10 COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID IN YOUR SPEAKING EXAM! Ex-Cambridge examiner shares secrets.

[@maxthirtyseven]

Thanks Ben and Craig. As a Proficiency student, what I find most difficult is to use C2 vocabulary in conversation.

[@LaMansionDelIngles]

This comes with time and being proactive in your preparation. When you're reading or watching TV series, stop from time to time and note down new vocabulary and expressions that grab your attention. Expanding your vocabulary takes time.

[@maxthirtyseven]

@@LaMansionDelIngles Many thanks for your piece of advice :-)

[@meels9]

As an Intermediate-Advanced learner, how did you structure your study sessions? I feel that I lose so much time because of my lack of organisation. Moreover, I don't know which material should I use: books? Web pages; KZbin? I strongly feel that there are a lot of resources to study, but I don't know which of them use. I don't know whether I have expressed clear enough but I hope so. If you could give me some advice, I would be really thankful to you. Thank you mate!

[@verdadsiempre1435]

It's so useful to watch Ben's videos now and again... 😅👍

[@tetiana7868]

Another tip I could suggest after having taken CAE some years ago. Do have some idioms up your sleeve, choose those you might use for multiple occasions and of course those you are well familiar with. Among thousands of the idioms in existence you will have your top 20 let's say, or top 10 for cae. So that you could rely on them without thinking too much. Use them every time you're practicing for Speaking part, get comfortable with them and don't be afraid to overuse them. The examiner will see you only once for 16 minutes, they wouldn't know you'd been using them for every speech😊

[@ao-cm2fc]

That’s what I think too 😊

[@LaMansionDelIngles]

I agree that idioms used in the correct context can be very effective, @tetiana, but I'd advise against overusing them. Generally speaking, examiners don't like this. Idioms should be used naturally and in context. I certainly wouldn't suggest using the same idiom more than once in 16 minutes!

[@Noelito40]

Yes of course idioms are nice flowery language but my advice would be not to overuse them. Also, look for an idiom that is fresh and different. Too often in exams, I hear students from the same academy use the same idiom, they say "this is not my cup of tea". Yes this is a nice idiom, and yes, generally I hear it used appropriately, but when you hear it from 5 students in a row it tends to grate! Likewise, "Morever/Furthermore/ and on the other hand", are similarly overused.

[@tetiana7868]

@LaMansionDelIngles the idea was to use them extensively while preparing so that you could retrieve them easily from your memory

[@belen1998]

I'm an English teacher, and "fake it till you make it" is my motto in class! I insist upon it every day, and I found it really helped me throughout my English learning process, especially and definitely regarding my speaking skills

[@dertalexhien2077]

Hello Ben, let's join hands to thank not only you but within your outstanding guest.

[@jeorgealonso4823]

Thank you Ben! Today I had my CAE speaking test and although I felt really anxious presenting to the exams without taking specific english classes, I managed to use many of the advanced expressions and vocabulary you teach in your youtube channel. I'm a bit paranoid about maybe having spoken too fast or prioritizing particular structures over fluence, but then again I'm a very nervous person. Let's wait for the results and hope for the best.

[@flyt0Live]

1 hour left till the exam, your videos helped me , thank you!

[@tothepointenglishwithben.]

Best of luck!

[@flyt0Live]

Just completed the exam, I'ill update you once I get the result, keep doing your great videos!

[@meels9]

@@flyt0Live How did it go? I have my exam in June but I don't know how to prepare the Speaking and Writing part without a teacher

[@tetiana7868]

Fantastic video! It's absolutely invaluable to be able to hear an examiner's take on the candidates' performance! Thank you! Preparing for an exam myself, I find your sessions with Craig incredibly helpful❤

[@i78sd273sdf]

I totally agree! Thank you so much!❤ I love Ben's channel and I absolutely adore the videos with Craig! So many useful tips!

[@enrica5978]

I am currently studying for the Proficiency test and I do find your video very useful so thank you very much

[@IdaYao-l4g]

Also remember to be active and attempt to take the initiative to steer the conversation. I simply treated my CPE exam as a conversation of a sort and got a pretty good score despite not consistently using impressive vocabulary during the exam! It's all about how you interact and answer the other candidates! (score: 223)

[@aliniakawaii7894]

Such a useful and helpful video, thanks so much Ben and Craig! I’ll be taking my C1 exam next week and I was quite nervous at first, but after binge watching numerous of your videos, I’ve become less diffident and a lot more assertive about the exam! ❤

[@Eagle81623]

Thanks a lot to both of you Ben for this video...Greg,was so enlightening!!!

[@tothepointenglishwithben.]

Our pleasure!

[@ospamario]

It is a pleasure watch your videos and learn about English exams!! 🎉

[@alanCandanedo]

Thank you so much for these pieces of advice. You are becoming one of my favorite English teachers.

[@tothepointenglishwithben.]

Happy to hear that!

[@matig3859]

Thanks both of you, i'm taking the exam tomorrow (B2 first)

[@alexa.percic]

I am to take the speaking exam tomorrow and to be honest I was really nervous about it,but you really reassured me and now I feel so much more prepared and self-assured than I was before.

