Exam Practice
Duration: 2-3 minutes
In Part 2, the examiner gives you a photograph.
You talk about it by yourself for about a minute.
Then your partner talks about another photo on the same topic.
This is what the examiner says.
Now, I'd like each of you to talk on your own about something.
I'm going to give each of you a photograph and I’d like you to talk about it.
A, here is your photograph. It shows friends studying together.
B, you just listen.
A, please tell us what you can see in the photograph.
You then speak for about a minute.
After about a minute she will say
thank you
After candidate A stops speaking the examiner then says
B, here is your photograph. It shows friends having a picnic.
A, you just listen.
B, please tell us what you can see in the photograph.
Back-up prompts
These are some things the examiner may say to help you answer:
Talk about the people.
Talk about the place.
Talk about other things in the photograph.
Strategy
Be ready to..
Describe the position of things In a picture
Say where people are
Describe people
Describe buildings/places
Make guesses
Remember you only have 1 minute so don't spend too much time on only one aspect.
Describe position of people and objects
Examples:-
In the background, there are some mountains …
In the foreground, I can see some people …
The person in front is wearing …
There Is another person behind the woman In the black jacket.
On the right of the photograph, I can see a restaurant.
The bed is next to the window,
There's a lamp by the bed,
Note: Use Prepositions:
Saying where people are
They're indoors/outdoors.
They're in the Street/in a square.
They're at the beach.
They're in a park/the countryside.
They're in a shop/cinema/theatre/car/hotel, etc.
They're on a bus/train/plane, etc.
They're at home/school/work. etc.
Describing people
He's (rather/quite) tall/short/fat/thin,
She's/He’s got fair/dark skin.
She's got dark/fair/short/long hair,
She's/He's wearing glasses/jeans and a T-shirt.
Describing buildings/places
It‘s a modern/very old building.
There are a lot of people in the street.
The square looks (quite) crowded.
Making guesses
They look/seem (very/quite) happy/sad.
They look/seem (a bit) worried/tired/bored (to me).
I think they're happy because they're both smiling,
It looks as If they're having a good time.
I'm not sure, but it looks like France to me, because of the buildings.
I'm not sure what it is. but it might/could be a /an …
They could be friends or brothers.
He‘s probably a tour guide because …
Maybe they are lost in the mountains.
Perhaps they have lost' their way
EXAM TIPS!
If you don’t know the word for something in the picture in English, try to describe it using language you know.
Don’t worry if you sometimes make mistakes or hesitate when you are speaking, as long as your ideas are clear.
The examiners give you marks for your own performance – they don’t compare you with the other candidate.
What can you say about the photograph for each of the headings?
place
people
activity
objects
colours
atmosphere
time of day
weather
E.g. The girl is lying on her bed, she is reading a book, she looks like she is enjoying her book.
Try to organise your ideas together into a longer sentence:
‘The girl is lying on her bed with a book and she looks very interested in it.’
Place
This photo shows a girl’s bedroom.
People
The girl is a teenager, she could be around 15. She has got long blonde hair. She’s wearing white trousers and a black top.
Activity
The girl is lying on her bed and she is reading a book.
Objects
The room is very tidy. There’s a guitar next to the window which the girl probably plays. There’s a picture with bright colours on the wall, some shelves with a stereo and a desk with a computer on it. The bed is made and has clean white sheets on it.
Colours
The walls are white and the bed covers are light green. The girl must like green as the curtains and the cushions are dark green too.
Atmosphere
The girl looks very relaxed and interested in her book and the room is very tidy so it looks like a peaceful place.
Time of day
It could be morning or afternoon as it’s light outside.
Weather
You can see through the windows that it is sunny outside.
Exam Practice
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One student reads out the instructions. Your partner should describe the photograph in as much detail as possible, using the ideas from above for one minute.
The listening student should pay attention and identify one good thing and one weaker thing about how their partner organises their ideas.
the listening student should now give their feedback to their partner, being as positive or constructive as possible.
Then change roles – this time the speaking student should focus on their range of vocabulary.
Change partners and repeat activity.
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