Speaking Part 3 : Making a decision

At the end of speaking part 3, the examiner will ask you to tell him/ her your decision.

Here, you should give a brief summary of your opinions with reasons and examples as well as your decision.

You words like:

both – we both thought that the car is the best means of transport because….

but – Mark thought that living in a house is better than living in a flat but i disagree because…

whereas – I think that English is the most important language whereas Mark thinks that Chinese is because…

on the other hand – On one hand mobiles phones are an essential part of modern life, however on the other hand they can be disruptive because…

Speaking Part 2 : Music

In pairs, discuss the similarities and differences between the photos

Similarities : Both photos show…

a concert

music being played

groups of people

Differences : The photos are different because…

one is inside, the other is outside

one is playing instruments, the other is singing

the type of audience might be different

the atmosphere could be different – quiet, relaxing / loud, lively

 

Speaking Part 2 – Neighbourhoods

Compare the photographs and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of living in each place

 

Advantages of living in the city

Could be close to amenities

You might not need to use a car

You might know your neighbours well

Disadvantages of living in the city

It might be busy

Perhaps it’s noisy

You might not have anywhere to park your car, if you have one

You might not have an outside space

You live close to other people so you might have less privacy

There could be lots of traffic jams

Advantages of living in a town

You might have an outside space

You could have more privacy

The value of your property might be higher

There would be residential parking

It could be cleaner

Disadvantages of living in a town

You may need to use a car to get to places

Facilities and amenities are further away

 

Speaking Part 2 : Technique

In speaking part 2 you have a minute to compare and contrast two pictures whilst answering a question. 

Organise your time like this:

0-15 seconds –  speculate about what is happening in each picture

15-30 seconds – compare the two photos

30-45 seconds – contrast the two photos

45-60 seconds – answer the question

This is just a guide so that you cover all the bases, however you can contrast and compare at the same time. Remember – you must have answered the question by the end of the 60 seconds.

What do they probably like about their jobs?

 

Why are the two different kinds of relationships important to teenagers?

Speaking Part 4

In Speaking part 4, you should extend your answer and make it more interesting by adding personal advice and recommendations to your opinion. Use:

Should / shouldn’t

You should try to limit how much fast food you eat in order to stay slim.

The best way to…..is

The best way to learn Spanish is to read books and listen to Spanish music.

Perhaps by ….-ing

Perhaps by going out more, you will meet more people

Tips

1. Listen carefully to the questions. If you don’t understand a question, ask the examiner to repeat.
2. Answer the questions giving a reason or explanation or example.
3. Listen to what your partner is saying because you may be asked to give your opinion on what they have said.
4. If you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t say, ‘I don’t know’. Say, ‘I don’t know a lot about this subject, but I think….’ And then given some ideas.

Speaking Part 3 : Modals of certainty and possibility

In speaking part 3, you need to be able to speculate about what the people may or may not be doing in the pictures as we don’t know exactly how the people are feeling, what they may be doing or why they’re doing it. To do this, use:

Look

They look as if they’re buying a house.

He looks rather worried.

The woman looks quite tired.

Seem

He seems to be enjoying himself.

They both seem really sad.

The man seems quite bored.

Appear

They don’t appear to be having much fun.

The woman appears to be quite scared.

The two boys appear to be worn out.

Look at the pictures below and make speculations using look, seem and appear.

 

Speaking Part 3 : How To

1. You will be asked two questions. To deal with the first question, you have to discuss each of the pictures in turn. To deal with the second question, you have to discuss and reach a decision.
2. To start the conversation, you can give a brief opinion about the first picture or make a suggestion and ask your partner what they think.
3.  When your partner says something, react to their ideas. Listen to what they say. Try to make the discussion like a natural conversation. Don’t try to dominate the conversation.
4.  Manage your time. Keep the discussion moving by saying things like, ’What about this photo? What do you think?’ or ‘Shall we move on to the second question?’
5.  Don’t spend too long talking about one picture.
6.  Try to reach a decision on the second question but don’t worry too much if you can’t agree.

Use the following vocabulary to ask and give opinions and to reach a conclusion:

ASKING OPINION

1. What do you think about…?
2. What’s your opinion on…?
3. What would you say?
4. How about you?

AGREEING

1. Yes, you’re right!
2. Absolutely.
3. I hadn’t thought of that.
4. Yes, I thought that too.
5. I totally agree.

DISAGREEING

1. I’m afraid I don’t agree.
2. I really don’t think so.
3. I agree up to a point, however…
4. I agree with some of what you have said, but…
5. I see what you mean but…
6. I can see your point but…
7. But, don’t you think…

STARTING A DISCUSSION

1. Why don’t we start by
2. Shall we …….first?
3. Let’s begin with
4. We could start by talking about

BRINGING THE DISCUSSION TO AN END

1. So let’s decide which
2. Shall we make a decision?
3. Anyway, we have to decide

GIVING OPINIONS

1. For me, one of the most important …… is
2. I just think that what matters most is
3. The most important factor for me is
4. Furthermore, I feel…
5. In addition, I also believe …
6. However, having said that, I feel that maybe …
7. On the other hand, it may not be….
8. In my opinion

Personality Adjectives for Speaking Part 3

In the speaking exam, you will be marked on your range of vocabulary and grammar so it’s recommended to use a variety of adjectives, especially in part 3.

The following are personality adjectives that we studied in class. Look at the different pictures and use the different adjectives to think about what kind of people they may be.

Adventurous                   Caring                  Creative                     Easy-going

Hard-working                  Good at working with other people           Friendly         

Thoughtful                      Interested in other people                       Unselfish

Sociable                        Solitary               Well-organised            Responsible

Phrasal Verbs 1

 

To get ahead: To be more successful or to progress more quickly than other people.

I work hard every day but i can’t seem to get ahead in my job.

To mess around : To behave in a silly way,especially when you should be working or paying attention to something.

The teacher told the students to stop messing around in class.

To get on has different meanings depending on the context:

To make progress – I’m not sure but i think i got on OK at the interview.

To continue doing something – The teacher asked the students to get on quietly with their work.

To enter a bus, train, plane etc – We got on the train at Cambridge and went down to London.

To have a good relationship with someone – We have always got on really well.

 

 

SPEAKING PART 2: Modals of Certainty

In Speaking Part 2 you have to compare two photos before answering a question in one minute. In this section, you need to use modals of certainty to speculate about the pictures.

Look at the pictures given to you and think:

1. What must be true
2. What might/ may /could be true
3. What can’t be true

Your speculation must be based on what you can see in the pictures (read the post below for more information.)

Let’s look at two pictures and speculate:

Why have the people chosen to study in this way?

In the first picture, the people must prefer to study together as they are in a group.

They might be a study group that meets every week to help each other.

They could be in the same class at school.

They must know each other.

In the second photo, the boy is studying by himself so he can’t like studying in a group.

He’s at home so he might not like studying in libraries.

He may not study the same subjects as his friends so he can’t share his ideas with other people.

He might like to study at different times to his classmates so he studies by himself.

When speculating, try to use as many different modal verbs as possible. Avoid using only ‘might’, make sure you use ‘could’ or ‘may’ as well.

Look at the photos below and make speculations using the modal verbs; must, could, may, might, can’t.

Why do people choose to shop in these places?