FCE-SPEAKING TEST-(Part 1 & Part 2)

Part 1

En qué consiste:

En esta parte se te harán una serie de preguntas personales. Como puedes ver en

el ejemplo de examen, te preguntan tu nombre y de dónde eres. Luego, empieza

una serie de opiniones sobre gustos, la familia, lo que te interesa.

Pregunta (Likes and dislikes) Posible Respuesta

How do you spend your

evenings? What do you do? Why?

Two times a week I go to the gym. If I don’t have to go to the gym, I stay at home reading, or listening to music. I also like to watch TV. I do all these activities because I need to relax after studying.

Do you prefer to spend time

on your own or with other

people? Why?

I like both; depending on what I want to do. For example, if I want to paint or read a book I’d rather be on my own, but if I want to go to the cinema, or eat out I always like to go with my friends. Doing these activities with friends is always more fun.

Tell us about a film you really like

One film that I really like is a Spanish film called “Ocho Apellidos Vascos” – Eight Basque Surnames. It’s about a young Andalusian man that falls in love with a young woman from the Basque country. I like it because it shows that even if people are very different they can find a common background and get on well.

Do you like cooking? What sort of things do you cook?

Yes, I really enjoy cooking because it relaxes me. I cook simple dishes such as spaghetti, or steak with chips or “cocido”, a very popular dish from Madrid.

Do you normally celebrate occasions with friends or family? Why?

When I was younger I always celebrated my birthdays with my family, but nowadays I usually go out with my friends. For example, we go out to see a film, or to have a drink. This is simply because I enjoy being with my friends.

Tell us about a festival or celebration in (candidate’s country)

I’d like to mention Carnival. It’s celebrated all over Spain. People wear costumes, and go to parties. At the end of the carnival, there is a ceremony called the “Burial of the Sardine”. It’s a carnival parade that parodies a funeral procession.

What did you do on your last birthday?

On my last birthday I went out with some friends to have a drink. We met at a bar in the city centre and they gave me lots of presents. We had a very good time.

Are you going to do anyhting special this weekend? (Where are you going to go?) (What are you going to do?)

Next weekend I’ll visit Salamanca with some friends. We have a friend who is from there and he is going to show us around.

How much TV do you watch in a week? (Would you prefer to watch more TV than that or less (Why?)

I watch TV about one hour a week. I think one hour a week is enough for me because I prefer to spend the rest of my free time doing exercise or watching videos, rather than watching TV.

Tell us about a TV programme you’ve seen recently.

Last week I saw a programme that was really entertaining. It’s a programme in which the presenter interviews celebrities. After the interview they play funny tricks on them. For example, an experiment in which the celebrity must insert their hand into a box full of insects.

FCE-SPEAKING TEST-(Part 1 & Part 2)

Part 2

En qué consiste:

En esta parte, el examinador dará a cada candidato 2 fotos para que la describa,

compare y, luego, conteste una pregunta.

El "interlocutor" comienza diciendo:

"In this part of the test, I'm going to give each of you two

photographs. I'd like you to talk about your photographs on

your own for about a minute, and also to answer a question

about your partner's photograph.

A continuación, dirá al Candidato A (el candidato que habla primero).

It's your turn first. Here are your photographs. They show

people who are helping other people in different situation.

Pregunta para el primer candidato. I'd like you to compare the

photographs, and say how important it is to help other people

in these situations. All right.

Entonces te enseñan las fotos.

FCE-SPEAKING TEST-(Part 1 & Part 2)

"compare the photographs". Para compararlas primero deberás describirlas así que puedes contestar algo como esto:

In the first photograph we can see a person helping a football player who seems to be injured, and in the second photograph there is a woman who looks like a tourist asking for help to the policeman. She seems to need help to find her way because she is looking at a map with the policeman. They are, indeed, very different ways of helping but they are equally important within their own context. I'll explain. In the first case, it is important to help the football player because he might have a serious injury and the sooner he gets help the better it will be for his general health. On the other hand, if it is a minor injury the doctor can send him back to play immediately. If he is a good player, his team could win the match with his help. In the second case, though it seems to be a more trivial situation, it is important that tourists get help to find their way in the city they are visiting because it gives them a good impression about the place. The better the image of a city is the more likely it is to attract tourists, and tourism is an important source of income for many cities. In conclusion, helping people may have very different effects depending on the context in which the help is given, but it is always a positive thing to do.

Interlocutor: Thank you.

A continuación, el examinador hará una pregunta sobre estas fotos al candidato B. Pregunta al segundo candidato: Do you find it easy to ask for help when you have a problem?

Why? Why Not?

El candidato B tiene ahora 30 segundos para contestar. Posible respuesta:

Well, it depends on the kind of problem that I have. If it is a minor obstacle, such as opening a door, getting a pen or similar item, then it's easy for me to ask for help to whoever is next to me. But if it is a big issue, such as asking for money or help that could imply a lot effort on the part of the person being asked, then it certainly difficult for me to ask for help. So difficult that I think I have never asked for help in these types of situations. Another thing is if they offer me help without me asking. Then, I'd consider accepting the offer.

Interlocutor: Thank you.

A continuación el examinador enseñará otras dos fotos al Candidato B, y le hará una pregunta.

FCE-SPEAKING TEST-(Part 1 & Part 2)

Esta es la pregunta del ejemplo de examen: Now, here are your photographs. They show people spending

time in different gardens. I'd like you to compare the

photographs, and what you think the people are enjoying about

spending time in these gardens.

Posible respuesta: Como en el caso anterior, comenzaremos por describir lo que vemos, luego comparar y finalmente contestaremos la pregunta.

In the first photograph, we can see a man who has knelt to take care of some plants. It seems to be a vegetable garden. And, in the second photograph, we can see a garden surrounding a big building that looks like a castle. They are very different kind of gardens, one is private and made to cultivate plants and the other one is public and made to relax and walk around. In the first case, the man cultivating his own plants might be enjoying the possibiltity of having his own vegetables. If he is a cook he can use these vegetables in his kitchen to prepare delicious meals. Or he can give them to relatives and friends, or even sell them depending on how big the garden is. In the second case, the people are enjoying the views, the good weather, the fresh smell of the grass, the possibility of chatting with friends in the open air or going for a walk, and most of all, of relaxing.

Interlocutor: Thank you.

FCE-SPEAKING TEST-(Part 1 & Part 2)

A continuación, el examinador hará una pregunta sobre estas fotos al candidato A (primer candidato). Pregunta: Which garden would you prefer to spend time in? Why?

El candidato A tiene ahora 30 segundos para contestar. Posible respuesta:

I'm not very good at cultivating plants because I'm not patient enough and I never did this kind of activity before, so I'd much rather spend time in the public garden. I have been studying very hard for this exam; therefore to spend time in such a garden would be a great opportunity to relax. Besides I enjoy very much going out for a walk and being outside when the weather is good Another reason for me to spend time in a garden such as the one in the second photograph, is that I enjoy visiting monuments. It would be wonderful to visit such a lovely building and contemplate the magnificent views from there.