A2 Key Speaking: Answer, Add, Interact
Format
8–10 minutes, two candidates and two examiners. Part 1: the examiner asks you and your partner about yourself - name, where you live, school, free time. Part 2: you talk to each other about a picture prompt (what you can see, what you like), then answer some open questions from the examiner.
Concepts you must control
- Answer, then add. Give a short answer plus one extra detail - a reason, an example or a time.
- Asking your partner questions: "What about you?", "Do you like…?", "Why?"
- Picture language: "In the picture I can see…", "It looks like…", "Maybe they're…"
- Basic interaction: agreeing ("Me too"), disagreeing politely ("Really? I prefer…"), asking for repetition ("Sorry, can you say that again?").
- Clear, simple pronunciation matters more than a perfect accent.
Traps
One-word answers ("Yes", "Football") give the examiner nothing to mark. Talking only to the examiner and never to your partner loses interaction marks. Long silences; fill them with "Hmm, let me think…". Memorised speeches that do not answer the actual question. Speaking so quietly that the examiner cannot hear.
Worked example
Examiner: "Do you like sport?" Weak: "Yes." Better: "Yes, I do. I play badminton at school twice a week because it's fun and it's cheap." You answered, gave a reason and a detail - three chances to show your English.
Rule of thumb
For every short question, use the pattern answer + because/detail. Two sentences instead of one is usually enough to reach A2 comfortably, and asking your partner "What about you?" once or twice per part keeps the conversation alive.