Preparing for A2 Key Speaking Part 2, Phase 2
This post, with tips and ideas to help students prepare for A2 Key Speaking Part 2, Phase 2, follows on from my previous post, About A2 Key Speaking Part 2, Phase 1.
After discussing the five pictures of activities, places or things, and answering questions about their opinions and preferences, candidates are then asked two questions each.
Let’s look at the Sample Examiner’s script from the B1 Preliminary for Schools Handbook, available here.
As you can see, the first question asks what each student prefers. language can we use to talk about preferences?
Well, obviously, the verb prefer!
e.g. I prefer spending my free time with other people, especially my friends.
We can also talk about what we do and how often we do things (and add examples).
e.g. I usually do team sports in my free time, but I also sometimes enjoy doing things alone, like reading or listening to music.
And, we can, as we saw in Phase 1, use adjectives to give an opinion.
Being alone is boring. Spending time with my friends is much more fun and interesting.
The second question is also about preferences, but this time, a comparative adjective (more fun) is used.
So, it is natural for students to answer using comparative forms.
e.g. Playing sports is much more exciting than watching them.
Tip for ‘or‘ questions: A good start to an answer to an ‘or’ question could start with It depends…
e.g. It depends on the sport. I’m really into football and I love both playing it and watching it on TV, or in a stadium. In the summer, I go swimming, but I never watch swimming competitions. They’re boring.
A final tip: Make sure that your students know that they will be assessed on three areas in the A2 Key Speaking Test:
Grammar and Vocabulary
Pronunciation
Interactive Communication
The tips I’ve shared, and the suggestions for language to use, should help them to get good marks for Grammar and Vocabulary.
In terms of Interactive Communication, at this level, they may very well need some support. This is stated in the descriptor for Band 5. Train them to be able to ask for help and to check instructions or meaning.
I hope that these three posts have been useful and that they will help your students go into the A2 Key or A2 Key for Schools with confidence and that they will do well.
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