CAE Speaking Part 2

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 buying things. Please compare two of the pictures and say why people chose to buy things this way and what can be difficult about buying things this way?

• Why people chose to buy things this way?
• What can be difficult about buying things this way?

Candidate A: I am going to describe the top-left picture and the one at the bottom. The first one shows a lady wearing a mask, she’s buying oranges and maybe she’s shopping for other fruit as well. She might have chosen to come to the shop personally because it is very close to the place she lives at. Maybe, she prefers to personally make sure that the fruit are ripe and not rotten. The other picture with a young guy and a vending machine shows a purchase made without any other people involved. He might do that to avoid any anxiety associated with talking to others.

Both situations show the problem of choice – it can be difficult to pick the thing you want among the great variety offered. In case of the vending machine, it can be quite tricky to operate too – you have to have some experience of using it not to get confused.

Short-turn question: Which picture shows the least stressful way to buy things?

Candidate B: It’s probably the top right picture with a young woman, who is shopping online. She didn’t even have to leave her house – she can have things shipped to her door, if she so desires. No stress at all, just the pure joy of consuming.

Examiner: Here are the pictures, in which you can see people in different weather conditions. Compare two of the pictures and say how comfortable the people might be in this weather and how common this type of weather might be for this place?

• How comfortable might the people be in this weather?
• How common might this type of weather be for this place?

Candidate B: I will be talking about the left picture and the bottom one. One shows a rain-soaked pier and a person standing at the edge, looking at the beautiful, mist-covered mountains in the background. Even though the weather seems a bit damp, I doubt that they’re feeling any discomfort – they seem to be dressed appropriately for the weather. However, the man with a lifebuoy flung over his shoulder is clearly unhappy about the weather – he is perspiring and his facial expression shows exhaustion.

Both pictures show rather typical weather conditions for their respective locations. High temperatures are quite typical for ocean islands in the tropic zone and humid conditions with ample rainfall are not unusual for the mountainous regions. However, I am not so sure about the top-left picture and the weather situation shown there might be uncommon.

Short-turn question: In which picture are people more likely to enjoy the weather?

Candidate A: The top-right picture is full of people picnicking on the lawns – they are evidently savouring the pleasant weather conditions. The place is packed with people, this is probably an unusually warm and pleasant day and therefore everyone in the picture wants to be a part of it.
Click to download this CAE Speaking Part 2 Worksheet in PDF. Don’t forget to switch to landscape mode when printing!

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 eating. Compare two of the pictures and say why people might be eating in that way and what might they find enjoyable about eating like that?

• Why might people be eating in that way?
• What might they find enjoyable about eating like that?

Candidate A: I’d like to talk about the two photos at the top. The left one shows a family of three drinking tea and enjoying something that looks like pastry. They might have decided to do that to spend some quality time with each other, maybe they have just finished their main course. The young couple in the other picture are sitting on the floor, enjoying their pancakes with some syrup – I guess they decided not to sit at the table because it is more romantic that way. Or maybe they don’t have any furniture!

Both are similar in the way that they are probably enjoying the company more than the meal. The social aspects seems to be of paramount importance in the two situations here.

Short-turn question: In which picture do people enjoy their food the most?

Candidate B: Without a doubt, it’s the kid with chocolate spread from the bottom picture! Just look at him – he is radiant with joy, helping himself to this delicious treat.

Examiner: Here are the pictures, in which you can see people camping. Compare two of the pictures and say how experienced might people be at camping and how difficult might it be for them to reach their destination?

• How experienced might the people be at camping?
• How difficult might it be for them to reach their destination?

Candidate B: I’m going to talk about the bottom picture and the one on the right. In the right photo the man is unfolding what seems to be a tent, getting ready to pitch it. It’s hard to tell how experienced he might be, but he looks well-equipped. The bottom picture with a couple of young people and a white SUV shows seasoned campers, who have taking everything they could to their field trip, they seem to have planned for every eventuality.

The person from the top right picture might find it rather challenging to reach his destination as his backpack looks really heavy. He also has to carry the tent and many other things. Conversely, the people from the other photo shouldn’t have any problems getting wherever they are headed – after all, they have a car, and with a car you can go anywhere you want.

Short-turn question: Which camping trip might be the most challenging?

Candidate A: I’d say it’s the trip shown in the top right photo. The people seem to have gone pretty far from civilisation, and they are walking, which means that they will probably have to walk back as options like bus or train are unlikely to be available.
Click to download this CAE Speaking Part 2 Worksheet in PDF. Don’t forget to switch to landscape mode when printing!

