SPEAKING TEST VIDEO SCRIPTS Exam Essentials

Part 1 (00:03)
Examiner: Good morning. Please, sit down.
Examiner: My name is Mary, and this is my colleague Julia. And your names …?
Candidate A: I’m Aldo.
Candidate B: My name’s Sabrina.
Examiner: Thank you. Can I have your mark sheets, please?
Examiner: Thank you. Where are you from, Aldo?
Candidate A: I’m from Italy, from a place called Foggia.
Examiner: And you, Sabrina?
Candidate B: I come from Curitiba, in the south of Brazil.
Examiner: Ok, first we’d like to know something about you. Sabrina, when did
you start learning English?
Candidate B: Well, I started studying English about five years ago, in the city where
I used to live in Brazil.
Examiner: And did you come to England to study English?
Candidate B: Well, I live in England for … I’ve been living in England for about a
year. I moved here to prepare for the Cambridge English First exam,
and to know a bit more about English culture.
Examiner: In what ways do you think English is going to be useful for you?
Candidate B: Well, I expect to use English at work. I’d like to study computer
sciences at university and I’m sure I’ll need speak … I mean, I’m sure
I’ll need to speak English to be able to find better work opportunities
in Brazil, and abroad.
Examiner: Now it’s your turn, Aldo. Do you have any plans for your future?
Candidate A: Hmm, actually, I haven’t thought about that much yet. There
was, um, there were many subjects that I like at school, such as
English and Spanish. People usually say I’m a communicating,
sorry, communicative person, so maybe I’ll study journalism or
international relations. That would give me the chance to travel and
use my English. I haven’t made up my mind really but … yes.
Examiner: Ok, thank you.

© National Geographic Learning 2015 PHOTOCOPIABLE Cambridge English: First Speaking Test Video script 1
Part 2 (02:35)
Examiner: In this part of the test, I’m going to give each of you two photographs. I’d
like you to talk about your photographs on your own for about a minute,
and also to answer a question about your partner’s photographs.
Examiner: Aldo, it’s your turn first. Here are your photographs. They show
people having different kinds of meals.
Examiner: I’d like you to compare the photographs, and say how the people feel
in these situations.
Candidate A: Well, the first picture shows a man, um, a very elegant and well-
dressed man, in a suit and tie. It’s a posh or expensive hotel.
Apparently, he is having breakfast because he’s, er, he has the coffee
and there is some orange juice also. I suppose he is a businessman
and he seems to be aged 55, 56. He’s looking at a computer screen
and, um, he seems quite pleased and relaxed – he’s finding it
interesting. It’s difficult to say, but maybe it’s, um, some good news
on economics. The people in the second picture, on the other hand,
seem to be in a completely different place. They are eating outdoors,
in a park, you know. I think they are sitting on … what do you call
this, um, this sheet of, er, sitting on the grass. I believe it’s a mother
and a father and the two children, a girl and a boy. Maybe they are
7 years old, I’d say. What really calls my attention is that they are
enjoying themselves, having a lot of fun.
Examiner: Thank you. Sabrina, which of these sort of meals would you enjoy
most, and why?
Candidate B: Personally, I wouldn’t like to be in a posh place like the restaurant in
Picture 1, because I wouldn’t feel relaxed. However, Picture 2, well,
shows the kind of thing that I really enjoy doing. I mean, I like being
outside, so, yes, I’d rather have a meal outdoors like the people in the
second photograph. It looks fun.
Examiner: Thank you. Can I have the booklet, please?
Examiner: Now, Sabrina, here are your photographs. They show people
travelling in different kinds of cars.
Examiner: I’d like you to compare the photographs, and say how it would feel
to travel in these cars.
Candidate B: Wow, the first picture show … the first picture shows a man, I’d say a
rather young man, driving a yellow, um, I’m not sure what the word
is … convertible, is it? … Sports car. It looks like a modern, expensive,
car. I also think it’s the end of the afternoon because it’s still day, but the
car’s lights are on. Well, um, the second picture also shows a man, who
seems to be in his forties, also driving a car, but it’s a different car to
the car in Picture 1. It’s a red vintage car, the kind of car that you don’t
usually see on the streets. Although it’s probably an old car, it looks like
new. Um, what else? Well, the man looks … relaxed, as if he’s going on
a long holiday.
Examiner: Thank you. Aldo, which of these cars would you prefer to travel in,
and why?
Candidate A: Heh, that’s a difficult question – I love travelling by car. I want to learn
to drive; I think having a driving licence gives you independence and
freedom, and I’d definitely like to drive both cars. It looks like the car
in the first photo can go very fast and this must be exciting, but also
dangerous.
Examiner: Thank you. Can I have the booklet, please?

