FCE Speaking Test Part 1

1. Who Talks?

The examiner asks you a question. You reply to the examiner.

You don't have to talk to your partner in this part of the exam.

It will take about 2 minutes.

Cambridge want to help you relax in the test so they start with some nice, easy questions. Don't worry if you get off to a bad start - a lot of
candidates start badly because they are nervous

2. Which Questions to Expect

Questions are normally on these topics:

Your hobbies
Your work or education
Things you like and things you don't like
Friends and family
Holidays
Sports
Future plans

3. Help! I Didn't Understand the Question!

Don't stress. Politely ask the examiner to repeat it.

Please could you repeat that?

Could you say that again, please?

4. Use the Grammar of the Question in Your Answer

Here's a silly mistake:

Do you enjoy cooking?

Yes, I enjoy to cook.

Why not use the same grammar as the question in your answer?

Do you enjoy cooking?

Yes, I enjoy cooking.

Here's another example:

Are you going to go on holiday this year?

Yes, I'm going to go to Mexico. It's going to be my first time.

You don't always have to do this - English is quite flexible. But for now, this method will help you avoid mistakes.

5. Don't Be a Robot

Once upon a time, there was a man who wanted to the the President of the United States.

He went on TV to answer some questions. He prepared very hard, and memorised what he wanted to say.

The first question came. The man spoke for 25 seconds. All the people who were watching looked at each other, puzzled. The man hadn't
answered the question - he had just repeated the speech he had learned!

The second question came. The man spoke for 25 seconds. All the people looked at each other, surprised. The man had said the same exact
thing as before!

For the third and fourth question, the man gave the same 25 second speech.

That's when everyone in America decided that this man could not be president. Nobody wants a robot in charge of the country.

(This is a true story by the way - the politician's name is Marco Rubio, but now everyone calls him 'Marcobot'.)
In FCE, you shouldn't speak like a robot. So don't write down answers to questions and memorise them.

Instead, learn a few keywords and speak naturally, like you would do in your own language.

6. What Are Some Good Keywords?

This is a conversation I have ALL THE TIME with new students:

What is your job?

Oh! How to say it in English?

The first keyword you should learn is the name of your own job! Don't you think?!

What is your job?

I'm a systems analyst.

Then learn the jobs of your parents, husband/wife, best friend etc.

My mother's a retired teacher. My father's a clown trainer. My husband is a camel trainer.

You should definitely learn some nice phrases about hobbies. For example, the phrase 'to be keen on' means 'to like'.

What are your hobbies?

I'm keen on gardening.
How about holidays? In the FCE exam you should know the difference between 'travel', 'cruise', and 'flight' - you could easily use these words if
asked about holidays.

What sort of holidays do you like?

I'm actually not too keen on travel, and I really hate flights. I like cruises, though. That's my favourite.

Get the idea? As I said before, you're not learning whole speeches, just a few words you can use at the right time.

7. How Much Should You Say?

It's okay to give short answers here, but I don't let my students say 'yes' or 'no'. Your answer shouldn't be shorter than the question!

Here are some GOOD examples:

'Where are you from, Victoria?'

'I'm from Germany, from the north coast of Germany."

And:

"And Edward?"
"I'm from Peru. I live in the capital, Lima. It's near the coast."

If you watched the video above, you'll hear Victoria tries to keep talking after saying 'the north coast of Germany'. The examiner stops her -
that was TOO much detail.

So answer the question in a simple way, then add ONE extra sentence.

8. How to Practice

You can practice this with another student (or a friend who speaks some English). Get them to ask you the questions and - if their
English is good enough - ask them to give you some feedback.
If you're lucky enough to live in an area where people speak English, go to a party or some social event. Every person you meet will
ask about your job, where you live, and your hobbies. The perfect chance to practice!
If you are studying in a class, ask your teacher to give you ten minutes for a 'speed dating' session. You sit with another student, ask
each other questions for two minutes, then change partner.
If you're alone, record yourself using your phone. If you've got a 'study buddy' ask permission to film. Not enough of my students do
this, but the ones that do say it's VERY helpful. You will notice mistakes and you will be able to ask yourself questions like 'Did I
answer the question? Did I sound like a robot?'
A lot of teachers encourage their students to write their own questions.