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 showing a meeting of friends. Compare two of the pictures and say why people might have chosen to meet and how well they might know each other?

• Why they might have chosen to meet?
• How well might they know each other?

Candidate A: I’ll talk about the top two pictures. In the left one we see people who seem to be partying – bottles in their hands and smiles on their faces. I’m pretty sure they know each other rather well. The same can’t be said about the other picture where a group of people are staring at their phones. If anything, they could be complete strangers or maybe something really exciting is happening on the Internet, I can’t really know for sure.

As for their reason to meet, it’s really hard to tell! The people having a celebration are probably happy that they have finished a project or maybe it’s somebody’s birthday or a wedding. The situation in the right photo is much less certain – it could be almost anything, a school reunion or maybe a family meeting or something of the kind.

Short-turn question: Which situation is going to be most memorable for the people?

Candidate B: I’d say it’s the one with teens from the bottom picture. They seem to be in a rather picturesque place. They are quite young too, and we tend to cherish our memories of youth the most. I mean, they will probably be coming back to these fond moments over the course of their lives!

Examiner: Here are the pictures, which show people dressed in different ways and styles. Compare two of the pictures and say why the people might have chosen to dress like that and how comfortable they might be, okay?

• Why might people have chosen to dress like that?
• How comfortable might they be?

Candidate B: I’d like to compare the top left picture and the bottom one. The former looks like a fruit and vegetable shop, and the owner probably chose to wear these rather simple clothes for practicality’s sake – he wouldn’t feel bad if he were to stain those, I’m sure. The bottom picture shows a different setting – something like a business meeting, they are probably reporting to their superior, sharing their productivity figures or other corporate nonsense.

I’m convinced that people in both pictures are comfortable in their clothing of choice. I mean, as long as one’s apparel is of appropriate size and the fabric is nice to your body, you shouldn’t feel any discomfort. In any case, you get used to what you wear, so you practically stop paying attention to that. So I wouldn’t say that any of the people pictured in these photos might be feeling discomfort because of their clothes.

Short-turn question: Which person is dressed most appropriately for the occasion?

Candidate A: The street vendor seems to have nailed it, ha-ha! He seems to have successfully struck the balance between being presentable and not having to worry about getting some dirt on his sleeve. Speaking of sleeves, he doesn’t even have any, but this shouldn’t be a problem to his clients, anyway.
Click to download this CAE Speaking Part 2 Worksheet in PDF. Don’t forget to switch to landscape mode when printing!

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 that show people living in different environments. Compare two of the pictures and say why people might have chosen to live in these places and how comfortable might they be there?

• Why might the people have chosen to live in these places?
• How comfortable might they be there?

Candidate A: I’m going to talk about the left photo and the bottom one. These two photos show people spending their time outside, in the first photo it is a woman who seems to be relaxing far from the city centre, while in the second photo we can observe crowds of people hurrying up in a rush hour. The people might choose to live in these places as it matches their personality, the woman probably prefers peace and quiet and seizes any opportunity to escape from the city, however, people who live in big metropolitan areas evidently like being busy and have active lifestyle. The woman likely to be happy enough and enjoys her day out, the people appear to be a bit stressed and exhausted after long working day.

Short-turn question: Who do you think is benefiting most from living there?

Candidate B: I would say that it’s the lady in the left picture. To my mind, this person is living in harmony with nature, despite the fact that it seems a bit wild, it might be extremely advantageous to live in a rural area and not in a city packed with people, cars, glass and concrete.

Examiner: Here are the pictures. They show various approaches to advertising. Please compare two of the pictures and say what might be the advantages of advertising in these ways and how important it might be for these people?

• What might these people have in common?
• How important might it be for them?

Candidate B: I’ll be comparing the right and the bottom photos. The girl in the first photo seems to be a bit tired but satisfied enough with amount of work she has done to fight against environmental problems. The young man in the second photo also appears to be worried about the environment and willing to save our planet. Both pictures show people striving to do their best about the issues that concern them and may be of a high importance. However, the girl might have chosen more practical kind of help, while the man is probably trying to raise peoples’ awareness about the situation.

Short-turn question: Which situation is the most difficult for the people to deal with?

Candidate A: For me it seems to be situation in the left photo, as the elderly woman and young girl are probably willing to have their own, naturally grown food, it looks like they have it not only for themselves but also share it with other people or sell. In this case, it might be quite difficult to maintain quality of food and have sustainable business to produce eco-friendly products.
Click to download this CAE Speaking Part 2 Worksheet in PDF. Don’t forget to switch to landscape mode when printing!

