23 Useful Phrase Types for the CPE Speaking.

Phrases To Start Speaking With

•Introducing Your Contribution
•Thinking Time Phrases
•Brief Long Turn Intro

Phrases To Make Things Better

•Make Things Interesting
•Speculating About A Photo
•Widening The Argument
•Stressing Details
•Predicting Or Imagining

Exam Tip
The CPE is still a conversation exam, it is not a public
address, I think the words informal and formal are too
severe. It is simple polite conversation, and being polite
includes not treating a stranger as too intimate (which slang
would do).
You should be pleasant but not stuffy . And saying some of
the more formal phrases out of, or even slightly out of,
context… well at worst is seen as rote speaking, but also
as possibly inappropriate as per the exam criteria! [see my
breakdown on ]
stuffy:(here) formal
rote: by memory, common collocation = "rote learning"
Phrases to Start Speaking With!

Section 1. Phrases to Start Speaking With

In general it is obviously good advice to start to speak confidently
– the exam stresses the need for minimal hesitation.
One way to imagine a conversation is that someone is passing you
a ball when they ask you a question – and if you have the ball, you
should be speaking! And so to signal that you accept it is your
turn, ideally you will start to speak almost immediately.
This is, of course, a cultural habit. Some cultures in the world like
the person to respond after reflection… but not us! We value
instant responses, silences are taboo.
taboo:(here) banned, not socially acceptable
Phrase Type 1: Introducing Your Contribution
First utterances
•Well…
•Ah…
•Yes….
•I guess…
•I suppose...
Followed by...
•...speaking from experience, …
•...as far as I am concerned…
•...in my opinion…
•...as I see it …
•...to be honest …
Exam tip
 Learn options slowly over time, incorporating a few new
phrases each time you are going to be practising the
speaking exam. Do this by creating an A4 cheat sheet, two
sided, where you make sections and keep adding to them.
Then if you possibly can, have the cheat sheet in front of
you while you are practicing!

Phrase Type 2: Thinking Time Phrases

Don’t say them unless you are desperate!
And that you get the natural ‘surprised’ intonation that comes with
the phrase when said in its normal context.

•Oh that’s an interesting question because there are a

number of factors involved, such as...
•Oh, ok, I’ve never thought much about that but if I were
to make a guess, I think...
•Well that’s difficult to say because on the one hand, I
guess….

These are real sentences and said in the right context with the right
intonation are more than acceptable.
Phrase Type 3: Brief Long Turn Intro
Here are three examples of Long Turn cards that can be given to
students:
Here we can see three possible types of questions. The first could
almost only be considered impersonal in nature – while the third,
could be discussed naturally either in an impersonal way or using
personal experience. The middle option could be a real mix of the
two styles.
It is highly recommended to merge the two styles if you are
feeling confident.
Exam Tip
One way to use both an impersonal and personal approach
would be to start with one and switch to the other at some
point.

Remember that the suggestions under the card are only

suggestions. You are not obliged to use or say them all, or even
any, of them if you don’t need to.
Exam Tip
Simply read out the statement to buy precious time. This is
commonly seen in the Cambridge videos of the exam – and
from a functional point of view it makes complete sense to
tell your partner (and the others in the room) what is the
question you are answering (because the examiner doesn’t
actually ask you!)

So firstly, if you wish to begin as a personal story (these longer

sentences need to be practiced to sound normal):
•This reminds me of something that happened to me
actually, when I was...…
 •From my personal experience there was a period in my
life where...
•I have first hand experience of this question from when
I was...

Alternatively you could simply say:

•Well, once when I was…
•In my personal experience,
•This reminds me of when I was…

And then you will need to link this story to you answering the
question:
•...and this experience taught me that…
•...and I learnt from this time that there are 2 main
problems/issues
•...and I saw that the key factors here were...

