Examiners talking about Speaking Tests

What makes a good Speaking test candidate? In this video three examiners give their advice and tips for the Cambridge English: First and Cambridge English: Advanced Speaking tests. We think you'll find it useful, no matter which exam you teach.
What to expect on exam day: camengli.sh/2VedIWf
Free online speaking & pronunciation activities: camengli.sh/36oLlXP

[@TeoJardon]

1. Listen carefully 2. Keep the conversation going 3. Interact with partner and examiner 4. Move the conversation forward 5. Use eye contact 6. Body language to encourage partner 7. Resourceful in their use of language 8. Find a way of expressing themselves 9. Balance fluency and accuracy 10. Ask questions if they don’t understand 11. Help their partner 12. Put preparation into good use 13. Can overcome nerves 14. Can maintain the flow for a full minute 15. Know how long their answers should be 16. Know they have to extend some answers 17. Are not put off when examiner interrupts 18. PREPARATION IS KEY You are welcome ;)

[@davidscarlet571]

Teo Jardon Thanks!

[@nguyenvu1930]

Thank youuu

[@giuliaconsiglio03]

Thank you so much!❤️ On this Monday I will have B2/C1 speaking test and your comment helped me a lot...

[@saramudaci5208]

Thank youuu :)

[@sanyaeaye3366]

Thank you man💙

[@annahernandez3690]

I've done quite a few of these exams myself and the advice that my teachers always gave me was to be as natural and spontaneous as possible! I was once in the middle of the speaking test and my partner was asked something on the lines of "What would you bring with you to a desert island to survive?" and the guy said "Well it wouldn't matter because I'd die anyway" so we all cracked up and it was nice to continue the exam after that :')

[@Noelito40]

Humour is good!! If you can make everyone laugh, with good use of English, you are doing well!

[@Belloccioklint]

If only all examiners were like the ones in the video!!!

[@Gergaaf14]

I agree. The mood of the examiners also influences on the student's performances. Sometimes bad mood makes students feel uncomfortable and increases nervousness

[@gustavoaguilar2004]

I've just passed my FCE and I had a low grade in the speaking test, I remember the examiner not smiling at all and making me feel uncomfortable

[@gisellesuarez6893]

@@gustavoaguilar2004 So lucky you are! Life has challenges!

[@_dqpb_]

@REPUBBLICA ITALIANA im curious, what was your experience with examiners?

[@herschelschueler]

Long story short: Don't undermine your partner but help each other. Lead a natural conversation. Don't overstep your boundaries. Making a mistake is not the end, not admitting to it is.

[@gust3000]

These examiners inspire me to become a better english speaker.

[@PROAYAX]

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

[@luisitocomunica2515]

Gustavo Lázaro they are very good indeed

[@theamazingheathledger3776]

*English* start with the spelling, LOL, nationality words ALWAYS start with a capital letter

[@vicvic553]

Their accent - amazing

[@robertogrigolatto8565]

OMG! I took the test an hour ago (I'm Argentinian ), and it couldn't have gone better! I'm proud of myself!

[@someone-vg6sk]

I took the test yesterday and even though I had been taking the highest scores in my class for the whole year, i didn't do very well:(

[@robertogrigolatto8565]

maria Don't worry! What went wrong?

[@someone-vg6sk]

Robert Gratto at the speaking I got so stressed out and I didn't use a nice vocabulary and the questions were kinda dumb so I couldn't think of nice answers. i dont think i failed but i could have done much better

[@robertogrigolatto8565]

maria It's alright. As long as you passed, there's nothing to worry about. You still have the CAE ahead!

[@someone-vg6sk]

Robert Gratto yeah I think I passed (maybe with a low mark but still) but I took the CPE (proficiency). Which one did you take?

[@nzifraaaaa]

These speaking skillls are absolutely useful . Try to avoid stress there and be relax . Good luck to everyone ! MIND YOUR LANGUAGE

[@egorbendus1698]

Feels like these women created the world. They're sooo perfectly educated... I'm absolutely amazed

[@itsmethira4332]

- don't say too much or too less - don't me me me - correct your mistake - answer the question - think of good ways to extend the sentence - say umm, well, so... To delay the answer - relax - don't be nervous - be happy - communicate normally

[@richmck007]

Angela, you hit the nail on the head. Listen carefully to the examiner's instructions. Pay attention to what your partner says and above all, be as natural as possible.

[@joanmunoz4549]

I really agree with what they stated about keeping a good preparation and overcome the nerves. If you train yourself well for this part of the test, there's no reason why you should be nervous, and you'll have the chance of performing better that day.

