Clearly one of the best ways to prepare for the Speaking part of the Preliminary English Test (PET) is to speak in English as often as possible. However, you can also help to prepare yourself by finding out as much as you can about the test in advance so that you know what to expect and can avoid any surprises.

　　Test overview

　　The Speaking Test is 25% of the marks for the whole PET exam. It takes between 10 and 12 minutes and is in four parts.

　　You will usually take the test with one other candidate. However, if there is an uneven number of candidates at your centre, the final Speaking Test will be a group of three (rather than two) and will last slightly longer.

　　There will always be two examiners. One of the examiners will give you the instructions during the test. The other examiner will just listen.

　　Tips:

　　·Practise your English, in and out of the classroom, as much as you can.

　　·Listen carefully to the examiner's questions.

　　·Ask the examiner if you don't understand what you have to do.

　　·Speak clearly so that both examiners and your partner can hear you.

　　·Remember that both the examiners want you to do well in the test.

　　What each part involves

　　Part 1

　　The test begins with a general conversation. The examiner will ask you questions about yourself, your daily routines, what you like and dislike etc. You and your partner will be asked questions in turn and you do not need to speak to each other at this stage. During this part of the test you will be asked to spell your name.

　　This conversation will test your ability to talk about everyday things. If you are nervous before the test, the conversation should help you to relax, as you will be talking about yourself using language you know well.

　　You only need to give short answers but try not to give one-word answers in this part.You should try to give longer answers with reasons and examples. Don’t prepare your answers before the test as these will not sound natural and you may not answer the question you have been asked.

　　Tips:

　　·Talk to the examiner, not your partner.

　　·Try to give more than one-word answers

　　[insert sample material Part 1]

　　Part 2

　　In this part of the test the examiner will describe a situation. They will then give you a sheet with pictures and will repeat the instructions while you look at the pictures. The pictures are to help you to think of ideas and to start the discussion.

　　In this part of the test you must talk to your partner. You will need to say what you think are good ideas and talk about the pictures which the examiner gives you.

　　You will be assessed on your ability to take part in the task. You will need to discuss the ideas fully with your partner, using the pictures to help you. You should not come to a quick conclusion as you may lose opportunities to show your language skills.

　　Tips:

　　·Talk to your partner, not the examiner.

　　·Ask your partner questions.

　　·Listen to your partner's answers and look at them to show you are interested in what they are saying.

　　·Give your partner a chance to speak too.

　　[insert sample material Part 2]

　　Part 3

　　In this part of the test, you and your partner are each given a colour photograph to describe. These photographs will show everyday situations and you will both be asked to give a simple description of what you can see in your photograph.

　　Both photographs will have a similar topic; the examiner will explain what this is. (This topic will be used to start the conversation in Part 4.)

　　In this part you can show the vocabulary you know and speak for a longer period. However, your descriptions will be simple and you only need to describe what you see in your picture.

　　You should describe the people and activities in your photograph as fully as possible. You should imagine that you are describing the photograph to someone who can’t see it, naming all the objects and including detail such as colours, people’s clothes, time of day, weather, etc.

　　If you do not know a word, this does not matter. You should try to describe the object in a different way and you will be given marks if you are able to do this.

　　Tips:

　　·Talk about everything you can see in the photograph.

　　·Try to paraphrase if there are words you don't know.

　　[insert sample material Part 3/4]

　　Part 4

　　In this part of the test you will speak with your partner. The examiner will first tell you what you need to do. The conversation will start using the topic from Part 3.

　　You will need to talk together, deciding when to let each other speak, when to ask questions and when to ask for opinions.

　　If, at any time during the test, you don’t understand something, you should ask the examiner or your partner to repeat what was said. You will not lose marks for this.

　　Tips:

　　·Talk to your partner, not the examiner.

　　·Ask your partner questions.

　　·Listen to your partner's answers and look at them to show you are interested in what they are saying.

　　·Give your partner a chance to speak too.