Speaking: describing, telling and explaining
The four parts
In the first part you compare two pictures and find the differences. In the second you tell a short story from a strip of pictures. In the third you look at four pictures and say which one is different and why. In the fourth the examiner asks you simple questions about your school, family, home and free time.
Language you must control
For differences, use 'There is / There are', prepositions and the present continuous: 'In this picture the cat is on the chair, but in that picture it is under the chair.' For the story, use the past simple with linking words: 'First... Then... After that... In the end...' For the odd one out, give a reason with 'because': 'This one is different because you don't eat it.' For personal questions, use the tense in the question: 'What did you do at the weekend?' needs a past answer.
Traps
One-word answers ('Yes', 'Blue', 'Football') do not show what you can do. Silence is worse than a mistake, so always say something. Candidates often point at a picture instead of describing it, or describe only the first picture in the difference task. In the story, tenses are often mixed: 'He is running to the shop and then he fell.'
Rule of thumb
Answer, then add one more thing. 'I like football because it is fast. I play on Saturdays with my brother.' That single extra sentence turns a short answer into a good one.
Worked example: the examiner asks 'How do you go to school?' A weak answer is 'Bus.' A good answer is 'I go to school by bus with my sister. It takes twenty minutes.'