[@SOUNDsculptures]

The speaking is nice, but without doubt what makes it so audibly delicious is the recording itself. There is a way to make voices pop like this, in fact you could pretty much make any voice sound like this through post edit. Lovely.

[@haroldothecat]

I tend to think about these tests as if I were in a conversation with people I don't know well but I still have to show my ideas. For example, a business meeting. I have to listen to another people and try to make things easy for both sides. It's not a very comfortable situation, you are stressed and so the other person. I also try to avoid explaining to much, as I have seen in the videos here. Let me be more specific: it's common that the person, trying to extend the answer, doesn't stop using "because": "I like flowers because they are beautiful and they bring happiness for our houses because a house without colors is so boring because it seems like a hospital because hospitals are cold and weird because there are a lot of people sick there." That's so annoying! And it's even something we do when we are speaking our mother language in discomfortable situations, it's just natural.

[@Rexodiak]

The way this was shot reminds me of a scene from the Office, also, wish me luck! Taking the speaking CPE in an hour!

[@aidosargioi]

I'm an oral examiner and I definitely agree with them.

[@justavlogwithannie]

Their pronunciation is soooooo perfect!

[@HimonoOnna90]

When I did the exam, we were a group of three, which was a little awkward, because it's easier for the person speaking last to run out of things to say, after the other two have already spoken. But our interlocutor seemed quite mindful about that and switched it up, but it still felt like we were being a bit clumsy. After some point the three of us really bonded and were just talking between each other and to the interlocutor and so I feel like it went well all in all

[@Katoune91]

Their voices are so smooth !

[@Noelito40]

Excellent video this, great advice, which I am happy to pass on to my students. I would add one other piece of advice though (which interestingly enough is demonstrated by the three examiners here) and that is, don't monopolise the conversation. In Part 3 for example, short bursts of language (10-15 seconds) is what makes a good dialogue. Focus more on "passing the ball" over to your partner, and less so on getting out the wonderful third conditionals and anecdotes that you have prepared. Focus on the back and forth of the interaction, less is more!

[@kwstaskwstopoulos6737]

It's the night before my CPE test so yeah

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

We hope it went well for you.

[@kwstaskwstopoulos6737]

@@cambridgeenglishtv Thanks, it sure did!

[@Ali-ld6lv]

What was your score?

[@manuelperez4639]

and also you need to throw away your shy because if you are shy during test probably you feel blocked and that don't allow you to have fluency during the test. and also smile is a good technique to show to your partner and your examiner that you are enjoying the test. And try to develop your partner ideas is very useful. and also try to be interested in the topic that you are talking about it.

[@miguelQR]

They are giving me all the tips to beat this test. Gotcha

[@Elaram.]

They seem to be so easy going and nice!

[@macacoosnofa]

i think its kinda unnecessary to make eye contact. these exams are made to test your ability to use your english and to make sentences properly, so it shouldnt be taken into account the way you are, bcos you can be an introvert kind of person

[@spastiCSpin]

This is not accurate. Cambridge need to prepare people for the real world, otherwise companies and universities would not trust the standards of the institution anymore. For this reason proficient students need to have many other skills that go beyond english grammar and pronunciation, like the ability to listen and involve other people in a conversation. This is showed in a number of ways including making eye contact and body language.

[@mahfujulislam2428]

Great feedback I ever have. We want more mam 🙂

[@ahmadal-ansari5193]

I am not prepared, and this afternoon is my speaking exam !!!!!! Hopefully i get good grade

[@anonymous-fm6cu]

Ahmad Al-Ansari How was it?

[@loekwolfsen2741]

same and im 14 lol

[@theresam9513]

The speaking part of my CAE exam is tomorrow. And I feel feel unprepared as well :D

[@rehanahmed9907]

what grade did you get??

[@pabloseveri5057]

Me too

[@englishtoo7092]