[@alexa.percic]

i got c2 at speaking🥹

[@fleurblanche7642]

Thank you a lot for your concerted effort reunited effort to bring across the message of continuons work on vocabulary to us.The importance is to buld it up constantly

[@cristina.6230]

Wow! Two masters!! 👏👏

[@dieguini22]

Very useful and interesting to hear these insigths. Thanks Ben and Craig!

[@tothepointenglishwithben.]

I'm glad you found the video useful 🙂

[@miguelmelo8735]

I liked that vídeo so much Ben..so informative, educational...congratulations! We really have to overcome nervousness.....,!

[@rossellaleonardi2908]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@tothepointenglishwithben.]

You're welcome, Rossella

[@silviamongeroffarello126]

This video is extremely useful, thank you very much. Both of you are excellent

[@tothepointenglishwithben.]

Glad you liked it!

[@thechatbox18]

Hey, this is awesome! Hi Ben and Craig 😊 thanks for such helpful content

[@eleonoraserei4847]

What a valuable video! Thanks both

[@mariaromina7621]

Wow! Valuable information. Thanks so much for sharing this 😊

[@taner8653]

I really wonder so much why many people from uk choose spain to relocate. They are especially english teachers. We may also welcome you in Turkey. Same climate and also cheaper.

[@LaMansionDelIngles]

In my case, my parents moved here first and I followed. So the choice was theirs more than mine! Turkey is also a beautiful country. I've only visited Istanbul but I loved it.

[@taner8653]

@@LaMansionDelIngles 🥰

[@martinvoet217]

Craig mentioned to keep speaking until the examiner says, "thank you". Does that also go for part 1 and the question about the partner's photo's in part 2 of the C1 exam? Thanks for your valuable videos!

[@icarotavares3993]

Very helpful video!

[@lav2dance]

Ben, what's the lovely tree in the background? Is it real? :)

[@tothepointenglishwithben.]

Yes, it's a Chinese Elm bonsai 🙂

[@olgamaki3718]

Hello Ben! How can I reserve one-to-one classes with you?

[@Phulanitos]

Hi Craig! What about Rezza?

[@LaMansionDelIngles]

He's busy examining students 😀

[@Phulanitos]

I used to follow " La Mansión del Inglés " ( nowadays I'm doing it from time to time )... Very useful the podcasts, and further than that, the explanations... I remember the one explaining the meaning of " conductor " ( the person who gets the control for the tickets ), etc... Thanks for you help and support! ☺️☺️☺️ PS ( ' Reza ', I think it was wrongly written before )...

[@LilKrobik]

A tip I’d give is to try and find a friend to do this with. You will both feel more comfortable, know when to let them speak, be used to their way of speaking etc. Another one would be to really pay attention to speak to the point and effectively. You do not have much time, so do not waste time on pointless things "this picture reminds me of a time when I..." no! answer the questions, do not talk about anything else about the pictures. This was a challenge for me when I prepared for the exam, especially when you do not know what to say maybe, your brain just stops giving you ideas, and my friend really drilled into me to always speak to the point. This is not a friendly conversation, this is an exam where you have to prove something in a limited ammount of time.

[@ladyspeakloud8144]

I'm preparing for CAE now and I'm the one who is speaking to fast when nervous😂 I hope I'll pull myself together and won't speak quickly during exam😊

[@tothepointenglishwithben.]

Take a deep breath before you start speaking

[@LaMansionDelIngles]

Record yourself speaking on your mobile phone many times and listen back to it. I always do this before giving a presentation. It's very effective and it helps with nerves.

[@ladyspeakloud8144]

Wow! Thank you so much for your pieces of advice! I'll try them all😘😘😘

[@Marialiayclaudio]

Thank you! I've got a question. What happens if your partner misunderstood the questiin and then you're asked your opinion about what he/she said? What should I answer ?

[@Marialiayclaudio]

Question*

[@Noelito40]

You can ask the examiner, (politely of course!), to repeat the question. There's no penalty for doing this. Presumably, the assessor/interlocutor would have picked up your partner's misunderstanding....An even better way of dealing with it would be to seek clarification from the interlocutor. Say, "so as I understand it the question was, blah, blah". The interlocutor can then repeat the question, or they could nod accordingly. They just can't go off-script.

[@wadimwadimow5439]

There is a phrase in Russian “Go to work/exam/mission whatsoever as if you are going to a party”😂😂😂😂

[@olegbaiburin3875]

Great!!!

[@brendagilbert4304]

Valuable and valid advice. However, it could all have been said in about half the time. Too much bla-bla-bla.

[@antonromanenko3200]

Ben, have you ever passed any Cambridge exam? )

[@DarkAge24.22]

Hi everyone. Moscow is here.

[@Anetword]

🍀

[@RobertAlexx]

You talk about obvious things...

[@daniochoar]

That's what I really needed, very useful video! I know I am going to do a great speaking test, one day less. Thank you!

[@tothepointenglishwithben.]

Great! I'm sure you'll crush the exam