Comparar dos de tres fotos y responder a dos preguntas en 1 minuto; luego 30 s sobre las fotos del compañero.
Claves
Las preguntas (impresas sobre las fotos) son lo que más cuenta: no describas.
Especula: might, could, I'd imagine, it looks as though.
Estrategia paso a paso
Elige rápido las dos fotos con más contraste.
Compara con whereas, while, unlike, on the other hand.
Trampas habituales
Describir cada foto por separado sin compararlas.
Olvidar la segunda pregunta.
Ejemplo resuelto
'Whereas a mistake in the boat might cost them a race, in the operating theatre the stakes are far higher.'
Preguntas de ejemplo
Intenta responder antes de abrir la solución. Las preguntas están en el idioma del examen.
Pregunta 1
Dificultad media≈ 1 min
Transcripción del audio (en la app lo escuchas con voz)
Examiner: Who do you think is finding the wait most difficult?
Part 2 (Partner's response, about 30 seconds). In the real exam the examiner asks you this after your partner's long turn about the same pictures.
Picture 1: passengers sitting on the floor at an airport gate beside a departure board showing delays
Picture 2: a man in a hospital waiting room, staring at the floor
Picture 3: young people in sleeping bags queuing outside a shop at night, chatting and drinking hot drinks
Who do you think is finding the wait most difficult?
Tiempo para responder: 30 s.
Ver solución modelo y criterios
Respuesta modelo
I think the man in the hospital. The people at the airport are just inconvenienced, and the ones outside the shop have chosen to be there. But he's probably waiting for news about someone he cares about, and there's nothing he can do to distract himself from that kind of worry.
Criterios de corrección
Grammatical Resource: a range of simple and complex structures (conditionals, modals, relative clauses, passives…) used with a good degree of control.
Lexical Resource: a range of appropriate vocabulary, including less common words and idiomatic expressions, to give and exchange views on familiar and unfamiliar topics.
Discourse Management: extended, coherent stretches of language with little hesitation, using a range of cohesive devices and discourse markers (what's more, having said that, as far as … is concerned).
Pronunciation: intelligible throughout, with appropriate intonation, sentence and word stress, and clearly articulated sounds.
Interactive Communication: initiating and responding appropriately, linking contributions to those of the partner, and moving the discussion towards an outcome.
Global Achievement: overall effectiveness in dealing with the task at C1 level.
Explicación
The follow-up question needs a short, direct answer (about 30 seconds): give your choice straight away and justify it briefly, ideally contrasting it with the other pictures.
Pregunta 2
Dificultad media≈ 1 min
Transcripción del audio (en la app lo escuchas con voz)
Examiner: In which situation do you think it would be hardest to work as a team?
Part 2 (Partner's response, about 30 seconds). In the real exam the examiner asks you this after your partner's long turn about the same pictures.
Picture 1: surgeons and nurses in an operating theatre, concentrating on a patient
Picture 2: volunteers in hard hats building the wooden frame of a house
Picture 3: a rowing crew racing on a river, all pulling their oars at the same moment
In which situation do you think it would be hardest to work as a team?
Tiempo para responder: 30 s.
Ver solución modelo y criterios
Respuesta modelo
Probably the volunteers building the house. Surgeons and rowers train together for years, but volunteers may have only just met, they're likely to have very different levels of skill, and there might not be anyone who's clearly in charge.
Criterios de corrección
Grammatical Resource: a range of simple and complex structures (conditionals, modals, relative clauses, passives…) used with a good degree of control.
Lexical Resource: a range of appropriate vocabulary, including less common words and idiomatic expressions, to give and exchange views on familiar and unfamiliar topics.
Discourse Management: extended, coherent stretches of language with little hesitation, using a range of cohesive devices and discourse markers (what's more, having said that, as far as … is concerned).
Pronunciation: intelligible throughout, with appropriate intonation, sentence and word stress, and clearly articulated sounds.
Interactive Communication: initiating and responding appropriately, linking contributions to those of the partner, and moving the discussion towards an outcome.
Global Achievement: overall effectiveness in dealing with the task at C1 level.
Explicación
The follow-up question needs a short, direct answer (about 30 seconds): give your choice straight away and justify it briefly, ideally contrasting it with the other pictures.
Pregunta 3
Dificultad difícil≈ 2 min
Transcripción del audio (en la app lo escuchas con voz)
Examiner: In this part of the test, I'm going to give you three pictures. I'd like you to talk about two of them on your own for about a minute. They show people working as a team. I'd like you to compare two of the pictures, and say why teamwork is important in these situations, and what problems might arise.
Part 2 (Long turn, 1 minute). In the real exam you see three photographs and the questions are printed above them; here the pictures are described in words.
Picture 1: surgeons and nurses in an operating theatre, concentrating on a patient
Picture 2: volunteers in hard hats building the wooden frame of a house
Picture 3: a rowing crew racing on a river, all pulling their oars at the same moment
Compare two of the pictures and say why teamwork is important in these situations, and what problems might arise.
Tiempo para responder: 60 s.
Ver solución modelo y criterios
Respuesta modelo
I'm going to talk about the operating theatre and the rowing crew. In both cases, teamwork is absolutely essential, but for slightly different reasons. In the operating theatre, everyone has a specialised role, and a single misunderstanding between the surgeon and the nurses could have serious consequences for the patient. So clear communication is vital, and problems might arise if someone is exhausted after a long shift or reluctant to speak up. The rowers, on the other hand, need to do exactly the same thing at exactly the same moment. If even one of them is slightly out of time, the boat slows down, so it's more about rhythm and trust than about communication. I suppose the main risk there is that one person tries too hard and upsets the balance. Whereas a mistake in the boat might cost them a race, in the operating theatre the stakes are obviously far higher.
Criterios de corrección
Grammatical Resource: a range of simple and complex structures (conditionals, modals, relative clauses, passives…) used with a good degree of control.
Lexical Resource: a range of appropriate vocabulary, including less common words and idiomatic expressions, to give and exchange views on familiar and unfamiliar topics.
Discourse Management: extended, coherent stretches of language with little hesitation, using a range of cohesive devices and discourse markers (what's more, having said that, as far as … is concerned).
Pronunciation: intelligible throughout, with appropriate intonation, sentence and word stress, and clearly articulated sounds.
Interactive Communication: initiating and responding appropriately, linking contributions to those of the partner, and moving the discussion towards an outcome.
Global Achievement: overall effectiveness in dealing with the task at C1 level.
Explicación
Choose two pictures quickly, compare them (similarities and differences) and spend most of your minute on the two questions, speculating with 'might', 'could', 'I imagine', 'it looks as if'. Do not simply describe what you can see.