A dialogue taken from a recent exam of the first Cambridge b2 speaking.

FCE Course Lesson 9 – A dialogue taken from a recent exam of the first Cambridge b2 speaking.

Dialogue for Cambridge b2 speaking: In this lesson we are studying the main difficulties of the speaking part in the FCE exam through an entire Mock Speaking. For the speaking part of the exam it is very important to work on one’s vocabulary, grammar, the organisation of ideas, and also pronunciation. Today we will see how important it is to enunciate and we will practice this through the use of with tongue twisters.

Dialogue 9: Mock Speaking Part 3

EXAMINER: Ok, so now we’re going to move on to parts 3 and 4 of the exam. For part 3, I’m going to give you a set of pictures which I want you to discuss together and work together to come up with answers to the 2 questions I will ask you. So here are the photographs. There are different buildings and places in London. I want you to discuss which places would be best to visit on a school trip. Then I want you to decide which two places would be best.

LAURA: Ok, so here we can see Buckingham palace. I think this would be a good place for a school trip because I guess it’s one of the biggest tourist attractions so that would be good for school pupils to see.

KELLY: Yes I agree, same goes for Big Ben which must attract a lot of tourists too. And then we have the London Eye, which might be good but I’ve heard that it is pretty expensive too, so I don’t know if it would be affordable for school pupils.

LAURA: Yes, maybe it would cost too much. Whereas, they could go to look at the Tower Bridge, which is also pictured here and this would be free of charge. In the foreground of that picture, we can see the River Thames, and this area in general seems to capture the essence of London so would be great for the students to look at. Do you agree?

KELLY: Yes, definitely. It would be a great idea to just stand overlooking the river and the bridge to take in all the beautiful surroundings of London. As for the other 3 pictures that we have here, one of them looks like a museum. Perhaps it is the Natural History museum, that would be an excellent choice for a school trip because it is important that they learn things as I’m sure the purpose of the trip is to be informative as well as fun.

LAURA: I agree. I think you’re right about it being the Natural History museum. This would be an excellent place to visit to have the opportunity to learn more about the history of England. I think the other building that we can see here is the National Gallery. This would also be a great place to visit because I think art is such an important part of a country’s culture. I would suggest going here to see the different pieces of art that this gallery has to offer.

KELLY: Absolutely, art would be another good thing for the children to learn about. And finally, we can see Hyde Park. I also think this would be a great place to visit because the pupils could walk around in the fresh air. What do you think?

LAURA: You’re right. That way, they could get a break from the busy atmosphere of the city!

EXAMINER: Thank you. And what 2 attractions would be the best to visit?

KELLY: If I had to choose 2, I would pick the Natural History Museum so the students could learn and improve their knowledge. What do you think for the second choice?

LAURA: Maybe Buckingham palace because I feel it is an absolute must-see when you go to that city!

EXAMINER: Great, ok so now we’re going to move on to part 4 and have a discussion about some of the topics brought up in part 3. So, Laura, do you like to visit very touristic cities?

LAURA: I do, yes. Don’t get me wrong, I also love to sunbathe by a hotel pool. However, I think city breaks are great because you get to visit amazing monuments and attractions at the same time as experiencing new cultures and learning things.

EXAMINER: Great. What about you Kelly?

KELLY: I’m not that keen on overly touristic cities to be honest.

EXAMINER: Ok, and why is that?

KELLY: I’d rather go to undiscovered places because that way, it is less expensive and then it is even easier to fully immerse yourself in a different culture.

EXAMINER: Ok and do you think tourism is always good for a country?

KELLY: Well, it is good in the way that it attracts people and therefore gains more money for the country’s economy.

EXAMINER: Ok, and Laura. Do you think there are only good things about tourism or does it have negative aspects too?

LAURA: In general, I think tourism is good for a country. However, I suppose you could argue that tourism takes away the identity of a place. For example, just down the coast we have Benidorm. This town has no identity at all now because it has been taken over by tourists.

EXAMINER: Would you both say that Valencia is a good place for tourists to visit?

LAURA: I would say yes. Perhaps it’s not as popular as Madrid or Barcelona but I think it would be a great place to visit for a weekend. We have good restaurants, bars and monuments to visit.

KELLY: I agree. Although it’s probably not the top choice in Spain for tourists, I think, as a city, it has a lot to offer in terms of things to do and places to see.

EXAMINER: Ok thank you. That is the end of the test.

Vocabulary First Speaking Skills 8

ENGLISH	SYNONYM or DEFINITION
a pupil	a student
affordable	not expensive
free of charge	having no cost
to overlook	to have a good view of
a must-see	somewhere recommended to be seen
to bring something up	to mention, to raise a subject
don’t get me wrong	don’t misunderstand me
overly	excessively

Exam tips for cambridge b2 speaking Skills 8

EXAM TIP FOR FCE LESSON 9

A great way to practise your enunciation is to use Tongue Twisters. Check the meaning of the words, then read the sentences out loud, initially slowly and then faster. This is one of the best exercises to practise the positioning of the tongue and teeth. This will help you speak English clearly.

Betty Botter had some butter, “But,” she said, “this butter’s bitter.
If I bake this bitter butter, It would make my batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter–
that would make my batter better.”

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry.
A box of biscuits, a batch of mixed biscuits.
Six slippery snails, slid slowly seaward.
She sells seashells on the seashore.

How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
Swan swam over the sea,
Swim, swan, swim!
Swan swam back again.
Well swum, swan!

Are our oars oak?
Truly rural.

Annie ate eight Arctic apples.

Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely.