The structure of the Speaking test.

The total duration of the Speaking test from the beginning of the Introduction to the end of
Part 3 should be between 10 and 15 minutes.

Once the Speaking test has begun, the recording must run without any interruptions.

To start the test, there is an introduction which lasts approximately 1 minute. The
teacher/examiner welcomes the candidate and reads out the examiner script.

After the short introduction, the Warm-up can begin. Use the Warm-up to put the candidate at
ease by conducting a short conversation using the questions provided on the examiner script.

The Introduction and warm-up are not assessed, but they must be recorded.

The next part of the test is Part 1 Interview which lasts between 2 and 3 minutes. The
teacher/examiner reads out the examiner script and tells the candidate the topic for the
interview.

The teacher/examiner conducts a short interview with the candidate by asking the questions
provided on this topic. The questions must be asked in the order listed on the examiner script.
Candidates must have the opportunity to respond to each question as fully as they can before
moving on to the next one….

To elicit further discussion with the candidate before moving on to another question, use any
of the following provided in the Teacher’s/Examiner’s Notes:

 Can you tell me more about…?

 Can you tell me why…?
 Can you explain what you mean…?
 Can you give me any examples of…?

If a candidate has very little to say in response to a question after prompting, move on to the
next one.

This part of the test is assessed.

Part 2 of the test is a Short talk which lasts between 3 and 4 minutes and includes 1 minute
preparation time.

Each Speaking Assessment card includes a topic and a context. The Speaking Assessment
cards must not be shared with candidates before the test.

During the preparation period for the Short talk the teacher/examiner selects a Speaking
Assessment card and gives it to the candidate. The candidate then has 1 minute to read the
card and prepare for the talk. The candidate can ask questions about the meanings of words
and ask for further clarification, but they must not make notes during this period. Encourage
the candidate to use the full one minute to prepare for the Short talk. The recording must not
be stopped during the preparation time.
During the Short talk the candidate talks on their own about the topic on the card for up to 2
minutes. If the candidate does not start speaking after approximately 15 seconds, prompt the
candidate by reading the additional instructions on conducting Part 2 of the test provided in
the Teacher’s/Examiner’s Notes.

This part of the test is assessed.

Part 3 is the final part of the test and lasts between 3 and 4 minutes. The teacher/examiner
conducts a discussion based on the Short talk in Part 2 using the questions from the examiner
script. The teacher/examiner should avoid asking questions on aspects the candidate has
already talked about. If the candidate responds at length, it may not be necessary to use all of
the questions on the script.

This part of the test is assessed.

Let’s now look at what to do before the Speaking test.

Teacher/examiner:

Centre number: AB123

Centre name: International Centre

Examination: English as a Second Language

Examiner name: Mrs K Feliciani

Date: 1 April 2024

Candidate number: 0001

Candidate name: Natalia Gomez

Speaking Assessment Card D

Hello.

Candidate: Hello.

Teacher/examiner: First, we will start with a short warm-up where I will ask you some
questions to find out more about you. This part is not assessed. After the warm-up there are
three assessed parts to the test: an interview, a short talk and a discussion.

Teacher/examiner: Where do you live?

Candidate: I’m living in Columbia in the capital of Columbia is Bogotá. Um, near to the
centre city.
Teacher/examiner: Can you tell me something about your interests?

Candidate: Um, yes, I really enjoy to learn about everything, so I think I want to study
different subjects about the basic knowledge, knowledge, so um I am interesting about the
history and philosophy. And also in other hand I, I really enjoy dance and er likes artistic
things, sing, dance or theatre as well so um I think that I can do everything that I want. I
enjoy, I can do it. I, I really enjoy to learn new things in my life.

Teacher/examiner: What would you like to do when you finish school?

Candidate: Um, I was thinking study first, because I want to study a lot of subjects. So I
want to study first history, and then decide then what happen. And also I plan to enter to
agency agency of dance, or model maybe. I don’t know, I am thinking, yes.

This is the Marking Criteria for the interview, short talk and discussion.

You will find the Marking Criteria in the syllabus and in the Teacher’s/Examiner’s Notes.

Teacher/examiner: The first assessed part of the test is an interview. I am going to ask you
some questions about holidays. Try to say as much as you can for each
question. Before we start, do you have any questions?

Candidate: No.

Teacher/examiner: Can you tell me about places where people like to go on holiday in your
country?

Candidate: Um, yes. Colombia is so common to do a kind of road road trip in car because
it’s beautiful, the view, the landscapes, so there are many er trips, like for example for 10
hours or 12 hours to the city another city. And it’s good because you can er know all the all
the country, it’s beautiful, it’s a good experience, it’s cheaper as well. And there um usually
people go to the cities that are near to the sea and it’s so beautiful the view there and it’s
cheaper so it’s so common in my country too.

