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Teacher Dante Nery

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Duration:15 minutes (23 minutes for groups ofthree at centres where there's an odd number ofcandidates).

Participants: Candidates interviewed in pairs orthrees. Two examiners: one examiner asks the

questions, the other acts as assessor and doesn'tspeak during the interview.

Format:The test consists of four parts.

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Tests ability to: use language for socialpurposes, e.g. making introductions, answeringquestions, stating an opinion.

This first section of the CAE Speaking exam lasts aboutthree minutes (five minutes for groups of three) and givesthe examiner the chance to find out a little about you andyour partner through some 'getting-to-know-you'questions. These will be simple questions to help 'breakthe ice', for example questions about your family, yourstudies, where you come from or what your interests are.

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The interview will begin with the examinersaying something like:

Q:Hello. My name is ........ and this is mycolleague ........Q:And your names are?Q:Can I have your mark sheets please? ........Thank you.Q: First of all we'd like to know somethingabout you.

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The examiner will then ask each of you somequestions. For example:

Q: Tell me where you come from.Q: Do you enjoy studying English?

Q: Do you have any hobbies or interests?

Q: Why are you preparing for the CAEexam?

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Tips! You'll gain extra marks if you're able to give

full, relevant answers to these questions. 1) Offer more than the bare minimum in your

answers.Q: Tell me about where you come from.

A: I come from Bielefeld.(Don't stop there!)It's in the northern part of Germany. It's alovely place with a busy town and it's also closeto some nice countryside.

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2) Avoid short, 'yes', 'no' answers.Q: Do you enjoy studying English?A: Yes I do! I quite like studying languages and

English in particular. I have a lot of English friendsand love to be able to communicate with them intheir own language. And I love being able to readEnglish novels.Q: Do you have any hobbies or interests?A: No, not hobbies really. I used to like collectingthings as a child but that doesn't interest me now.I suppose you could say music is a big interest, Iespecially like listening to English bands.

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3) Offer examples to help you explain astatement.

Q: Why are you preparing for the CAE exam?A: Because it's important for my job.As part ofmy appraisal, my boss advised me to take anEnglish exam to help me develop myprofessional skills. I passed FCE last year and ifI'm successful at CAE I'd like to try CPE.

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Tests ability to: speak at length coherently,use language to describe, compare andcontrast, hypothesise and comment upon a

topic.Part 2 of the CAE Speaking test lasts about 4 minutes(sixminutes for groups of three). Candidate A is passed a set ofpictures and has to speak about the pictures without

interruption, either from the examiner or their partner. WhenCandidate A has finished the examiner asks Candidate B toanswer a brief question about the pictures. The roles are thenreversed: Candidate B is given a different set of pictures andspeaks for 1 minute followed by Candidate A, who answers abrief question about the pictures.

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At this stage of the interview the examiner willsay something on the lines of:

Q: In this part of the exam I'm going to give eachof you three photographs and I'd like you to talkabout them on your own for about a minute andalso to answer a question briefly about your

partner's photographs. Q:Here are your pictures (Candidate A). They

show people in different educational settings. I'dlike you to talk about two of these photos andcompare the settingsand say how the studentsmay be feeling in each one.

Q:All right?

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Notice there are TWO instructions here: first to 'compare and contrast' thephotographs and also to speculate on how the students 'may be feeling'. In Part 2candidates are required to show they can do more than simply describe and will

need to show the ability to speculate or hypothesize on a particular topic or scene.

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1. The picture set will have a general theme but try tofind two that are either very similar or very different insome way. This will give you a basis on which tocompare and/or contrast the two pictures. In theexample above, pictures two and three show twocontrasting educational settings: the formal lecturetheatre in picture two compared to the relaxedoutdoor scene in picture three.

2. In terms of hypothesizing, pictures two and threeoffer a good opportunity to speculate on howstudents in each contrasting situation might befeeling. Think about opportunities for hypothesizingwhen choosing your pictures.

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3. Signpost the end of your talk by adding a personalreaction to the pictures. For example:'The two people in picture three look like they're

enjoying themselves but personally, I think I'd prefer tospend my study time in a lecture theatre where I'd bemore able to concentrate on learning'.

4. Many people preparing for the CAE oral exam worryabout not having enough to say in the time availableor not having enough time to express their ideas. Thebest way to get the timing right is to practise makingshort talks on various topics on your own. (Or in frontof a friend if you're feeling brave!)

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Tests ability to: use language to discuss andinterpret, to agree, disagree or agree to

disagree, negotiate and collaborate, to rankor classify. In Part 3 of the CAE Speaking test, which lasts

about four minutes (six minutes for groups ofthree), the examiner will ask you and yourpartner to talk about another set of visualprompts together.

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The examiner will say something on the linesof:

Q: I'd like you to talk about something togetherfor three minutes. (Five minutes for groups ofthree)

Q:Here are your pictures showing different

occupations. Discuss the role these peoplehave in our lives. Then decide which job tendsto be the most stressful.

Q:All right?

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Notice there are TWOinstructions. The firstasks you to 'discuss' the

role of the people, andthe second asks you to'decide' which job is themost stressful. This

means you're requirednot only to talk abouteach visual but also toshow your ability tonegotiate and

collaborate with yourpartner. You don't haveto reach agreement butyou must at least work

towards this.

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Introducing topics and Ideas:

In terms of

Regarding

With regard to

Concerning

Bearing in mind

Disagreeing / contrasting info

I would beg to differ

I see your point, however

I disagree entirely

The truth of the matter is

Nevertheless

Agreeing / adding info

I couldntagree more

In addition

Furthermore

Whatsmore

Oppinions

I reckon

The way I see it

As far as Imconcerned

I strongly believe that

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