the interlocutor asks your partner, as he/she may ask you the same. Here's a set
of typical topic-based questions you might be asked:

"

Speaking Part 2 - Comparing Two Pictures (3 minutes) 

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In part 2, you are given 3 pictures and are asked to talk about and compare
two pictures  in 1 minute. You have to do this  individually. You are  given
three  pictures and two  questions written above them. You have to answer the
questions in relation to the pictures. When you have done this, after 1 minute,
the examiner asks your partner a question about the topic of your pictures,
which he/she should answer in 20-30 seconds. Then, the same process happens
vice versa.
Here's an example of the interlocutor's instructions and the pictures you may be
asked to talk about:
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Although these pictures are black & white, in the exam they are coloured.
In this part you are assessed on how well you can compare, describe, express
opinions, speculate, etc.

Speaking Part 3 - Discussion (3 minutes) 

During this third  part, you must  interact with your partner. The
examiner describes a situation to you both, and gives you a task/question and
a  set of  written cues/ideas  to help you. You  have to  discuss the different
ideas  with your partner and, if possible, reach an agreement. The aim of this
part is to assess how well you can exchange ideas, express and justify opinions,
agree and/or disagree, suggest, speculate, evaluate, and work towards
reaching a decision through negotiation.
You have 2  minutes to discuss the different cues. After this, the examiner will
interrupt you and ask you to reach an agreement. You are given 1  minute
to conclude.
Here's an example of what the examiner would say, and the written cues:
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"

Speaking Part 4 - Further Discussion (4 minutes)

In this part, you have to  carry out a discussion  which stems from the  topic
featured in part 3. You are asked different questions that you have to talk
about  with your partner or on your own. It is really important that you pay
attention to your partner, in case you need to interact with him/her during this
part. The task that comes after part 3 is the following:

Expressing and justifying opinions, agreeing and/or disagreeing are the key
points relevant to this task.
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General Tips
Although each part is different, there are several things that you should bear in
mind during the whole test. Let's see:

• You are assessed individually, so you needn't worry about being better or

worse than your partner. As former oral examiner, Stephen Hasler, recently
said, "neither the partner nor the examiners are the enemy. Your only enemy in
the room can be yourself."
• In this test you must show that your level of English is within the C1 scope or
above. For this reason, it is not enough to be communicative, as it was at lower
levels. In this case you must use a wide range of grammatical structures and
vocabulary that are typical  of a C1  level of English. Therefore, you should
really try to slip a couple of advanced idioms and or phrasal verbs .
• There is no problem  if the examiner stops you, so don't worry if you
talk until he/she cuts you off.
• Be as spontaneous as possible. Don't memorise a "speech" for the exam. The
examiners will notice right away and will penalise you.
• Always answer exactly what you are being asked. If you start talking about
something irrelevant, the examiners will cut you off and move on to another
question.
• Pay attention to your partner's opinions and questions throughout the whole
exam. You're supposed to express agreement/disagreement, to  hold a
conversation and to discuss different  ideas (parts 2, 3 & 4), so don't ignore
him!
• Be polite. Even if you disagree with your partner's opinions, you must always
be polite! There are many structures to disagree politely, so make sure you
know them and know how to use them before you take the exam.
• Smile and be happy! You'd be surprised by what a smile can do! If you smile,
everyone in the room will be more open and receptive to what you have to
say for yourself. This may positively affect your overall score!

For more information about the Advanced exam (previously known as CAE),

visit Cambridge English: Advanced / What's in the exam? or our sumary in
Spanish here.