Speaking Exam

Midterm 1
Information about the Midterm
Speaking Exam (A1 level)

January 2022
 Exam Format

• Duration 2 minutes (A1 level)

• Students examined individually
• There will be two teachers
• Each student will be asked questions on several topics

• The topics will be similar to the topics in the

Cutting Edge course books (Elementary and Pre-Intermediate)
You take this speaking exam individually…
There will be two teachers
1.You will first be asked some
(unassessed) warm up
questions to make you feel
comfortable.

For example:
What’s your name?
How are you today?
 Questions
You will be asked questions about different
topics from the course books.
This will be in the form of Question-and-Answer.
The teacher will ask questions and the student
will answer. The content of the questions will be
based on the topics covered throughout the
term.
 Time allocation
A1 level – 2 minutes
What kind of questions will I be asked?
 Topics that were covered in Cutting Edge
Elementary and Pre-Intermediate Course Books
Examples of topics from the Cutting Edge books:

Free time / hobbies Nature / the environment

Relationships Celebrations
Family Firsts and Lasts
Work / jobs City life
Holidays / travelling Technology
Education Communication
Transport Films and cinema
Health Sport / fitness
Food / restaurants News / media
Money History
Clothes / shopping The future
Life stories Emotions
Example questions in Cutting Edge

Clothes (Elementary – Unit 10 – page 91)

1. Do you usually wear smart clothes to school?
2. What kind of clothes are you wearing today?
3. What kind of shoes do you normally wear?
4. Do you ever wear glasses?
5. How often do you wear a hat?
Example questions in Cutting Edge

Jobs (Elementary – Unit 13 – page 117)

1. Which jobs/careers pay the most money in your
country?
2. Is money important to you when choosing a career?
3. What else do you look for when choosing a career?
4. Do you have an ‘ideal’ job?
 Example questions in Cutting Edge

Communication (Elementary – Unit 14 – page 124)

1. How many phones are there in your house?
2. Where do you usually keep your mobile phone during
the day and during the night?
3. Are you interested in having the most up-to-date
phone? Why? Why not?
 Example questions in Cutting Edge
Shopping and Clothes (Pre-Intermediate – Unit 5
– page 48)
1. What was the last piece of clothing you bought?
2. Where did you buy it?
3. Are you pleased with it? Why? Why not?
4. Do you usually buy clothes in the same shop or do
you go to different shops? Why?
5. Have you got or have you ever had a store card?
Why? Why not?
Example questions in Cutting Edge

City Life (Pre-Intermediate – Unit 8 – page 70)

1. Do you live in a city?
2. What other cities have you visited?
3. What are the advantages of living in a city?
4. What are the disadvantages of living in a city?
What grammar could you include in your
answers?
 What grammar could you include in your
answers?
1. because / so / but / and / or
2. there is / there are
3. a / an / some / any
4. A range of tenses
5. must / have to / should / can
6. Adverbs of frequency
7. Comparatives and superlatives
8. would like to
 Example questions
Daily Routine
1. When do you usually get up in the morning?
2. What is your daily routine?
3. Do you ever change your routine?
4. Is your routine the same today as when you
were a child?
 Daily Routine

1. When do you usually get up in the morning?

On a weekday I usually get up at 7.00am

because I have to go to school. At the
weekend I don’t have to get up early, so I stay
in bed until 10.00am. I like weekends!
 Daily Routine

2. What is your daily routine?

3. Do you ever change your routine?
4. Is your routine the same today as when you
were a child?
 Think of some questions
Think of two questions for each of the following
topics:
Health and fitness
TV and cinema
Hobbies
Now, practice answering the questions.
How can you make your answers longer?
How can you make your answers longer?
Here are some key words to make you create longer answers:

because
when
but
and
also
if
For example, ….
Here’s another example, …..
I think…
How can you make your answers longer?
Here are some key words to make you create longer
answers:
because (give reasons)
when (give a time)
but (mention a contrast)
and (add more detail)
also (add more detail)
if (give a condition)
For example, …. (give an example)
Here’s another example, …..
I think… (give an opinion)
How can you make your answers longer?

Practice the key words to make longer answers.

Question: Would you like to learn another

language apart from English? Which one(s)?
How can you make your answers longer?
Practice the key words to make longer answers.

Question: Would you like to learn another

language apart from English? Which one(s)?
Yes, I would. I’d like to learn French because it’s a
very romantic language. I think it sounds like
music. If I find a French friend online I’ll learn the
language more easily. When I start earning money
I’d like to visit France to practise my French.
How can you make your answers longer?
Use the key words when answering the following
questions.
1. Which famous person would you most like to meet?
Why?
2. Do you prefer old or new styles of houses and furniture?
Why?
3. What do you use the internet for mostly? What are your
favourite websites?
4. How often do you go away for the weekend? Where?
Who with?
5. Do you like buying the latest fashions? Why? Why not?