This article is a collection of answers (from real students) to commonly asked CAE Speaking Test part 1 questions - hopefully it will give you some useful ideas about what to say, how much to say, and how to say it.
I've added some feedback to some of the answers. You should also check out the YouTube channel if you haven't already done so - lots of great help there.
Feel free to leave your own answers in the comments. I’ll give feedback when I have time!
Also, please buy my new phrasal verbs course! You’ll find hundreds of sample answers to Speaking Test questions and it’s lots of fun.
What do you enjoy most about learning English?
ANSWER 1
Well, there are two answers:
The first is that I enjoy the English language itself. I just like the way it sounds, I've always liked it since I was a child.
The second answer is that English is the modern lingua franca, that is, I can talk to everybody in the world. No language barrier between me and somebody from China or Saudi Arabia or Sweden!
Marina, Italy
ANSWER 2
For me, next to the use of the English language, the culture and the literature is really what I like studying a language. But the most important reason why I learn languages, mostly English and Spanish, is the reason to be able to communicate with people around the world.
F., Switzerland
ANSWER 3
Since we live in a globalized world with English as the most spoken language, learning it enables me to make friends from every corner of the world, which definitely is the part I enjoy the most.
Hana, Slovakia
ANSWER 4
Being able to communicate with foreigners - travelling and meeting new people is easier!
Beatka, Spain
“Good answer but too short - you can add another sentence at least.”
Answer 5
I understand my English-speaking work colleagues much better and my speaking is better.
I use it for holidays and it's really helpful for my job in my position. For me it's a kind of - how shall I say - something new and useful every week in the lessons. It's like brain training.
E., Switzerland
Where are you from?
ANSWER 1
Originally I am from Germany, but as a child I lived already in Switzerland, of course with my parents. We moved back to Germany when I was 7 years old. When I finished my studies in Frankfurt, I moved to Zurich again. This was in 2011.
F., Switzerland
“Good answer but you need to put the adverb before the main verb. ‘I already lived in Switzerland’.
And you should say ‘that’ instead of ‘this’. This is for things that are close to us; that is for things that are far away. ‘That was in 2011’.”
What do you do here/there?
Answer 1
I have been working as a Marketing Consultant for [company] since 2011. This is also the reason I moved to Switzerland because I found exactly the job opportunity I was looking for.
F., Switzerland
“Fine, but a bit dry. Can you spice it up a bit?”
How long have you been studying English?
ANSWER 1
I have been studying English since high school, which means since 1997. I also had English as a subject at university and spent some holidays in an English speaking country. The last one was Australia.
F., Switzerland
“A missed opportunity to use an advanced adjective. The last one was Australia, which was breathtaking/life-changing/beyond belief.”
Are you the kind of person who can do two things at once?
ANSWER 1
As a first reaction I would say yes – but this is not correct. I can watch television and being in the internet at the same time, but when it needs some kind of concentration for both things, I prefer doing one thing after the other, because then it is done correctly.
F., Switzerland
“Can is a modal verb, so the verb that follows, watch, has to be in the base form. But so do all the other verbs that connect to ‘can’ - I can WATCH television and BE on the internet at the same time.”
How do you usually like to spend your free time?
ANSWER 1
It depends on the amount of time. But in generally I love reading my books, being with friends and family and doing sports, in particular running and yoga. And I just started riding the motorbike, which is a lot of fun. But most important for me is travelling.
F., Switzerland
Are you planning to do any courses in the near future?
ANSWER 1
Yes! As I really enjoy the English classes at work – it is kind of a variety to the normal daily business life. And of course I still want to continue to improve my English skills. So next goal is the proficiency level...
F., Switzerland
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
ANSWER 1
If I could go anywhere, I would go to Asia or Africa. The reason is simple, because I spent the last 7 months in North, Central and South America and Australia, so these two continents are still missing. There are still a lot of destinations on my travel-to- do-list, but I am working on it.
F., Switzerland
Do you use social networking sites a lot? Why/Why not?
ANSWER 1
Unfortunately, I do, especially Facebook. But I stopped to post things, I tell my family and friends who are interested in my life on a direct and personal way. And since Whats App is used by so many people I prefer communicate via tis app instead of Social Media. Additionally, I started to call people again instead of writing messages.
F., Switzerland
“I stopped smoking = I quit
I stopped to smoke = I stopped driving the car, got out, and lit a cigarette
I stopped POSTING things on Facebook.
Apart from that, a really good answer.”
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