Module 1 · Exam Foundations & First Contact · Lesson 03
Speaking Part 1
Speaking Part 1: short personal questions, 3 minutes. Learn the 3-beat answer and the 2 tenses examiners reward.
Get talking · Section 1
5 minIn pairs: one of you asks 'Where are you from?' The other answers with ONE word only. How does that feel? Now do it again with a 2-sentence answer. Notice the difference.
Have you ever rehearsed an English answer about yourself, then felt it sound robotic when you said it? Why do examiners notice that immediately?
If an examiner only listened to your first 30 seconds of Speaking, what do you want them to hear? Discuss in pairs and write down two priorities.
Grammar focus · Section 2
8–10 minPresent perfect continuous + future plans = the Part 1 sweet spot
Speaking Part 1 questions almost always pull two specific tenses out of a candidate: the present perfect continuous (for ongoing activities — study, work, hobbies) and future forms (going to / hoping to / planning to). Using these naturally in your answer signals 'B2 candidate' to the examiner within seconds.
Examples
→ Q: 'What do you do?' → 'I work in marketing (1). I've been doing it for about three years now, mainly in B2B (2).
I'm hoping to move into something more creative within the next year (3).'
→ Q: 'How do you spend your free time?' → 'Mostly hiking (1). I've been going out almost every weekend since the spring (2).
To be honest, it's become the thing I look forward to most (3).'
→ Tense to avoid: 'I am living here since 2020.' → say 'I've been living here since 2020.'
→ Future you should use: 'I'm hoping to…' / 'I'm planning to…' / 'I'd love to…'
Question 1.Choose the most natural Part 1 answer.
Question 2.Best 'future plans' phrasing for the examiner:
Question 3.Which is the strongest 'three-beat' answer?
Question 4.Which hedge is most natural at the START of a Part 1 answer?
Question 5.'How long ___ English?' — most natural Part 1 question form.
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Vocabulary · Section 3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
interlocutor (n.)
the examiner who talks to you and asks the questions in Speaking.
assessor (n.)
the silent second examiner with the mark sheet.
discourse management
one of the four assessment areas: extending, organising and developing your answers.
interactive communication
another assessment area: how well you take turns, react and keep the conversation alive.
to extend an answer
to add a reason, detail or example rather than stopping after one sentence.
to hedge
to soften an opinion: 'to be honest', 'I'd say', 'kind of'.
a filler
a small word that buys you thinking time: 'well', 'actually', 'you know'.
to invite (your partner)
to give the floor to the other candidate ('What about you?').
to monopolise
to talk too much and not let the other person speak — penalised in Speaking.
to dry up
to run out of things to say mid-answer — fix it with a hedge and a return to the question.
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3–4 minFalling intonation on statements + stress on content words
Say it aloud
- • I've been LIVing here for THREE years. ↘
- • I work in MARketing, ↘ to be HONest. ↗
- • What I really enJOY is MEEting new people. ↘
- • I'm HOping to STUdy aBROAD next year. ↘
- • It dePENDS a BIT on the WEAther, actually. ↗ ↘
Reading · Section 5
8–10 minWhat examiners actually mark in Speaking Part 1
Read the passageTap to openTap to hide
The Speaking test is the only paper where examiners can hear you, see you, and adjust the test in real time. Two examiners sit in the room. The interlocutor asks the questions and manages the timing. The assessor sits silently with a mark sheet, listening for four things at once: Grammar & Vocabulary, Discourse Management, Pronunciation and Interactive Communication. Each is scored out of five.
In Part 1, the interlocutor moves quickly: each candidate is asked two or three short questions on topics like home, studies, work, free time and future plans. The whole part lasts about three minutes. Most candidates dramatically over-estimate how long their answers should be. The target is twelve to eighteen seconds per answer. Less than that and you lose marks for Discourse Management ('extends with difficulty'). Significantly more than that and the interlocutor will cut you off, which costs you on Interactive Communication.
The assessor is also listening for variety of grammar. If every answer is in the present simple, you cap your Grammar score at three out of five. A naturally placed present perfect continuous ('I've been studying for…') or a future form ('I'm hoping to…') signals B2 immediately. So does correct use of a hedge ('to be honest', 'I'd say') — this scores under Discourse Management because it organises and frames the answer.
The one thing that's almost never rewarded: a memorised paragraph. Examiners detect it instantly — the rhythm changes, the eyes go up, the vocabulary suddenly jumps a level. Speak naturally about real things in your real life. The exam is designed so honest answers score highest.
