TOPICS AT THE SPEAKING EXAM

What kinds of topics can you expect at the speaking exam?

Common everyday things not requiring specialized vocabulary. Therefore, the variety of topics is, in principle, very large. In practice, we examiners and teachers don’t usually think up many new or original topics - well, partly because we want to assess your everyday-life communication rather than your knowledge of very specific matters.

NOTE: We often use cards that show a heading or title (e.g. Keeping fit, Friendship, The time machine) that may be misleading. What you’ll have to talk about is the instructions, not necessarily this heading or title, which is normally more general and which, in any case, is rarely exactly the same as what the instructions tell you to deal with.

In the interaction a common instruction is to reach an agreement on something. Make sure you do that before you finish. As a matter of fact, in this task you usually have to do one or more of these: exchanging opinions, reaching an agreement, making decisions together, making plans together.

Sometimes it’s based onn real life. Sometimes you have to pretend to be someone that you are not or be in a position where you are not (a role-play). I tend to prefer the former, but roleplaying can be useful if one wants to test some specific things: “at a hotel reception (host and receptionist)” and “advice to a child, etc” (a parent and a child) are just two examples so I do use it, more often in Basic in than Intermediate, and more often in this than in Advanced.

The following is a list of topics (a sample, not a complete list!) that may give you an idea about what to expect (based on previous years). It’s important to realize that these are not the real instructions. You’ll be asked more specific things in relation to these topics! There’s usually a situation and a few specific instructions. For example, the first given in the random list was actually:

Cheap holidays. You and you English-speaking flatmate(s) want to travel around Spain on a low budget. Talk about the following points: places to visit; where to stay; how to travel.

A RANDOM SAMPLE OF POSSIBLE TOPICS FOR TASK 1 (INTERACTION)

Deciding about holidays

Planning a relaxing weekend

Advising a friend who’s coming to live in Madrid

Advising a friend with health problems

Deciding about your school’s cultural activities

Deciding about your town’s summer festival

Deciding what to include in a guide of Madrid

Deciding on what to spend some money won at the lottery

Your English course past experience and new course expectations

Planning a year off together

Going to a wedding

Deciding ways of keeping fit together

Discussing different family matters

What pet to get

What to do for a week away

A present for a friend

Sharing an appartment

A mutual friend is having a baby

Helping a mutual friend

Going to a concert together

Spending 300,000 euros in one morning

Improving the working atmosphere

Organising a dinner party at home

In the monologue, you can expect to have to (especially) describe, narrate and give opinions, argumentation …

Again, Reading newspapers, for example, in the list below is not very specific: it might be what newspapers you/people read and why, or how, or when, etc. In the case of the first in the list below (as an example), the real instructions were:

Education. Describe your early school days. Talk about this subject, taking into account the following points: your happiest memory; your most unpleasant memory; someone who made an impact on you.

A RANDOM SAMPLE OF POSSIBLE TOPICS FOR TASK 2 (MONOLOGUE)

Your early school days

Your dream job

Summer festivals in little towns

New technologies for learning languages

Hobbies as a way to relax

Sharing a flat

Your first long journey

Family, workmates/classmates, friends

Your eating habits

Your neighbourhood

Your house or flat

Your job

Your favourite place

Reading newspapers

Mobiles phones

Your country

When you talked to a native speaker

Someone you really like

Eating habits nowadays

The first time (you drove a car or fell in love or …)

Education today

A teacher (from your past)

Your favourite type of accommodation

Your favourite means of transport

Neighbours

The role of grandparents today