Here there are two options really, one is that you could talk in
depth about one factor and why that is the single most important
factor – and use your experiences directly, or you could list the
factors and now present them in an impersonal way.
Alternatively you could begin with an impersonal introduction,
namely:
•Well, there are 3 main areas to consider here…
•This is an interesting question and there are at least 3
issues to consider…
•This is [a very topical problem] at the moment, and
three of the main factors are...
Then as you begin the discussion I would list the three suggestions
on the card (trying to paraphrase if possible).
•Firstly … secondly... and then finally

Then later in the 'Long Turn' I would look at the "Move Between
Topics language" to structure the ideas better.
If you have no more things to say, you can then move from an
impersonal analysis to a personal example, with phrases such as:
•...and I guess if I think of an example from my own
life…
•...and I saw this personally when I went to…
•...a good example of this was when I...
So looking at two of the three exam example questions above:
Question 1) impersonal and switch to personal
I think this is a very interesting subject, and there are three
major factors to consider, firstly reading material, like books
and articles, secondly people, either witnesses or experts and
finally actually visiting the places. So firstly if we consider books
then…. …
And when I think of the time I was researching my own country
when I was at school I think the experience of going to a place
and having a excited and informed guide tell me about the
building around us was an incredible experience to really
understand the history of….
Question 3) personal switched to impersonal
This of course reminds me of my own personal experience of
learning a language, and if there is one thing that I would
consider a key factor it is staying positive, for example…. …
And if I consider this question in general, I think there are 3
main areas to consider, firstly….

Section 2. Phrases to Make Things Better

These are phrases which improve the quality of the content – in
some cases allowing you to introduce more content, and in some
cases to make your content more powerful.

Phrase Type 4: Makes Things Interesting

Some phrases which subtly convince the other person that you are
indeed interesting are:
•..and this is exciting because…
•...and an interesting thing is…
•...which is odd because…
•...and that is strange if you think about it because...

Phrase Type 5: Speculating About A Photo

In the photo(s) section of the exam it is very easy to simply say,
“and here the person is...” etc.
This is not wrong, but sometimes the photos are not clear about
what they are showing, so you cannot simply say “this is”, instead
consider:
When it is visually not clear:
•As far as I can tell …
•I can’t quite make it out but I think…

When it is ‘functionally’ not clear:

 •It looks as if/though…
•I get the impression that...
•... it is not real.
•...this is not the whole picture.
•...they know each other.

•It looks as if…

•...the place is very busy.
•...they are actors, it looks fake.
•...something exciting is about to happen.

Phrase Type 6: Widening The Argument

The examiners appreciate when a student really expands the
discussion so that it is much more than the initial question.
(Without losing sight of the original question)
Ideally you will also have the opportunity to talk briefly about the
extra issues raised; but be careful to not get sidetracked. Keep the
discussion focused on the question, but show an ability to open
out the discussion naturally.
sidetracked:(here) to depart from the main topic of conversation, often for a long period, or even
not returning to the original topic!

Some typical phrases might include:

•What springs to mind when we talk about this is also
the fact that...
•One thing we haven’t mentioned yet is the bigger
picture - in terms of...
 •And of course now we could go on to talk about the
impact on….
•This opens up a whole new series of questions
regarding….

And then you could possibly just give an example of what you
mean, and leave it at that.
...and of course not just animals in zoos, but also in nature
reserves or pets, these animals too should have rights and
accepted rules of treatment, for example.

Phrase Type 7: Stressing Details

The idea is to really focus the thoughts of the listener on your
main idea.
The risk in not doing this is that the listener is left with the slight
feeling that they do not know what your main point is. Or, how
you feel in particular. This means in a way that your contribution
has not been effective because I will need to ask you another
question to find out what is the key take away from what you have
said.
You can focus on a detail or fact in two ways, one is before you
say it:

•To some extent the key/main issue/problem here is…

•Taking everything into account, I would choose/say….
•If I had to pick one factor, it would be...

The other way is afterwards,

 •This is really important because it is the only way…
•In fact I would say that was the key issue here
because….
•Which if I think about it, that is probably the key factor
here because...

Exam tip
These phrases are also excellent responses to your
partner’s ideas!

Either way you should aim to explain why it is important too:

•For me the primary reason is X, and that is because….

Another variant of this is to introduce an idea with interesting

imagery, this also grabs the listener’s attention and highlights your
idea:
•What flashes through my mind when I think of this
is….
•So off the top of my head I would say...
•Something that springs to mind here is...

