Speaking
Speaking - General Information
• You will have a partner sitting next to you.
• Remember, you will have 16 minutes and it will count for 20% of your nal mark.
• The Speaking exam consists of 3 parts:
• Part 1 (Interview) is a talk with the examiner, where he/she will ask you some questions. This
will take about 2 minutes. You will not have to talk with your partner in this part. The examiner
will probably ask you questions about your hobbies, education, work, interests, experiences,
things you like and don’t like, friends and family, entertainment, daily life, sports, holidays and
future plans, etc. This part serves to ease your nerves and to get into the exam. Just answer the
questions naturally.
• Part 2 (Collaborative Task) is a test where you will get between 1-5 coloured pictures. This will
take about 4 minutes in total. First, the examiner will choose 2 pictures for you and your partner
and you both will have to talk about a matter for 1 minute. Try to look at the gurative meaning
of the picture, so try to think of what’s behind the activity the people are doing in the picture.
They may ask you to compare, and if they do, then say: “This picture shows a man riding a bike
while this one shows a motorbike.”
After the minute is nished, the examiner will ask you and your partner to look at all the
pictures. The examiner will ask you and your partner a question and together you will have
to talk about the subject of the question for 3 minutes. Be careful: the question usually has
2 parts to answer. MAKE SURE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION FULLY. Also don’t forget to
come to a conclusion at the end of the 3-minute mark!
• Part 3 (Long Turn & Discussion) is a test where the examiner will give you a card with one
question and some ideas on it. On your own, you will have to answer the question on the card
for about 2 minutes. You have up to 10 seconds to look at the card before speaking. You may
use the ideas given on the card; try to do this, since it is VERY helpful.
After you’ve talked for 2 minutes, the examiner will ask a question to your partner that is
related to the card. You’ll have to listen to your partner, since when your partner is nished,
you’ll get a question about what he/she was talking about. After that, your partner will go
through the same procedure.
At the end, the examiner will start a discussion with both you and your partner about the
same topic for about 4 minutes. So, you do this exercise with the two of you.
In total, this Part will takes 10 minutes to complete, with 2 minutes for the Long Turn per
candidate, 1 minute per candidate for the question afterwards and 4 minutes for the
discussion at the end.
Speaking - Tips
• Before entering the exam room, only speak English with your partner.
• Throughout the entire Speaking exam, smile and be kind towards the examiner and your
partner. When you rst meet the examiner, greet him/her with a “Hello, nice to meet you”. When
you leave the Speaking exam, you can say something along the lines of “Enjoy your time in the
Netherlands”.
• Don’t repeat questions that the examiner is asking you (e.g DON’T do: “Do you like sh?” —>
“If I like sh? Yes, I do.”)
• Don’t rush. Talk in a calm, relaxing manner. That way you have time to think about what you’re
going to say.
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Speaking - General Information
• You will have a partner sitting next to you.
• Remember, you will have 16 minutes and it will count for 20% of your nal mark.
• The Speaking exam consists of 3 parts:
• Part 1 (Interview) is a talk with the examiner, where he/she will ask you some questions. This
will take about 2 minutes. You will not have to talk with your partner in this part. The examiner
will probably ask you questions about your hobbies, education, work, interests, experiences,
things you like and don’t like, friends and family, entertainment, daily life, sports, holidays and
future plans, etc. This part serves to ease your nerves and to get into the exam. Just answer the
questions naturally.
• Part 2 (Collaborative Task) is a test where you will get between 1-5 coloured pictures. This will
take about 4 minutes in total. First, the examiner will choose 2 pictures for you and your partner
and you both will have to talk about a matter for 1 minute. Try to look at the gurative meaning
of the picture, so try to think of what’s behind the activity the people are doing in the picture.
They may ask you to compare, and if they do, then say: “This picture shows a man riding a bike
while this one shows a motorbike.”
After the minute is nished, the examiner will ask you and your partner to look at all the
pictures. The examiner will ask you and your partner a question and together you will have
to talk about the subject of the question for 3 minutes. Be careful: the question usually has
2 parts to answer. MAKE SURE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION FULLY. Also don’t forget to
come to a conclusion at the end of the 3-minute mark!
• Part 3 (Long Turn & Discussion) is a test where the examiner will give you a card with one
question and some ideas on it. On your own, you will have to answer the question on the card
for about 2 minutes. You have up to 10 seconds to look at the card before speaking. You may
use the ideas given on the card; try to do this, since it is VERY helpful.
After you’ve talked for 2 minutes, the examiner will ask a question to your partner that is
related to the card. You’ll have to listen to your partner, since when your partner is nished,
you’ll get a question about what he/she was talking about. After that, your partner will go
through the same procedure.
At the end, the examiner will start a discussion with both you and your partner about the
same topic for about 4 minutes. So, you do this exercise with the two of you.
In total, this Part will takes 10 minutes to complete, with 2 minutes for the Long Turn per
candidate, 1 minute per candidate for the question afterwards and 4 minutes for the
discussion at the end.
Speaking - Tips
• Before entering the exam room, only speak English with your partner.
• Throughout the entire Speaking exam, smile and be kind towards the examiner and your
partner. When you rst meet the examiner, greet him/her with a “Hello, nice to meet you”. When
you leave the Speaking exam, you can say something along the lines of “Enjoy your time in the
Netherlands”.
• Don’t repeat questions that the examiner is asking you (e.g DON’T do: “Do you like sh?” —>
“If I like sh? Yes, I do.”)
• Don’t rush. Talk in a calm, relaxing manner. That way you have time to think about what you’re
going to say.
12
fi fi fi fi fi fi
