Frequently Asked Questions: C2 Speaking
Luis Porras Wadley answers frequently asked questions concerning the Cambridge C2 Proficiency Speaking examination.
Luis Porras Wadley is the owner and director of KSE Academy, an online English academy and official Cambridge English Exam Preparation Centre based in Granada. As an English teacher, Luis has been preparing Cambridge candidates successfully for over 10 years. He is an author, EFL blogger, SEO consultant, freelance writer and translator.
Is the Speaking test taken individually or in pairs?
The Speaking test is taken in pairs or trios,unless a candidate has special needs that may affect their performance. This may lead to them taking the test individually. However, regular tests are normally taken in pairs, and if there is an uneven number of candidates, only the last three candidates will take the test as a trio.
How long is the Speaking test?
Normally, the Speaking exam will last around 16 minutes. However, when taken as a trio, the test will last around 24 minutes, so that all candidates have the same chance to speak as if they were in a regular pair-format test.
Can candidates choose to do the test with a friend or classmate?
This depends on the examination centre candidates register with. Each centre has its own policies and so this may or may not be allowed. In the end, it is up to the supervisor of the exam session to allow it or not, and the decision will be based on exam timing and logistics rather than candidates’ preferences.
Do candidates have to speak with each other at some point?
Yes, they do. Candidates must always speak to each other in Part 2 and will usually do so in Part 3. The only part that is entirely carried out individually is Part 1. However, in their answers, candidates can refer to what the other candidate has said earlier in the test if they feel it is relevant.
How many people are there in the examination room?
In the examination room there can be up to five people: two examiners and two or three candidates. Occasionally, there may be a third examiner, but their role will not be to assess the candidates.
What happens if the interlocutor interrupts a candidate when the time allocated to a task is up?
This is completely normal, and candidates should expect to be interrupted when the time is up. The interlocutor’s job involves ensuring that every candidate has the same opportunities to speak, which includes having the same time allocated to do so. If a candidate has developed their answer well and has responded fully, but with time to spare, they will not lose marks.
In Part 2, do candidates need to talk about all the pictures?
No, this is not necessary, although it should not be a problem to do so given the timing for each task. The prompts in this part of the test are given to ensure that candidates have some ideas to talk about, and that they engage in a real discussion. However, they are not assessed on whether they talk about all of them; it is the quality of the language used when working towards a decision or solution that matters.
In Part 2, will the instructions or questions be written above the visual prompts?
No, they will not. Unlike in other Speaking tests, such as the C1 Advanced or B2 First that have parts based on visual prompts, Part 2 of the C2 Proficiency Speaking test simply presents the main topic of the discussion (e.g. Insurance companies – Travel), so it is extremely important to listen to the interlocutor’s instructions carefully and, if necessary, ask him or her to repeat them.
In Part 2, must candidates reach an agreement by the end of the task?
Not at all. The purpose of the test is to assess candidates’ speaking skills, not the completion of the task or the conveyance of their opinions. Candidates are only expected to develop a discussion in which they work towards an agreement or decision by means of exchanging views and opinions, and agreeing and disagreeing. Whether or not they have reached an agreement by the end of the task is irrelevant to the awarding of their mark.
In Part 3, do candidates have time to think before their two-minute-long turn?
Even though the interlocutor will not say so, each candidate has up to ten seconds to look at their card before they begin. If necessary, after those ten seconds, the interlocutor will prompt the candidate to start speaking by saying: Would you like to begin now?
In Part 3, do candidates have to talk about all the different prompts?
No, this is not necessary. The prompts in this part of the test are there to ensure that candidates have some ideas to talk about, and that they engage in a discussion. However, they are not necessarily expected to use all of them, nor are they limited to those prompts; they can bring their own ideas into the discussion.
What do candidates need to take with them to the Speaking test?
Candidates need to take a valid form of photographic ID (Passport, Identity Card, Driver’s Licence, etc.) and their Confirmation of Entry, which is a document provided by the examination centre some time before the test.
What are the mark sheets mentioned at the beginning of the exams?
The mark sheets contain each candidate’s name, surname and their candidate number, and this is where the assessor writes their marks. These sheets are given to candidates before they enter the examination room, and they will have to give them to the interlocutor at the beginning of the test. The examiners will then keep the mark sheets to relay the candidates’ marks to Cambridge Assessment English.
Where does the Speaking exam take place?
The Speaking exam can take place in a range of venues, but it is most likely to take place in the examination centre itself (usually a language school) or one of its examination venues, which also tend to be language schools and, sometimes, hotels or conference rooms.
Is the Speaking exam done the same day as the other parts of the test?
Not normally, but it can happen. Given the length of the whole exam, it is usually more practical and reasonable to do the Speaking test on a different day. This is decided by the examination centres and candidates are informed of this well in advance.
Will the examiners be looking at the candidates throughout the whole test?
No, they will not. Examiners, especially the assessors, have to assign marks while the exam is taking place. For this reason, there will be times throughout the test when they might be looking at their examiner booklets or candidate mark sheets instead of the candidates. However, this does not mean that they are not paying attention to the candidates and their responses!
How is the Speaking exam marked?
Each candidate’s performance is marked both by the interlocutor and the assessor, who give candidates a score for six different categories: grammatical resource, lexical resource, discourse management, pronunciation, interactive communication and global achievement. The assessor is responsible for assessing the first five categories, which account for two thirds of the score, and the interlocutor awards the global mark, which comprises one third of the final speaking score.
Can another candidate’s performance affect a candidate’s score?
No, it cannot. Although the exam is taken in pairs or trios, candidates are assessed individually and examiners are duly trained to do so, ensuring that both candidates have the same opportunities to speak and thus can be marked separately.
Can candidates memorise some answers for the exam?
While the introductory questions in Part 1 are common to all tests, candidates are advised not to prepare long answers in advance or to memorise short speeches. Examiners can easily tell when a candidate is using a pre-learned speech, and will interrupt them when they feel it is necessary to do so.
Is a candidate’s pronunciation expected to be native-like?
No, it is not. First-language interference is expected and not penalised if it does not hinder communication. However, at this level, candidates are expected to be fully intelligible and have great control of phonological features like intonation, stress and articulation, and be able to use these features to convey and enhance meaning effectively.