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, where people are shown working together. Compare two of the pictures and say how important it might be for the people to work together and how difficult it might be for them to work alone?

• How important might it be for the people to work together?
• How difficult might it be for them to work alone?

Candidate A:I’d like to speak about the right photo and the bottom one. In the first photo people are working in an office, evidently they are working on the same project. In the second photo people are at business lunch break, probably talking about some transactions or confirming a contract. While collaborating they can settle the disputes and reach just agreement, which is based on mutual interest. Working alone might entail various difficulties as the issue cannot be discussed from different points of view, as there is no second opinion to rely on.

Short-turn question: Who do you think benefits most from working with other people?

Candidate B:To my mind, it is photo at the bottom – these people seem to be brainstorming ideas and are in process of creating something. It is very advantageous if members of a team can interact with each other and look at the project from different angles.

Examiner: Here are the pictures. They show various approaches to advertising. Please compare two of the pictures and say what might be the advantages of advertising in these ways and how important it might be for these people?

• What might be the advantages of advertising in these ways?
• How important might it be for these people?

Candidate B:I’ve chosen a photo on the bottom and the one on the left. These two pictures convey the same idea of advertising. Just like the photo on the left, the bottom photo shows people who probably need to sell something, so they might want to draw people’s attention to it using slogans and pictures. Advertising is advantageous for them as they can benefit from it a lot. The bottom photo shows a family whose business is involved which makes advertising a priority, while in the second picture the man seems to be only a part of a huge campaign.

Short-turn question: Who do you think benefits most from the advertising?

Candidate A:In my opinion, it is a family in the bottom photo as they seem to be depending on it, probably they have a small family business and it is highly important for them to attract attention to their products or services.
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CAE Speaking Part 2 sample questions with answers. If you want to print them or save in PDF, use “printfriendly” button at the bottom of this page.

Examiner: Here are your pictures. They show people doing sports. Please compare two of the pictures and say what skills and personal qualities each sports activity involves and how might these activities make people feel?

• What skills and personal qualities does each sports activity involve?
• How might these activities make people feel?

Candidate A: I’m going to talk about the left picture and the bottom one. In the first picture we can see a group of cyclists, they are probably professional sportsmen who are in the middle of the race. However, in the second picture there is a runner who might be an amateur, he seems to be warming up and preparing for jogging. As both activities are physically demanding, they evidently require certain level of will-power and competitive spirit. Moreover, these types of sports may be quite inspiring in terms of learning how to pluck up their courage and can provide them with a rewarding feeling of achievement.

Short-turn question: Who do you think would need the most practice?

Candidate B: I’d like to choose the left picture, judging by their facial expression they are making intensive efforts to win the race. It seems to be highly desirable for them, probably they were practicing for many years to take part in such competition.

Examiner: Here are the pictures. They show people spending their free time in different ways. Compare two of the pictures and say why the people might have chosen to spend their time in these different ways and how they might be feeling?

• Why the people might have chosen to spend their time in these different ways?
• How they might be feeling?

Candidate B: I would like to talk about the bottom photo and the top-left one. The first photo shows a man who is sitting in a café and probably having lunch. In the second picture, a couple appears to be having a romantic date. In both pictures the people have chosen to spend their time outside. However, the man seems to be a traveller and he is simply having a short break alone to continue his journey. A couple is evidently not in a hurry, it was a thoughtful choice to have dinner in such place and they are just enjoying time together.

Short-turn question: Who do you think is enjoying the time most?

Candidate A: It seems like this family in the top-right photo is absolutely happy at the moment, as it is always a great pleasure to be able to spend time with your family. Here they might be celebrating someone’s birthday and enjoying their day to the fullest.

Click to download this CAE Speaking Part 2 Worksheet in PDF. Don’t forget to switch to landscape mode when printing!

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, where people are shown commuting. Compare two of the pictures and say why they might have chosen to commute this way and how pleasant might the commute be?

• Why might they have chosen to commute this way?
• How pleasant might the commute be?

Candidate A: I’ll be talking about the two pictures at the top. While the man on the bus from the right picture is probably commuting like that out of necessity, the younger person on the mountain bike from the other photo probably does that as a conscious choice. He could be more caring about exercising, or maybe his journeys are shorter, so cycling is a viable option. It should be said however that both ways to commute are fairly sparing on the environment.

