Home > B2 First > Speaking > Part 2
B2 First Speaking Part 2 is a tricky part of the test which really worries many candidates. A reliable route to a confident Part 2, is to use dedicated practice, so you know exactly what to do regardless of the photos you are given. Here are some practice pictures and sample answers for B2 First Speaking Part 2.
You have very little time, so it is essential that you have a simple method to follow. As opposed to C1 Advanced, the main method in B2 First (apart from comparing, contrasting, speculating and using people vocabulary) is to fit the pictures you are given into your answer template. This does not mean you need to memorise answers, it means you know how you want to answer, and put the information in the pictures you are given in your test into your method. This makes it much easier to practice too because you do not need to think of every question as completely new.
Put the Pictures into Your Answer Template
Use your preparation time to put the pictures into you what you have learned in class. What does this mean? Read on
Who, what, when, where, why, how many, how much, how long, ….?
You only have one minute to compare and contrast the pictures, and that isn’t long. It takes a lot of practice to be able to answer the questions and compare and contrast using speculative language in such a short time. I have discovered that a kind of ping-pong method, going quickly from one picture to the other and back is much more effective than talking about one picture, then the other.
Tip: Use a kind of ping-pong method, going quickly from one picture to the other and back is much more effective than talking about one picture, then the other.
The question is
Why might it be important to give advice in these situations?
In the first example, I try and go from one picture to the other quite quickly. Like this:
In the first picture, it looks as if there is a mother helping her son with his homework, while in the second picture, it looks as if there is a football coach telling his team how to win a game. In his mother’s eyes, it is important for the boy to study hard, so he passes his exams in my opinion. Saying that the coach may be giving advice on how to win a game in a competition, so the team will progress. Although the mother and the coach are both giving advice, there are only two people in the first photo, whereas, in the second, there are many more. A similarity is that both the son and the football team appear to be under pressure to succeed, but the mother and the coach are calmly working through the problems for the best results. On the other hand, there are still differences such as the team are all wearing football gear, while the mum and the boy are dressed casually. I guess they are at home, but the team seem to be in a changing room at some kind of sports facility.
In the second example below, I talk about one picture, then the other
In the first picture, it looks like there is a mother helping her son with his homework. In the mother’s eyes, it is important for the boy to study hard, so he passes his exams, in my opinion. There are only the two of them in the first picture and they look like they are at home. The boy looks like he is under pressure, but the mother is calmly working through the problem. It looks like they are at home, and they are dressed casually. In the second picture, it looks as if there is a football coach telling his team how to win a game. The coach may be giving advice on how to win a game in a competition, so the team will progress. He is also calm, while the players will be under more pressure to succeed in my opinion. The football team are wearing football gear and seem to be in a changing room at some kind of sports facility.
In the first example, if you hesitate (and you will because you are under pressure in an exam) you can still compare and contrast, and you can still answer the questions using your speculative language.
The problem with the second example isn’t the English, but it gives you fewer chances to use your comparing and contrasting language and it also doesn’t help if you pause to think. You could still be talking about the first picture when your time is over!!!!!
Conclusion
Using this method allows you to plan a little of B2 First Speaking Part 2, so you can give it your best shot. Of course, you don’t need to plan, but that would mean making several decisions in your test, and you have very little time to do that. Keep practicing and plan what to do. It’ll make you more confident, which in turn will increase your fluency and hence your score! Good Luck!