© National Geographic Learning 2015 PHOTOCOPIABLE  Cambridge English: First Speaking Test Video script 2
Part 3 (07:02)
Examiner: Now, I’d like you to talk about something together for about two
minutes. I’d like you to imagine that you are helping to organise an
outdoor activity holiday for a group of teenagers. Here are some
ideas for different activities and a question for you to discuss. First,
you have some time to look at the task.
Examiner: Now, talk to each other about what the advantages and
disadvantages of these activities are.
Candidate A: Well, I’d say that rock climbing is very exciting and it would attract
several teenagers. I think most teenagers like something which is
really adventurous. Um, the biggest disadvantage, in my opinion, is
that it might take a long time to learn to do it properly. Let’s see …
hiking. Hiking can be very satisfying, hmm, it doesn’t require any
special skill. On the other hand, I don’t know if most teenagers would
like it. Maybe some teens would find it dull. Hmm, what do you think,
Sabrina?
Candidate B: Yes, yes, I totally agree with you. I was thinking exactly the same
thing. Rock climbing and hiking are opposites in terms of adrenalin.
Well, if I were to go on the camp, I would love to go cycling. It can be
exciting, but also calm and quiet, hmm, so maybe some adolescents
could find it, er, very boring. Sailing sounds interesting to me. I
think teenagers would love sailing, which is very good fun and less
dangerous than climbing. I’ve always wanted to learn how to sail.
It doesn’t seem to be as hard to learn as rock climbing and not so
terribly dull as hiking or …
Candidate A: Oh, no … hiking is not terribly dull. Sorry for interrupting you here,
but maybe, perhaps, we have different opinions. In my opinion, I
agree that some teenagers may find it a little uninteresting, but hiking
can be really fun. You can go to all sorts of places and explore and
see new things.
Candidate B: Yes, huh … you have a point there. Yes, maybe I was exaggerating
a bit ... but I still think it’s not so exciting as the other activities. On
the other hand, it is rather safe and easy to do. What about this one,
horse riding? What do you think, Aldo?
Candidate A: Yes, er, horse riding can be very attractive, but it’s not the kind of
sport you can do with an instructor, is it? I mean, once you are on the
horse, you are alone.
Candidate B: I think you’re right. It’s probably not the best option for a holiday
camp. I believe that in this kind of place it’s always better to do group
activities so that you can … know new people and make new friends.
In addition to that, I think it would be a bit expensive, too.
Examiner: Thank you. Now you have a minute to decide which two activities
should be chosen.
Candidate B: Well, Aldo, it seems to me that we both agree that horse riding is not
the best option here.
Candidate A: Yes, you’re right. Horse riding is out of the question. Am I right? So
this leaves us four options: we have rock climbing, cycling, sailing
and hiking.
Candidate B: I suggest sailing and cycling. They are both good fun, and not so
hard to learn and not dangerous.
Candidate A: If I were on the activity holiday I’d prefer climbing. To be totally
honest, I believe that rock climbing is much more adventurous and
interesting than sailing.
Candidate B: Well, it looks like we aren’t going to agree on this because you
believe that climbing would be a suitable choice and I don’t share
that view.
Examiner: Thank you. Can I have the booklet, please?

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Part 4 (11:45)
Examiner: Sabrina, do you prefer team sports or individual sports?
Candidate B: I’m a great fan of team sports. I believe that for most of us it’s the
best opportunity to meet new people and make new friends, and
learn how to work together. You see, team sports make you feel you
belong to a group, and this gives you a lot of responsibility, things
which I think are important in your professional life. So, what I mean
is that knowing that what you do is important for the whole group
can make you do your best. This is, of course, a good thing. It makes
you feel happy, proud. Besides, team sports teach you about helping …
helping other people. And that other people can help you, too. You
can count on other people to achieve your goals. Well, sometimes!
Examiner: Aldo, do you agree with Sabrina? Do you have anything to add?
Candidate A: Yes, I totally agree with Sabrina. I consider practising team sports
very positive, motivating, and challenging at the same time. I
understand that it might be a little bit stressful if you do your best
and the other players, they don’t … well, at least for some people,
but you can learn from that too. It should be seen as a learning
opportunity. To me, one of the most important things in life is to learn
from one another and group sports, they give you this chance. For
instance, if you are used to working well on your own, you’ll have to
learn to work in a team. Or if you’re a leading person, you have to
listen to others. All things considered, practising team sports helps
you to achieve your objectives. This must be very rewarding.
Examiner: Now, Aldo, why do think some people are good at sports and others
aren’t?
Candidate A: That’s an interesting question. It is usually said that some people
are born with a natural talent for some activities, and others are
not. If I’m not mistaken, the multiple intelligences theory talks about
this. So, what I mean is there are people who are likely to be better
at sports while others are going to be better at arts, or maths, or
writing. However, I suppose if you really like a certain sport, football,
for instance, it is possible to learn to do it well if you work really hard.
Maybe you won’t be a football star and earn lots and lots of money,
but, um, you’d be able to do it properly if you practised enough.
Examiner: Sabrina, do you think professional sports people earn too much
money?
Candidate B: Well, that’s a good question. Let me see … my first impression is
that, yes, professional sports people do earn too much, much more
than necessary. If what you read in the news about their salaries
is true, well, it’s hard to imagine how one single person would be
able to spend so much money. On the other hand, a professional
sports person is not a common person. I mean, they are more like
companies which employ several people, such as personal trainers,
spokespeople, managers, stylists, and so on. So, although I think
these peoples … sorry, people … make too much for what they do,
I think they have many more expenses than we can think of. That’s
why I sometimes think earning so much might be just a consequence
of their professional choice.
Examiner: Thank you. That’s the end of your test.
Examiner: Goodbye.
Candidate A: Thank you.
Examiner: Goodbye.
Candidate B: Thank you.
Examiner: Thank you.

