FCE EXAM

SPEAKING
RUBRIC
 FCE SPEAKING PART 1
In part 1, you will be asked questions about your past, present
and future (2-3 minutes).
Common topics are:
• Hobbies
• Education
• Friends/family
• Holidays
• Sports
• Things you like/dislike

Make sure you answer in full sentences and not just a few
words. You do NOT speak with your partner.
 PART 1: Common questions/topics

� What’s your name?

� What’s your surname?
� Where do you come from/where do you live?
� Do you like your hometown? Why?
� What do you study?
� What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
� What did you do last weekend?
� How long have you been studying English?
� Do you think English will be useful for you in the future?
 Well, I’m from
Granada, which is a
beautiful city in the
I’m from Sevilla. south of Spain.

Where are you from?

 I have been learning
English for 10 years. I
started in nursery,
when I was 5 years old. 5 years.

How long have you been learning English?

 SPEAKING PART 2: The Long Turn
?You get two photos. Talk about them on your own for 1 minute.
? You will need to do two things: COMPARE the photos and ANSWER A QUESTION about
them. You aren’t given any time to prepare and plan.
?When you finish, the examiner asks the other student a question about your
photos—30 seconds to respond.
?The other student gets two photos and has to talk about them for 1 minute. When that
is over, the examiner asks you a question, and now you have about 30 seconds

? It’s very important that you speak for as long as possible and don’t worry at all if
the examiner interrupts you and asks you to stop. That’s a good thing.
 SPEAKING PART 2: The Long Turn

? TALK …………..…. about two photos yourself

? COMPARE……….your photos and answer a question about them
? LISTEN …………….while your partner is talking about her photos
? ANSWER ………….one short question about your partner’s photos
 Speaking for 1 minute:
It feels like a long time but it isn’t, you need to say several things
within that time:
You need to follow a strategy and order:
● Introduction
● Similarities and differences
● Answer the question

You are always given two pictures that have a common theme. First you need to identify and
state the theme (Eg. ́ ́Both pictures show an artist , painting”)

Next, state the key difference between the two, e.g “ However, in the first picture….., while in the second
picture he is…..”
Then give 1-2 other quick similarities and differences. DO NOT SIMPLY DESCRIBE THE PHOTOS. Use
comparatives and linking words.

When you are comparing and contrasting, make sure you compare the EMOTIONS and the EXPERIENCE of
what the pictures show, not the pictures themselves.

Then answer the question - making reference to both photos.

If you still have time after answering the question, use “Personally...” and give an opinion about the subject but
this is only AFTER attempting all comparisons and answering the question

You need to keep talking, until the examiner says “Thank you...”
 KEY PHRASES
Speaking to the ● I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. Could you please repeat the question?
Interlocutor ● My apologies, I didn’t hear that last bit. Would you mind repeating the question?
● Would you mind repeating the question once more? Thank you
● Sorry, I’m not sure what you mean.

Correcting yourself ● What I mean is..

● What I meant was...
● What I’m trying to say is

● Both pictures show….

Comparing Pictures ● One key difference is…/ The biggest difference is ….
● In the first picture
● Whereas/ while in the second picture /on the other hand / in contrast…
● They seem to be …. / It appears to be some kind of….
● At the bottom/left/ right we can see....
● They definitely seem to be
● They might have been
● In contrast, in the other photo
● It looks as if he’s
● It’s probably
● One similarity is that…/ in this picture there’s…whereas in the other there’s…
 30 seconds answering a related question:

Although this part of the task does not follow a particular structure, because it depends on the topic of the
pictures, you are usually asked to talk about your own experience in connection with the topic or to choose
one of the pictures and justify your answer.

So let’s see some expressions to answer this question correctly:

● As far as I’m concerned,…
● The way I see it,…
● If I had to choose one of these two (…), I would (definitely) go for…
● In my experience,…
● In my case,…
● Well, it’s not an easy choice, but I think I’d prefer to…
● I would (…) no doubt.
● I would definitely prefer/choose…
● I believe that it’s more important to…

There is no specific formula to answer this follow-up question, given the broad spectrum we’re dealing with, but
the expressions above will definitely help you answer more appropriately.
Compare the photos and say what might be good for the people about travelling in these ways.

• There is a man riding a bicycle. He has a helm. Um... helm.

