A few months ago I gave you some help with doing Part 2 speaking for Cambridge PET or Preliminary exam. I'm going to do another session on that today but with a completely different type of photograph so we'll be using different vocabulary. This type of scene is quite common - it's a family scene in a kitchen - people doing some cooking. You can see the photo if you go to Practising English dot com at podcast 116. So here we go...
First of all, a reminder of some of the vocabulary we'll need to describe the photo. You only have a minute to do this so it's important to try to use a good variety of words to impress the examiners. You're going to need words like at the top, at the bottom, on the left, on the right, in the bottom right corner, in the top left corner. Then also, in the foreground, in the background to talk about what's happening at the front and at the back of the picture.
We should talk about the photo in a logical way. Firstly, say what is happening in general, then you can talk about the actions in more detail. Finally, if you still have time, talk about what people are wearing or what's in the background.
In this practice session for Cambridge Preliminary speaking exam, I'm going to introduce another language area for study - vocabulary. The vocabulary I'm talking about are of common words. That means words you will need often during the exam.
There are some very common words that are OK for A1 or A2 levels but you should change these now for B1. For example, A1 students could use the word 'big'. At A2 level, the word 'large'. And 'large' still sounds better than 'big' even for B1. But if we can say 'huge' or 'enormous', which mean very big, your level will be B1. If we don't mean the word 'enormous' because we don't want to say something is very big, we can use an adverb with 'big' or 'large'.
The kitchen is fairly/rather big,
or,
The kitchen is fairly/rather large.
The use of the adverb will make your English more B1 level.
Here are some more examples of adjectives which are A1 or A2 and how we should upgrade these words - you know, like you upgrade software to a more advanced version. We can upgrade these adjectives from A1, A2 to B1 level. Here is a list of some common adjectives we will use today:
happy - cheerful
boring - dull
kind - helpful
fun - enjoyable, exciting
wearing - dressed in
tidy - neat (neat and tidy)
normal - usual
right - suitable
pleased - satisfied
clever - smart
necessary - essential
As I said earlier, if we use adverbs like: fairly and rather before adjectives, our English will sound more like B1.
Here is some more advice for you. You probably know some good words at B1 level. The problem is that in the exam you don't use those words. That's a shame. It's a good idea to try to use good words and expressions in the speaking exam even though they are not completely relevant. How do you do this? Well, you can talk about things that are NOT happening or things you cannot see. Or that perhaps something is happening. Your sentences must make sense though.
In the description below, notice how the student talks about things not happening or things that may be happening so he can use some of those useful B1 words he has learnt. The words are: dull, satisfied, smart, cheerful, neat and tidy, suitable and essential. These words are not necessarily used to talk about kitchens and cooking but the student uses them well and makes his long speaking turn sound very natural. I'll say the words again... (He also uses the word 'apron' too, which he knew and it's a good word for the subject of cooking, but nobody is wearing an apron!)
"This is a picture of some people in a kitchen. It might be a family. A father, two children and a grandfather. But I'm not sure. There is a man helping the boy to break an egg - I think it is. He could be the boy's father. He's being very helpful and showing the boy what to do. I think the boy is enjoying himself. He doesn't think cooking is dull, in my opinion. He looks very satisfied. He looks fairly smart too.
There is a little girl next to the boy. She could be his sister. She's mixing something in a pan. She doesn't look very cheerful though. She looks rather worried.
Perhaps this is a competition - a cooking competition or they're practising for a competition - like Master Chef on television.
The kitchen is fairly large - it doesn't look like a kitchen in a house. The kitchen looks neat and tidy too.
There is an older man behind these people. If he isn't the grandfather, he could be a chef. I think he's laughing. He looks very cheerful. Perhaps he's watching to see if the children are using suitable ingredients in their recipes.
Nobody is wearing an apron. The older man with white hair is dressed in a shirt with short sleeves. It's not essential to wear an apron but it's a good idea so you don't get dirty. Most chefs usually wear aprons when they are working in the kitchen.
I can't really see anything in the background - just white walls. There is a woman, I think, on the left of the picture. But I can't describe her. I can't see enough of her."
Until next time. Goodbye for now!
Listen to more practice on the PET speaking part 2...
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