Entry ticket

I can sustain a one-minute long turn in

response to verbal and visual stimuli.

I can speculate about events, people's

feelings and attitudes.
?
This part of the test is supposed to last 3 or 4 minutes, and the main elements that are timed
are the following:

● Candidate A’s comparison + question: 1 minute

● Candidate B’s follow-up question: 30 seconds
● Candidate B’s comparison + question: 1 minute
● Candidate A’s follow-up question: 30 seconds
Instructions and Possible Candidate’s
Response
● When sitting any speaking exam, it is important to know
what to expect, whether it be in terms of timing, tasks,
instructions, content, etc. For this reason, I believe it is
essential to be familiar with the instructions you will receive
during FCE Speaking Part 2.
Examiner’s initial instructions

● In this part of the test, I’m going to give each of you two
photographs. I’d like you to talk about your photographs on
your own for about a minute, and also to answer a question
about your partner’s photographs.
● (Candidate A), it’s your turn first. Here are your
photographs. They show people who are helping other
people in different situations.
● I’d like you to compare the photographs, and say how
important it is to help people in these situations.
 Candidate A’s response
● (introduction) Both of these pictures show people getting
some help; the first one shows a football player who seems to
be injured and the second one is an Asian tourist getting help
from a policeman.
● (similarities + differences) Although both situations involve
someone helping a person, they are very different. In the first
one, the football player needs help because he’s had an injury
and, probably, he can’t walk properly. On the other hand, in
the second picture, the tourist is probably asking for directions
because he might be lost. Also, the footballer is likely to be in
pain, while the tourist may only be a little nervous.
● (question) As for how important it is to help these people, I’d
Examiner’s follow-up question for Candidate B

● (Candidate B), do you find it easy to ask for help when

you have a problem?
● Candidate B’s response
● Well, it depends on the problem, but normally I do.
Whenever I have a serious problem I ask my mum or my
dad for advice. It’s not easy, but I do it. With other
problems, I always ask my friends first, because they
normally know what to do.
Basic Observations for B2 Speaking Part 2

● If you read the task above carefully, you will notice the following features:
● Candidate A is asked to compare two pictures and to answer a question about
them.
● The question the examiner includes in his explanation is also written above
the pictures, so don’t worry about having to memorise it.
● Candidate A will have to speak longer than Candidate B, that is, the person
comparing speaks longer than the person answering the follow-up question.
● Candidate A has clearly compared both pictures and answered the question.
● The expressions in bold are useful words or phrases to use in any comparison.
● Candidate A’s comparison follows a clear order: introduction + similarities,
differences, question. Although this particular order is not compulsory, it is
recommendable.
FCE Speaking Part 2: Useful Phrases
to Compare Pictures
● Starting your comparison

○ Both of these pictures show…

○ These two pictures show…

○ The two situations in these pictures are…

● Talking about similarities

○ These two pictures/situations are similar because/in that…

○ In both pictures we can see…

○ One similarity between these two pictures/situations is that…

○ Another similarity might be that…

○ One thing that these two pictures/situations have in common is that…

○ One thing that these two pictures share is that…

○ The most obvious similarity is that…

○ These two pictures share the fact that…

○ Both pictures (…) in the same way. 

FCE Speaking Part 2: Useful Phrases
to Compare Pictures
● Talking about differences

○ One of the most obvious differences (between these two pictures) is that…

○ Another difference is that…

○ Something that makes these two pictures different is…

○ What makes these two situations (so/completely) different is…

○ While the first picture …, the second one…

○ The first picture…. However, the second one…

○ The first picture… whereas the second one…

○ Although the first picture…., the second one…

○ On the one hand, the first picture shows… . On the other hand, the second one…
FCE Speaking Part 2: Useful Phrases
to Compare Pictures
● Introducing the answer to the question

