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Getting a message across

C1 Advanced · Speaking · Part 2

Long turn

How this works

  • 1.You’ll get 10 seconds to look at the three photos — the time the examiner spends reading the task — and then 1 minute to respond, just like the real exam.
  • 2.Choose two of the three photos, compare them and answer both parts of the question.
  • 3.Speak and your words are written down for you as you go — fix anything the recogniser mishears, or just type your turn. No microphone needed either way.

Useful phrases

Compare, don't describe

Pick two photos and hold them against each other — nobody is asking what's in them.

  • What strikes me about both of these is…
  • Whereas the first involves…, the second is far more…
  • These two have more in common than they appear to…
  • If there's a difference, it lies in…

Speculate and hedge

You can't know — so signal how sure you are. Hedging is what C1 rewards.

  • They may well have…
  • It's conceivable that…
  • Presumably…, though I could be wrong.
  • I'd imagine the appeal lies in…
  • There's every chance that…

Answer both halves

The C1 question asks two things — deal with the second before the minute is out.

  • On balance, I'd say…
  • As for how they might be feeling…
  • That said, the second one strikes me as…
  • What's harder to judge is…
Getting a message across — CAE Speaking Part 2 questions