Home > C1 Advanced > Speaking > Part 2
C1 Advanced 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 C1 advanced Speaking Part 2.
You have very little time, so it is essential that you have simple methods to follow. These methods are deciding which two photos to choose from the three you are given, and how to use them in your answer.
Let’s talk about how to choose them first.
How to Choose Your Two Pictures
How are you going to choose which pictures you want to talk about?
Are you going to choose the ones that are most similar, or the ones that the least similar?
It’s a personal choice. What do you find it easier to do, talk about similar pictures or different pictures?
The first set of pictures
In my opinion for example, in the first set of pictures, I would talk about the two men in an office and the man and the woman with their bags. I would choose them because I give better answers using photos that are different.
These two pictures are different because the two men are inside in an office, are wearing formal clothes, look tired and frustrated and obviously have been unsuccessful in their attempts to find a solution to their problem. The couple in the lower picture, however, are in a much more open area (maybe an airport), are wearing more casual clothes, look really happy and are more than likely travelling somewhere.
If I preferred to talk about photos that are similar, then I would have chosen the two men in an office and the couple in the right-hand picture at a desk.
The second set of pictures
In the second set, I would talk about the girl with the teddy bear and the boy with the trophies. I would choose them because, again, they are more different (in my opinion). In my mind, the old man in the garden is really proud of his flowers in the same way as the boy in the lower photo is of his medal and trophies.
The young girl looks as if she is posing for a picture somewhere, has her hair in pigtails, has several teeth missing and is holding a teddy bear, which may have been a gift. The boy is probably a teenager, has short hair, beautiful white teeth and is showing off his medal and trophies for his prowess at something, probably a sport.
If you don’t know which types of photo you prefer (similar or different), then why not practice and see which you think is easiest.
Remember that even if you would prefer to choose the most similar pictures, you may be better at comparing and contrasting the least similar ones.
The most important thing is to have a plan, so you know exactly what you are going to do when you see your three pictures. If you hesitate, then talk for a minute, there is a good chance your answer won’t be as organised as it could be. Give yourself a chance and make some decisions before your test!
Remember: Even if you would prefer to choose the most similar pictures, you may be better at comparing and contrasting the least similar ones.
You only have one minute in your test, so you really must try not to hesitate. Don’t worry if you do, because worry will probably make your hesitation worse.
You have decided which pictures you would like to choose. Now what is the best way to talk about them? Rather than just talking about one photo, then the other, know exactly what you
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 questions are
Why do you think the people are running?
What do you think the people’s lives are like?
I would choose the picture on the lower left-hand side, and the one on the right.
In the first example, I try and go from one picture to the other quite quickly. Like this:
It seems to me that the first picture is at an airport, whereas the second one may be at a train station. The man at the station seems to have missed his train and is running after it possibly to get home, while the girls who are running in the airport picture seem happy to see who I presume to be their dad. I think this dad has just come home from yet another business trip, and his family has missed him very much, while the man running after the train could also have a very busy life and be trying to go home to see his family.
In the second example below, I talk about one picture, then the other
It seems to me that the first picture is at an airport, and there are girls running towards a man who I presume to be their dad. I think this dad could be away from home a lot and has a very busy life and has just come home from yet another business trip, and his family spend much of their time missing him very much. The second picture is of a train station as far as I can tell, and there is a man running after a train waving his hand. He may have missed the last train home at the weekend and so could have missed his only opportunity to see his family. I’m afraid that this could be a breaking point for him because his whole world could revolve around his time at home.
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 speculative 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!!!!!
You can also think about which words and phrases you can use to compare and contrast, so you don’t always use the same ones. I am really bad at using ‘whereas’ too often. Try to be better than me and use different words and phrases each time.
Conclusion
Using these two methods allows you to plan a little of C1 Advanced 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!