Speaking: Four Parts and a Conversation
What the test asks you to do
Flyers Speaking takes about 7–9 minutes with one examiner. In Part 1 you compare two pictures and find the differences. In Part 2 you exchange information: you and the examiner have similar pictures with different details, so you must ask questions and answer questions. In Part 3 you tell a short story from four pictures after the examiner gives you the first line. In Part 4 you answer personal questions about your life - school, holidays, hobbies, last weekend.
Language you must control
Use present continuous to describe pictures (The boy is climbing a tree), there is / there are, prepositions of place, comparatives (bigger, more expensive), and past simple for the story and for Part 4 questions about the past. Question forms matter in Part 2: What colour is…? How many…? Where is…? Is there a…? What is he doing?
Traps to expect
- One-word answers. “Blue.” gives the examiner little to mark. Say “It’s blue.” or “The ball is blue.”
- Forgetting to ask. In Part 2 you must ask about your partner’s picture, not only answer.
- Describing only one picture. Compare both: “In my picture the dog is under the table, but in your picture it’s on the chair.”
- Present tense in the story. Pictures of finished events need past simple.
- Silence. A short pause is fine; a long one costs you. Say “Let me look…” and continue.
Rule of thumb
Answer plus one detail. Never answer with a single word - add a colour, a place or a reason: “I like football because I play it with my brother.”
Worked example
Examiner: “What did you do at the weekend?” Weak: “Park.” Strong: “I went to the park with my family and we played football.” The strong answer shows past simple, a subject, a verb, and extra information.