5 min freeFull speaking testThe long turn, rehearsed out loud
2
people run this conversation
6 min
The shortest conversation
One minute to prepare, two to speak, then follow-ups. Rehearse it in the fortnight before, not the night before.
Two minutes alone on a card you were given one minute to think about, with nobody to rescue you at ninety seconds.
A2 · basicB1 · workingB2 · confident
Who you will be talking to
The long turn, with 2 of these 2.
In whichever order helps. The first 5 minutes with a free partner cost nothing, so you can talk to two of them before you choose.
5 min freeFull speaking test
5 min freeFull speaking testWhat actually happens
Five things people say before they start.
One of them is usually the real reason. What sits underneath it is what actually gets scored.
/01
“You write full sentences and then read them.”
What to write in the minute
Not sentences. Four or five nouns, one per bullet, plus one specific detail you can expand if you run short, that detail is the whole difference between two minutes and ninety seconds.
/02
“You hit the last bullet at sixty seconds.”
Covering the bullets slowly
The bullets are a floor, not a plan. Most people sprint through all four and are left with a minute and nothing to say.
/03
“You start repeating the question in different words.”
The gear change
When you feel yourself running out, the move is to go smaller and more specific rather than broader. A concrete example buys thirty seconds; a generalisation buys five.
/04
“You are still talking when the examiner starts the next question.”
The follow-up questions
Two, straight after, and they are part of the same score. Stopping cleanly matters more than finishing your thought.
Not the situation you need?
Bring the real thing: the job description, the date on the letter, the words the school used. Everyone who runs the long turn will work from what you actually walked in with.
How a first conversation worksWhat it costs
One price a minute, whoever you talk to.
A harder conversation simply runs longer. The shortest way to rehearse the long turn is 6 min.
You pay for the seconds you talk, and the minutes come off a balance you already hold. Nothing renews, and you are never sent a bill. Plans and refunds.
Your first 5 minutes
What 5 free minutes are for.
01
Use a real card
The persona gives you one. Do not pick your own topic, choosing is not part of the test.
The terms, in full
- Free
- 5 minutes
- No card asked for
02
Watch the clock in the transcript
The score shows exactly when you ran out, which is usually earlier than it felt.
Paid for out of your free minutes
- What to write in the minute
- Covering the bullets slowly
- The gear change
- The follow-up questions
Questions
What people ask before they start.
Nearby
What people open next.
The rest of Exams first, then everything else at the same difficulty.
All the situationsFull speaking test
A2 · basicB1 · workingB2 · confidentC1 · advancedAll three parts, timed, with an examiner who does not help you.3 peoplefrom 13 minPart one questionsB2 · confidentC1 · advancedShort answers about your own life, which is where most people overrun.1 personfrom 5 minAt training
A2 · basicB1 · workingB2 · confidentInstructions shouted once across a court, words you only hear in a gym, and the sentence that matters most: this hurts, or this is just hard.8 peoplefrom 6 min
A2 · basicB1 · workingB2 · confidentC1 · advancedAll three parts, timed, with an examiner who does not help you.3 peoplefrom 13 minPart one questionsB2 · confidentC1 · advancedShort answers about your own life, which is where most people overrun.1 personfrom 5 minAt trainingA2 · basicB1 · workingB2 · confidentInstructions shouted once across a court, words you only hear in a gym, and the sentence that matters most: this hurts, or this is just hard.8 peoplefrom 6 min