First Certificate Oral Exam Parts 1 and 2, Explanations and Sample.

FIRST CERTIFICATE ORAL EXAM PARTS 1 and 2 SPEAKING: Interview Part 1 (3 minutes - about 1.5 minutes for each candidate) The examiner will ask you some short questions about yourselfTo prepare for this part of the test, think about short answers to typical questions. Some examples are shown below. Before the interview you will be asked to fill in a sheet giving your first name, family name, home town and country; you should hand this to the interviewer. The interviewer may ask you how to spell your name. YOUR HOMETOWN What is the name of your home town? (hometown: The town (or city) where you grew up or where you have your principal residence) It’s Quilmes but actually I never went back to my hometown. I moved to BA some years ago. Where is the town located? It is in the South of the province by the river. Is it near to the capital city or any major cities? It’s an hour’s drive from the city. Is it in a flat, hilly or mountainous area? It is in a flat area and a very important city. Is your town well-known for something (for example, a building or a type of food)? Yes, actually its name is famous for the Indians who inhabited this land. Also there is a famous brewery which produces the best bear with its name, Quilmes. What is the most interesting part of your town? The one I really like most is the riverside. It is a nice city in general. What kinds of jobs do people do in your town? As it is a big city there are all types of jobs and people don’t need to travel so as to work for a living. If you are not living in your home town now, what are the main differences between your current town and your home town? Well the main differences are of course the size of this city and the number of places you can visit here. You also have more job opportunities and you can IN THIS PART OF THE EXAM YOU CAN ALSO BE ASKED ABOUT: YOUR FAMILY, YOUR WORK OR STUDY, LEISURE TIME, FUTURE PLANS, ETC.. SPEAKING PART 2: Individual task (4 minutes - about 2 minutes for each candidate) You will be given two photographs and asked to compare and contrast them, and give your opinion about them.You will only have one minute to do this. Try to keep talking; avoid any long gaps.The pictures may show anything, but typically the subject will be: a building, a landscape, a town, a person (or a group of people) doing something.You can keep looking at the photographs while you are talking. Describing each of the pictures You might start by giving a brief description of each of the pictures. You do not have to describe them in detail. Avoid using vocabulary you don’t know.If you are not sure what the picture is, use your imagination and say what you think it is. It doesn't matter if you are wrong. What matters is that you are speaking and that you show fluency. 1.There are different ways in which you can refer to the pictures. For example:The first picture (referring to the one on the left or on top); the second/other picture (referring to the one on the right or on the bottom) 2. The picture on the left / the left-hand picture; the picture on the right / the right-hand picture 3.The top picture / the picture on the top / the upper picture; the bottom picture / the picture at the bottom / the lower picture After introducing the pictures, you may be able to refer to them using a subject name, for example, instead of picture you could say photo or photograph. For example:The first/second picture/photo shows ... Comparing and contrastingLiking: I prefer A to B. I like A more than B. I like A, but I dislike B. A is more ... than B Giving your opinion In my opinion, ...For me, ...I think that ... I will give you now a simple exam. It is just a sample and you can read it by scrolling down. This is an example of a possible speaking test for the First Certificate in English exam. There are no right answers for this kind of test. Example conversations are shown because they may give you some useful ideas about how to answer these types of questions. You will not be expected to speak as fluently as Alex and Yuko. (1): Interview (3 minutes) Sample Examiner: Good afternoon. I have your mark sheets, please? Thank you.(the students hand their mark sheets to the examiner)My name is Mark and this is my colleague Susan. She is just going to be listening to us.So, you are Alex and Yuko? Alex: That's right. Yuko: Yes. Actually my name is pronounced Yu-ko. Examiner: Yu-ko? Yuko: That's fine. Examiner: Thank you. First of all we'd like to know something about you, so I'm going to ask some questions about yourselves.Let's begin with your home town or village, Alex. Where are you from? Alex: I'm from Geneva, in Switzerland Examiner: What kind of jobs do people in Geneva do? Alex: Geneva has many banks, hotels and jewellery shops.Swiss watches are well-known throughout the world. Examiner: And where do you come from, Yuko? Yuko: I'm from Nara, in Japan Examiner: Can you tell me something about Nara? Yuko: Nara was once the capital city of Japan.It contains many old temples and is famous for its deer park. Examiner: Do you have a large family, Alex? Alex: Not really. I'm an only child. I live with my parents. We have a cat called Tommy. Examiner: What about you, Yuko? Yuko: I have one elder brother and two younger sisters.I live with my mother and father and one of my grandmothers.We don't have any pets. Examiner: How long have you been studying English, Alex? Alex: I studied English at school between the ages of eleven and sixteen.I've been studying at a language school in London since September last year. Examiner: How do you like to spend your holidays, Yuko? Yuko: I like travelling around Japan with one of my sisters.I also enjoy watching films and meeting my friends.My main hobby is playing the violin. Examiner: What kind of sports do you enjoy, Alex? Alex: I live close to the Swiss Alps, so I enjoy skiing in the winter.I also like swimming in the lake in summertime. Examiner: What do you hope to do in the next few years, Yuko? Yuko: After I've gone back to Japan I hope to find an office job which uses my English.After a few years I would like to get married and have children.