Password Speaking: Overview
Watch the following video to find out about the Speaking paper.
Password Speaking: Overview
Look at the Password Speaking screen below and put the words in the correct spaces.
Questions Reading Text Finish Section Recorder
Password Speaking: Overview
Look at the five speaking question types below and match them to their explanations.
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Section 1: Reading aloud |
You will be given a subject and asked to give your opinion about it. | |
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Section 2: About you |
You will be given three situations and asked to role play them. | |
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Section 3: Social situations |
You will briefly answer two questions and then read a short passage out loud. | |
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Section 4: Compare and contrast |
You will be asked to look at a chart or graph and explain what it shows. | |
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Section 5: Describe and interpret |
You will be asked to talk about yourself by answering five questions. |
Password Speaking: Test Section 1 - Reading aloud (not marked)
Answer the questions below and then read the following text into the microphone. When you are ready to start click record. You will have 1 minute to record your answer.
Questions:
What is/was the name of your high school?
What is your father's first name?
Read the following text out loud:
"John and his friends were walking on a path through thick woods. The path was paved but often covered by dried branches and dead leaves from the trees, and walking was not easy. There were a few birds in the forest, as birds love open country where there is plenty of sunshine. Now and then there came a deep growl from some wild animal hidden among the trees."
Password Speaking: Test Section 1 - Reading aloud (not marked)
Now listen to a student doing Section 1. Answer the question that follows.
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Amina: |
What advice would you give to Amina?
Password Speaking: Test Section 1 - Reading aloud (not marked)
Listen to the teacher and the class talking about Reading aloud.
Select the ideas that are mentioned to help with the answer.
Teacher: Now you have all had a go at Section 1 - Reading aloud. And we’ve also listened to another student, so, what have you learnt?
Maria: I think this section is easy, but it's important not to start too quickly.
Desmond: Yes, I agree. The questions in Section 1 are asking basic information and should be quick and easy to answer, but we should take the time to read the questions and make sure we understand them before we start recording.
Ying: It might be helpful to also have a bit of practice reading aloud, since we’ll need to do that, too. If we feel nervous, I think it’s helpful to remember that this section is about helping us practice for the speaking test.
Teacher: Yes, that’s right. This part of the test isn’t marked.
Choose THREE things that are said in the discussion.
Password Speaking: Test Section 1 - Reading aloud (not marked)
Here are some suggestions for the Reading Aloud section.
Password Tips
Read the two questions and text to yourself.
Don't start recording until you are ready.
Don’t read too fast but try to finish before you run out of time.
This exercise is to test your microphone and is not marked.
Password Speaking: Test Section 1 - Reading aloud (not marked)
Answer the questions below and then read the following text into the microphone. When you are ready to start click record. You will have 1 minute to record your answer.
Questions:
What is your name?
What is your date of birth?
Read the following text out loud:
"At the age of 20, Gertrude became the first woman to swim the English Channel, beating the fastest man by nearly two hours. Then considered one of the hardest tests in the world, it challenged the idea that women were 'the weaker sex'."
Password Speaking: Test Section 2 - About you
Favourite meal
Read the question below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 20 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as possible.
Question:
What is your favorite meal to eat?
Hobbies
Read the question below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 20 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as possible.
Question:
What hobbies do you like to do?
Child
Read the question below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 20 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as possible.
Question:
Describe where you lived as a child.
Later tonight
Read the question below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 20 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as possible.
Question:
What are you going to do later tonight?
Teacher
Read the question below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 20 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as possible.
Question:
Who was your favourite teacher?
Password Speaking: Test Section 2 - About you
Now listen to two students doing Section 2, and read the teacher's comments that follow.
| Jonas: | Shu: | |
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| Favourite meal | ||
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Neither of the speakers just says what their favourite meal is. They both go on to describe it, and explain what they like about it. That's a good start. |
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| Hobbies | ||
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Jonas explains his hobby well and why he likes it. However, Shu finds it a little more difficult and doesn't give enough detail. |
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| Child | ||
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Listen to the tenses they are using to talk about the place they lived when they were a child. All of them are in the present because they are describing how the place is now. Are those the tenses you would use to answer this question? |
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| Later tonight | ||
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Jonas sounds very natural, as if he were speaking to a friend. Shu sounds very organised, knowing exactly what time she will do things, but she doesn't sound very natural. |
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| Teacher | ||
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It is important to answer the question and not talk about something else. Unfortunately, Shu starts talking about her favorite subject and forgets about her favorite teacher. However, Jonas answers the question well. |
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Password Speaking: Test Section 2 - About you
Now listen to the class talking about how best to approach this speaking task.
