Even though it’s the shortest, the speaking portion of an English language exam is often the one that students find the most difficult. The prospect of speaking for minutes at a time without anyone prompting or responding to you can be daunting, but with some careful preparation and a pragmatic attitude you’ll be able to go into the exam feeling confident and assured.
The speaking exam is split into two parts; the first is a monologue and the second is a conversation. This article will focus on the first part, in which you will be asked to speak about issues related to a given topic for three minutes. As no structure is provided by questions or responses from an interlocutor (as is the case in the second part of the exam), it’s up to you to organise and deliver your response as a coherent whole. You’ll have to make sure you communicate a series of clear, well-justified ideas, with connective phrases between them to mark the progression of your argument.
This clear progression is key, as it helps the examiner to easily grasp the direction and range of your argument (which helps them to give you more marks for clarity!). Here are some tips on how to structure your response:
Start by outlining the themes and arguments you’re going to engage with. It’s a good idea to rephrase the issue, as laying out the question in your own words shows a strong grasp of the concepts. Indirect questions (e.g. the issue of whether X has changed over the years…). You can also consider starting with a rhetorical question, a fact or an anecdote.
As you continue with your monologue it is useful to punctuate your response with connective phrases to mark the progression of your argument. For example, to move on to a new point:
- This leads directly to my next point…
- Let’s now take a look at…
- This brings us to the next question…
Or, to return to an element of an argument you’ve previously made:
- As I mentioned/pointed out earlier…
- To return to my earlier point…
Here are some useful phrases for giving your personal opinion on a topic:
- To my mind…
- As I see it…
- As far as I’m concerned…
- I have the impression that…
- I believe/think that…
The balance between personal opinion and more factual or objective statements will depend on the topic you are talking about.
In order to project confidence and present a solid, logically sound argument, you should include plenty of impersonal statements as you construct your points, for example:
- It is imperative that…
- X is of paramount importance
- Studies have shown that…
- Many scientists/researchers agree that…
- It should be noted that…
- It is important to remember that…
- I would also like to draw attention to…
- It could be argued that…
To bring your monologue to an end, consider using some of the following phrases to sum up the points you have made and to introduce your concluding remarks:
- Finally, I’d like to highlight one key issue.
- I would like to finish by mentioning…
- As a final point I’d like to add/emphasise that…
- Let me summarize by saying…
- To recap what I’ve said so far…
- In short…
- To sum up,…
The examples and arguments you will use will depend completely on your chosen topic, but here are our main tips for delivering your monologue:
Though it might seem like a long amount of time to speak uninterrupted, it can go very quickly. Make sure you don’t linger too long on any singular points, and if you get stuck on one, try to move on fairly quickly. In order to be able to present a well-rounded argument (and to have time to introduce the topic and then deliver concluding thoughts at the end) you will have to make sure that you express your ideas concisely. It’s a good idea to do some timed practices at home to get a sense of how much you are able to say in the time given. This will help you to get a good sense of how many points you can fit into your monologue, and at what point you should start wrapping up your answer if you’re running short on time.
You should incorporate sophisticated vocabulary and grammatical structures, but always while making sure that you’re responding directly and concisely to the subject matter. You shouldn’t try to memorise phrases or arguments in preparation for the exam, as you’ll risk missing the heart of the question and sounding like you are delivering a rehearsed script. It’s certainly helpful to learn vocabulary and key phrases that will help you to structure your speech, but you should always make sure that you’re responding as directly as possible to the exercise. And besides, you can always point to general examples and common-sense arguments if you’re struggling to recall a specific statistic or figure.
Lastly, confidence is key: maintain good posture and eye contact, and don’t be derailed by any errors or slip-ups. If you make a mistake and you’re aware of it, the best approach is to quickly correct yourself and move on. In a pressured situation it’s easy to make small errors that you wouldn’t normally make in class or practice, so don’t let it knock your concentration.
Taking on these tips will help you develop the general strategy and the confidence you’ll need to succeed in your C1 speaking exam – good luck!