There are some great suggestions in these comments and we'd like to offer some of our own thoughts. Know what you are doing Sometimes in exams candidates have no clear idea of what's going on in each part so make sure you are familiar with what you have to do in each of the parts. There are lots of videos and other resources which explain the different exams. Don't panic The examiners are there to help candidates and to make sure that they get the best possible score. It's perfectly natural to be a little bit nervous at the beginning but normally people relax by the time they get to Part 3. Listen and respond It's a speaking test for 2-3 people so it is important to respect the other candidate or candidates and to give your own opinion at the same time. Be accurate It's not always a case of how many different types of grammar forms you can use but of how well you can use what you say. For Cambridge First this means using basic grammar well, with few errors. For Cambridge Advanced candidates should not have any errors except perhaps in some more complex grammar structures. Learn vocabulary The level of vocabulary that candidates have is often what decides if they get a high score. The best approach to this is to have a good range of vocabulary for topics. While phrasal verbs and idioms can be terrific, if you can use them properly ,an ability to use a lot of different words and expressions in a topic is much more useful. Join your ideas together Try to learn a range of linking expressions and devices and consider how you can join your opinions together in different ways. You should practice this as much as you can before you do your speaking test. One simple way to do this is ask yourself why your opinion might be true. So if you say “Cars should be banned in cities”, explain why - “because it will reduce the pollution and it is much safer for pedestrians”. Work on your pronunciation In both of these exams your pronunciation needs to be clear. Take some time while you prepare for the exam to look at some online pronunciation videos or websites. Be natural In a speaking exam the examiners are looking at what a candidate can do. This usually means the types of things they can do naturally. Unfortunately, on the day of an exam, sometimes people forget some of the very good expressions they have just learnt. Trust what you can do and try to do it well!

[@dany_9084]

Very useful video. Thank you!

[@guillermolopez-rios4670]

I really hope this examiner questions me tomorrow for the C1 advanced pleaseee!!!

[@g-englishacademy2777]

Great conversation. I want to be examiner of Cambridge.

[@user-mb7jj1op1d]

Thinking of doing an exam but i am very nervous for the speaking part. When I have a conversation in my head all seems well and I can think of adequate and advanced sentences but when I try to keep a conversation going in real life it ends in a lot of uhms and pauses. It's making me kind of scared for the exam. I'm a 16-year-old from the Netherlands by the way.

[@LANBeauty.]

It's really hard but they're so good

[@IlariaMorra]

very useful, thank you

[@maneeshadesilva2228]

very useful and we can know how about exam

[@jamilateacher6319]

I am an English teacher and I am learning from you so thank you very much.

[@bengoyi]

I'm taking FCE this saturday. I know I can communicate with others in English but I still feel quite nervous.

[@raimundosepulvedav.8572]

Hello Cambridge English... Mmh interesting comments. Ladies are right, I agree. Keep a fluency and accurate conversation...

[@Ruben9138]

I agree with you teachers, as a student, our objective is to show that we understand and communicate, but the more difficult fact, is that it must be in a very "English" structure, could i ask you for some tips for the speaking test computer-based? Exam in 2 weeks, thanks :)

[@katekate5779]

Dear ladies, thank you 🌹 )

[@joseignacioleongarcia]

I think they failed the exam XDAnyway, thank you for the tips. My exam is tomorrow and my feeling is that I have to stay as calm as I can, but it´s not easy...

[@saraglt]

José Ignacio León García how was it? did you pass?? which exam did you apply for?

[@joseignacioleongarcia]

I did 😀. In fact, the speaking part was my highest mark. I applied for the CAE.

[@andreibortica1314]

very interesting

[@ionalafont9346]

thank you

[@itzelmartinez7637]

very useful

[@franklinquio]

The examiners being examined!

[@timoteacatalancalixto490]

Omg! I am nervous.One day I Will take the FCE ! Fighting! I should study hard!

[@anrajiga]

Awesome level to be B2.

[@user-qe4to3ni9c]

To recapitulate be calm and relaxed, use mimic and body lang.

[@martaguerrero5190]

I'm taking the exam in two weeks!

[@alejandrojimenezauber8412]

it is very useful

[@aboutjapanese8328]

I don't know but i'm a little afraid because my oral test for the certificate will be this 15/10/16 and i feel like i wouldn't be able to do it but i have to do it because there's no way to go but gods willing

[@sofiapappalardo5974]

what was your results?

[@Laddy2000ify]

How was it?

[@elimshow9827]

I am preparing for the exam which running on december for entry 3 and i have confidence

[@saraglt]

Dawit Seifu how did it go?

[@Camenucete]

Did u pass?

[@dunyasaadi2493]

I agree with u my ladies. Praperation is very important before the test.

[@thaidoannhatminh7088]

Wow good

[@jorgev836]

Of course...I'm pretty sure that if you don't get nervous and keep contact eye with your partner, and that things they said, they will give you a good mark regardless of what level of sentences you use

[@windu2110]

As A Matter Of Fact I've Taken Into Account Your Unvaluable Advices..Thanks So Much Ladies..Kind Regards...

[@Kamadev888]

rolf rafael chuquija flores INvaluable, not UNvaluable, you probably meant.

[@windu2110]

Yes It is...You 're Right ...Thank You ..

