B2 First Speaking Part 1: How to Vary Your Answers

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Introduction

Many students think that the questions in B2 First Speaking Part 1 in the B2 First English test are the easiest and simplest of the four parts, but it is a great time to show off what you can do. In real life, people take three seconds to find out if they like someone or not when they get that first impression. This is a great chance for you to give your examiner a good first impression. This article is about how to vary your answers to make that first impression even better, while four more general tips are here. Practice questions are here

To continue your speaking practice, there are part 2 pictures here, and questions for parts 3 and 4 here.

Question Topics

These questions are all about you, your work, studies, travel, entertainment or your life, so you know the answers. This is a wonderful opportunity to show what you can do, rather than just answer the questions mechanically. 

Very Important:

In Speaking Part 1, the questions will jump from one topic to another. The sample questions below are divided into topics, but in the test, you will be asked between 2 and 4 questions, with each question from a different topic. If you are not expecting this, it can come as a big surprise!

It is really easy to fall into the trap of just answering the questions as if you are chatting with a friend. It is also easy to try and impress the examiner too much. Here are 6 ways to make a bad start to your C1 Advanced Speaking Part 1 test.

1/ Do you like to travel?
THE OVERCOMPLICATED: The question of whether 1 am a fan of travelling or prefer staying homebound is not a simple one to which I can respond. Journeying to exotic nations is …

2/ How long have you lived in your home?
THE GET-TO-THE-POINT: Hmm, well, that’s a very good question. So, well, actually, I guess it would be, around about, more or less.…

3/ Who did the cooking in your family when you were a child?
THE OVERLY BRIEF: My mother cooked.

4/ How popular are bicycles in your town?
THE IRRELEVANT: Well, the most popular form of transport is cars. There are cars everywhere in my city, they cause so much traffic.

5/ What are you studying at the moment?
THE REPETITIVE: English is the subject I am studying at the moment, so I am studying English at the present time.

6/ Do you like to spend your free time alone or with other people?
THE ‘EXAM VOICE’: It is my firm belief that spending free time alone is most pleasurable. This is a consequence of …

How to Answer in C1 Speaking Part 1

Answer the questions, then extend your answer by one or two sentences. If you try to speak for longer, the examiner will stop you. They have to be fair and give everyone the same amount of time to answer.

Try to vary your answers so you don’t use ‘because’ in each one. 

Here are six different ways to answer questions. In C1 Advanced, you will only be asked between 2 and 4 questions, so do your best to try not to answer them all in the same way.

Reason

Do you like to travel?

Answer 1 – I do, yes. I love travelling because I’m really curious about the world and I think going out and seeing new places is the only way for me to satisfy this curiosity.

Additional Information

How long have you lived in your home?

Answer 2 – I’ve lived in my current home for about the last three years. I moved to this place from London, the capital, when I was in my late twenties because I was getting tired of city life.

Speculation

Who did the cooking in your family when you were a child?

Answer 3 – My mum did the cooking when I was a child. I’ve never really thought about why, but I guess at the time it was just traditional gender roles for mums to cook and dads to work, rather than the other way around.

Comparing to the past

How popular are bicycles in your town?

Answer 4 – Bicycles are fairly popular where I live, but cars are still more common by far. I think bikes are gaining more popularity though, and I’ve certainly noticed that many more bicycle lanes have been built recently.

Time detail

What are you studying at the moment?

Answer 5 – I’m studying English Language and Literature at the moment, over at King’s College in London. I started my studies two and a half years ago.

Example

Do you like to spend your free time alone or with other people?

Answer 6 – Personally, I prefer to spend my free time on my own. For example, last week I was given the night off work, and I chose to spend the time unwinding with a book instead of meeting with friends.

When you are practicing, try and vary your answers, it will really prepare you for your test. As usual, practicing for your test, will only make you better and get a higher score. Remember practice questions are here. Good luck!