I am not entirely sure if the older man is enjoying his time on the bus – he looks rather concerned, although it might be for completely unrelated reasons. As for the cyclists, he is much more likely to find his journeys pleasant – the picture shows us a warm, sunny day, so I’m pretty sure he is enjoyed the ride he has just finished.

Short-turn question: Which picture shows the least stressful way to commute?

Candidate B: The bottom picture is the one that causes the lowest levels of stress. Other than an occasional traffic jam, nothing is likely to upset or disturb you, as you drive to your destination on your own or with company of your choice. You drive at your own pace, listen to the music you are into, you are free to roll down the window to have the stream of air caress your face.

Examiner: Here are the pictures. They show people buying things. Please compare two of the pictures and say why the people have chosen to buy at these places and how often they might be buying these things?

• Why have the people chosen to buy at these places?
• How often they might be buying these things?

Candidate B: I’d like to talk about the top pictures. In one of them we can see a place resembling a coffee-shop, and the people there are probably visiting this establishment for their morning cup of americano and a biscuit or something along those lines. Contrastingly, the other picture with a long line of customers in a supermarket probably came there to buy some essentials such as food and other consumer goods.

I’m pretty sure that both pictures show us situations where people frequent the respective places, albeit with different regularity. One might choose to go to the coffee shop several times a day, whereas it would make little sense to drop by the supermarket more often than every other day.

Short-turn question: Which picture shows the people who are likely to shop at the same place again?

Candidate A: It’s the bottom picture, I think. This street fruit vendor seems to know these women so it’s a common courtesy to buy things from people you know, as everybody wins there – the client gets a regular’s discount, while the proprietor has more clientele. So yeah, I believe they are very likely to shop there again.
Click to download this CAE Speaking Part 2 Worksheet in PDF. Don’t forget to switch to landscape mode when printing!

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 helping others. Compare two of the pictures and say how important the people’s help is and how difficult might it be for them to provide that help?

• How important is the people’s help?
• How difficult might it be for them to provide that help?

Candidate A: I’d like to take the top right photo and the one at the bottom. Both show us people helping others get somewhere, but that’s about the only thing in common between them. While the top photo shows us a kind of a sports competition where people have to clear an obstacle, the other one shows a disabled person in a wheelchair who is helped by another individual. It must be quite important for the team at the sports event to help each other to continue the race, but not nearly as vital as in the situation with the other picture, where the handicapped individual heavily relies on their helper’s assistant.

Talking about how challenging it is to to provide help, I’d like to say that the situation with the sports competition is likely to be over in an hour or so, while the person pushing the wheelchair is likely to be doing that for years to come. Without a doubt, this makes the situation much more difficult for them.

Short-turn question: In which picture do people get most satisfaction from helping others?

Candidate B: The doctors from the top left photo are sure to feel immense satisfaction from having helped patients in need. Being a surgeon you probably have to invest emotionally into every single operation, so the positive outcome almost guarantees to satisfy the doctor responsible for it.

Examiner: Here are the pictures. They show people communicating with one another. Please compare two of the pictures and say why the people might have chosen to communicate in this way and what might be the advantages of communicating like that?

• Why might the people have chosen to communicate in this way?
• What might be the advantages of communicating like that?

Candidate B: I’d like to compare and the bottom picture and the top right one. Both pictures show us people, who are outside and in the middle of some sort of a conversation. However, one shows us a conventional face-to-face communication, while in the other the talking is done with the help of an electronic device which looks like a tablet. The young man with the gadget might have chosen to communicate like this because their interlocutor is far away. The young couple, on the other hand, probably prefers the more close and old-fashioned approach to communication.

Talking in person is probably easier, as there is no middleman in the form of technology, such as the device itself, the internet connection that can be unreliable, things like that. On the other hand, using your gadget might enable you to get in touch with people many hundreds or thousands miles away – that’s no mean feat too!

Short-turn question: Which picture shows the most effective way of communication?

Candidate A: It’s probably the tried and true telephone conversation from the first picture. Almost any person in the world nowadays is just a phone call away, so having a conversation with them is as effortless as pressing the dial button. That’s pretty effective in my book!
Click to download this CAE Speaking Part 2 Worksheet in PDF. Don’t forget to switch to landscape mode when printing!

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. There you can see people with animals. Compare two of the pictures and say how important the animal is for them and what are the difficulties of owning the animal?

• How important is the animal for the people?
• What are the difficulties of owning the animal?