○ As for + paraphrased question

○ As to + paraphrased question

○ In relation to the question,…

○ In response to the question, I’d say that…

○ As regards the question,… 

○ Regarding the question of the task, 

○ With regard to + paraphrased question

Special Case: Advantages vs
Disadvantages
● FCE speaking tasks involving advantages and
disadvantages are somewhat special. The issue with
these tasks is that they usually involve too many ideas
to follow the structure above (intro + similarities +
differences + question).
● blend the question into the rest of the task, that is, answer
the question at the same time as the comparison is
being made. This can be done with any task, really, but in
this case, I’d say is especially important.
● Let’s see a comparison of this particular case for the task
below:
Candidate’s response

● Both of these pictures show different places where people

live; the first one is a neighbourhood of detached houses,
while the second one is a coastal city with many
skyscrapers.
● (similarities + differences + question) One advantage of
living in the first place is that you can have your own garden
where you can relax with your family. Also, it’s a very quiet
place. On the other hand, the obvious upside of living on
the seaside is that the weather is usually mild and you can
go swimming and sunbathing quite often.
● As for the disadvantages, I believe that the
FCE Speaking Part 2: Useful Phrases
for the Follow-up Question
● As far as I’m concerned,…
● The way I see it,…
● If I had to choose one of these two (…), I would (definitely)
go for…
● In my experience,…
● In my case,…
● Well, it’s not an easy choice, but I think I’d prefer to…
● I would (…) no doubt. 
● I would definitely prefer/choose…
● I believe that it’s more important to…
Top 10 Tips for FCE Speaking Part 2

● Compare, don’t describe: it is common for candidates to

spend the whole minute describing both pictures separately
instead of comparing them. Remember, the examiner
explicitly asks you to «compare these two pictures», so
don’t forget to do it!
● Don’t overuse «and»: I have noticed that my students
tend to use the word «and» all the time in order to switch
from picture 1 to picture 2. «And» is a connector to add
ideas, not to express contrast. And, since you’re comparing,
you should use other types of connectors. See both of the
tasks in this article and notice the connecting phrases in
● Allow enough time to answer the question: some people
spend so much time talking about the pictures that they
forget to answer the question, and they get cut off by the
interlocutor. While getting cut off is neither bad nor good,
not answering the question will have a negative impact on
your score.
● Address the interlocutor: in this task, you shouldn’t
address your partner. This is an individual task, so simply
concentrate on what you’re saying and address your
comments to the interlocutor.
● Finish your sentences: it is common for candidates to
● Focus the pictures and the question: while comparing
both pictures, you should not talk about related things that
happened to you. In this part, you are supposed to focus on
the situations of the pictures, not on your own experiences.
● Stick to the topic: when answering the follow-up question,
make sure that you stick to the topic and answer exactly
what the examiner asked.
● Ask for repetition: it’s perfectly alright to ask the
interlocutor to repeat the instructions or the follow-up
question if you didn’t get it the first time.
● Use related vocabulary: while this article has focused
mainly on expressions to compare and give your opinion,
you obviously need to prove that your vocabulary is at a B2
level. So make sure you draw on what you have studied
● Bonus Tip
● Smile: you’d be surprised by what human beings can
achieve with a smile. A positive, cheerful attitude will make
you cause a better impression on the examiners, plus it
makes you, to some extent, a better communicator.
SB - p.155
I can sustain a one-minute long turn in
response to verbal and visual stimuli.

I can speculate about events, people's

feelings and attitudes.
I can replace words and phrases

by using the phrasal verb bring.

SB - p. 51
bringing up
bring her round
brought about
bring up
brought in
brought back
bring down
brought forward
bringing out
up

in
back
up
I can replace words and phrases

by using the phrasal verb bring.

I can draw on my knowledge of the structure
of the language in order to fill the gap in the
second sentence so that the completed
sentence is similar in meaning to the lead-in
Underline the key words in
the instruction
Underline the key words in
the instruction
I can draw on my knowledge of the structure
of the language in order to fill the gap in the
second sentence so that the completed
sentence is similar in meaning to the lead-in
 HOMEWORK

https://www.oxfordenglishtesting.com/

Listening Part 3
Have a beautiful day!