Phrase Type 8: Predicting or Imagining

There are many times in a normal conversation you will want to
hypothesize about possible facts or situations. This should also be
part of your natural conversation in the exam.
The most natural moment for these type of sentences will be the
Photos part (see "Speculating About a Photo" section above), but
you can use these phrases to great effect whenever you are being
required to give an opinion about something you are unsure of, for
example:
•(I’m not sure but ) I bet X is a factor in this.
•(I don’t know about this personally but) the chances are
that…
•(I have never looked into this but) my guess is that…

These are also very nice phrases to use in real life because you are
presenting your ‘facts’ as a non-expert and that they are just ideas
- it is less bombastic and leaves more space for the other person to
have their ideas too.
bombastic:(here) aggressive, dogmatic

Section 3. Phrases to Make Things Clearer

Presenting your ideas clearly is a fundamental requirement not
only of CPE but also CAE, this is what it means to move between
‘Intermediate’ and ‘Advanced’.
As a person speaks for a longer period it becomes more and more
likely that the other person is going to lose YOUR train of
thought. You will need to structure your ideas more clearly.
And another time that clarification is vital is if an initial statement
does not fully capture your idea, so you will need to rephrase, or
give an example, etc.
Phrase Type 9: Structure Any Longer Answer
This is simply a way of telling the audience that you have more
than one point to make on the question. It allows them to start to
listen to you with some structure from the get go.
•Well there are two things to consider here, firstly…
•Actually there are a number of issues here (, two for
example are….)
•I guess we have to look at four key areas,

While you could start to talk immediately about the first point, a
more structured approach would be to actually list the things you
would like to say:
•...namely X and Y.
•...for example X, Y and Z.
•…and they are / would be A, B and C.

And then you could begin talking about the first one:
•So if we look at X first…
•Firstly X…
•Taking X first….

Exam Tip
Whilst these phrases are great to show the examiner that
you are able to structure complex multi-part answers there
are two caveats here, first they are verging on formal, and
secondly they are long, and risk coming across as being
 repeated from memory. But they are useful, and have their
place.
caveat:(here) warning, something to bear in mind

Phrase Type 10: Moving Between Topics

Following on from structuring a longer answer would be the need
to subsequently move between the topics, issues or examples you
have already listed, or alluded to.
We can use the number based phrases, secondly, thirdly, - however
that can seem very regimented and less relaxed (which the CPE
exam aims to be). Often when we DO USE them, it is especially
when the points are short and close in time, or initially when we
list them.
regimented: highly organized and structured, (from military, 'regiment')

Later though, once you have developed a point you should

probably use a simple signal that you are changing focus.
These can be very simple, but they are very effective:
•Moving on to …
•Now if we look at...
•So turning to...

Help people follow your logic by structuring your ideas clearly.

Phrase Type 11: Switching Direction Phrases
Sometimes we need to change direction completely within a point.
We should really tell the listener that it is about to happen, else
they will be trying to understand how the new idea fits in with the
old idea.
•...but I'm in two minds about it because we can also…
 •That's one way of looking at it but I guess on the other
hand …
•And yet if we look at it from the completely opposite
direction, we see that...

Exam tip
These phrases could also be used as a way to respond to
your partner with a change of direction. HOWEVER, I
would add a short “Yes, you have a point there but...” or
similar.

Phrase Type 12: Rephrasing

The exam criteria states: “Spoken language often involves false
starts, incomplete utterances, ellipsis and reformulation. Where
communication is achieved, such features are not penalised.”
This means that you should not fear rephrasing any statement if
you feel it went across badly.

Exam tip
It is also OK to rephrase anything even for effect...but be
careful here because the time in the exam is limited and,
unlike life, the content of the discussion is not so vital that
you must be understood perfectly. So, if what you said is
clear don’t panic, move on and say something new.
Simple phrases such as these should help announce your intent:
•To put it another way...
•In other words…
•Maybe that wasn’t clear, I wanted to say…
•Sorry let me start again…

Phrase Type 13: Going Backwards

Not quite the same thing as rephrasing, this is where you go
backwards in terms of logic or in terms of the flow of the
argument.
Phrases such as:
•Sorry, just to come back to the point I was making …
•(When I was talking about X) I forgot to mention …
•Actually we could have mentioned X when we were
talking about Y earlier…

Exam Tip
There are three main times this language might be useful
in the exam, firstly, during the photos, and then, possibly
during your longer turn you may want to backtrack , and
finally in the general discussion.
backtrack: to go backwards, often to change something said
Phrase Type 14: Giving An Example
Of course throughout the exam you will want to give occasional
examples, here are some alternative structures to the standard “So
for example...”
•If we take X for example we can see…
•One of the best examples I can think of this is…
•For instance, if we look at...
•We’ve all heard about the famous example where…

Examples are a great way to move an argument forward but

also to recover from some less clear statements – use an
example rather than rephrase if you feel what you said was
clear but not very convincing.

