This document outlines the format and content of the Speaking section of the First Certificate in English exam. It contains 4 parts: Part 1 involves answering introductory questions about yourself. Part 2 has candidates compare and contrast two photographs, describing them and speculating about the people in them. Part 3 involves discussing travel problems depicted in pictures, evaluating how serious they are and how to avoid them. Part 4 further develops the discussion with additional questions from the examiner. Functional language is provided to help structure comparisons, opinions, and discussions.

1. FIRST CERTIFICATE IN ENGLISH
SPEAKING PART

2. PART 1
( 3 minutes)
The examiner will ask you both to talk briefly about yourselves by
answering questions such as:
• First of all, we’d like to know something about you.
• Where are you from?
• What do you like about living in your town?
• What is there for young people to do in your area?

3. PART 2
(2 or 3 minutes)
You will each be asked to talk for a minute without interruption.
You will each have two different photographs to talk about. You must
compare, contrast and speculate.
You will also have to answer a question after your partner has spoken.
1 MINUTE
COMPARE
CONTRAST
SPECULATE
QUESTION

4. PART 2: FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE
Compare and Contrast
there's no difference between ... / they're much the same ...
it's a bit like ... / as against ... / However. …..
Nevertheless... / Although... / Notwithstanding...
On the one hand / On the other hand,... / for all that …
in contrast to ... / in spite of this / in spite of the fact that
all the same … / having said that ... / At the same time …
Speculating
I’d say he’s about ready to quite his job.
It might need some oil.
He could be in the garden.
It looks like a miniature motor.
Perhaps he needs some time off work.
Maybe they want to come and visit this summer.
It’s difficult to say, but I’d guess that it’s used for cleaning
house.
I’m not really sure, but I think they enjoy hiking in the
mountains.
Linking expressions
In addition, / In fact, / In other words,
For instance, / That is to say, / Moreover
For example, / Similarly / Besides,
Nevertheless / What’s more / Because of this
Even so, / On the other hand
Giving opinions
Personally, I would say that…
I’m not really very interested in …
It’s very hard to say, but …
If I had to choose …, I would .....

5. Describing each of the pictures
1. You might start by giving a brief description of each of the pictures.
2. You do not have to describe them in detail.
If you are not sure what the picture is, use your imagination and say what you think it is. It doesn't matter if you are
wrong.
3. There are different ways in which you can refer to the pictures.
Describing:
The first/second picture/photo shows ...
This picture must have been taken outdoors/indoors/ in a park / in a bedroom
Comparing and contrasting:
Use most of the comparing and contrasting functional language.
However. Nevertheless... On the one hand / On the other hand,... Although...
Speculating:
I’d say he’s about ready to quite his job.
It might need some oil.
He could be in the garden.
Use other speculating functional language.
Giving your opinion:
In my opinion, ... For me, ... I think that ... I prefer A to B. / I like A more than B. / I like A, but I dislike B. / A is more ...
than B

6. Part 2:
Study places:
CANDIDATE A, compare and contrast these photographs, and say why the people have
chosen these places to study. You have a minute to do this.
USEFUL PHRASES:
Well, the people in these photos are studying in very different places. In the first photo, there are several students in a library, in the
second, a girl is studying on the floor. This picture must have been taken in her bedroom or any other part of the house.
The students seem to be working in paris, helping each other. I think studying with other people is enjoyable – you can share
information and learn more easily. Perhaps they have chosen to study in the library because they can have easy access to lots of
books.
I get the impression that the girl is not very comfortable sitting on the floor. She looks like she’s a bit ansxious. She’s clearly
concentrating hard on her work. She may have chosen to work in her bedroom because she can be sure she won’t be interrupted.
CANDIDATE B, do you ever study in a library?

7. PART 2
DOING EXERCISE:
CANDIDATE B, compare and contrast these photographs, and say how good these forms of
exercise might be for the people in the photos. You have a minute to do this.
CANDIDATE A, do you like team sports?
USEFUL PHRASES:
The people in these photos are doing very different types of exercise. The boys in the first photo are playing football and they
seem to be enjoying themselves more than the people in the second photograph, who are exercising in a gym. For children, I
think outdoor sport is healthier than working out in a gym. Football is an excellent form of exercise and it also teacher children
the importance of teamwork.
In the second photo, I think the young woman looks bored. She probably exercises several times a week to keep fit or to avoid
putting on weight. There are more people on the background but maybe they have never met before. Perhaps all of them have
full-time jobs and they come to the gym after work.

8. PART 3
(3 or 4 minutes)
You will be asked to discuss something together woithout interruption by the
examiner.
You will have a page of pictures to help you.
Travel Problems (discuss and evaluate)
Have a look at the picture which shows different problems people may have when
they travel.
How serious are these problems for the people involved?
What can people do to avoid these problems?

9. 1.- Starting a discussion
Why don’t we start by … ?
Shall we … first?
Let’s begin with … (shall we?)
We could start by talking about …
2.- Introducing the topic
First of all, I would like to say that
…
I would like to begin by …
Many people think that …
Why do some people believe … ?
3.- Involving the other person
What do you think (about) …?
Do you agree with that?
What would you say?
4.- Interrupting/Showing you
want a turn
Can I just say … ?
Sorry to interrupt, but …
Yes, and as well as that
5.- Adding an opinion
Apart from that …
And there’s another thing..
Not only that …
Actually …
So far …
6.- Advantages
The main advantage is that
Another advantage is that
Disadvantages
Another disadvantage is …
Last but not least, …
7.- Bringing the discussion to an
end
So let’s decide which …
Shall we make a decision?
Anyway, we have to decide …
8.- Giving opinions
For me, one of the most important….. is ……
I just think that what matters is …….
The most important factor for me is ….
Personally, I would say that…
I’m not really very interested in …
It’s very hard to say, but …
If I had to choose …, I would .....
PART 3: FUNCTIONAL LANGUAGE

10. PART 3
Travel Problems (discuss and evaluate) - Have a look at the picture which shows different problems people may have
when they travel (go on holiday).
How serious are these problems for the people involved? / What can people do to avoid these problems?

11. Sample dialogue:
- Some of the problems are really serious, don’t you think?
- In my opinion, some of these situations can be frightening if you are
travelling on your own in a foreign country. For example, getting ill and
needing to see a doctor … Would you agree with that?
-Yes, absolutely. That’s much more serious than having a long delay at the
airport…. What do you think?
- I’m not sure I agree with that. Having to wait for hours can be really
upsetting, particularly for people with children or elderly people….. What do
you think of the people who are stuck in a traffic queue? Is that a serious
problem?
- Do you think some of these problems can be avoided?
- Well, the man who has lost his way could have planned his journey, don’t
you think?
- I couldn’t agree more…….
- In a nutshell when you are planning to go on holidays you must forsee and
prevent the possible problems that might occur.

12. PART 4
(3 or 4 minutes)
The examiner encourages you to develop the discussion in Part 3 by
asking questions such as:
•Do you like ‘adventure’ holidays?
•Has anything like this ever happened to you? How did you react?
•How dangerous is it to go on safari holidays?