Dear all,
Due to the fact that you will be having a PSU Mock Test on June 26, we will start evaluating Speaking this Friday, June 20.
It will be Part 2 of the CAE Speaking Paper. We will practise on Thursday, June 19, and receive feedback right after you present.
Take a look at the following analysis and structure of Part 2 and take notes about the information you find useful.
CAE SPEAKING – PART 2
Tests ability to: speak at length coherently, use language to describe, compare and contrast, hypothesise and comment upon a topic.
Part 2 of the CAE Speaking test lasts about 4 minutes (six minutes for groups of three). Candidate A is passed a set of pictures and has to speak about the pictures without interruption, either from the examiner or their partner. When Candidate A has finished the examiner asks Candidate B to answer a brief question about the pictures. The roles are then reversed: Candidate B is given a different set of pictures and speaks for 1 minute followed by Candidate A, who answers a brief question about the pictures.
Example Task
At this stage of the interview the examiner will say something on the lines of:
Q: In this part of the exam I’m going to give each of you three photographs and I’d like you to talk about them on your own for about a minute and also to answer a question briefly about your partner’s photographs.
Q: Here are your pictures (Candidate A). They show people in different educational settings. I’d like you to talk about two of these photos and compare the settings and say how the students may be feeling in each one.
Q: All right?
Notice there are TWO instructions here: first to ‘compare and contrast’ the photographs and also to speculate on how the students ‘may be feeling’. In Part 2 candidates are required to show they can do more than simply describe and will need to show the ability to speculate or hypothesize on a particular topic or scene.
Tips!
1. The picture set will have a general theme but try to find two that are either very similar or very different in some way. This will give you a basis on which to compare and/or contrast the two pictures. In the example above, pictures two and three show two contrasting educational settings: the formal lecture theatre in picture two compared to the relaxed outdoor scene in picture three.
2. In terms of hypothesizing, pictures two and three offer a good opportunity to speculate on how students in each contrasting situation might be feeling. Think about opportunities for hypothesizing when choosing your pictures.
3. Signpost the end of your talk by adding a personal reaction to the pictures. For example:
‘The two people in picture three look like they’re enjoying themselves but personally, I think I’d prefer to spend my study time in a lecture theatre where I’d be more able to concentrate on learning’.
4. Many people preparing for the CAE oral exam worry about not having enough to say in the time available or not having enough time to express their ideas. The best way to get the timing right is to practise making short talks on various topics on your own.
Retrieved from <http://www.flo-joe.com/cae/students/speaking/cae_speaking_part_two.htm>
How is the Cambridge English: Advanced Speaking test assessed?
As you do the test, the assessor focuses on these areas of your English:
Grammatical Resource
Are you using a good range of grammatical structures? Are you using these structures
correctly?
Lexical Resource
Are you using a good range of vocabulary? Are you using vocabulary which is appropriate for
the topics you are talking about? Are you using it correctly? Are you showing that you can use
suitable vocabulary to talk about topics which are unfamiliar to you, as well as topics which
you are more used to talking about?
Discourse Management
Are you using both long and short answers, depending on the task? Is everything you say
relevant to the topic of discussion? Are your ideas expressed in clear and well-organised
language? Are you using a range of language to link and organise your ideas? Are you able to
speak fluently, without too much hesitation?
Pronunciation
You don’t need to have an English accent, but it is important to be clear. Are you pronouncing
individual sounds correctly? Are you placing stress on the right parts of words and on the right
words in sentences? Does your voice go up and down at the right times? Does your
pronunciation help you to communicate what you mean?
Interactive Communication
Are you able to interact with the other candidate easily and effectively? Are you listening to the
other candidate and answering in a way that makes sense? Are you able to start a discussion
and help manage the discussion so that you and your partner keep it going? Can you think of
new ideas to add to the discussion?
NOTE: The interlocutor focuses on your Global Achievement. This is about your general performance. How well are you speaking about the topics you are given? Are your answers clear and fluent? Are you using language which is right for the Cambridge English: Advanced level? When your test is complete, the examiners give you marks for each of these things: Grammar, Vocabulary, Discourse Management, Pronunciation, Interactive Communication and Global Achievement. The marks are for what you do over the whole Speaking test, not for each part of the test. The examiners give you marks for your own performance – they don’t compare you with the other candidate.
Retrieved from <http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/138448-advanced-examiner-speaking-commentary.pdf>
4th Medio English - CAE Programme 2014 