A2 Key Speaking test
Watch the video of Sthefany and Fayza doing an A2 Key Speaking test and read the examiner comments below.
The Speaking test lasts 8 to 10 minutes. You will take the test with another student. There are two examiners.
Part 1 (3–4 minutes)
The examiner will ask you and your partner some questions. These questions will be about your daily life, free-time activities, likes and dislikes, past experience and future plans. For example, you may have to speak about your family, hobbies or home. The examiner will also ask you a ‘Tell me something about …’ question (for example, ‘Tell me something about the food you like’), and you should give a longer answer (say two or three things about the topic) with some detail if you can.
Part 2 (5–6 minutes)
In Part 2, Phase 1, you and your partner will talk to each other. The examiner will give you a task with five pictures on it related to one particular topic and will ask you to discuss these activities, things or pla
ces. You and your partner should talk about the different activities, things or places, saying what you like or don’t like about them, and giving reasons for your opinions. You can also ask and answer questions of each other. Then the examiner will ask you one or more questions about the activities, things or places.
In Part 2, Phase 2, the examiner will ask two more questions on the same topic that you talked about in Phase 1.
How the examiners assess your speaking
There are two examiners in the room. The interlocutor speaks to you, and the assessor just listens.
As you do the test, the assessor listens to you and thinks about:
Grammar and Vocabulary
How well you can use grammar and vocabulary in the tasks.
Pronunciation
How clear your pronunciation of English is and how easy it is to understand you.
Interactive Communication
How well you communicate with the examiner and your partner by asking and answering questions.
The interlocutor focuses on your Global Achievement. This is about your speaking in general: how well you can communicate in everyday situations and how clear you are.
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When your test is complete, the examiners give you marks for each of these things: Grammar and Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Interactive Communication and Global Achievement. The marks are for what you do over the whole Speaking test, not for each part of the test. The examiners give you marks for your own performance – they don’t compare you with the other candidate.
Comments on the test video
Part 1
Sthefhany Fayza
Sthefhany gives good answers to most of the questions she is asked.
When the examiner asks, ‘Please tell me something about one of your friends’ she gives a rather short answer: ‘My friend is friendly and polite.’ It is better to give more detail in your answers in this part.
When the examiner asks her, ‘Where did you meet your friend?’ Sthefhany seems not to understand, but she doesn’t ask for repetition. If you don’t understand, ask the examiner to repeat or say, ‘I don’t understand.’ The examiner will then ask you the question in a different way to help you.
Generally Sthefhany can talk about everyday situations, making some grammatical errors, but she can be understood.
Her pronunciation is clear. Fayza gives good, full answers to almost everything she is asked.
When the examiner asks, ‘Please tell me something about the things you like doing at home at the weekends’ Fayza gives some good detail: ‘At the weekend sometimes I like I still in my bedroom and reading something.’ But when she is asked about computer games, she just answers, ‘No.’ You should always try to give some detail when you answer the questions in this part.
Although there are a few mistakes, Fayza has some good control of simple grammatical forms and uses vocabulary to talk about everyday situations.
Her pronunciation is clear.
Part 1 tips
•Practise giving information about yourself (your name, where you come from).
•Practise giving longer answers about your daily life, your interests, etc.
•Try to answer the examiner’s questions with more than one word.
•You can give short answers, but it is good to give some longer answers too.
•When answering the ‘Tell me something about’ question, try to add more information or give reasons. Imagine you have been asked ‘Why?’
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Part 2 Sthefhany Fayza
Sthefhany comments on some of the options briefly and sometimes with difficulty, but keeps going. It is important to keep trying even if you find it difficult.
When asked whether she thinks the food in college is expensive, she gives a very natural answer: ‘To be honest, in the college the food is very horrible. I don’t like’ and then asks her partner, ‘What do you think?’ This demonstrates her ability to comment and interact well with her partner.
Sthefhany sometimes makes mistakes (‘Maybe I like eat outside in the park’ should be ‘Maybe I like eating outside in the park’), but her meaning is clear. Fayza comments briefly on some of the different places to eat, giving reasons why she likes them at the end of this part.
Fayza gives a good, long answer in response to her partner’s question, ‘What do you think?’ She says: ‘I have breakfast in my home so I don’t eat anything in my college or in my work.’ It is good to try to give long answers.
She makes some mistakes (‘When I be quickly’ should be ‘When I am in a hurry’), but her meaning is clear.
Part 2 tips
•Think about why you like certain food, places, music etc.
•Practise by asking your friends and family what they like, and why, about a range of familiar topics.
•Remember the examiner does not know how much English you know, so you have to show him or her by speaking a lot.
Overall
Sthefhany Fayza
Grammar and Vocabulary
Sthefhany’s grammar and vocabulary are not always accurate and there are errors, but we can generally understand her. Grammar and Vocabulary
Fayza’s grammar and vocabulary are generally accurate and although there are a few errors, what she says is generally clear.
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Pronunciation Sthefhany speaks clearly enough so we can understand her.
Interactive Communication
She interacts well throughout the test with both her partner and the examiner. She has some difficulty but does not need any help or support from the examiner.
Global Achievement
Sthefhany communicates well during the whole test with a little hesitation. Pronunciation
She speaks very clearly and it is easy to understand her.
Interactive Communication
Fayza interacts well, asking and answering her partner’s questions. She also interacts very well with the examiner. She doesn’t have any difficulty and she doesn’t need any help or support from the examiner.
Global Achievement
Fayza communicates well during the whole test.
Scores
Sthefhany Fayza
Grammar and Vocabulary 3 4
Pronunciation 3 4
Interactive Communication 3 4
Global Achievement 3 4
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