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Taking tests such as B2 First Speaking Part 4 are extremely challenging for many reasons, with one of the main ones being that a certain amount of life experience is needed to be able to talk about some topics. However, there are ways to deal with topics you are unsure of or even ones that you don’t know anything about. it does take practice, though.
There are two ways to look at this, both of them positive.
- Saying you don’t know, opens a block in your mind and stops you from searching for the right answer.
- Use words and phrases throughout your answer, so the examiner is absolutely sure that you don’t know, so some of the information you give may be wrong.
Let’s start with the first one.
1/ Breaking the Speaking Block
You may be asked your opinion about something you have never thought about before. Looking at the following examples, what would you say if you had never known your grandparents, have never known life without computers or have never thought about retirement.
Do you think that life is easier now than it was in our grandparents’ day?
Some people say that computers are the biggest time-saving device in modem life. What do you think?
Should there be a compulsory retirement age, or should people be allowed to work as long as they like?
If this happens, then it is often impossible to think what to say.
If you don’t know about something, say so as soon as possible. It helps to break down the block in your mind and helps you to speak.
There are various phrases you can use to do this, but the important point is that you make it clear to the examiner that you are guessing.
This is called talking about an unfamiliar topic. It is just another useful English skill and one that you should be prepared for in your B2 First Speaking Part 4.
| Talking about an unfamiliar topic is just another skill. Learn it! |
Two Strategies
1/ make it clear you are talking about something slightly different. For example:
I’m not sure if it was the same in my grandparents’ time or not, but I can tell you about life 50 or 60 years ago.
I grew up with computers, so I have no idea what it was like without them, but I can tell you how they have improved.
I don’t even know when retirement age is, but I can give you my opinion about everyone working.
You are saying to the examiner, LOOK! I have no idea about what I’m going to tell you about, but I’m going to try my best!
2/ Talk about things that you have heard about second hand or seen on TV.
I’m not sure if it was the same in my grandparents’ time or not, but from what my friend’s aunt says, life was much harder in these days for various reasons.
I grew up with computers, so it’s almost impossible for me to tell you anything from my personal experience, but I read in a magazine recently that the difference they made to people’s lives when they were introduced was incredible.
I heard my uncle complaining about this the other day. Personally, I’d never thought about retirement at all, but he seems to be quite opinionated about it.
When you say I don’t know, it makes it so much easier to continue to talk about something and lets you forget some things or be a bit inaccurate.
When you say I don’t know, it makes it so much easier to continue to talk about something and lets you forget some things or be a bit inaccurate.
But you must relate what you are going to talk about to the question. If you don’t, then it will seem as if you have decided to talk about anything you like. Not good!
If you talk about something you have read or seen, then you can use phrases such as:
As far as I can remember …..
From what it said …..
I’m not sure, but I think …..
If my memory serves me correctly, …..
….. that’s why it sticks in my mind.
Use phrases such as these and you should be able to piece together an answer to any C1 Advanced Speaking Part 4 question that the examiner knows is very difficult. Don’t worry!
2/ Use words and phrases throughout your answer so the examiner knows you are doubtful about what you are saying.
If you know nothing about the topic, say so.
Say so IMMEDIATELY!!!!
If you know nothing about the topic, say so IMMEDIATELY!!!!
How to express that you are not sure in B2 First Speaking Part 4
I may be totally wrong about this, but ……
I know absolutely nothing about this but in my mind ……..
I have no idea about this at all, but I imagine ………
I have never even thought about anything like this, but I in my mind if that happened then …………
I have never experienced anything like that, but from what I have heard ………….
I’m really not sure about this, but from what I remember ……
I guess he could have been a xxxxx, but I’m not sure.
As far as I can remember he …….
If I remember correctly there is …….…
I think I saw a documentary that said ……
I think I read in a newspaper that ……
If I’m not mistaken, …..
B2 First Speaking Part 4 Examples:
Question – Do you think young people find it easier to concentrate on things than older people? (Why / Why not?)
Sample answer – To be honest, I don’t really know. From what I can gather, both have their problems. For example, many say young people only think about the short term and what they can do to enjoy themselves, so in some ways that would make it difficult for them to concentrate. On the other hand, I believe, although I’m not old yet, that the older generations have so much on their mind, especially if there is a crisis of some sort at home, that they often find it difficult to concentrate too. So, on balance, I would say no, younger ones don’t find it easier.
Question – Do you think the best way to keep up to date with changes in the world is to watch television? (Why? / Why not?)
Sample answer – I’m really not sure about this these days. I would have said so in the past, but these days, the question would be “What do you mean by up to date?”. From what I understand, it would mean reading about all the in-depth issues of global politics in a reputable news site, however, others would probably think that reading a few headlines as they scroll through their feeds would be sufficient. So, no. TV has lost that battle, I think.
Question – Do you think it’s true that the internet has helped us understand people in other countries? (Why? / Why not?)
Believe it or not, I’ve never really thought about this. I imagine that you need to think about possibilities and what used to happen in the past. Before, if everyone was like me, nobody really paid much attention to what was happening in countries that didn’t affect us. These days, however, it’s possible to find out a lot more if you would like to, but as a whole I think most people would agree that the internet shows users much more about countries abroad in one day than they could previously even read about in a week.
Conclusion
If you don’t know much about the Part 4 question, use some of these words and phrases. As ever, you should choose the ones you are happiest with and not force yourself to learn them all. Talking about an unfamiliar topic is a great skill in any language, so this one will help you at any time with your English and especially for your B2 First Speaking test. Good luck!