B2 First (FCE) Speaking Part 2

PROCEDURE:

#1 WARM-UP

• Divide your class into groups of three.

• Choose the topic, for instance: FAMILY, HOBBIES, SPORTS, WORK, etc., and say that two of the students in each group have to talk to each other in order to find a minimum of three similarities and differences between one another related to the topic.

• The third student sets the timer to one minute and listens to their partners.

• Once one minute is up, the listening students have to report to the entire class what their partners have in common and what they do not.

• Choose another topic, change the speakers in the groups and repeat the procedure.

• You might want to introduce helpful expressions, such as BOTH, ANOTHER SIMILARITY, NEITHER, IN CONTRAST, etc.

#2 PRESENTATION

• Explain to the students what the B2 First Speaking Part 2 consists of. Tell them that the interlocutor will show them two photographs and introduce this part by saying something like: “In this part of the test, I’m going to give each of you two photographs. I’d like you to talk about your photographs on your own for about a minute, and also to answer a short question about your partner’s photos.”

• It is important to emphasize that the task always involves comparing and contrasting photos and then making a comment on them. They should not, at any point, focus on describing the photographs.

• Moreover, the timing is crucial and makes students feel anxious and frequently repeat themselves, or get stuck.

• It is why I focus more on the structure of the task. I teach my students to logically organize their ideas by introducing language they feel comfortable with.

• To do so, I show them some pictures with sentences to fill in. (CHECK THE PDF)

• They work in pairs (groups of three) and think about some suitable options to complete the phrases.

• Then we revise the task altogether and check the ideas.

• Then I move to the picture with the sample question and tell the students to finish the sentences with suitable vocabulary. They might, if they want, make use of the proposed helpful language.

• I repeat the procedure with the other two photographs.

• I show the slide with USEFUL LANGUAGE and tell them to implement only the ones they feel comfortable with.

• You should practice this exercise with your students as often as you want. Once they start to control the structure, you should work on enriching their vocabulary on different topics.

#3 EXTENSION

• Tell your students that after the first person has compared and contrasted the photographs, it is the second candidate's turn. However, before they receive their pictures, they will have to answer a question related to the photos of the speaker. The short question asked to the person listening is not the same as the question about the pictures the first candidate must answer. Usually, Candidate B does not have to listen to their partner speak, not even look at the photos closely.

• Common questions for the person listening include: “Which place would you prefer to…?”, “Do you enjoy…?”, “Do you…?” (meaning “Do you often…?”)

• Tell the students to think about two questions for the photos in the slides, which they should then answer.

#4 PRACTICE

• Now, they should practice on their own.

• Tell them to write down their favourite expressions on a piece of paper (in my classroom the expression "I think" is banned).

• Divide them into pairs, where one person is Candidate A and another B.

• They should take turns. While one person is speaking, the other should listen and then give feedback, which could include:

  • Have they pointed out similarities and differences?

  • Have they compared the pictures?

  • Have they answered the given question?

  • Have they fit in 1-minute time?

  • Have they made any mistakes?

• Then Candidate B answers the short question related to the speaker's photos.

• Switch the roles.

Here you have a link to a website, where the photos are divided into categories and each pair have a related question for the Candidate B, FCE SPEAKING PART 2 VISUAL MATERIAL - PHOTOGRAPHS

#5 CLOSURE

• Ask students what they found difficult.

• Tell them not to worry if they get interrupted by the examiner while they are still speaking. However, make sure they understand that it is necessary to at least get onto the question while talking about photos.

# TIP

• Once my students feel comfortable with the organisation of their speech in this task and the useful expressions I introduce intensifiers and mitigators in comparison.

# CONCLUSION:

At this level students still feel unsure about their verbal language, especially the ones who are shy. It is essential to make them comprehend that they need to practice specific structures in order to ease the stress.

Hope that you like it and it is helpful!