A l’examen de l’Advanced, la part de l’Speaking té 4 seccions amb un pes del 20% de la nota global de l’examen. Avui volem començar la secció CAE Speaking Tips per oferir-te tota la informació necessària que has de saber i que has de tenir en compte per aprovar de manera satisfactòria l’examen (així com molts consells i exemples pràctics!).

El dia de l’examen estaràs amb dos examinadors de Cambridge. Un serà qui et farà les preguntes i et donarà el paper amb la informació sobre el que hauràs de parlar i l’altre examinador serà qui escoltarà el que estàs dient. L’Speaking de l’Advanced té una durada de 15 minuts per cada parella de candidats.

Molts dels nostres alumnes ens comenten que el CAE Speaking Test és la part que més els atabala i és per això que us anirem explicant cada “paper” de l’Speaking per ajudar-vos a estar ben preparats i a sentir-vos més segurs. Avui veurem la Part 1 de l’Speaking de l’examen Advanced.

CAE SPEAKING | PART 1 Entrevista – 2 minuts

Aquesta secció és una conversa entre els candidats i l’interlocutor. És la part més senzilla. L’examinador us farà diferents preguntes molt bàsiques sobre vosaltres i sobre la vostra vida. A aquesta part no has de parlar amb l’altre candidat.

Consells

• Les preguntes són sobre temes molt generales, com quan coneixes a algú per primera vegada. Això et facilitarà la preparació de possibles preguntes amb paraules clau per enriquir el teu vocabulari i marcar la diferència. Les àres típiques poden ser: Where you live, Leisure time, Work, Study, Future plans, Holidays and experiences.
• Recorda que hauràs de donar respostes llargues, afegeix raonaments, detalls i exemples. Desenvolupa les preguntes tant com et sigui possible per afegir una història personal. Aprofita el teu temps pr a dir tanta informació interessant com puguis, així com utilitzar vocabulari avançat.
• No parlis només per parlar. La teva resposta ha de tenir un final clar.
• Tampoc és bona idea preparar-te frases completes perque els examinadors estan capacitats per escoltar aquest tipus de coses.
• No desconnectis quan no sigui el teu torn de paraula. Gira lleugerament el teu cos cap a l’altre candidat i escolta el que està dient.  Somriu i mostra interés per la conversa. Semblaràs amb més confiança i amb control amb l’idioma i l’examinador ho notarà.

Exemple de la part 1 del CAE Speaking Test
Us deixem amb un exemple que proporciona Cambridge English al seu compte de youtube.

Preguntes típiques amb exemples de respostes al CAE Speaking Test

Us hem preparat una sèrie de preguntes típiques a la secció de l’entrevista amb dues respostes: una dèbil (no vàlida) i una resposta forta (vàlida). Les respostes fortes tenen la longitud i el vocabulari apropiat per un nivell C1 – Advanced. Una resposta més llarga no seria apropiada ja que no li deixaries temps suficient per respondre a l’altre candidat.

What keeps you motivated to learn English?

• Dèbil – “I enjoy learning English because I can understand films and documentaries in English and speak to foreign friends.”
• Fort – “I keep motivated because one of my acquaintances is Finnish and English is our mutual language. His English is great and we have a lot of hobbies in common so by being in contact with him I’m always learning more interesting words to talk about what I like doing. I also work in a multinational language, and I need to speak English a lot with my colleagues. It could also mean a promotion in the future.”

Do you like your job?

• Dèbil – “Yes, it’s interesting and I like the people I work with.”
• Fort – “That’s a key question. Yes and no! I mean, it’s challenging and sometimes fun but workload is overwhelming and the office atmosphere isn’t always productive. I’m considering a change in the near future, but I’m not sure about the direction I want to go in yet.”

How has your life changed in the last 5 years?

• Dèbil – “I changed my workplace recently and this has really improved my life.”
• Fort – “A lot! My company has changed its location to the city centre and it’s really improved my day-to-day life. It’s much closer to home and so I can walk there. When I leave work, I often go to an event that’s on in Barcelona so I feel that I’ve improved on two levels – both in my work and social life.”

What do you enjoy most about learning English?

• Dèbil – “The most important reason why I learn languages, mostly English and Spanish, is the reason to be able to communicate with people around the world.”
• Fort – “English is the modern lingua franca, that is, I can talk to everybody in the world. I have no language barrier in a globalised world where English is the most spoken language. I can make friends from every corner of the world, use it for holidays and it’s been really helpful for my job in my position. Also, it keeps me active, it’s like brain training.”

Where are you from?

• Dèbil – “I was born in Germany but I have lived most of my life in Spain.”
• Fort – “Originally, my family is from Germany, but when I was a child we moved to Spain. We moved back to Germany when I was 14 years old but when I finished my university studies, I decided to move back here to work. I’ve been working in Marketing ever since.”

How long have you been studying English?

• Dèbil – “I have studied English since I was a child and I’m still studying now.”
• Fort – “I have been studying English since I was very small, which means since 1998. I studied English when I went to university and I took the First Certificate exam two years ago. I have also spent some holidays in an English-speaking country. I travelled to Australia and it was an amazing experience that opened my eyes to the world.”

Are you the kind of person who can do two things at once?

• Dèbil – “Yes, sometimes, but I think it’s best to concentrate on one thing at a time.”
• Fort – “My initial reaction would be to say no, because I think you need to concentrate on doing things one at a time. However, I often find myself doing lots of different things at once, because our lifestyle nowadays is fast and stressful.”

How do you usually like to spend your free time?

• Dèbil – “I like to walk in the mountains and be outside a lot.”
• Fort – “I love walking in the mountains. I often go there at the weekend and take a picnic with my boyfriend. It’s especially lovely at this time of year because the leaves are changing colour and it’s stunning. I also like just chilling and being with my friends or watching a good film.”

Are you planning to do any courses in the near future?

• Dèbil – “Yes, I’d like to an art course and learn how to paint portraits.”
• Fort – “Yes! I’d like to do a fine art course and learn more about painting portraits. I’ve always enjoyed drawing and I’d love to be taught how to paint portraits and other subjects. Of course, I still want to continue to improve my English skills. So next step after this level, is the proficiency level…”

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?

• Dèbil – “I’d like to go to Asia because I’ve always been fascinated by Asian culture.”
• Fort – “If I could travel to another place, I would go to Asia. I would choose Asia because of the simple reason that I love everything Asian – the food, the architecture, their way of life. I’ve already been there but I wouldn’t mind going back there again and again.”

Do you use social networking sites a lot? Why/Why not?

• Dèbil – “I use social networking sites probably as much as most people. I try not to use them too much.”
• Fort – “Yes, I do, especially Instagram. I used to use Facebook a lot but recently I’ve switched to Instagram because I love taking photos and looking at other people’s posts. It’s important to put it to one side, though, and remember to have real contact with my family and friends in a direct and personal way. I use Whatsapp a lot, too, to message people during the day.”

Continuarem aquesta secció de CAE Speaking Tips per proporcionar-te consells sobre la resta de seccions.