B2 First Speaking Parts 3 & 4 Sample Answers

Home > B2 First > Speaking > Part 3 & Part 4 > Sample Answers

These are high-scoring sample answers for the following Cambridge B2 First Speaking Parts 3 and 4. Read them and the analysis to understand what you need to talk about and the kind of answers you need to give for a good B2 First speaking score.

B2 First Part 3

Question

Sample Answer – Discussion

There is two minutes to discuss how each part influences the central question.

A/ I would say out of all of these five points, having new experiences shouldn’t really change. I don’t think people should change having new experiences in their free time because that’s, in my opinion, that’s a big part of life is going out there and doing new things, learning new things, et cetera are. Would you agree with that?

B/ Yes, I would. I couldn’t agree more, in fact. But as for using the Internet, I think people should use the Internet less, regardless of how useful it is, regardless of how much information is there, regardless of how much great music and how many great films are there. I think people do use it too much. Do we see eye to eye on that one?

A/ Completely. And I would say one of the ways they could benefit from not using the Internet is just to go outside, get some fresh air and see the world, see the real world rather than the virtual world. I don’t know how you feel about that. I completely agree with going outside, and I think getting more exercise while they’re outside would also be of a great benefit to them. Many people say that doing more exercise will actually benefit your mental health. And to be quite honest, I completely agree with them. How do you see that?

Sample Answer – Reaching a Decision

There is one minute for the candidates to reach a decision about which activity needs the most concentration.

B/ Personally, I would say the biggest change would be to stop people using the Internet because it’s just so rife. It’s become a huge part of everyone’s lives. Would you agree with that?

A/ Yes, I would. I completely agree, in fact. And I think regarding changes of free time, I don’t think people need to change many things about having new experiences. I don’t think they need to change many things about meeting new friends. Do we see eye to eye on that one?

B/ I think so. And as for getting more exercise, that’s probably true. And doing less work, I think is just really a dream that everybody has. But I think spending more time outside is also essential. But really, the biggest change, as you say, would be using the Internet less.

Sample Answer Video

B2 First Part 4

One candidate is asked a Part 4 question, then the other one is asked to give a shorter opinion on it too.

Questions

Should schools and colleges organise free time activities for students at weekends? (Why? / Why not?)
Do you think it’s true that you will always enjoy yourself if you’re with other people? (Why? / Why not?)
Some people say that it’s important to entertain yourself rather than expect other people to do it all the time. What do you think?
Is it a good idea to have a lot of different interests or just one or two? (Why? / Why not?)
Do you think it’s important to be busy all the time? (Why? / Why not?)
Some people say we don’t have enough free time these days. What do you think?

Sample Answers

Question – Should schools and colleges organise free time activities for students at weekends? (Why? / Why not?)

Sample answer – It’s something I’ve never really thought about before, but yeah, I think that would be quite a good idea. Because if you have activities especially if they’re free, I know it’s in their free time, but if you have activities at weekends, then it gives students an option because some people just play their computer games because there’s nothing else to do. They might need to do their washing or go shopping or something, but maybe that’s not interesting for them. And so if schools and colleges were places like that, that put on activities at the weekend, then they might find some interesting hobby.

Question – Do you think it’s true that you will always enjoy yourself if you’re with other people? (Why? / Why not?)

Sample answer – I believe that many people feel this way, but as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t bother me at all. I am one of these people who find it quite easy to enjoy themselves when I am on my own. In fact, I am so used to it these days, when I get together with my friends, I sometimes start thinking how it would be better if I was at home alone. Sounds sad, doesn’t it?

Question – Some people say that it’s important to entertain yourself rather than expect other people to do it all the time. What do you think?

Sample answer – I think this is completely true, to be quite honest with you. And I feel one of the biggest culprits regarding this, is technology. It’s so easy these days to play a game on your phone, or read an article, or chat with friends. So, in this respect, people can entertain themselves, but if you take away that device, then especially younger people would struggle to keep themselves amused for 10 minutes, in my opinion.

Question – Is it a good idea to have a lot of different interests or just one or two? (Why? / Why not?)

Sample answer – It depends. Having just one interest can make you a specialist in that area, hobby or whatever. You can concentrate on the different parts of that sport, that musical instrument or recipe so you can do everything well. Having many interests, on the other hand, can really improve your social life so you get to meet a lot of people at clubs, meetings, games and so on. In my opinion, I would prefer to have different interests, but not too many, maybe about two or three would be enough.

Question – Do you think it’s important to be busy all the time? (Why? / Why not?)

Sample answer – Personally, I don’t. However, I think it is extremely useful for people who are having problems of some kind in their lives. For example, if someone has just gone through a divorce or a close relative has died, it is much easier to cope with everyday life if they can lose themselves in something. Maybe their work, maybe something else. For me, there have been times in my life that I have done that, but I have no problems sitting back and doing absolutely nothing sometimes.

Question – Some people say we don’t have enough free time these days. What do you think?

Sample answer – It depends on what they mean by free time, I think. For many these days, as far as I can gather, this is completely true, because their bosses contact them at any time of day or night. It’s like they are at work 24/7. For others (well maybe some of the same people) they never get a rest from their relatives or friends making demands on their time. It never seems to stop. I think that my method of just switching off my phone is great, although it annoys people sometimes.

Less Common Vocabulary