B2 First Speaking Parts 3 & 4 Sample Answers

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These are high-scoring sample answers for the following Cambridge C1 Advanced Speaking Parts 3 and 4. Read them to understand what you need to talk about and the kind of answers you need to give for a good C1 Advanced speaking score.

C1 Advanced Speaking Part 3

Question

Sample Answer – Discussion + Decision

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

A/ I would say some people get a tremendous amount of satisfaction from travelling because they can see how different people do things, they can see the different cultures, and so it kind of shows them their place in the greater scheme of things rather than just the national scheme of things. What would you make of that?

B/ Yeah, I see your point, but on a deeper level, I think many people derive a lot of satisfaction from the stability of getting married and planning for the future, planning a family and settling down. Don’t you agree?

A/ Absolutely. As for becoming rich, there are many people that derive immense amount of satisfaction of having more money than they had before, and some of them don’t mind telling other people about it. Do we see eye to eye on that one?

B/ Yeah, I guess. But spending time with friends is very satisfying because you can help each other out if you’re having difficulties. Maybe not necessarily difficulties, but maybe one of them can help you get a job or help your daughter with her homework, or the wives can be friends and do exercises together and so on, don’t you think?

A/ Yes, I do. And as for wearing fashionable clothes, I think it’s intense satisfaction for some people, showing how trendy and up to date they are and keeping up with fashion. For someone like me, that’s not really an issue, though, unfortunately it used to be, though I would say people would get the most satisfaction out of getting married and planning the future. What would you say?

B/ I completely agree. I think it doesn’t matter about spending time with friends. You can spend time with friends anywhere and everything and travelling, if you have that stability, then travelling is much easier because you go as a unit and have a base at home.

A/ Yes, absolutely. Wearing clothes is superficial and for many, becoming rich is superficial too. So I would completely agree that getting married gives them most satisfaction.

Sample Answer Video

C1 Advanced Speaking 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

How important is it to follow trends in fashion? Why?
Is it better to have a few close friends or a lot of acquaintances?
Do you think that people’s interests and priorities change as they get older? Why/Why not?
Some people say that having a high status is not the most important thing. What’s your opinion?
Is it possible to be too rich? Why?/Why not?
What kind of responsibilities do you think rich people have? Why?

Sample Answers

Question – How important is it to follow trends in fashion? Why?

Sample answer – For somebody my age, I don’t think it’s important at all. Some people who are married think it’s important, but personally, I don’t. And I think that’s because I think fashion has a lot to do with being popular, with maybe attracting and other people and I don’t really care if I’m attractive or not these days. However, when I was younger, especially when I left university, it was quite important to me, really. The people I hung out with were all quite fashionable and so to fit in as them, I had to be, to some extent, I’m an awkward shape.

Question – Is it better to have a few close friends or a lot of acquaintances?

Sample answer – As ever, I think balance is important. Someone can’t really choose between a few friends at the expense of acquaintances or vice-versa. From where I stand, having a reasonably sized circle of friends is particularly good for younger people who are probably more active and meet more people in similar situations. Keep close friends, though is equally, if not more important. For many such friends are closer than most of their family, so they give these people an outlet when they want to vent about their work or other issues. Despite saying that, I think a few close trusted friends give people strength, while too many acquaintances can be draining.

Question – Do you think that people’s interests and priorities change as they get older? Why/Why not?

Sample answer – Of course they do. When people say this, most people think of going from being a teenager to an adult, through middle age and on to being elderly, however, it starts much earlier in pre-school. Starting from there, in my opinion people gradually find out what they enjoy and what is important to them. That is honed as they reach adulthood and is diluted as soon as they meet a partner and have children. Often when someone is divorced or when they retire, they return to what they enjoyed previously.

Question – Some people say that having a high status is not the most important thing. What’s your opinion?

Sample answer – To be perfectly honest, I couldn’t really care about status at all. In my opinion, it is vastly overrated, with highly thought of people being unveiled as con-men, philanderers or, even worse, preparators of sexual abuse. Having status, for some, makes these people feel they can do anything, and for many years, society was complicit in that. These days after a succession of scandals, however, that is changing for the better.

Question – Is it possible to be too rich? Why?/Why not?

Sample answer – Not really, from what I can work out. I someone has a billion dollars and a mountain of old, it would be almost impossible for them to count it, never mind spend it. In that case, if they had twice as much, it would make no difference. there must be some kind of cut-off point where this happens, but where it is, I have no idea. I do support richer people paying more tax, though, but maybe that’s because I am by no means a rich r wealthy person.

Question – What kind of responsibilities do you think rich people have? Why?

Sample answer – I think they have various responsibilities. Firstly, they should be responsible for those who have made them rich, whether that is the country or their employees and customers if they have a company. Secondly, they should take care of their family regardless of how they live. Not just paying them but being there if they need help. Finally, they should make sure to take some responsibility for the society that has made them wealthy, whether that is locally, regionally or nationally.