Hat? Helmhat? Helmet! Yes, he has a helmet. This man is on
a motor bicycle. There is a yellow taxi behind him. Um... I
finished.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Both pictures show men on their own riding.
• In the picture on the top there's a man on a bicycle while in
the other picture he's got a motorbike. In the first photo he's
out in the countryside somewhere. In contrast, this man is in
a city and it looks quite polluted. In the first image, though, it
looks clean and the air seems fresh.
• I think there are good things about travelling by bicycle - it's
good exercise and it's very healthy. And cheap! On the other
hand, riding a motorbike doesn't give any health benefits and
it's much more expensive because you have to buy petrol.
Why might people be shopping in these ways?
What might be difficult about using technology in
these situations?
What might be difficult about using technology in
these situations?
 SPEAKING PART 3: Spiderweb

�You and your partner will be given a spider web with five
keywords linking to a question.
�You get about 15 seconds to read everything, then you have to
discuss it with your partner for ~2 minutes.
� Ask questions
� Agree/disagree
� WHY???
�When the 2 minutes are over, the examiner will stop you and ask
another question. You discuss that question for 1 more minute.
 SPEAKING PART 3: Tips!
�2 minute discussion:
� You don't have to talk about all 5 points! It is ok to have a
really good, deep conversation about 3-4 of the topics and
only briefly mention the other 1-2.
�1 minute decision:
� DON'T start by saying what you think is the most
important! What will you talk about the rest of the time…?
Before you decide on your final option, say a few things
about why you're not choosing some of the others.
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2 MINUTE DISCUSSION:
useful phrases - Getting started
Getting Started
✗ Which one shall we start with?
✗ Shall we start with this one…?
✗ What do you think ( partners name)?

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Move onto others quickly agreeing or disagreeing moving
the discussion on
✗ I don’t feel the same way, but I see what you mean.
Anyway,…
✗ I don’t think we’ll ever agree on that, so…
✗ I feel (basically) the same way, so…
✗ We seem to agree on that one, so…
✗ Have we discussed…?
✗ How about…?
✗ Shall we move onto…?
✗ We still need to discuss…
✗ What about…?
✗ Which one should we discuss next?
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agreeing
✗ I feel (basically) the same way, so…
✗ We seem to agree on that one, so…
✗ Yes, your absolutely right.
✗ That is exactly what I was thinking.
✗ That’s a great point.
✗ I think so too.
✗ Right, yes I agree with that.

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Politely disagreeing
✗ Perhaps, but what about
✗ I’m not sure. Don’t you think... would be better?
✗ I think I’d rather...
✗ It might be better to…
✗ I’m not really keen on….
✗ I don’t really agree…
✗ I would consider this as a better option…
✗ The problem with that one is...

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 ONE MINUTE DISCUSSION:
The examiner will ask you another
question to summarise your thoughts, for example, by
choosing the option that you think is best and saying why.
You have one minute for this.
 the deciding stage-ending & summarizing
● I think we are ready to decide.
● From what you said, I guess you’d choose…
● I think we can eliminate/ ignore…
● What about the second one?
● It doesn’t seem we can agree on that one, so…
● Maybe we should move onto another one.
● If not that one, how do you feel about…
● So, we’ve decided on…
● I think that means we agree. Don’t you?
● Ok we’ve agreed.
● We chose… because…
Let’s review some key points
● Interact with each ● Essential to express and ● You are expected to
other rather than ask for opinions, agree have a conversation,
speak to and disagree with the sharing opinions and
yourselves. other candidate, and asking questions.
change the subject.

● Advisable to reach an
● Show the examiner that
agreement with your you are discussing and
partner, but it is not working towards a final
absolutely necessary. decision.
I think providing parks will I totally agree.
bring the most tourists
because they will have a
place to relax, especially in
summer.

Now decide which of the 5 topics is most important to attract tourists.

 SPEAKING PART 4: More Questions

�The examiner asks you a question. You answer it.

� NOTE: It's not the same as part 1. It's more like part 3 - you should
respond to your partner's answers, and you should ask for their
opinions.
�Look at the examiner when you give your answer, but
then look at your partner when you are talking to each
other.
�Always explain your answers.
 SPEAKING PART 4: Tips!
�HELP! I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION!
� Please could you repeat that?
� Could you say that again, please?

�USE THE GRAMMAR OF THE QUESTION IN YOUR ANSWER

� Here's a common mistake:
� Do you enjoy cooking?
� Yes, I enjoy to cook.

� Why not use the same grammar as the question in your answer?
� Do you enjoy cooking
� Yes, I enjoy cooking because….