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Part two of the Cambridge English: First 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.
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.
Read my article about useful language for speaking test part 2 for some ideas.
Do you want a list of useful phrases for the FCE speaking test? Here's a great list, but we also
explain HOW to use all the sentences. Great, right?
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!
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!
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.
Easy, right?
Now you know how to make your own exam-style questions, you can practice whenever you want.
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.