9. Checklist

Do I sound like a robot?

Were my answers too short, too long, or just right?

Did I use my keywords?

 First Certificate Speaking Questions
I just spent a few hours going through all my FCE materials and typing out all the questions I could find from part 1 of the speaking test.
They are from past exams, official Cambridge test preparation books, and so on.
I've organised them into topics, but sometimes one question could go in different sections. I chose the one that seemed most logical to me.
Starters
What is your name?
Where are you from?
Where You Live Now and Your Home Country
Is it easy to meet new people where you live?
What's the best place to spend a free afternoon in your
town?
How expensive is it to go out in the evening where you
live?
Could you tell me something about the area where you
grew up?
Could you describe your family home to me?
Whats the most interesting place youve visited near
.?
Is there anything you would like to learn about your
country?
Which area of your country would you like to get to
know better?
What do you like about living there?
Tell us about a festival or celebration in [your home
country].
Daily Life
Tell us about a day youve really enjoyed recently.
Are you planning to do anything special this weekend?
How much time do you spend at home?
What did you do on your last birthday?
Do you like cooking?
Whats your favourite food?
Whats your favourite day of the week?
Whats your favourite part of the day?
Which time of year is your favourite?
Education and Work
Do you use the internet to learn new things?
Do you prefer working on your own or with other
people?
What do you think would be the most interesting job to
do?
Do you find it easy to study where you live?
What were the most important things you learned at
primary school?
Would you prefer to work for a big or small company?
What kind of work would you really like to do in the
future?
Are you happier doing mental or physical work?
Can you remember your first English lessons?
Travel and Holidays
Where would you most like to go on holiday in future?
Do you prefer traveling by train or plane?
Do you plan your holidays or decide everything
spontaneously?
Have you ever used English while traveling?
Is there a good public transport system in your country?
Entertainment
Do you ever go to concerts?
How important is TV to you?
How much TV do you watch in a week?
Do you like the same TV programmes as your parents?
Tell us about a TV programme you've seen recently.
Do you enjoy going to parties?
How often do you read newspapers?
Do you like shopping?
Where do you like listening to music?
Do you like going to the cinema?
Tell me about your favourite film star.
Tell us about a film you really like.
Do you enjoy playing computer games?
Do you use the internet much?
What do you use the internet for?
Do you ever listen to the radio?
Family and Friends
Who are the most important people in your life?
What do you enjoy doing with your friends?
Who do you spend your free time with
Have you done anything interesting with your friends
recently?
Who are you most like in your family?
Do you and your friends share the same ideas?
Tell me about your best friend.
Tell me about a good friend of yours.
Do you normally go out with family or friends?
Tell me a little about your family.
Free Time

How much time do you spend at home nowadays?

Do you have a favourite newspaper or magazine?
What's the most exciting thing you've ever done?
Tell us about a TV programme youve seen recently?
Whats the difference between reading the news in the
newspaper and watching it on TV?
Who do you spend your free time with?
Do you prefer to be outside or inside when you have
free time?
What do you most enjoy doing when you're at home?
Is your routine at weekends different from your daily
routine?
What do you spend your time doing?
Do you enjoy reading?
What sort of books do you read?
Does anyone you know have an interesting hobby?

Sports

Are you interested in sport?

Is there a sport or hobby you enjoy doing?
Is there a sport youd really like to try?
What sports do people play most in your country?
How much exercise do you take each week?
Do you like to be physically active or do you prefer
relaxing?

The Future

Is there anything you'd love to be able to do in the

future?
Do you plan to study anything in the future?
What are you going to do this weekend?
Are you going to do anything special this weekend?
Do you think computers will replace newspapers and TV
in the future?
Which country would you most like to visit in the future?
Do you think you'll go there one day?

And don't forget the most important question - if you give a short
answer, the examiner will probably ask 'WHY'?

Are you interested in sport?

Yes.

Why?