FREE Speaking

Phrase List
FCE & CAE

Here's a a PDF full of extremely useful

phrases that the examiners love hearing. Use

them, abuse them, show the examiners

that you’re in control and you know you’re
going to get top marks.

by
English with Issy

© English With Issy All rights reserved

Welcome Cambridge Warrior

Before you read through the speaking phrase list for your

Cambridge English FCE or CAE Exam, here's what I want

you to know:

Everything in this PDF is 100% applicable to the exam

and your studies.

Studying for the Cambridge Exam is overwhelming when

you think that you've got to study grammar, vocabulary

and also learn exam technique. To maximise your time,

I'm going to give you phrases that the examiners love.

All my best,

Issy

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Every day you'll find either quizzes, vocabulary reels or exam tips

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 B2 First and C1 Advanced

Speaking Exam Structure

Part 1
This part of the exam is just 2 minutes in total, so just 1 minute
per person more or less! The conversation is between you and
interlocutor (examiner), so you don’t need to talk to your partner
here.

The examiner will ask you 3 or 4 questions, they will ALWAYS

ask you what your name is and where you’re from, and then
something of a different topic.

Issy’s super tip: answers should be about 2 sentences long.

1. Make your point. 2. Example/reason/explanation etc.

Part 2
In this part, each person has 1 minute to talk about two
photos, and then the other candidate will answer a
question for 30 seconds on candidate 1’s photos, and vice
versa. This is an photo comparison activity, so do not only
describe the photos. ABC= Always Be Comparing

Issy’s super tip: don’t spend more than 20 seconds comparing

what you can see. Spend 40 seconds speculating and answering
the questions.

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englishwithissy
 B2 First and C1 Advanced

Speaking Exam Structure

Part 3
You have two minutes to have a conversation with your
partner in a very structured way. At the end of the two-
minute conversation, you will both have 1 more minute to
answer a question. This question is always a decision that has
to be made, and it’s always very related to the
question. Remember, always react to your partner's comments!

Issy’s super tip: don’t make decisions in the first part, ONLY
answer the question in the middle.

Part 4
This discussion is very similar to part 1, you need to give
long(ish) structured answers, however, this time you can also
talk to your partner, you will both be answering the question.
Part 4 is basically a continuation of part 3, the topic is the same,
and you have a little more time and freedom to get into a more
heated discussion.

Issy’s super tip: don’t spend more than 20 seconds comparing

what you can see. Spend 40 seconds speculating and answering
the questions.

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englishwithissy
SPEAKING PART 1
Interview.

I’m from …. which is a (adjective) city in the …. of ….

You’ve put me on the spot with that question.

It’s funny you ask me that as...

What an interesting question...

I’m keen on/I’m a huge fan of/I’m really fond of/ I

utterly enjoy/ I like nothing more than (to go cycling)

I’m an avid (cyclist/traveller/baker)

I’m itching to try/to go…

In my humble opinion/in all honesty...

That’s a tough/difficult question, well…

This is a topic that is particularly close to my heart

From time to time I …

Long story short….

Hesitating: Um, well I’m not sure…(think for a few

seconds)

Repetition: I’m sorry, could you repeat that please?

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englishwithissy
SPEAKING PART 2
Long Turn.
Comparing & Contrasting
In both pictures we can see/both photos show…
In the first photo the people are….
Although in both pictures …… ,
Both are similar in the sense that…
Neither photo is…
One difference is that… however less/more (adjective)

than…
The first thing that strikes me about this picture is
But/while/whereas

Speculating
I think it’s clear that/clearly/obviously…/I’m pretty sure

that…
They could/might/may be
I suppose…
From what I can see
Based on
They could have just/they might have just/they may have

Answering the Question

In terms of the question(s)
Regarding the question(s)

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englishwithissy
SPEAKING PART 3
Collaborative Task.

Part 1: Discussion
Shall I start? Would you mind if I started?
Sure, by all means / absolutely, go ahead, go for it…
Well to begin with….
You make a fantastic point/I couldn’t agree more /
You’re absolutely right / You took the words right out
of my mouth
I’m inclined to believe that…
Shall we move on to the next one? / let’s move on to
the next one
I do see your point, but I’m not sure… / I get what
you’re saying, but…
Not necessarily / I agree up to a point but…/ I beg to differ
What’s your take on this?/don’t you agree?/what do
you think?

Part 2: Come to a Decision

So, let’s come to a decision/let’s get down to the nitty gritty
It’s a tough one. I’m torn between…
It seems we’ve reached the conclusion that…
Right, what we’ve decided is that…

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englishwithissy
SPEAKING PART 4
Discussion.

For me personally / In my opinion / As far as I’m concerned

I honestly prefer /I don’t think / Many people think / feel / say that…

The vast majority of people tend to think that…

I think it’s a matter of

For instance/such as/one such example is …

As/because/since/the reason for this is

What’s more/besides/also/and / Another thing I’d like to add is

It’s also worth bearing in mind…

That’s a tricky question to answer but…

Following from what (Ana) was saying, I also feel…

Picking up on what (Ana) has said, I agree that…

Adding to what (Ana) has just said,….

At the end of the day…

Something (Ana) didn’t mention is….

I mean that’s just my personal view on the matter.

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englishwithissy
Super important things to

remember!

Eye contact
Maintain eye contact with the
examiner and your partner during
the exam. It’s a speaking exam, they
want to see that you know how to be
an interesting and interested human
even when you’re speaking English.
Positive body language is also key.

Be friendly
Ask the examiners how they are
when you enter, they’re human
beings, and you don’t have to be
extremely serious.

React to your partner's comments

In parts 3 and 4, don’t just focus on
YOUR answers, nod, smile, say ‘oh
that’s interesting’, act like you would
if you were with your friends!

Enjoy yourself! And be proud of how far you’ve come!

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englishwithissy
Thank you!
This phrase list is one of many useful

things you'll learn to get those top marks

in your Cambridge English exam. So,

implement what you've learned, and keep

going! You're doing great!

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