1. Which questions to expect
Generally the questions start about you and your personal life, then ask you to make opinions, then move into more speculative territory.Here are a few you could prepare for:
• Are you working or studying at the moment?
• What do you enjoy most about the place where you're living now? (O)
• You said you're from X. What's the most interesting place for visitors to see there? (O)
• How difficult would it be for you to move away from the area you're living in now? (S)
• What, for you, is the most interesting aspect of learning English?* (O)
• How much time do you spend travelling every day?
• Do you think it's easy for people to find a good job nowadays? (O)
• In the future, do you see yourself living in your own country, or somewhere abroad? (S)
• Do you tend to get nervous, and if so, in what circumstances?
• Do fashions in music change rapidly in your country? (O)
• Do you think your personality has changed over the years? (O)
• What countries or other parts of your country have you travelled to?
• Is it common for people to leave the place you come from? (O/S)
• Can you tell us something about housing in your area? (O)
• How good are you at organising your time?
• How important is the internet to you?
• With more shopping being done over the internet, what future is there for ordinary stores? (S)
2. THE RIGHT LENGTH OF ANSWER
Q - Are you working or studying at the moment?A - Both - studying for CPE doesn't pay, sadly, so I've got to do something to bring home the bacon! I'm holding down a part-time job as a waitress while I slog away at the books, but it's not all bad.
(This
is a good length and it sounds natural. It makes good use of
expressions, topic-specific vocabulary and phrasal verbs, but without
being overly long. Remember: Part 1 is a balance of saying enough that
you give yourself a chance to use some natural-sounding vocabulary and
grammar without "overdoing it" and babbling on!)
3. GIVING OPINIONS (see photocopy)
4. KEY WORDS for every topic