[@ady12211]

Good

[@thidapichim1428]

Nice

[@vickysimson1303]

My Exams is tomorrow! Wish me luck! 🙏🏼

[@vickysimson1303]

I passed, so happy. Got 185 points, so i just made it to C1 advanced

[@snlvl]

I have the speaking exam in a few days and I am a girl who gets nervous easily. I would like to receive advice of what I can do or what I should do to overcome my fear. Actually, we are practising speaking every day in class and I practise with a girl who speaks a different language than me so this really helps me to improve because if we don't talk in English we can't understand each other but anyway I am a bit afraid. Can someone give me some kind of advice? Thank you!

[@snlvl]

*I want to clarify that I will do the upper-intermediate speaking not for the first level (I know that I still need to learn more vocabulary and improve a lot for the first level).

[@anilkumar-cz9bg]

Its good for me.and to enhance my abilities in English language.

[@TheMauroTelles]

My C.P.E speaking test takes place tomorrow afternoon... Wish me luck!

[@DiegoMedr]

Mauro Telles how did it go?

[@saramarin9978]

I would kill for their accent

[@jorgepena9482]

How hard is to get an A in the whole exam?

[@petratorsan9485]

Hi! My exam is on the 20 Feb. How can I do some preparation for the speaking part before the day of the exam?

[@saraglt]

Petra Milena well, it's too late now I guess. How did it go?

[@paraconti4738]

This is great, but how to you GRADE the oral exam? Is it purely subjective or is there an actual marking system? It's all good to say they need to do A and B, but if ten candidates do A, how do you grade to show differential marks?

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

There are clear marking criteria for all of our speaking exams. They are published in each Handbook for Teachers, which are available here: www.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/resources-for-teachers/

[@luckynothirteen]

My IELTS is in 3 weeks!!!!!

[@SantiagoGonzalez-ks5hq]

I have my exam tommorrow. Any advice?

[@merelvankessel552]

Is it bad when you get interrupted by the examiner because you talk to long? Does it influence your mark?

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

No, Merel, it's not a problem. The examiner needs to keep the Speaking test to a certain time, which is why they may interrupt you.

[@luckynothirteen]

Better to have too much to say than too little!

[@theamazingheathledger3776]

No, it's the best.

[@lucasl..]

This is so Unintentional ASMR

[@alexpon7860]

If I saw that the examineer wrote some numbers on a paper while I was speaking, Does that mean that it will affect my mark or it can be something good as well?? please answer

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

Hi Alex, examiners may take notes to help them mark you. You shouldn't worry about it during the test.

[@marcotoscano5964]

Flow for a minute... lol As far as I'm concerned it's insane mostly when you think to know everything and you seem (in your mind) scripted but... then... you don't succeed to say whatever and your exam goes inside the rubbish and so... SADNESS

[@chrysgnt4369]

What if in Part 3 Candidate A starts talking about one of the five options and then goes on to discuss the next option without asking Candidate B about their opinion? In this way Candidate A tries to dominate the conversation and Candidate B ends up speaking less. I wonder how examiners view that.

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

Our examiners are trained to deal with such situations -- they will ensure that both candidates will have equal opportunities to speak and that neither is disadvantaged by the other. Check out our FAQs sheet which has a Do's and Don'ts section on Speaking: bit.ly/2KFuMKm

[@chrysgnt4369]

I would like to say a million thanks to you for your prompt reply and the valuable information. You have just reassured a very concerned teacher. Thank you.

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

You're very welcome. You may be interested to know that we recently launched a Facebook page for teachers, here's the link: facebook.com/CambridgeEnglishTeaching/

[@Noelito40]

Tell your students that they shouldn't be afraid to politely interrupt the other candidate if that candidate is monopolising the discussion. They can say "I'd say", or "I'd like to say", "May I add..." etc. Tell your students to use body language, put their hand lightly across their partner and politely intervene (No punching haha!!)..As an aside, this is one of the reasons why I always advise my students to pick their partner before the exam. This allows them to get familiar with the other person's rhythm, manner, etc.. It also allows them to practice together which cuts down on the nerves.

[@Roberto-eq7jb]

The lady in the middle is my favorite.

[@ranma7754]

I'm terrified :-(

[@nataliapaulich2268]

I am doing PET and I jumped KET because I was advanced...it would be great if anyone says to me if the test is made with another person on your side doing the same test like a duo....thank you

[@valeluit9779]

Natália Paulich i did the test last year and you have to do the speaking part with another person, and make conversations. The writing and listening part I did them in a classroom with all the other students that were taking that test.

[@sadisunel5764]

👏👏👏👍

[@easeotherwise]

I had my test yesterday. Is it bad that my partner answered the last question all by herself? I didn‘t get a chance to talk

[@condomkiller7942]

Did you pass?