Section 4: Phrases to Highlight Interactivity

An important aspect of any dialogue is the interaction between
people. And this is reflected in the marking scheme for the CPE
Speaking Exam.
It is important to remember that all the language you produce in
the speaking exam is viewed in the context of the conversation.
Speaking well about a subject that has nothing to do with the
matter in hand is frowned upon and will not be given a good
grade.
And so within the exam students should aim to show
consideration to the other speakers, not only in terms of listening
and giving them time to talk but also in what you say.
Phrase Type 15: Agreeing
Many students do not acknowledge that they actually agree with
what the other person said, they just continue with their own ideas.
As a general rule you should ALWAYS comment on the
other person’s comments who spoke before you, it can be a
simple “Yes” or “Yes exactly” or “I agree and...”. It is
greatly appreciated by all native English speakers and will
definitely be noticed by the examiners!

Phrases that show agreement can be very simple:

•I agree.
•You’re right
•That’s a good point.

You can be a little more emphatic occasionally:

•I think I have to agree with you on that point
•That’s exactly what I was thinking
•That is completely true

You can also change your mind

•On second thoughts, I have to agree with you…
•After listening to what you just said, I think you are
right

And you can also partially agree

 •Yes, I think I’d agree with you to a certain extent,
however, one thing is…
•Yes, that’s so true, however it is also true that...

Phrase Type 16: Disagreeing Nicely

A fundamental issue about disagreeing – even more so than
agreeing – is to acknowledge the other person’s ideas in some way
- and even then, ideally, in a positive way.
The basic structure is:
•APOLOGY + DISAGREEMENT

For example:
•I am sorry to disagree with you, but…
•I’m afraid I have to say that is not quite true…
•Unfortunately that is not the case…

Another version is:

•ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GENERAL IDEA +
DISAGREEMENT

For example:
•I think I see what you mean, but …
•I see what you’re getting at but …
•Right, more or less, however...

A more sophisticated structure might be as so:

•COMPLIMENT + change of direction + SPECIFIED
CRITICISM
For example:
•There are some very valid points there, however, what
you said about…
•I think that is almost perfect, just one thing, when you
mentioned…
•I agree with everything you said, there is one minor
point however, if we look at...
Phrase Type 17: Verbal Nods
Verbal nodding is as much a cultural phenomenon as it is a language skill.
•Yes

•Oh yes

•Uh huh

•Right!

•Exactly!

•Ok!

For the exam I recommend a few “Yes” “Right” “Exactly”, an

occasional “Oh yes!” and “That’s interesting!” etc.
Exam Tip
I would avoid ‘yeah’ if possible. I would also avoid ‘’cos’
(for ‘because’) and similar very relaxed language – these
would be considered slang and inappropriate for a situation
like the CPE exam. I think the occasional ‘yeah’ is not a
problem as a verbal nod but I would advise against use of
'cos' or similar. Don’t do it!!

You can also use some longer expressions (in a very soft voice,
while the other person talks) like:
 •That’s a good idea
•That’s just what I was thinking
•That's an interesting point.
•That’s a good point.
•You’ve got a point there.
•You’re absolutely correct.
•Precisely!

Most of these expressions could also be used just as you are about
to start speaking, to recognise the other speaker's ideas before
starting your own.

Phrase Type 18: Involving the Examiner

While you shouldn’t ask the interlocutor a question directly, you
should react accordingly to their questions. This means that you
react to what they said as if it were part of a conversation – not
just an exam question!
So do consider linking and responding to what they have asked
you:
•Oh that’s a good/difficult/tricky question!

If you feel the question is something you need to think about a

little, then say so – it is a conversation!
•Well I’ve never really thought about it much but I guess
I would say….
•In terms of X, I had never really considered that aspect,
but I suppose...
 •That’s a side of the issue I have never dwelled on, but,
thinking about it now, I would say...

If you haven’t understood the question, you could simply say

•I am sorry, could you repeat that?

If you just missed a word, then perhaps:

•Sorry I didn’t quite catch that word (after “K” / you said
“when you….?”)

Or alternatively, if you understood the words but were not sure of

the meaning, then you could say:
•Ok, by X do you mean Y…?
•Sorry, if I understood correctly, are you referring to…?

And then respond with a

•Oh ok, thank you!

