FCE (B2 First) Speaking Exam Part Two - Cambridge FCE Speaking Test Advice

Hello.

I'm Mia.

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

In this lesson, you can learn about how to do the Cambridge FCE speaking exam part two.

In this lesson, you can see what to expect in part two of the speaking test and how to

improve your score.

You'll see how the questions are structured, and you can learn useful phrases that will

help you to compare photos and speculate on what could be happening.

We'll also look at sample questions and answers.

Part One: what to expect in part two of your FCE Speaking Exam.

What happens in part two?

In part two, you'll be given two photographs.

You have to compare the two photographs and answer a question about them.

You'll have about one minute for this.

Your partner will then be asked a short question related to your photographs.

You need to manage your time carefully during part two.

You only have around one minute to speak, and you need to compare the photos and answer

the question.

There will be a prompt written underneath the photos, to remind you of the question.

So you can look at this to help you remember.

Make sure you leave enough time to answer the question after comparing the photos.

You don't need to speak to your partner in this part of the exam.

However, after your partner has finished speaking, you will be asked a short question that's

related to your partner's photos.

It's important to listen carefully to what your partner says when he or she is speaking,

because you don't want to repeat anything they've said.

Listening may give you some good ideas on how to respond to your question.

Part Two: how to compare photographs.

OK, now that you've seen what will happen in this part of the exam, let's look at some

example photographs and how to compare them.

This will give you a good idea of what this part of the test will look like.

Have a look at our first set of photographs.

They show people drinking.

It's a good idea to start your comparison with a general statement about what is happening

in the first photograph.

For example, "In the first picture, I can see a man sitting by himself in a cafe."

Or, "Looking at the first photo, I can see a man drinking coffee by himself in a cafe."

It is important to remember that you're not describing the photos.

You're comparing them with each other.

After you've mentioned the first photo, you need to directly compare that with the second

photo.

In this situation, you could say, "Whereas in the second photo, I can see a group of

friends drinking in a restaurant," or, "But in the second photo, there are friends drinking

together."

When you compare your photos, if you're not sure what to compare, it's a good idea to

look at the obvious similarities between them first.

For example, "In both pictures, we can see people drinking."

Remember to use comparative adjectives and adverbs when you compare the pictures.

For example, "The second photo shows a busier, livelier environment than the first photo."

Some useful phrases and words you can use to compare similarities are "in the same way,"

"similarly," "likewise," and "also."

For example, "The first photo shows a man drinking coffee in an informal setting.

Similarly, the second photo was also taken in a casual place."

Or, "In the first picture, we can see a man relaxing and drinking coffee.

In the same way, the people in the second picture also look very relaxed and happy."

It's important to remember, when you're comparing photos, you're not just comparing the things

that are similar.

You should also look at the differences between them.

Some useful expressions that compare and contrast differences are "by contrast," "on the other

hand," "however," "whereas," and "while."

Look at the following examples.

"The man in the first picture is drinking coffee, while the friends in the second picture

are drinking wine."

"The man in the first photo is sitting by himself.

However, the second photo shows a group of friends sitting together."

You could also say, "In the second picture, I can see a group of friends enjoying the

company.

By contrast, the man in the first picture seems happy on his own."

Many candidates focus too much on describing the photos.

This is a mistake.

Focus on comparing the photos from the beginning of your answer.

Use some of the key words and phrases we've studied in this section.

This will make your answer more focused and detailed, which will help you achieve a higher

score in your exam.

Part Three: what can I say about the photos?

So now you've compared the photos.

You might be thinking, "OK, what do I do next?

What else can I possibly say about these photos?"

The next step is easy.

After you've compared the photos, it's a good idea to speculate about them.

This means saying what you think is happening in the photos and why you think this.

Look at this example photo.

What could you say about this photo?

You could say, "The boy looks like he's enjoying himself," or, "It seems like he's having a

good time," or, "He could be going to meet some of his friends."