Teacher: I can see you all have lots to say about Section 2 - About you. Who's first?
Maria: You have to answer the question. There's no point in talking about something else, so read the question and stick to it.
Ying: Yes, I agree, and make sure you are talking using the right tense. The questions ask about the present, the past and the future, so tenses are important.
Desmond: You don't know what the questions will be in section 2, so you need to think a little before you start.
Maria: When you have an idea of what you are going to say, press record and speak naturally, like you are talking to your teacher.
Ying: So, to summarise. Read the question and think about your answer, including what tenses to use. Then speak naturally and stick to answering the question.
Teacher: Good, I don't think I have anything to add to that except, keep talking.
Choose FOUR things that are suggested in the discussion.
Password Speaking: Test Section 2 - About you
Here is a list of ways to get a good score on – About you.
Password Tips
Decide what you will say before you press record.
Think about the words and the tenses you will use in your answer.
Don't just answer the question, give details about your answer.
Make the answer interesting for the listener.
Keep speaking until the recording stops.
Password Speaking: Test Section 2 - About you
Home
Read the question below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 20 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as possible.
Question:
Where do you live?
School/College
Read the question below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 20 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as possible.
Question:
Describe your school or college.
Free time
Read the question below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 20 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as possible.
Question:
What do you enjoiy doing in your free time?
Weekend
Read the question below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 20 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as possible.
Question:
What did you do last weekend?
Holiday
Read the question below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 20 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as possible.
Question:
Where will you go for your next holiday?
Password Speaking: Test Section 3 - Social situations
Class presentation
Read about the situation below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 45 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as you can.
Question:
Your friend is nervous about giving a class presentation.
Speak to your friend.
- Tell them not to worry, it is normal to be nervous
- Offer to help them with the presentation
- Give them advice on how to prepare
Mobile phone
Read about the situation below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 45 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as you can.
Question:
You want to buy a new mobile phone.
Speak to the assistant in the phone shop.
- Explain why you chose their shop
- Tell them what kind of phone you are looking for
- Ask if the assistant has any suggestions about which phone to buy
Family news
Read about the situation below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 45 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as you can.
Question:
You have exciting news and want to celebrate with your family.
Speak to your family.
- Explain that you want to clebrate with the family
- Tell them about the restaurant where you have booked a table
- Say that you are looking forward to seeing them
Password Speaking: Test Section 3 - Social situations
Now listen to two students doing Section 3, and read the teachers notes.
| Jonas: | Shu: | |
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| Class presentation | ||
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This section is all about using language that has a certain purpose. In this case you are being asked to reassure, advise, and offer. Think about what language you need to do these things and then listen again. Could you have done better than Jonas and Shu? |
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| Mobile phone | ||
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When you are doing a role play, it is useful to bring in real things from your life. In this case Jonas talks about wanting a phone with a good camera. When Jonas was asked about his hobbies in section 1, he talked about drawing, so he is obviously interested in art. This suggests that in real life Jonas probably would want a phone with a good camera as he may well enjoy photography too. So, bringing in things from his real life has helped here. |
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| Family news | ||
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Unfortunately, Shu has not found this question easy to answer. Maybe she didn't understand the word celebrate, so didn't have much to talk about. She stopped talking well before the time stopped and this will have cost her marks, as she didn't say enough. |
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Password Speaking: Test Section 3 - Social situations
Now listen to the class talking about how best to approach this speaking task.
Ying: I'm finding section 3 of the speaking quite hard. I understand what I need to do but it is difficult for me to pretend. I've never been very good at acting and this exercise makes me nervous. And what makes it worse is that I don't think I have a good enough imagination to make up a story to fit the situations. In the exam there is also the clock ticking away and that just makes me more nervouse and then I mess up.