Candidate A: I’d like to discuss the top left and the bottom pictures. I’m pretty sure that in both situations the animals are very needed by the people, but for different reasons. The donkey from the bottom picture is used to haul heavy loads, such as furs as shown by the picture, so the man greatly depends on it, it is even likely to be a part of his work or occupation. The smiling couple in the other picture shows more emotional attachment rather than practical need in the dog they are hugging.

Having an animal as part of your work or family life is a great responsibility. You have to feed them, take them to the vet if they feel unwell, vaccinate them from various diseases. I’m pretty sure that both owners experience more or less the same kind of difficulties when it comes to owning their animals.

Short-turn question: Which person has the strongest bond with the animal?

Candidate B: The dog and his owners can probably be chosen as the ones with the strongest bonding. It is well-known that dogs are fiercely loyal, likeable creatures. They seem genuinely happy to be together, so I’d have to go with this option.

Examiner: Here are the pictures. They show people enjoying different hobbies. Please compare two of the pictures and say what might be enjoyable about each hobby and why people might have chosen to pursue the hobby?

• What might be enjoyable about the hobby?
• Why might people have chosen to pursue the hobby?

Candidate B: I’ll be comparing the two pictures at the top. The left picture shows two cyclists on sports bikes exploring some snow-covered trail, while the other one shows a woman knitting. Cycling might be fun and pleasant for a number of reasons – spending time with your friend, exercising, exploring the unknown, untrodden paths. However, knitting can be quite appealing too – it puts your mind at ease and offers a nice change for everyday routine. The variety that the hobby introduces is a thing that is true for both pictures.

The cyclist are probably after the excitement and physical exercising that this pastime proved. The social aspect must be very important to them as well, since they are not cycling alone. The lady knitting might have opted for this way of spending her free time for more practical reasons – she could be making her own clothes or she might even have a small business, producing made to measure woollen clothing.

Short-turn question: Which hobby might be beneficial to others?

Candidate A: The professional photographer is able to help society appreciate the beauty of our world by sharing his masterfully taken shots. He could also be making those picture to raise awareness of the environmental issues in the area.

Click to download this CAE Speaking Part 2 Worksheet in PDF. Don’t forget to switch to landscape mode when printing!

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. There you can see people preparing food. I’d like you to compare two of the pictures and say why they might have chosen to prepare food in this way and how good might the people be at what they are doing?

• Why might the people have chosen to prepare food in this way?
• How good might the people be at what they are doing?

Candidate A: I’d like to talk about the top left picture and the bottom one. The one in the top left shows an old lady, probably a grandmother to the kid and she seems to be teaching him how to peel a potato. In the other picture there is a barbeque grill with meat – this is probably an party for a small group of friends, judging by the number of sausages. Both pictures show us people who seem to be rather good at cooking – the dish in the bottom picture looks rather appetising, while the old lady in the other photo seems like she knows what she is doing

As for the possible reasons to cook in this particular way, in one of the pictures the more experienced grandmother introduces her grandson to the pleasures of cooking, sharing secrets of her mastery in this art. The bottom photo is likely to be more of a social event rather than a gathering organised just to cook and eat. After all, sausages alone probably won’t satiate anyone’s hunger.

Short-turn question: Which person is likely to be most experienced at cooking?

Candidate B: The man with the pizza dough is probably the most proficient and knowledgeable of the three when it comes to cooking. If you work at a place like a pizzeria or a restaurant, you are bound to be making dozens of such dishes everyday. This inevitably makes you better at what you do – he must have been perfecting the art of making pizza every day for years.

Examiner: Here are the pictures. They show people receiving presents. Please compare two of the pictures and say what might the present be and how happy might the people be to get it?

• What might the present be?
• How happy might the people be to get it?

Candidate B: I’d like to discuss the two pictures at the top. The right picture shows a girl holding a Christmas gift shaped like a little house – it looks like a lantern. The right picture however is much more mysterious – it is unclear what the present is or who is the one getting it. Despite this, both people in this picture seem to be glad and pleasantly surprised by what is inside the giftbox. The girl in the right picture seems to be more pensive and thoughtful rather than happy. Perhaps, she expected something different, maybe a doll or a box of chocolates. I wouldn’t say that she looks disappointed, though.

Short-turn question: Who is more likely to appreciate their present most?

Candidate A: I believe it must be the man in the bottom picture. He looks like the girl’s father so the present must be very special to him – after all, it’s the attention rather than the contents of the box that really matter. Surely though, the gift itself is going to be as dear to him and he will probably treasure it forever.

Click to download this CAE Speaking Part 2 Worksheet in PDF. Don’t forget to switch to landscape mode when printing!