Speaking

Making notes on cue cards

Understanding the cue card

Talk about a work of art you have seen. You should say

what the work of art was

where you saw it

when you saw it

And say whether you enjoyed that work of art

Part 1- the topic

This part simply tells you what is the topic you need

to talk about. Points to note include that:

the topic will always be a general topic – the sort of

thing every should be expected to talk about

the topic is always personal – something YOU have

seen

Talk about a work of art you have seen

Part 2-the detail

This part is different. You are asked to add details about the main topic. These details are answers to what/where/when/who questions. Points to note include:

the details you are asked to add are descriptions, not explanations – it is possible to make the task harder than it really is by thinking why

you can details to the questions on the card: in fact it is good advice to do this

what the work of art was

where you saw it

when you saw it

Part 3- the explanation

This part is different again. Here you are asked to add an

explanation and the question is almost always a how, if or why

question. Points to note include

it is sometimes easier to say more about this part – explanations

tend to be longer than simple descriptions

there may be more to say, but explanations are harder to give

normally than descriptions – your brain has to do more work

Making notes- focus

When you make notes, I believe it helps to focus on what

notes you make. If you just try to make notes generally,

you make no notes at all or get notes you can’t use. You

should also remember that you only have one minute.

This means that the notes you make are limited.

vocabulary notes- useful?

painting

masterpiece

artist

gallery

exhibition

Detailed notes

You are not thinking of words, you are thinking of ideas.

Ask questions

When?“It was last year”. (almost no language)

“I can’t quite remember when, but I think it was sometime in the

middle of last year. I went there with a friend on a weekend because

we had nothing else to do and felt like going out”. (lots more

language and some good spoken structures. This part of the test is

not all about topic language).

Questions

what the work of art was + artist + what type

where it was + where exactly

when you saw it + when exactly + who with + why go

It is a test of communication, not knowledge.

Part 3

And say whether you enjoyed that work of art

Educational

Fun

Practice

To understand how the questions work, it can make sense to write out your own cue cards. This makes you think about the detail questions and the opinion questions.

Talk about _________________ you _____. You should say

when

where

who

what

And you should also explain why

Speaking Part 3

Verbs of speculation

Avoid parroting- paraphrase Q

Using you/we/they- general observation

Fillers to buy time- That’s an interesting question

Prepare for Skype session

Describe an artist or entertainer you admireYou should say

• who they are and what they do+ how long?

• how they became successful +why+when?

• how you found out about them +who+where?

• and why you admire them