Teacher: I do understand that this exercise might be difficult if you aren't used to it, but maybe you can think of it in a different way. Just imagine you are leaving a message for someone and talk as naturally as you can. If it is a friend or family member you are talking to, you can be quite informal. But if you are talking to someone you don't know, or someone who is doing their job, you should be a bit more formal with them. The clock is there to help you to plan your use of time, so try to see it as helpful rather than threatening. The more practice you get, the more natural it will become for you, and that will mean you are more relaxed too. So try to focus on what you can do to make it easier for you, rather than thinking about how hard it is. If you do that, it will become easier.
Choose THREE things that the teacher suggests the student should do.
Password Speaking: Test Section 3 - Social situations
Here is a list of ways to get a good score on Multiple choice questions.
Password Tips
This is a role play, you should imagine you are talking to someone.
Read all parts of the question and think about your answer.
Think about who you are speaking to, and how you should speak (formal/informal).
Decide what vocabulary you will need for the situation.
What words that show purpose can you use.
It is important to talk about all three points in your answer.
When you are ready click record and keep talking till the end.
Password Speaking: Test Section 3 - Social situations
Lost property
Read about the situation below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 45 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as you can.
Question:
You have lost something something important in school or college.
Speak to the school secretary.
- Explain what you have lost and why it is important
- Tell them how you think you lost it
- Ask if there is anything else you should do
Social programme
Read about the situation below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 45 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as you can.
Question:
You are unhappy with the evening and weekend activities on your language school’s social programme.
Speak to the Student Services Officer.
- Explain why you are not happy with the social programme
- Suggest activities you would like to do
- Thank the Student Services Officer
Worried mother
Read about the situation below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 45 seconds to record your answer. It is important to say as much as you can.
Question:
Your mother is very worried because you are living away from home for the first time.
Speak to your mother on the phone.
- Tell her not to worry
- Tell her what you have been doing
- Ask about her and the family
Password Speaking: Test Section 4 - Compare and contrast
Read the questions below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 1 minute to record your answer. It is important you say as much as you can.
Question:
“Doing exercise or becoming a vegetarian”
Which is a better way of getting healthy and why?
Password Speaking: Test Section 4 - Compare and contrast
Now listen to two students doing Section 4. Answer the questions that follow.
You may need to scroll down.
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Jonas: |
Shu: |
Which of the students compares and contrasts in their answer?
What advice would you give to Jonas?
What advice would you give to Shu?
Now listen again and write down the comparative and contrastive language the students use. Can you think of any other ways of comparing and contrasting?
Password Speaking: Test Section 4 - Compare and contrast
Now listen to the teacher explaining what you need to do in Compare and contrast,
and then answer the questions below.
What was the teacher's first piece of advice?
What rules does the teacher say you should revise?
This exercise requires students to use...
Practice is very important for this section of the speaking, so record yourself talking about different subjects and then listen back.
Password Speaking: Test Section 4 - Compare and contrast
Here is a list of ways to get a good score on Compare and contrast.
Password Tips
Read the question carefully and decide on several points to compare and contrast.
Use a variety of language structures to show similarities and differences.
It is important to talk about both options and not just choose one.
You should highlight and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Finally, based on what you have said, say which one you would choose.
Password Speaking: Test Section 4 - Compare and contrast
Read the questions below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 1 minutes to record your answer. It is important you say as much as you can.
Question:
“Watching films on TV or going to the cinema”
Which is the best way to watch films and why?
Password Speaking: Test Section 5 - Describe and interpret
Read the questions below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 2 minute to record your answer. It is important you say as much as you can.
Question:
Talk about the information in the line chart. You should explain:
- What is the situation shown in the line chart?
- Why was this happening?
- What do you think has happened since then?
Password Reading: Test Section 5 - Describe and interpret
Now listen to two students doing Section 5. Answer the questions that follow.
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Jonas: |
Shu: |
Both students do well in this section of the speaking. When you are listening, make notes about ways that they talk about the graph. Think about whether you could use any of the language you hear. Once you have listened to them, go back to the task and try doing it again. Did you improve after practicing?