Exam Tip
It is not necessarily a problem to ask for clarification in
the exam. Firstly it is primarily a speaking and not listening
exam – although it is about communication so obviously
listening is important. Secondly, people often miss parts of
the other person’s speech – even native speakers - and as
long as it doesn’t happen repeatedly it is not a problem.
Thirdly, the capacity of a candidate to be able to request and
 possibly even specify where the misunderstanding was is an
extremely valid communication skill and could enhance the
examiner’s opinion of you as a speaker. (Don’t do it on
purpose though!) And finally, what is the alternative? If you
have misunderstood and start speaking, there is a more
serious risk that you will not be answering the interlocutor’s
actual question... And that is a serious risk!

Phrase Type 19: Asking Your Partner Questions

When your partner is speaking listen carefully and 'actively'. Show
interest in their opinions by responding to comments he or she
makes.
This might be by showing you agree or disagree with something
they've said, but could also be, to ask them to expand or clarify a
comment they've made. For example, look at the going deeper
questions.
There are probably four main types of questions you should look
to ask your partner:
Direct questions, these are the standard type of questions where
you clearly signalling for the other person to speak:
•What do you think of all that?
•How do you feel about…

Going deeper questions, here you are really taking a decisive

position in the conversation, but with a friendly tone it could be an
excellent way to improve the quality of your discussion; especially
when deciding your solution in the photos section:
 •So, when you say ........, do you mean ........?
•Could you explain what you mean by .......?

Only ask these type of questions if you are genuinely interested or

confused. An insincere question will stand out like a sore thumb. It
will sound simply rehearsed and not natural!
Challenging questions, these are questions where you are
challenging the stance of the other person. Keep the tone friendly
and inquisitive and not accusative or aggressive.
•Don’t you think that….?
•Yes, but what about…?

Looking for agreement: Sometimes you might have different

opinions than your speaking partner, and that is not a problem in
itself. However, you may want to find a conciliatory position,
especially with the final choice of photos, so perhaps:
•Well, can we agree on…
•Do you go along with that?

Phrase Type 20: Interrupting

There will of course be many speaking exams where one of the
speakers dominates, or tries to dominate, the paired tasks. The
examiners are aware of this, and even the exam criteria
acknowledges that this is not desirable in terms of interactivity.
However, do not expect the examiner to help you!
They may notice it and take that into consideration, but it is also
your responsibility to manage the conversation, so be prepared to
interrupt!
Simple phrases should suffice:
•Sorry to interrupt, but I think perhaps..
•If I might add something…
•Yes, and if I could just say that…

If you are in a more serious situation, you could try something a

bit stronger with a firm voice, such as:
•Look, I am sorry, if I could just get a chance here….
•Please. I would like to get a word in here…
•Sorry, could I say something please?

Section 5: Phrases to Create Harmony

Like it or not. Agree with it or not, but the Cambridge Exams are a
product of a culture and like every culture there is a preferred way
of doing things.
Being harmonious in a conversation is considered polite in British
culture and by some people it is even considered essential. So in
an ideal exam you could try to do the same.

Phrase Type 21: Being a Nice Person Phrases

So just aiming to be a positive nice person is a great start!
Do smile, do do your verbal nods, refer to your partner, give them
time to speak. And so on.

•Agreeing to disagree: "Let’s agree to disagree

on/about…
 •Giving feedback about their ideas: "Yes, I think that is a
great idea...
•Giving feedback about their opinions: "That’s really
interesting...
•Agreeing where possible: "Yes, I totally agree with that!
In fact….

Phrase Type 22: Giving Mild or Balanced Opinions

Another option here is to avoid being bombastic or dogmatic in
your opinion.
So we might often begin with a phrase that admits we could be
wrong or that there is room for disagreement;
•I'm inclined to think/believe that .…
•I could be wrong here but I think…
•It is just my personal opinion but I would imagine
that…
•It is just one side of the argument but I tend to agree
more with...
•I am open to other opinions, but I think…

This allows you to give an opinion without appearing to be overtly

opinionated.

Phrase Type 23: Refer to Your Partner

When giving your opinion, and this could be especially during the
photos or after listening to their long turn, or in the final
conversation, aim to comment on, or simply refer to, your
partner's views.
You could agree with them:
•I think you were right when you said…
•I agree with what you said about….

You could simply comment on something they said:

•It was an interesting point you said about…
•I think what you have just said is really important.

You could simply refer to what they said, showing that you were
listening:
•You were saying that…
•You mentioned X, which is interesting because...

You could build on what they talked about

•And to take your idea one step further we could….
•Yes, I think that’s a great idea and if we added….