Teacher/examiner: Can you tell me about your last holiday?

Candidate: Er, yes, my last holidays was the last year, I went to Paris er with my old sister
because they are, she is studying there [unclear]. So I visit her, and was amazing really good,
I really like it. And then, after a while, I was in UK after that. Visit all of city all of cities of
UK, and was good.

Teacher/examiner: Do you think it is a good idea to go on holiday abroad? Why? Why not?

Candidate: Um, yes. I think depends er what do you want to do in your holidays, and what
money you have to travel or not. Um, but if you want to have the complete experience, to
know new cultures or to know some different er some different of your daily routine, of your
daily holidays, it’s a good idea you can you can learn more and depends um of your money
that you have in this moment. But yes it’s a good idea I think.
Teacher/examiner: Why would it not be a good idea to go on holiday abroad?

Candidate: Why not? Maybe it’s expensive. So, you need more time before to plan your
holidays before to travel. Um, also you need to know some things er before, about the culture,
or countries, or rules in the different country because it’s so different of your life, so you need
to be prepare for the new country that you are going to visit because it’s it’s difficult, it’s
different, can be another language, so if you don’t er speak the same language, or you don’t
know how to work the currency or you know, whatever, it’s important, than you need more
time before to plans so maybe.

Teacher/examiner: The second assessed part of the test is a short talk. I will give you a card
and you will have one minute to read it and think about what you want to say. You should
talk about the points on the card. You can’t make any written notes, but you can ask me if
there is anything you do not understand. You may keep the card until the end of the short
talk. Here is your card.

Teacher/examiner: You now have up to two minutes to talk about the topic on the card. I
will stop you after two minutes, but do not worry if you have not finished your talk. Would
you like to start?

Candidate: Yes. Ok. The best way to make it memorable for your friend, um her birthday or
his birthday, I think it depends of what kind of friends is you, because it’s a close friend of
you, maybe you need to take time to to think about what you want to do for her. Um, of is a
friend like, just friend, is doesn’t matter. But also it’s important to know what kind of thing
that your friend like it, for example, in my opinion, I don’t like that organise a surprise party
because I think it’s more for the guests and not for the people that are in his birthday, so um
depends, really depends. Er, if you organise a surprise party you need to do a budget before
because you you you gonna spend some, a lot of money in this, and not just in your in your
friend, also in the guests of the party so, I think it’s good idea but depends. And also I think a
disadvantage of the of the surprise party can become a bad experience because people use
this kind of party to do, er to get drunk, and to do bad things, so maybe the person that that
are in her birthday is not gonna have a good time a good time and is not idea. So I prefer to
give a special gift, I think it’s more memorable because if a if is a good friend of you is a
close friend of you, you need to think and you need to to take time time to think about the
special gift. Even is a a small things, that doesn’t worry. If you er know your friend and you
know let her know that you know your friend and you listen that that small things, small
details about her, about her life, about her life, doesn’t matter if a small things. Like I think
the most important in the birthday is that you feel another person is special like.

Teacher/examiner: Perfect. Thank you. Can I have the card back, please? Now let’s move
on to Part 3 of the test. Now I am going to ask you a few questions related to the topic you
have just talked about. This part of the test will last approximately three minutes. Before we
start, do you have any questions?

Candidate: No.

Teacher/examiner: Is it better to celebrate special occasions with family or friends? What

do you think?
Candidate: Um, it’s better I think with friends, because er it it’s environment that you enjoy
more, because your family is people that you used to see every week, every days, and maybe
you can have some bad relations with between your family, so in my opinion I prefer like er
special occasion with your friend because you choose your friends, you can choose who are
your friends, so you can enjoy more, I think.

Teacher/examiner: What is more satisfying: to receive a gift or to give one?

Candidate: Um, for me, it’s more satisfying to give a gift, because you can see the other
person happy, and that make me happy to me, like, if you know that the other person are so
grateful with you and the other person feel special its make me happy. So yes, I prefer giving
a gift.

Teacher/examiner: Some people think that you can only be friends with people who have
similar interests to you. Do you agree?

Candidate: Can you repeat the question, please?

Teacher/examiner: Some people think that you can only be friends with people who have
similar interests to you. Do you agree?

Candidate: Um, yes I am agree. Um, no I am not agree, sorry. I think that it’s good if you
have friends with the same interest um because that makes the sense of the relation
friendship, like you can talk about things with them so, doesn’t matter, never mind for me,
yes.