Password Speaking: Test Section 5 - Describe and interpret
Now listen to the teacher explaining what you need to do in Describe and interpret,
and then answer the questions below.
Teacher: The first thing you need to do in section 5 is to have a good look at the chart or graph and make sure that you understand what it is showing. When describing a chart or graph you must pick out the most important details to talk about, not just say everything you see. You need to be clear about what you are looking at before you press record, so take a bit of time to study the chart if there is enough time on the clock. You will need to use verbs and nouns to explain changes, such as 'increase', 'decrease' or 'fluctuation', and to say how quickly they happen, using adverbs or adjectives like 'suddenly', 'gradual' or 'steady'. Then there are expressions that can be used to talk about the highest and lowest points on a graph, you can say 'reach a peak' and 'bottom out'. To explain why something is happening, or what you think will happen next, it is useful to use modal verbs such as 'might' or 'could' to show that you are not certain about what you are saying. And finally you need topic vocabulary to talk about the subject that the graph is showing. There is a lot to think about in this exercise, so practise explaining the main features in different charts and graphs. It helps if you record yourself and listen back to see how you could improve.
Which FOUR techniques does the teacher mention?
Password Speaking: Test Section 5 - Describe and interpret
Here is a list of ways to get a good score on Describe and interpret.
Password Tips
Read the question carefully and spend some time understanding the chart or graph.
Remember, you are not just describing what you see but also explaining what it means.
Decide what the main points are that you need to make and the order to say them.
Think about the language you need to use to talk about changes or differences.
Start by explaining what the chart or graph is before making your points.
You must speak for 2 minutes, so don't rush, just keep talking.
Password Speaking: Test Section 5 - Describe and interpret
Read the questions below. When you are ready to speak click record. You will have 2 minutes to record your answer. It is important you say as much as you can.
Question:
Talk about the information in the graph.
- What is the situation shown in the graph?
- Why is this happening?
- What effect do you think this will have?
Password Speaking: Summary Sheet
Password Speaking
Time: 20 minutes
Sections: 5
Section 1: Reading aloud (not marked)
You will introduce yourself, give your date of birth and then read a short passage out loud.
Tips
- Read the two questions and text to yourself.
- Don’t start recording until you are ready.
- Don't read too fast but try to finish before you run out of time.
- This exercise is to test your microphone and is not marked.
Section 2: About you
You will be asked to talk about yourself by answering five questions.
Tips
- Decide what you will say before you press record.
- Think about the words and the tenses you will use in your answer.
- Don't just answer the question, give details about your answer.
- Make the answer interesting for the listener.
- Keep speaking until the recording stops.
Section 3: Social situations
You will be given three situations and asked to role play them.
Tips
- This is a role play, you should imagine you are talking to someone.
- Read all parts of the question and think about your answer.
- Think about who you are speaking to, and how you should speak (formal/informal).
- Decide what vocabulary you will need for the situation.
- What words that show purpose can you use.
- It is important to talk about all three points in your answer.
- When you are ready click record and keep talking till the end.
Section 4: Compare and contrast
You will be given a subject and asked to give your opinion about it.
Tips
- Read the question carefully and decide on several points to compare and contrast.
- Use a variety of language structures to show similarities and differences.
- It is important to talk about both options and not just choose one.
- You should highlight and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each.
- Finally, based on what you have said, say which one you would choose.
Section 5: Describe and interpret
You will be asked to look at a chart or graph and explain what it shows.
Tips
- Read the question carefully and spend some time understanding the chart or graph.
- Remember, you are not just describing what you see but also explaining what it means.
- Decide what the main points are that you need to make and the order to say them.
- Think about the language you need to use to talk about changes or differences.
- Start by explaining what the chart or graph is before making your points.
- You must speak for 2 minutes, so don't rush, just keep talking.
Speaking suggestions
The only way to improve your speaking is to practice. If you don't have someone to talk to, record yourself and listen for your mistakes. Listen to a native speaker talking and try to repeat what they say. Imagine yourself in different situations, for example talking to a friend from another country about what you have done during the day. Look up any words that you don't know how to say in English. If you do this every day, you will quickly improve.