© National Geographic Learning 2015 PHOTOCOPIABLE  Cambridge English: First Speaking Test Video script 4
SPEAKING TEST Tips VIDEO SCRIPTS Exam Essentials
Hello, my name is Mary and I was one of the examiners in this speaking test.
Candidates very often feel nervous before this part of the exam, so here I’m going to
give you some tips to help you do well.
Many candidates tend to get a bit nervous and begin talking too quickly. This can make
it harder for the examiner to understand what the candidate is saying. So remember to
breathe and slow it down a little. This will also give you time to think about what you’re
going to say next and will help you feel more confident.
Also, remember that if you need time to think about what you’re going to say, it’s
important not to remain silent while you think about your next sentence. There are
expressions you can use to fill the silences and give you a couple of seconds of
thinking time. You can say things like ‘Let me see …’ or ‘That’s an interesting ques-
tion…’.
Don’t forget that when examiners assess your pronunciation they will be focusing not
only on words, but also on sounds within words and intonation. For example, in this
test Sabrina had some difficulty pronouncing the ‘th’ sound, as in ‘South’.
If you know that something like this is a problem for you, make sure you practise
before the exam. For instance, you can do that by recording yourself repeating words
with the sounds you have problems with. Another effective way to improve your
pronunciation is by listening to native-English speakers talking on TV, in films or on the
internet, and copying their pronunciation.
Now, let’s talk about more the specific parts of the exam.
In Part 1, the examiner will ask each of the candidates to speak briefly in turn and to
provide personal information about themselves.
You can expect a variety of topics, such as free time activities, family, work and study,
amongst other things. Therefore, it’s useful to practise vocabulary, pronunciation and
structures that are specific to you.
During your test you will impress the examiner if you show that you can use a wide
range of grammatical structures. So, avoid repeating the same verb tenses and struc-
tures. Try to introduce past, present and future tenses. And if it’s appropriate, include
more advanced structures such as conditionals, for example.
In Part 2, you are given a pair of photographs and you are expected to talk about them
for about a minute. Comparing both pictures – and that means saying what is similar
and different in them – will give you a chance to explore your vocabulary. But don’t just
describe the pictures. The examiner will always ask you to compare the photos and
comment on a specific aspect of the two pictures. It’s important to listen carefully to
what the examiner is asking you to do, and respond to that.
Candidates may be unsure if they are speaking too much or too little. Don’t worry
about the time. The examiner will encourage you to go on speaking, or will tell you
when the time is complete by saying ‘Thank you’.
In Part 3 you have to talk with the other candidate to complete a task. The examiner will
give you a written question surrounded by some prompts. The task question is here
… and the activity ideas are here … . You need to discuss the question and the ideas
together for about three minutes.
This is a good opportunity to ask the other candidate for his or her opinion and
respond to what they say. Make sure you look at and talk to your partner, and not to the
examiner during this task.
Another important thing to remember is that you should not correct your partner’s
mistakes, if you happen to notice any. You won’t get a higher mark for doing that and
you may make your partner feel nervous and insecure.
In Part 4, the examiner will encourage you to develop the topic of your discussion in
Part 3 by asking other questions.
Don’t worry if you haven’t got a strong opinion on the subject. Remember the
examiners are interested in knowing how well you can speak English, rather than what
your opinions are. So, it’s not a problem to slightly change the subject provided you

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can link it to the question. For example, in this test you could say, ‘I don’t know very
much about sportspeople, but I certainly think some celebrities earn too much money’.
Just like in all interviews, it’s important to make eye contact with the person you are
speaking to. Smile, nod your head, and feel free to use your hands. All of these things
help you to add emphasis to what you’re saying and help you to relax.
Finally, remember that it’s perfectly normal to feel a little nervous before a speaking
test. The examiners are there to support you and they will be happy to repeat an
instruction or explain the task in a different way if you aren’t sure what you have been
asked to do. We wish you good luck and hope you are successful in the Cambridge
English First speaking test. Goodbye for now.

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