Question 1.How long should a typical Part 1 answer be?
Question 2.If every answer is in the present simple, your Grammar score is capped at…
Question 3.Which signals B2 most quickly to the assessor?
Question 4.What happens if you go significantly OVER the target answer length?
Q1.The assessor talks to you during Speaking.
Q2.Each Speaking assessment area is scored out of 5.
Q3.Memorised paragraphs are heavily rewarded.
Q4.A hedge like 'to be honest' helps your Discourse Management score.
Listening · Section 6
8–10 minTwo candidates — same question, very different scores (about 1:50)
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Drag the timeline to jump anywhere.
Show transcript
Examiner:First, we'd like to know something about you. Maya, what do you do?
Maya:I am a student.
Examiner:What do you study?
Maya:Economics.
Examiner:Do you enjoy it?
Maya:Yes.
Examiner:Thank you. And Leo — what do you do?
Leo:I'm in my final year of an Economics degree, actually. I've been studying it for almost four years now, and I'd say I've enjoyed it more than I expected — I came in thinking I'd find it dry, and it turned out to be the opposite.
Examiner:And what would you like to do after you graduate?
Leo:I'm hoping to work in policy, ideally in renewable energy. I've been doing a summer internship in that area, which has been incredibly useful.
Teacher:[Class debrief] So — same field, same question, completely different scores. Maya's answers are grammatically perfect. But she only uses present simple, gives no opinion, no time reference, and forces the interlocutor to drag the conversation along.
That's a band 2 Discourse Management.
Teacher:Leo's answers aren't longer than they need to be. They use a present perfect continuous, a future plan, a soft opinion and a personal detail. That's a band 4–5 across the board, in 15 seconds.
Question 1.Why does Maya score badly even though her grammar is correct?
Question 2.What specifically does Leo use that the teacher highlights?
Question 3.How long is Leo's strong answer, approximately?
Question 4.What is the teacher's main lesson from the contrast?
Exam skills · Section 7
5 minSpeaking Part 1 — the three-beat answer
Your task
Every Part 1 answer should hit three beats in about 12–18 seconds.
- 1direct answer in the present.
- 2tense-shifted detail (present perfect continuous OR past simple).
- 3opinion or feeling, often with a future angle.
Example
Q: "Do you spend much time studying English?"
- 1I do, yes — quite a lot at the moment.
- 2. I've been doing about five hours a week with a teacher, plus a lot of Netflix in English.
- 3. To be honest, I'm enjoying it more than I expected, and I'm hoping to sit B2 First in June.
Practice · Section 8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.I've ___ studying for about three years now.
Question 2.I'm ___ to apply to university next year.
Question 3.To be ___, I'm enjoying it more than I expected.
Question 4.What I really ___ is meeting new people through it.
Question 5.It depends a ___ on the weather, actually.
Question 6.I'd ___ I'm fairly easy-going as a flatmate.
Q1.Fix: 'I am living here since 2020.' → 'I've ___ living here since 2020.'
Q2.Soften: 'I want to study medicine.' → 'I'm ___ to study medicine.'
Q3.Hedge: '___ be honest, I find Listening the hardest.'
Writing · Section 9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Mini support task. Write down your three-beat answers in full sentences for the four Part 1 questions below (use AT LEAST one present perfect continuous and one 'I'm hoping to…'). Then say them out loud, timing each — your target is 12–18 seconds per answer. (1) Tell me a bit about where you live. (2) Do you work or study? (3) How do you usually spend your free time? (4) What are your plans for the next year?
Show model answer
(1) I live in Porto, in the north of Portugal. I've been living there for about six years now, originally for work, and I'd say I've grown to love how walkable the city is. (2) I work as a junior project manager in a tech company. I've actually been doing this role for around eighteen months, after switching career from teaching — to be honest, I'm enjoying it far more than I expected. (3) I usually go hiking or read in cafés. I've been hiking with the same group of friends almost every Sunday since the spring, and I'd say it's become the thing I most look forward to. (4) I'm hoping to sit B2 First in June, because I'd like to apply to a master's programme abroad next year — fingers crossed.
Speaking · Section 10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
Roleplay
ROLEPLAY — Three-beat drill. In threes: one examiner, one candidate, one silent assessor with a phone timer. Examiner asks 5 Part 1 questions from the FCE Exam Practice block below. Candidate aims for 12–18 seconds per answer with the three-beat structure. Assessor times each answer and notes one tense used + one hedge used. Rotate roles every 5 questions.
