FCE speaking part 1 – Tim's Free English Lesson Plans

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First post in a while as I’ve been tied up with DELTA module 1 exams. Modules 1 and 2 are done! It’s been a fantastic but extremely taxing experience.

So it’s back to the bread and butter of exam prep classes and two long-standing private students have their FCE next week, so I’ve made this handy FCE speaking phrase sheet. Download it below:

FCE Speaking phrases

FCE Speaking Phrases

Likes/dislikes

I’m into…

I’m a keen/avid (surfer)

I’m keen on/fond of (surfing)

I’m a fan of…

Opinion

In my opinion…

I think/reckon…

From my point of view…

Comparing/contrasting

Both pictures show…

In this picture we can see… whereas/while in the other picture…

In contrast

On the other hand

Describing pictures

He/she/they seem to be…

He/she is probably…

In this picture it looks as if/though they are…

They could/might/may be…

They could/might/may have just…

In the background there is/are…

At the top/bottom…

In the corner…

Agreeing

You’re absolutely right.

I feel the same.

I couldn’t agree more.

I think so too.

Absolutely/totally.

Disagreeing

I don’t think so…

I take your point but…

Hhhmmm, I’m not so sure…

I see what you mean but…

Starting

Shall I start?

Shall we start with….?

Would you like to start?

Do you mind if I start?

That’s a difficult/interesting question.

Now let me see…

Asking for opinion

What’s your opinion on….?

What do you think about….?

How do you feel about…?

Would you agree with that?

Personalising

Speaking from personal experience,…

For me personally,..

I’d prefer to be in this situation because….

Impressive structures

Another point I’d like to add about … is…

Coming back to what… was saying about…

It’s also important to remember that…

Another idea which has just occurred to me is…

Repairing and Rescuing

I can’t remember the word at the moment but…

It’s the thing you use to…

The person who…

I have the word on the tip of my tongue.

The word has slipped my mind.

What I’m trying to say is…

What I mean is…

Asking for repetition

I beg your pardon, I didn’t catch that.

Sorry would you mind repeating that?

Could you repeat the question please?

Image credits: www.bbc.co.uk and www.youtube.com

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This is a game that can be adapted for a range of levels. I thought it up specifically for students to practice for the FCE/CAE/CPE speaking part 1, in which candidates must give complete answers to a series of interview style questions.

You will need Adam Simpson’s amazing blockbusters powerpoint game which you can download here. You will also need a list of typical Cambridge exam questions which you can download below. Alternatively, for non-exam classes, you can play the game with the “Just a minute” topic cards also included below with the class procedure and rules.

Class procedure and rules

Typical Cambridge Exam Questions

just a minute

Class Procedure and Rules

Divide the class into two teams, orange and green, show the blockbusters power point. The green team’s objective is to make a line of tiles from left-to-right across the board, while the orange team has to do the same but from top-to-bottom.

Teams claim a tile by speaking about a topic for a minute with no hesitation, repetition or deviation. For lower levels you could change the time limit to 30 seconds and be more lenient with hesitation repetition and deviation. Students nominate one member of their team to go first.

The team decides which tile they want to try to claim. The teacher chooses a question from the list or a topic from the “Just a Minute” topic cards. The student must then speak for a minute about the topic, if they hesitate, repeat themselves or deviate from the topic the teacher stops the stop-watch and a member of the opposing team can try to talk for the rest of the minute to claim the tile for their team.

Useful language

Time buyers

Well, let me see…

That’s an interesting question…

Rephrasing/Clarifying

What I’m trying to say is…

What I want to say is…

I mean…

Discourse markers

Obviously,

Sadly,

(un)Fortunately,

Probably the (most important)…

etc.

Topic nomination

Speaking of…, … (Speaking of living abroad, my sister is currently living in…

That reminds me…

Before I forget…

Addition

What’s more…

Also…

On top of that…

Besides that…

… as well.

Just a Minute Topic Cards

The best advice my parents ever gave me.	The best day of my life.	Being an only child	Albert Einstein
My favourite dessert	Falling in love	The most annoying thing in the world	My favourite toys as a child.
The worst thing about living in Barcelona	My most embarrassing moment	My favourite hobby	How to cook the perfect paella
Bullfighting	Making a cup of tea	Learning to drive	Chocolate
Things that make me angry	Weddings	What I was like as a child.	cheating
Don Quixote	Breakfast	The best way to propose to your boyfriend / girlfriend	Red wine
Beer	English tourists	Real Madrid	Crocodiles
Ghosts and the supernatural	The pope	Going to the dentists	Buying a new car.

Tag: FCE speaking part 1

FCE Speaking Phrases

Game: Just a Minute/Blockbusters Mash-up