Teacher/examiner: Many people think that it is better to go to a shop to buy certain things
rather than buy them online. What do you think?

Candidate: Um, I think it’s better go to the shops to to see the quality of the things that you
are gonna buy. But in some cases is necessary to do do online cos some things don’t, you
can’t find in your country you’re not near from you so it depends that you are necessary.

Teacher/examiner: Can you tell me a little bit more about that? Give me some examples.

Candidate: Um, for example, … I think in the future everything is going to be online, and it
can be easier for everyone, but if you don’t taste the the things that you’re going to buy, it’s
important also, and also if you need to change it, for example you buy something, but it’s not
good, as it’s it’s a wrong, have a mistake with the company you cannot like change the the
product. So I think it’s important to still with the stores in the malls or like nowadays.

Teacher/examiner: Well done. Thank you. This is the end of the test. End of recording.

At the end of each candidate’s test:

 Remind the candidate about confidentiality.

 Keep the Speaking Assessment card. The candidate must not take this out of the room.
 Complete the Speaking Examination Summary Form.
 Check your addition of the total marks.
 Check the battery on your recording device.
  Check you have sufficient space on your recording device for the next candidate.
 Reset your stopwatch.

Here are some key points to remember when conducting the Speaking test:

 There are no right or wrong answers to the questions.

 Always appear interested in what the candidate is saying.
 Give candidates the full time allowed for each part of the test.
 You must not indicate how well you think the candidate has done either during or
after the test.

Refer to the Cambridge Handbook for instructions on what to do when all of the Speaking
tests have been completed and for further information about the administration of the
Speaking tests. The Cambridge Handbook is available from our website
at www.cambridgeinternational.org

Remember, you must always refer to the syllabus for the correct year of examination and the
corresponding Teacher’s/Examiner’s Notes.

Grammar ………………../10

Vocabulary……………../10

Development…………/10

Fluency/ pronunciation……………./10

https://learning.cambridgeinternational.org/classroom/course/view.php?id=4383

We will access the sample videos together,

Part 1: Interview

Interview
Goals and achievements
 What personal qualities do people need to be successful in life, and why?
 Can you tell me about a time you achieved your goal, and what happened?
 Do you think young people nowadays face different challenges compared to their
parents’ generation? Why or why not?
[Total: 10]
Student life
 What are some ways that students can overcome stressful situations?
 Can you tell me about what you look forward to doing after you finish studying at your
present school, and why?
 Do you think that exams are a good way of testing students’ knowledge? Why, or why
not?
[Total: 10]
Going to work
 What jobs are popular among young people nowadays, and why?
 Can you tell me about the kind of environment you would like to work in?
 Do you think it is a good idea to set up your own business and work for yourself? Why,
or why not?
[Total: 10]
Part 2: A short talk: 2 points- comparison
Well-being
In your class, you have been discussing what people should do to stay healthy and happy.
You are considering the following options:
 giving up fast food
 spending more time with friends and family.
Discuss how easy or difficult each option would be. Say which option you would prefer,
and why.
[Total: 10]

Entertainment for young people

You feel there are not enough opportunities for entertainment for young people in your
town.
You have decided to write to town officials and recommend some changes. You are
considering
the following options:
 opening a cinema
 opening a science museum.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Say which option you would
prefer,
and why.
[Total: 10]
Going on holiday
You and your family are deciding what to do and where to stay during your next family
holiday. You are considering the following options:
 hiking and camping in the countryside
 exploring a city and staying in an expensive hotel.
Discuss how easy or difficult each option would be. Say which option you would prefer,
and why.
[Total: 10]
Preparing for adventure
This summer you and your family are going on a sailing trip during your holiday. You want to
do something before the trip to prepare for this adventure. You are considering the
following options:
 joining the local gym to work out more
 learning about the sea and the weather in the area you are travelling to.

Third part of the exam: Discussion

 Do you think there are more advantages than disadvantages to living in your
neighbourhood? Why?
 Some people think that all young people should live and study away from their parents’
home. What do you think?
 Some people say that teenagers should be allowed to make decisions about what
happens in their local area. Do you agree?
 In the future, will people have to live in more unusual places, such as in space? Why, or
why not?
[Total: 10]

 Many people say that zoos are good for the entertainment of people, but bad for the
animals that live there. What is your opinion?
 Should people be encouraged to stop eating meat or using animal-based products like
leather shoes?
 Do you think every child should have a pet? Why, or why not?
 There is an opinion that people could not survive without the help of animals. What do
you think?
[Total: 10]