CAE Speaking Part 2 sample questions with answers. If you want to print them or save in PDF, click the red icon at the bottom of this page.
Examiner: Here are your pictures. They show people engaged in creative activities. I’d like you compare two of the pictures and say why people might have chosen to do these activities and what challenges might they face while doing them, alright?
- Why people might have chosen to do these creative activities?
- What challenges might they be facing?
Candidate A: I’ll be talking about the top right picture and the bottom one. While the bottom photo shows us a rather straightforward process of carving a pumpkin into a Halloween decoration, the other photo takes us to a workshop where some serious designing and manufacturing is taking place. It’s hard to say whether the man from this picture does it for a job or as an extravagant hobby, but in any case he is very likely to have a plethora difficulties to overcome while doing it. I’m not totally convinced that the same could be said about the art of making a Halloween lantern, not to the same extent, anyway. However, even such a simple endeavour could get complicated. One can be said for sure – the person in the bottom picture is doing it for fun, rather than as a way to earn money.
Short-turn question: Which person is more likely to have the activity as their hobby?
Candidate B: Uhm, probably the young lady from the top right picture? She is clearly enjoying it, judging by her smile. I could be mistaken though – enjoying one’s job is not so uncommon, after all! But yeah, I think it’s the girl doing illustrating, drawing a sketch.
Examiner: Here are the pictures. They show people listening to music in different ways. Please compare two of the pictures and say why people might have decided to listen to the music in this particular way and what are the disadvantages of listening to the music in these ways, okay?
- Why people might have decided to listen to music in these particular ways?
- What are the disadvantages of listening to music in these ways?
Candidate B: I’ll talk about the two pictures at the top. The left one shows a live concert and clearly people go to these to experience their favourite artist’s music in a different way, to see them, maybe even to meet fellow fans. The right picture shows a rather different approach to your favourite tunes – they say that vinyl records provide a very unique experience, they almost take you back in time. So feeling sentimental and nostalgic could be the reasons to listen to the music this way.
As far as the potential challenges are concerned – you have to stand in a long line if you want to get to a live concert. It might sound silly, but it can be really loud out there too, I mean, way too loud! And with the vinyl records – supposedly, they can’t be played indefinitely as the track wear out and the sound quality suffers from that. Maybe that is what makes them so special, cherishing every single playback and all.
Short-turn question: In which picture the music is most important for people?
Candidate A: The guy in the bottom picture probably relies on music to brighten up his commute to work or school. It is likely to improve his quality of life, making his journey more tolerable, taking his mind off the boredom of transit.
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