[@vale9801]

HaniSUI that also happened to me! What does that mean?

[@skorp5677]

A lot of agreement here xD

[@juliazorrilla3759]

I'm takingy exam next Saturday, wish me luck!

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

Good luck, Julia!

[@horte9004]

Good luck you can do ir 😀😀😄🤗

[@horte9004]

You can do ir 😎

[@horte9004]

You can do it😎

[@horte9004]

Sorry if i repeat many times the comentary but in the first and the second comentary i have mistakes in the sentence. 🤣☺️

[@jao7346]

i got the test tomorrow gang

[@jacoboribilik3253]

They are super British.

[@dananjayamudalige8591]

When we do our speaking if suddenly the examiner says thank you! Does it mean that we get less marks ?

[@mariajoserosales4818]

Is because of time! Don’t worry 😉 it’s good to extend our answer because we show them that we know much vocabulary

[@Alessia-dv1mo]

Absolutely not it's better been stopped by the examiner that by yourself

[@marco.castiglia]

I would like to have had them as axaminers huh

[@HerrHertzsprung]

The Merry Wives of Windsor 😂

[@user-ck5ng8vd7c]

looks like it was filmed in the 80s

[@enriquebejarano3596]

i have this exam and i am nervius

[@tytan7772]

🥰

[@pietrocaruso2331]

Tommorow i have the exam

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

Best of luck! 🤞 If you have time and want a quick exercise: www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/ or visit our Facebook for quick tips facebook.com/CambridgeEnglish/

[@alexandratrella5105]

Im giving my test next week wish me luck lol :)

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

Good luck!

[@alexandratrella5105]

@@cambridgeenglishtv Thank you!

[@craigleithdavid]

If you don't mind me saying, these ladies say a lot of things such as, hmmm, yes, I think, no, hmm, yeah, definitely, yes. And a lot of there conversation is repeating what the other ones have said. I'm not sure what the word is in English, it's muletillas in Spanish, in English we don't have a specific word, but maybe you could say linguistic crutches? Is this now acceptable English? I don't mean to criticise, but to me this type of dialogue shows a lack of fluency on the part of the examiners themselves.

[@spastiCSpin]

Hi David. Actually these help the everyday conversations flowing and for this reason they are rewarded in Cambridge speaking tests. Word like "well.." ," you know..." ("sabes.." in spanish) are called "discourse markers" and are specifically mentioned as a requirement to get high scores in the speaking tests. Nodding and saying things like "yes", "of course", "that's right" while the other candidate i speaking are signs of attention, which also help getting higher marks in the test. Source: i prepare students for Cambridge exams.

[@gobe4171]

As if they never got stucked in a concept or didn't know what else to say...

[@olgakhokhlova2702]

To me they sound like they are very bored with the topic

[@elitepacman2537]

Tomorrow 😱

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

We hope it goes well for you!

[@elitepacman2537]

Cambridge English thank you, Is there a kind of dresscode?

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

No, there isn't.

[@hoanganhtraninh4378]

It needs a lot of effort and determination !

[@jordyliterario]

"[...] a minute does feel like a long time." *NOPE*

[@tonianton7066]

hola soy el sejas

[@cuatrimato0478]

2 hours for my test 😔

[@Joanavs2003]

Im shy so i wouldnt do that with anyone not even in the streets...

[@staticky7926]

In my country the examiners say Russian R.I don't even live in Russia!

[@Asperaetastra]

Oh my, I'll definitely fail my CAE exam this weekend. ;D

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

Sorry we missed you! Hope it went better than you expected!

[@Asperaetastra]

Well, thank you for your attention. Actually, it went exactly how I predicted - I failed to transfer my answers to answer sheet in Use of English and Reading parts. Writing was OKayish...? Dunno. I'm not good at writing. I have that bad thing, you know, when you able to write a lot withous saing nothing. Audio part was relatively easy. Though I bet I've made one or two mistakes. And Speaking part is the easiest for me. I love chitchatting about everything. To conclude - my mark won't impress anyone in my language centre like they did with FCE just about a month ago, I've passed it with flying colours :D. But right now I'm not sure I even get a C1 at all due to ruining two crucial parts. And even then, I'm not upset. My actual aim is to take a CPE exams in December. Well that's going to be a challenge!

[@cambridgeenglishtv]

Excellent! Anything worth doing is rarely easy -- glad to hear you're up for the challenge! If you don't already do so, follow our Facebook page for quick tips and inspiration facebook.com/CambridgeEnglish/