The FCE is a very popular English exam from Cambridge. Today, we’re going to go through the speaking part.
The FCE speaking test lasts about 14 minutes and candidates are interviewed in pairs. The times below may be a little different if there are an odd number of candidates and you are in the group of three that are interviewed together.
There are four parts to the test and here is the breakdown.
FCE speaking test: Part one
Part one is an interview which lasts about three minutes. The questions are all about you, your family, your background etc.
- How many people are there in your family?
- Tell me a little about where you are from.
These questions are designed to test your ability to speak English for social purposes.
Tip: Practice making long answers in response to closed questions so that you never give a short answer no matter you are asked.
FCE speaking test: Part two
Part two will get you to compare and contrast a pair of photos. You will be expected to speak for one minute. After that, you will be expected to answer a question.
Tips: Practice speaking uninterrupted for 1 minute so that you get an idea of how long one minute is. Practice using some discourse markers and conjunctions which will help you to speak about similarities and differences. For example: while, in contrast to this, both A and B are…, in comparison to B, A is…
FCE speaking test: Part three
This part is a discussion between the two candidates. You will need to discuss all of the options available and then to decide which one is best. This lasts about 3 minutes.
Tips: Work together with your partner, it is not an exercise in arguing. The discussion is important, winning the negotiation is not. Go through each of the options and discuss the pros and cons of each one before you begin trying to make the decision.
FCE speaking test: Part four
In part four of the test, the examiner will join the candidates in a discussion about the topics raised in part three. This part of the test is see if candidates can use English to express and justify their opinions.
