Speaking
Part 3
B2 First Exam
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Speaking
In this section:
An overview and strategies for completing Part 3 of B2 First Speaking
B2 First Speaking Part 3
B2 First Speaking Part 3
Part 3
Duration: 4 minutes
You will talk with your partner during this section. You will discuss together some information on a page and then discuss a follow-up question as well.
During this part of the exam, you and your partner(s) will get a piece of paper like the one below with a question and 5 points. You must talk about the question for 2 minutes while taking into consideration the points.
After, you’ll also be asked to discuss a follow-up question for another minute.
What happens:
What happens:
The examiner will explain the task.
They will give you the page and paraphrase the question.
You then have about 15 seconds to read everything on the page and think about what you might say.
Then, the examiner will tell you to begin.
You will discuss the question, taking into consideration the different points.
When the 2 minutes are over, the examiner will stop you.
The examiner will ask you another question. Usually they will ask you to pick the best, or most important thing out of the options.
You discuss that question for another minute. You should aim to come to a conclusion, but it is not necessary.
Notes
Notes
This is a collaborative task, so you will be marked on your ability to work with your partner.
You will get a good grade if you ask questions and react to what the other student says.
You will get a bad grade if you don't listen or try to monopolize the conversation (that is - do all the talking).
The examiners are only worried about the quality of the conversation and language, and not the quality of ideas. There are no right or wrong answers, only good or bad discussions.
You should aim to not repeat your partner's ideas.
General Tips
General Tips
Listen to your partner. Be interested in what they are saying and politely agree or disagree. If you disagree, try to persuade them to change their idea, but don't spend too long doing that.
Refer back to things you already said.
Say a couple of sentences then ask a question. Let them answer your questions.
Make eye contact with your speaking partner.
Be engaged in the conversation, like you would in real life.
Since this is a conversation, try to keep your contributions short. Ask your partner questions instead to keep the conversation moving.
You can find a partner before the exam and register for the exam together, if you'd like.
You can also arrange who goes first in the waiting room before the exam so you don't waste time discussing it during the exam.
Part 1 tips
Part 1 tips
You don’t have to talk about all five points. It's much better to have a good, deep conversation about a few points instead. A good discussion usually talks about 3 or 4 topics.
You don’t have to agree with your partner, You just have to discuss with them.
Part 2 tips
Part 2 tips
You do not have to come to an agreement here - you only need to try. In fact, I encourage extending the conversation for as long as possible and delaying making an agreement.
Sometimes candidates come to an agreement really quickly during this part and stop talking. Instead, I encourage you to:
a) change your mind and keep talking, or
b) continue the conversation talking about the other points until the examiner stops you.
Useful Language
Useful Language
Here are some ideas about language you could use during your discussion.
Opinion
Opinion
Consider using the following alternatives to “I think”:
For me,
Personally speaking,
Personally,
As I see it,
If you strongly feel something, you could say:
I’m convinced that….
I’m certain that….
I strongly believe that...
I’m sure that….
If you are less sure about your opinion, weaker openings could be:
I guess that…
I suppose that….
I’d say that…..
Getting Started
Getting Started
Shall I start?
Which one shall we start with?
What do you think about...?
What's your opinion on...?
Agreeing
Agreeing
I couldn’t agree with you more.
That’s so true.
That’s for sure.
That’s exactly how I feel.
No doubt about it.
I suppose so./I guess so.
You/they have a point there.
Right.
Good point.
I fully agree.
I was just thinking that.
I was just going to say that!
I was just thinking that.
I couldn’t agree more.
You’re totally right.
Disagreeing
Disagreeing
I don’t think so.
I’m afraid I disagree.
I totally disagree.
I beg to differ.
I’d say the exact opposite.
Not necessarily.
That’s not always true.
I don’t really agree with you there.
Disagreeing with reasons:
Disagreeing with reasons:
But what about…
I think it would be better to…
But the thing is…
The problem with what you said is…
For one thing… (reason). And for another… (reason)
Moving to the Next Item
Moving to the Next Item
Shall we move onto [topic] now?
So what about [topic]?
Can you compare [current topic] to [new topic]?
What about this one? [pointing to topic]
What do you think about this?
How do you feel about that?
We're running out of time, so let's move on.
We still need to discuss [topic].
That connects with the next topic.
Maybe we can skip [topic] for now.
Ending Your Turn
Ending Your Turn
What do you think?
Don't you agree?
Do you have anything to say about that?
Do you have anything to add to that?
Did I forget anything?
Interrupting
Interrupting
Sorry to interrupt but...
Just a second…
Wait a second…
Can I jump in for a second?
Reaching a Decision
Reaching a Decision
I think it's definitely not [topic]
We can eliminate [topic], don't you think?
What do you think is the best one?
Should we choose [topic]?
Are we both in favour of [topic]?
Okay, so we agree.
I don't think we're going to agree on this.
Let's agree to disagree!
Comparing and Contrasting
Comparing and Contrasting
It's common to be asked to compare two things.
To compare two things, use a comparative adjective + than: He’s taller than his sister.
Remember that some comparative adjectives are irregular:
Good - better
Bad - worse
Far - further
For short adjectives, we usually just add –(e)r. If they end in –y change to –ier. For example:
Hard - harder
Big - bigger
Easy - easier
Cheap - cheaper
For longer adjectives, use more. For example:
More interesting
More difficult
More challenging
More expensive
Learn more about comparative and superlative adjectives here: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/comparative-and-superlative-adjectives
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