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Tips, guides, and insights for English learners.
C2 Proficiency Speaking Part 3: 10 of the 16 Minutes
Part 3 takes almost two thirds of the C2 Speaking test, and the solo turn doubles to two minutes. It is the part that decides how the exam goes.
CAE Speaking Part 1: Your Rehearsed Answer Is Too Long
Part 1 is two minutes shared between two candidates. A memorised self-introduction eats most of your share and answers only half the task.
CAE Speaking Part 2: The Half Nobody Prepares
Everyone rehearses the one minute long turn. Almost nobody rehearses the 30 seconds where you comment on photographs you have never seen.
CAE Speaking Part 3: The Task You Cannot Do Alone
Part 3 is a two minute discussion with another candidate, then one minute to reach a decision. It is scored on how you handle them, not on your vocabulary.
CAE Speaking Part 4: The Longest Part of the Test
Part 4 runs five minutes of a fifteen minute test. It is the biggest single block of speaking you do, and it gets the least preparation of the four.
CAE Speaking Test Format: All Four Parts in One Place
The C1 Advanced Speaking test runs 15 minutes across four parts. Here is what each one asks, how long it lasts, and which one deserves your practice time.
Cambridge Speaking Scores: Pronunciation Is Not Your Problem
Cambridge publishes real examiner scores for nine B2 First and C1 Advanced candidates. Pronunciation is the highest or joint-highest mark for every one of them.
Canada Citizenship Interview: How English Is Judged
Your language proof gets you to the appointment. IRCC then screens your speaking in the room, and a doubt there can turn the interview into a hearing.
Citizenship Interview Questions: Practise Them Out Loud
Search for citizenship interview questions and you get PDFs. The interview is spoken, and in every country the officer judges you on answers about your own file.
CLES: France's Free State English Test Has No Safety Net
France's university English certification is often free, never expires, and refuses to average your skills. Fall short in one paper and you get nothing.