FCE (Cambridge First Certificate) Speaking- Needs Analysis and Useful Language

FCE (Cambridge First Certificate) Speaking- Needs Analysis and Useful Language
Take turns asking each other about the topics below and reacting to what your partner
says, making notes in the boxes given.
Language for talking about similarities

Language for talking about differences

Like you,…
is… (almost) the same if you look at…
… is (fairly) similar to… in terms of…
I… too./ / I… as well/ I… either. In fact,…
So/ Neither… I. That is to say…

Unlike you,…
… is (very) different from…
I don’t/ I’m not/ I can’t/ I haven’t…
Rather than…, I…
I haven’t… as… as…

Name of your partner:

Topic

Present

Past

Future

Speculating/

Theoretical

Opinions

Work/
Studies

Language
learning
(in class
and/ or
self-
study)

Using
foreign
language
s

Language
exams

Use the questions from the FCE Speaking exam Part One and Part Four to help with the
task above.

Ask about any of those questions which you don’t know how to ask or answer.

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2015

Present



Are you interested in…?



Do you do anything to…?



Do you like…?



Do you prefer to…or…?



Do you spend a lot of time…?



Do you usually…?



Do you…, would you say?/ Would you say that you…?/ Would you describe… as…?



How do you usually…?



How… are you?



What is your favourite…?



What kind of… do you…?/ What sort of…do you…?

Past



Has… changed since you were a child?



Have you… recently?



Tell us about the last time you…



What things… when you were a child?



…when you were younger?

Future



Are you going to…?/ Do you plan to…?/ Have you got any plans to…?



Is there anything that you’d like to…in the future?

Speculating/ Theoretical



If you could…, what would you choose?



Many people… Why do you think this is?



More and more people are… these days. Why do you think this is?



What could you do to…?

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2015



What do you think people like about…?/ Why do you think… is/ are popular?



Why do you think some people…?



Why do you think some people prefer… to…?



Would you prefer to…or…?

Opinions



Are there times when it’s better to…?



At what age do you think… should…?



Do you think children should…?



Do you think it’s better for… to… or…?/ Is it better to… or…?



Do you think it’s good for… to…?/ Is it a good thing for… to…?



Do you think it’s true that…?



Do you think… is a good idea?/ Do you think it’s a good idea to…?



Do you think… is a good way to…?



Do you think… is always a good thing (for…)?



How important is it to…?



Is… the best way for… to…?/ What is the best way to…?



Some people say… What do you think?



What do you think the advantages/ disadvantages of… are?



What’s good about…?



Which is the best…?

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2015

Share some similarities and differences with the class. Are their experiences the same or
different?

Language to explain similarities and differences (Useful for FCE Speaking Part
Two)
Both… and…/ … and… both
…, whereas…/ …, but…
…. In contrast,…
Unlike…,….
…, and so is/ does…
…, and… is/ does too.
…, and… is/ does as well.
A/ One difference/ similarity (which stands out) is…
One thing that… and… have in common is…
One of the (few) similarities/ differences between… and… is…
Another/ An additional difference/ similarity (which is instantly apparent) is…
The most obvious/ important/ apparent similarity/ difference (for me) between… and…
is…
A striking similarity/ difference is…
… and… are (quite/ very/ really/ really quite) similar/ different, for example…
… and…. are (quite/ very/ really/ really quite) similar/ different in terms of/ because…

Use similar language to do a Speaking Part Two task.

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2015

Choose one of the questions below and ask for your partners’ opinions. You can then ask
the same or a different question to the other person in your group. If the answers are very
short, you can also ask follow up questions like “Why do you feel that way?”
Student A
1. Are there times when it’s better to carry on speaking even when you know you have

made a mistake?

2. At what age do you think children should start learning a foreign language?
3. Do you think it’s true that people in your country are particularly bad at English?
4. Do you think shadow reading is a good idea?
5. Do you think studying for language exams is always a good thing for your level in that

language?

6. How important is it to keep a list of vocabulary to learn?
7. Is reading the best way for people to learn vocabulary?
8. More and more people are taking online language lessons these days. Why do you

think this is?

9. What do you think the advantages of studying a language from very young are?
10. Why do you think some people don’t progress in their foreign language studies?

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Student B
11. Do you think children should be taught to read a foreign language first or that reading

should be left until later?

12. Do you think it’s better for English language learners to watch movies with English

subtitles or with no subtitles?

13. Do you think just chatting in English is a good way to reach a higher level?
14. If you could improve just one part of your English, which would you choose?
15. Is it a good thing for teachers to correct all their students’ mistakes?
16. Many people spend a lot of time learning grammar. Why do you think this is?
17. What do you think people like about learning English through children’s books?
18. What’s good about reading and listening to the news to learn English?
19. Which is the best way of studying at home to pass Cambridge First Certificate?

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Student C
20. Do you think it’s a good idea to keep a list of your own typical mistakes?
21. Do you think it’s good for teachers to let students do most of the speaking in class?
22. Is it better to read English texts as quickly as you can or to read slowly and carefully?
23. Some people say that there is no need to study grammar. What do you think?
24. What could you do to improve your listening skills?
25. What do you think the disadvantages of language exchanges are?
26. What is the best way to find more chances to speak English in this town?
27. Why do you think some people prefer reading fiction in another language to reading

the news?

28. Why do you think language learning apps on mobile phones are popular?
29. Would you prefer to take a short intensive course or a longer course just once a week?

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2015