PET SPEAKING TEST

It

lasts from 10 to 12 minutes.

It

is taken by two candidates.

It

is assessed by two examiners: one, the interlocutor, talks

to the candidates; and the other, the assessor, just listens.

The

assessor assesses the performance of the two

candidates in some detail; and the interlocutor gives a global

assessment mark.
At

the end of the test, the examiners will not tell the

candidates how well they performed, but theyll thank them for
attending.

PART 1: PERSONAL INFORMATION (2-3 MINUTES)

Its designed to help the candidates relax. It is assessed, but the questions are
quite simple.

The interlocutor asks questions to the candidates about their daily lives,
families, studies, home town, free time, job and they also will be probably asked
to say and spell their names and surnames.

Some useful language:

Can I have your mark sheets, please?
Whats your name?
Whats your surname?
How do you spell it?
Where do you come from?
Do you work or are you a student in...?
Whats your favourite hobby? Why?
What do you enjoy doing in the evening?
Have you got any brothers or sisters?
Tell us about your family?
What other languages can you speak?

REMEMBER!

Listen to your partner and show interest in what s/he says

Avoid long, prepared speeches

PART 2: SIMULATED SITUATION (2-3 MINUTES)

In this part, the candidates talk to each other. The interlocutor describes a
situation which is illustrated on a sheet of paper and the candidates will have
to make suggestions and discuss aternatives.

Some useful language:

HOW TO :
SHOW INTEREST:

Oh, thats interesting. / I see. / Mm hmmm

ASK FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS LIKE :

Architecture. Is it very difficult? /What kind of books do you like reading?

ASK FOR SUGGESTIONS

What shall we do tonight? Where shall we go tonight?

MAKE SUGGESTIONS

How about going to the cinema?

Why dont we have a meal in that new restaurant?
We could stay in and watch a video.
Lets invite some friends round for dinner.

RESPOND TO SUGGESTIONS

Yeah, thats a great idea.

Yes, that sounds good.
Well, I think Id prefer to go to a disco.
Yes, OK
All right, I agree.

DISCUSS ALTERNATIVES

Which do you think is best?

Yes, thats possible.
Its difficult to decide but .
I think this is more useful because
It would be better to go to the cinema because

ASK FOR OPINIONS

What do you think about that?

Do you agree?
How do you feel about that?
GIVE YOUR OPINION

I think/I dont think thats a good idea

because
Personally, I think thats a terrible idea
because
In my opinion it would be better to stay in a hotel
because

AGREE AND DISAGREE

Thats what I think too

I agree.
Im not sure I agree with you.
Yes, youre right.
Well, thats true but .
Im sorry but I dont agree with you.

EXPRESS PREFERENCES

Id rather go to a campsite
Id like to stay in a youth hostel
Id prefer to go to a hotel
REMEMBER!
Listen carefully to the examiners instructions and focus on the picture in the middle,
which gives the key to the situation
Use the pictures round the outside as ideas for your discussion. Dont describe
them
Think about the type of situation is it directly about you or a third person? If its
about a third person, use he or she consistently
Start the discussion immediately, DONT waste time by giving the background to the
situation
Give reasons for your opinions/ideas
Make sure you give your partner an opportunity to participate equally in the
discussion. Dont dominate

PART 3: DESCRIBING A PHOTO (1-11/2 MINUTES PER

CANDIDATE)

In this part, each candidate talks on his/her own about a colour photo for
about a minute while the other candidate just listens. The two photos are on a
shared topic but each candidate only talks about their own photo.

Some useful language:

HOW TO :
GIVE A GENERAL INTRODUCTION

This picture shows .

In this picture I can see....
This is a picture of ..
TALK ABOUT PLACES

Theyre driving in the country/in a city/in the mountains

Shes sitting inside/outside a caf
I can see a street market/old building/square/ street/restaurant/beach .
DESCRIBE PEOPLES AGE

Hes about 50 years old.

Theyre in their twenties
Shes a teenager/a young child/a middle aged woman.

DESCRIBE PEOPLES CLOTHES

Shes waring a pair of shorts and a red Tshirt

Theyre wearing quite casual/smart clothes
Hes wearing a uniform
DESCRIBE PEOPLES ACTIONS

Hes sitting at a desk

Shes standing in a queue
Theyre having a meal
Some people are sunbathing and others are swimming in the sea
DESCRIBE PEOPLES ROLES IN A PICTURE

Hes probably a shop assistant and shes a customer

This person on the left seems to be a tourist guide hes pointing to a building
The man serving the drinks is a waiter
DESCRIBE PEOPLES FEELINGS IN A PICTURE

You can tell they are enjoying themselves because they are smiling
He seems a bit frightened. Maybe this is the first time hes tried this
She looks very interested in this activity shes concentrating very hard

PARAPHRASE (use these phrases to describe words you dont know)

Its something you fry food in (frying pan)

Its a kind of container for flowers (a vase)
Its a cupboard for keeping clothes in (a wardrobe)
MAKE GUESSES

It might be summer because some people are wearing sunglasses

Its probably in the country, because
This picture could be in Northern Europe because of the buildings
DESCRIBE POSITION

In the middle of the picture there is a group

of people, probably tourists because
In the background there is a church
Theres a bookshelf next to/near/behind/in front of the door
REMEMBER!

Talk in sentences dont produce lists of items you can see

Organise your description dont describe the same thing more than once
Start with a general idea of the subject of the picture before going into details
Give reasons (related to the picture) for your ideas
Talk about the situation as well as the physical things you can see in the picture.
Give some personal reaction to the picture
Listen quietly when your partner describes his/her photo dont give help or comment.

PART 4: DISCUSSION(3 MINUTES)

In this part, the candidates have to talk to each other again. The interlocutor gives
them a topic which is related to the photos they talked about in part 3 but he/she
doesnt take part in this discussion at all.

Some useful language:

HOW TO :
TALK ABOUT PERSONAL LIKES /DISLIKES

I love/quite like/really enjoy/dont like/hate camping because

I find (dont find) visiting museums quite boring/exciting/expensive/relaxing
Im (Im not) very interested in / quite keen on sport ..
ASK FOR OPINIONS

What do you think of Italian TV?

Whats your opinion?
How do you feel about going on a cruise?
EXPRESS PREFERENCES

Id (wouldnt) like to live in a big house because

Id rather/prefer to live in the country because

REMEMBER!
Listen carefully to the instructions given by the examiner. Usually there are
twothings to talk about. Remember to talk about both of them with the other
candidate and give reasons and examples for your opinions.
Often the instructions from the examiner will use the verb like. Listen
carefully to decide if you should use would like + to + infinitive OR like + the
gerund in your answers.
Respond to what the other candidate says (show that you are listening and
interested, ask follow-up questions) and then give your own answer.

NOW, SOME USEFUL LINKS...

PET speaking exam (youtube)
http//cambridgeexamsblog.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/videos-pet-exam.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MidiZ-jbB-Q
http://exams.richmondelt.com/index.php?speaking-test-video-pet3
PET speaking exam (practice)
http://writefix.com/?page_id=359#part3
http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/preliminaryenglish/speaking/pet_speaking_practice_test_part_3.htm
http://carolenglishcorner.blogspot.com.es/2013/02/blog-post_6213.html