These phrases, "looks like," "seems like," and "appears," are very useful when you want

to talk about what could be happening in a photo.

You can also use modal verbs, like "could" or "might," to speculate.

Using this language shows the examiner that you can speculate about something.

However, you can make your answer even stronger by adding reasons why you think this.

Look at the examples again.

"The boy looks like he's enjoying himself because he's outside with a football, and

it seems like he's having a good time, as he's doing something fun on a beautiful day,

and he could be going to meet some of his friends because you can't play football by

yourself."

These sentences are even better, as you've shown the examiner that you can speculate

and also give your reasons behind your ideas.

This will help you give longer, more interesting answers.

When you'd like to talk about what you think could be happening in the photos, but you're

not 100% sure, you can use a phrase like, "I guess," "I imagine," "I suppose," "perhaps,"

or "possibly."

For example, "I suppose it's a warm day, as the boy is wearing a T-shirt," or, "I imagine

it's the summer holidays, because there's a blue sky, and the boy isn't at school."

You could be wrong.

It might not be the summer holidays or a warm day, but by using these phrases, whether you're

right or wrong doesn't matter.

You're only speculating.

There's no right or wrong answer.

It only matters that your answer is clear and coherent.

Part Four: what makes a good answer.

By now, you should have a good idea of what you can expect in the exam and how to talk

about the photographs you'll see.

Now we're going to look at some sample questions and answers to review what you've seen so

far.

Please, remember that your answers need to be around one minute long.

My sample answers are much shorter than this because they're not complete answers.

OK, have a look at these photographs.

The examiner says, "Here are your photographs.

They show people painting.

I'd like you to compare the two photographs and say which painting you like the most and

why.

All right?"

Now look at this answer.

"In the first photo, I can see a man painting a picture.

He's a professional artist.

The painting is very big and has different colors in it.

He's a very good artist.

The picture is beautiful."

This is an OK answer, but there's a problem.

Can you see the problem?

It's only describing one picture instead of comparing them both.

Remember, this is a very common mistake.

Here's another example.

"In the first photo, I can see a man painting a picture.

He's a professional artist, whereas the man in the second photo isn't.

He's painting for a hobby or because he likes it."

This is a better answer.

It's comparing both photos instead of describing, and you can see here how the conjunctions,

"whereas" and "or," make the answer longer and more fluent.

However, this answer still isn't showing speculation about the photos.

How do you know the first man is a professional artist?

How do you know the second man is painting just as a hobby?

So how should it be done?

Let's look at this answer.

"It looks like the man in the first picture is a professional artist because he's standing

in a studio, whereas the man in the second photo is painting outside.

It seems like he's painting as a hobby because I can see that his picture is more basic than

the first one."

This is much better.

You can see here how using expressions, like "looks like" and "seems like," show that you're

speculating about the photos, as well as comparing them.

This would get you a higher score in your FCE speaking exam.

It's also very important to remember to answer the question within your minute.

The question is always related to the photos you're shown.

It's a good idea to link your answer to your comparison.

Here's an example.

"It seems like he's painting as a hobby, as I can see that his picture is more basic than

the first one.

However, I like this painting the most because it's simple and bright.

It's a happy painting."

This answers the question very simply, but still manages to answer the full question.

However, if you have a little more time, it's a good idea to add more detail to your answer,

to make it even better.

Have a look at this answer.

"I like the second painting the most, because although it's more simple, it's very bright

and colorful.

I like that he probably painted it while he was relaxing outside, in contrast to the man

in the first photo, who I think paints for his job.

In my opinion, it's a happier painting, and I would enjoy seeing this kind of painting

on my wall."

You can see here how adding more adjectives and opinions makes your answer more complex

and interesting.

This answer also links back to the points you made when comparing the photos.

This helps to make your answer more coherent and clear.

Now that you've seen these example questions and answers and learned how to compare and

speculate, you should have a good idea of how to do well in Part Two of your Cambridge

Speaking Exam -- good luck!

That's the end of the lesson.

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