Cambridge B2 First

Speaking Test Part 2

Part 2 Overview

Part two of the Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Speaking test is called the 'Long Turn' because you and student B take
turns to give long speeches. You get two colour photos. You have to talk about them on your own for a minute.
When you finish, the examiner asks the other student (student B) a question about your photos - student B should
talk for about 30 seconds.

Then student B gets two photos and has to talk about them for one minute. When that is over, the examiner asks
you a question, and now you have about 30 seconds to answer.

1. Interaction Diagram

In this part of the test, nobody should interrupt you, and you shouldn't talk when the
other student is talking.

2. More Detail

The photos are always different but the process is always the same. The examiner will ask you to COMPARE the
photos AND SAY something about them.

Study these examples from past exams:

Compare the photographs and say why they have chosen to travel in this way.

Compare the photographs and say why you think the people are talking.

Compare the photographs and say what the people are enjoying about doing these things.

See the pattern? So the first thing you should learn is how to compare things, and make sure you answer the
second part of the question.

3. Common Mistakes
 Most FCE students describe the photos. Nobody asked you to describe them! You are asked to compare -
there's a big difference. Describing has ONE element - This man is riding a bike. Comparing has TWO
elements - This picture shows a man riding a bike while this one shows a motorbike.
 If you forget a word or make a mistake, don't worry. Just keep talking. You have to talk for one minute.
Mistakes are normal. Keep going!

How about an example?

Compare the two photos and say what might be good or bad for the people traveling in these ways.
 BAD:

There is a man riding a bicycle. He has a helm. Um... helm. Hat?

Helmhat? Helmet! Yes, he has a helmet. This man is on a motor bicycle.
There is a yellow taxi behind him. Um... I finished.

(Problems: described the photos - didn't compare - wasted time on one

word - didn't say what might be good or bad.)

GOOD:

Both pictures show men on their own. In the picture on the top there's a
man on a bicycle while in the other picture he's got a motorbike. In the
first photo he's out in the countryside somewhere, maybe in Scandinavia.
In contrast, this man is in a city and it looks quite dusty and polluted. Here
in the first image, though, we can see it looks clean and the air seems
fresh.

I think there are good things about traveling by bicycle - it's good exercise
and it's very healthy. And cheap! On the other hand, riding a motorbike
doesn't give any health benefits and it's much more expensive because you
have to buy petrol.

What about the downsides of the bicycle? I suppose it isn't very safe because cars don't respect you. But that's the
same on the motorbike sometimes. Oh, the bike is quite slow - much slower than the motorbike. That's the really
good thing about the motorbike - the speed, and it's easy to find a parking space!

4. Practice

It's easy to practice - you just need two photos on a similar theme. Make sure they have people in.

I just typed the word 'travel' into google image search. The first two photos are PERFECT:

They've both got two people, but the first one looks like two friends and in the other it looks like a couple. The first
shows a trip to the countryside while the second is in a city.

What sort of question would the examiner ask?

Compare the two photos and ...

 say what is good and bad about these types of holidays

 say what the people are looking at and why
 say why they have chosen this sort of holiday.
Easy, right?

Now you know how to make your own exam-style questions, you can practice whenever you want.

5. The Follow-Up Question

Let's say student B was given the photos from part 4. He would talk for one minute, and then the examiner would
ask you a question about the photos.

Something simple like:

Which of these holidays would you prefer?

You should talk for about 30 seconds. How many sentences can you say in half a minute? Three? Four? Let's say
you can say three sentences in 30 seconds. You could say something like this:

Well, that's a very difficult question because I like both types of holiday. It's very interesting going somewhere
outside of the city because I like to get some fresh air and see some dramatic things. But probably my first choice
would be to go to a city, because there are also nice things to see but then I can get an ice cream whenever I want.

Useful Phrases for FCE Speaking Part 2 - the Long Turn

Here are some useful phrases you can use in part 2 of the FCE speaking test. I've also written some example
sentences so you can see how to use them properly. All my example sentences are based on these photos.

The top picture shows...

The bottom picture shows...

[The top picture shows a man riding a bicycle, while the bottom picture shows a man riding a motorbike.]

In one photo there are...

In the other photo there are...

[In one photo there are some wonderful, snow-covered trees while in the other photo there are cars in the
background.]

In the picture above it looks as if...

In the one below it looks like...

[In the picture above it looks as if a bear is chasing the man while in the one below it looks like the man is chasing
somebody else.]

Both pictures show...

In both pictures there are...
They're both quite similar because they both show...

[Both pictures show men traveling on their own.]

There are... in both photographs.

[There are men riding alone in both photographs.]

This picture shows... but that one...

[This one shows a cold country but that one looks quite hot.]

In one respect the pictures are quite similar because...

[In one respect the pictures are quite similar because the men look very fit and sporty.]

One difference between the pictures is that...

[One difference between the pictures is that we can see other cars and people in this picture.]

The biggest difference between them is that this one... but the other one...

[The biggest difference between them is that this one has a bear in it but the other one doesn't have any bears.]

This one looks more ... than that.

[This one looks more fun than that.]

Doing ... isn't so ... as...

[Riding a motorbike in a busy city isn't so healthy as riding a bike in the fresh air.]

In my opinion...
I'd say that...
I think...
It seems to me...
My view is that...

[My view is that this bear has been photoshopped into that picture. There's no way that's a real picture. It seems to
me that the maker of FCE Exam Tips tried to make this more interesting by putting a bear in the photo.]

Another thing that's different is...

Something else that's different is...

[This is a cold place, whereas this place looks hot. Another thing that's different is that this motorbike looks quite
old and cheap, while the bike seems quite expensive.]

They're alike in another way, too.

[Both men look strong and healthy. They're alike in another way, too - they are both adventurous and don't mind
traveling alone.]