Useful phrases
- • I've been …ing for about…
- • I'm hoping to … in the next…
- • What I really enjoy is…
- • To be honest / I'd say…
- • It depends a bit on…
- • That's a good question — let me think.
- ExaminerDo you spend much time on social media?
- Candidate_______________
- ExaminerIs there a new hobby you'd like to take up?
- Candidate_______________
- ExaminerWhy are you preparing for B2 First?
- Candidate_______________
Teacher notes
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Two short in-class extensions to bake the three-beat reflex into muscle memory. ~22 min total
FCE Exam Practice · Section 11
20–30 minReal FCE tasks
One full Speaking Part 1 interview, scripted exactly as the Cambridge interlocutor would deliver it. Use the three-beat structure for every answer.
Examiner script (read aloud)
- "Good morning. My name's [Examiner A] and this is my colleague [Examiner B]. And your names are?"
- "Can I have your mark sheets, please? Thank you."
- "First of all, we'd like to know something about you."
- "Thank you. That is the end of Part 1."
- Where are you from?
- Tell me a bit about your home town.
- Is there anything you'd like to change about where you live?
- Do you work or are you a student?
- Why did you choose to study / work in that area?
- Is it something you'd like to continue with in the future?
- How do you usually spend your weekends?
- Do you spend much time on social media?
- Is there a new hobby you'd like to take up?
- What are your plans for the next year or so?
- Why are you preparing for B2 First?
- Would you like to live in another country at some point?
Useful language
- • I'd say I'm…
- • I've actually been …ing for about…
- • What I really enjoy is…
- • To be honest, I find that…
- • I'm hoping to … in the next year or so.
- • It depends a bit on…
- • That's a good question — let me think.
Sample upper-band answer · "Why are you preparing for B2 First?"
Mainly because I'm hoping to apply to a master's programme in the Netherlands next year, and they ask for a recognised B2 certificate. I've actually been preparing fairly seriously for about three months — group classes twice a week, plus a fair amount of Netflix in English, which I'd say has done more for my listening than anything else. To be honest, the paper that worries me most is Use of English, so that's where I'm putting most of my time at the moment.
Homework · Section 12
Take-homeTake it home
Speaking Part 1 — full 3-minute self-record
Record yourself answering all 8 questions, then mark each one.
Aim for 12–18 seconds per answer. Use the three beats: ANSWER · DETAIL · FEELING. Re-listen and tick (✓) the beats you hit.
- What's your full name?
- Where do you come from?
- Tell us about your home town.
- What do you like about studying English?
- What did you do last weekend?
- Do you prefer cooking at home or eating out? Why?
- What kind of music do you listen to these days?
- What are your plans for the next few months?
Tense-shift 'container' chunks — gap-fill
Complete each chunk with the correct form.
- I've ___ studying English for about three years.
- I'd ___ I'm fairly outgoing, actually.
- I'm hoping ___ travel to Italy this summer.
- I usually ___ up early, around six.
- What I really enjoy ___ cooking with friends.
- I've recently ___ up running — it clears my head.
Rewrite weak Part 1 answers
Turn each weak answer into a three-beat answer (12–18 seconds when read aloud).
Keep the candidate's idea but add a DETAIL beat and a FEELING/REASON beat.
- Q: What do you do? Weak: 'I'm a student.'
- Q: Do you like your home town? Weak: 'Yes, it's nice.'
- Q: What did you do last weekend? Weak: 'Nothing special.'
- Q: What are your plans for the future? Weak: 'I don't know.'
Rapid-fire pair script
Practise with a partner using this 5-question script. Switch roles.
Time each answer to 15 seconds (use phone stopwatch). Partner gives ONE win and ONE fix after each turn.
- 1) Tell me about someone in your family you're close to.
- 2) What's your favourite way to relax after a busy day?
- 3) Do you use social media a lot? Why / why not?
- 4) How important is learning English for your future?
- 5) What's something you've started doing recently that you enjoy?
Recap · Section 13
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- Speaking Part 1 lasts ~3 minutes and is marked on Grammar, Discourse, Pronunciation, Interaction (each /5).
- Aim for 12–18 seconds per answer using the three-beat structure: answer → tense-shifted detail → opinion.
- Present perfect continuous and future plans ('I'm hoping to…') signal B2 instantly.
- Falling intonation on statements + stress on content words = examiner-friendly rhythm.
- Never memorise paragraphs — examiners detect them and you score lower for it.