Speaking test tips from Cambridge examiners

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Great feedback I ever have. We want more mam 🙂

I wonder if we have to know all of vocabulary to pass C2? 🥰

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i have this exam and i am nervius

- don't say too much or too less
- don't me me me
- correct your mistake
- answer the question
- think of good ways to extend the sentence
- say umm, well, so... To delay the answer
- relax
- don't be nervous
- be happy
- communicate normally

There are some great suggestions in these comments and we'd like to offer some of our own thoughts.


Know what you are doing

Sometimes in exams candidates have no clear idea of what's going on in each part so make sure you are familiar with what you have to do in each of the parts. There are lots of videos and other resources which explain the different exams.


Don't panic

The examiners are there to help candidates and to make sure that they get the best possible score. It's perfectly natural to be a little bit nervous at the beginning but normally people relax by the time they get to Part 3.


Listen and respond

It's a speaking test for 2-3 people so it is important to respect the other candidate or candidates and to give your own opinion at the same time.


Be accurate

It's not always a case of how many different types of grammar forms you can use but of how well you can use what you say. For Cambridge First this means using basic grammar well, with few errors. For Cambridge Advanced candidates should not have any errors except perhaps in some more complex grammar structures.


Learn vocabulary

The level of vocabulary that candidates have is often what decides if they get a high score. The best approach to this is to have a good range of vocabulary for topics. While phrasal verbs and idioms can be terrific, if you can use them properly ,an ability to use a lot of different words and expressions in a topic is much more useful.


Join your ideas together

Try to learn a range of linking expressions and devices and consider how you can join your opinions together in different ways. You should practice this as much as you can before you do your speaking test. One simple way to do this is ask yourself why your opinion might be true.

So if you say “Cars should be banned in cities”, explain why - “because it will reduce the pollution and it is much safer for pedestrians”.


Work on your pronunciation

In both of these exams your pronunciation needs to be clear. Take some time while you prepare for the exam to look at some online pronunciation videos or websites.


Be natural

In a speaking exam the examiners are looking at what a candidate can do. This usually means the types of things they can do naturally. Unfortunately, on the day of an exam, sometimes people forget some of the very good expressions they have just learnt. Trust what you can do and try to do it well!

Wow good

Excellent video this, great advice, which I am happy to pass on to my students. I would add one other piece of advice though (which interestingly enough is demonstrated by the three examiners here) and that is, don't monopolise the conversation. In Part 3 for example, short bursts of language (10-15 seconds) is what makes a good dialogue. Focus more on "passing the ball" over to your partner, and less so on getting out the wonderful third conditionals and anecdotes that you have prepared. Focus on the back and forth of the interaction, less is more!

i got the test tomorrow gang

Their pronunciation is soooooo perfect!

Feels like these women created the world. They're sooo perfectly educated... I'm absolutely amazed

The examiners being examined!

Great conversation. I want to be examiner of Cambridge.

Awesome level to be B2.

Their voices are so smooth !

This is so Unintentional ASMR

I would like to have had them as axaminers huh

I really hope this examiner questions me tomorrow for the C1 advanced pleaseee!!!

Long story short: Don't undermine your partner but help each other. Lead a natural conversation. Don't overstep your boundaries. Making a mistake is not the end, not admitting to it is.

This is great, but how to you GRADE the oral exam? Is it purely subjective or is there an actual marking system? It's all good to say they need to do A and B, but if ten candidates do A, how do you grade to show differential marks?

They seem to be so easy going and nice!

Hello Cambridge English... Mmh interesting comments. Ladies are right, I agree. Keep a fluency and accurate conversation...

I'm taking the exam in two weeks!

I'm preparing for CPE. Join in if you want to learn about effective speaking strategies as well as practise for free https://t.me/IELTS_CAE_CPE or ielts_cae_cpe on Instagram. The more, the merrier))

I agree with you teachers, as a student, our objective is to show that we understand and communicate, but the more difficult fact, is that it must be in a very "English" structure, could i ask you for some tips for the speaking test computer-based? Exam in 2 weeks, thanks :)

How hard is to get an A in the whole exam?

When we do our speaking if suddenly the examiner says thank you! Does it mean that we get less marks ?

My Exams is tomorrow! Wish me luck! 🙏🏼

The lady in the middle is my favorite.

They are giving me all the tips to beat this test. Gotcha

I've done quite a few of these exams myself and the advice that my teachers always gave me was to be as natural and spontaneous as possible! I was once in the middle of the speaking test and my partner was asked something on the lines of "What would you bring with you to a desert island to survive?" and the guy said "Well it wouldn't matter because I'd die anyway" so we all cracked up and it was nice to continue the exam after that :')

1. Listen carefully

2. Keep the conversation going

3. Interact with partner and examiner

4. Move the conversation forward

5. Use eye contact

6. Body language to encourage partner

7. Resourceful in their use of language

8. Find a way of expressing themselves

9. Balance fluency and accuracy

10. Ask questions if they don’t understand

11. Help their partner

12. Put preparation into good use

13. Can overcome nerves

14. Can maintain the flow for a full minute

15. Know how long their answers should be

16. Know they have to extend some answers

17. Are not put off when examiner interrupts

18. PREPARATION IS KEY



You are welcome ;)

To recapitulate be calm and relaxed, use mimic and body lang.

Omg! I am nervous.One day I Will take the FCE ! Fighting! I should study hard!

When I did the exam, we were a group of three, which was a little awkward, because it's easier for the person speaking last to run out of things to say, after the other two have already spoken. But our interlocutor seemed quite mindful about that and switched it up, but it still felt like we were being a bit clumsy. After some point the three of us really bonded and were just talking between each other and to the interlocutor and so I feel like it went well all in all

My C.P.E speaking test takes place tomorrow afternoon... Wish me luck!

looks like it was filmed in the 80s

Thinking of doing an exam but i am very nervous for the speaking part. When I have a conversation in my head all seems well and I can think of adequate and advanced sentences but when I try to keep a conversation going in real life it ends in a lot of uhms and pauses. It's making me kind of scared for the exam. I'm a 16-year-old from the Netherlands by the way.

Tomorrow 😱

A lot of agreement here xD

I had my test yesterday. Is it bad that my partner answered the last question all by herself? I didn‘t get a chance to talk

They are super British.

I agree with u my ladies. Praperation is very important before the test.

Dear ladies, thank you 🌹 )

To me they sound like they are very bored with the topic

I am an English teacher and I am learning from you so thank you very much.

In my country the examiners say Russian R.I don't even live in Russia!