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INTRODUCTION |
| This page describes the oral
(speaking) exam for the Cambridge FCE (First Certificate in English) exam. |
You usually
take the speaking exam together with one other student. The exam lasts about 14
minutes and has four parts: |
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| (1) Interview (3 minutes) |
Each
of you will be asked basic questions about your home town, family, work or
study, leisure and future plans. |
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| (2) Individual tasks (4 minutes) |
Each
of you will be asked to compare two colour photographs and explain your
personal feelings about them (you will be asked to speak for 1 minute, without
any interruption). You will also be asked to give your opinion about the other
student's photographs (you will be expected to speak for about 20 seconds). |
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| (3) Joint task (3 minutes) |
You
will be shown some pictures. You will be asked to discuss these with the other
student and to make a decision. Sometimes you will be asked to agree on the
conclusion, and sometimes you will be told that you may make different
decisions. |
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| (4) Three-way discussion (4 minutes) |
You
will be asked to discuss (together with the other student and the examiner)
some ideas that are connected with the joint task.
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| Some general advice about Online
Interview: |
| Keep it simple |
Try
to avoid complicated explanations or grammar if you are not sure about them. If
the truthful answer is difficult to explain, you may want to say something
easier in the exam. |
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| Use full sentences |
Avoid
answers which are single words or lists |
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| Finish the task |
When
you are asked to compare and contrast two photos and to give your personal
feelings about them, make sure that you leave some time for explaining your own
views. If you are asked to reach a conclusion in the joint task, try to do this
within the time you are given. |
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| Keep speaking |
If
you need time to think about something, try to keep speaking rather than remain
silent.You could say things such as: |
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during
the interview; said to the interviewer] Please give me a moment while I think
about the answer |
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at the start
of the individual task; talking to yourself] Let me see ... what do these
photographs show? |
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at the start
of the joint task; talking to the other student] Shall we start by describing
what we see in the pictures? |
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during the
three-way discussion; asking either the examiner or the other student] What is
your opinion? |
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