You and your partner get a discussion question with five written prompts, and you talk it through together — then agree on something in the final minute. This is the one part of the test that's genuinely a conversation, not two people taking turns to speak.
You and your partner are given a discussion question together with five short written prompts, and asked to talk about it for about two minutes — you don't have to use every prompt. Then the interlocutor asks a follow-up question and gives you about a minute to work toward an actual decision. Interactive Communication is the headline criterion here — can you genuinely interact, not just wait your turn to say your own opinion.
The discussion card looks like this — a question plus five short written prompts, not pictures:
Some people think part-time jobs are a good idea for students, and other people disagree. Here are some things they think about:
Weak: "I think earning money is the best reason. Time management is also good. Work experience is fine too." (A partner adds: "I think exam stress is the biggest issue." Neither reacts to the other; the exchange ends without a joint decision.)
Strong: A: "I keep coming back to the work-experience angle — what do you think?" B: "That's a good point, though I actually think time management might matter more long-term. What made you pick experience?" A: "Mostly that it looks good later, but you're right that time management is something they'll need for the rest of their life. Maybe we say time management, since it also helps with the exam-stress side?" B: "Yeah, let's go with that."
Each clip is two candidates discussing the prompts described in the transcript. Listen, then decide which of the four criteria is the exchange's biggest problem.
This isn't machine-scored. With a partner (or thinking through both sides yourself), discuss the card below, then agree on an answer to the decision question before the timer runs out. Then self-check your own performance and compare it with a strong and a weak model exchange.
Here's a discussion card like the one you'd see in the real test. Discuss it with a partner, then decide together.
Some people think schools should do more to help students manage stress, and other people think students should learn to manage it on their own. Here are some things to think about:
Now decide together which of these approaches would help most, and why.
Complete the timed practice above to unlock the self-check and model answers.
This self-check is a reflection tool, not a score. Speaking is assessed by a person against these four criteria across the whole test, not per answer.
A: I think the exercise one and the breathing one are the two that would actually work in the moment, right before something stressful. What do you think? B: I agree exercise is good, but I'd actually pick the planner instead of breathing, because a lot of stress comes from feeling disorganized in the first place. A: That's fair, I hadn't thought about it that way. Maybe it depends whether the stress is short-term, like right before an exam, or something building up over weeks. B: Exactly. So could we say exercise for the short-term panic, and the planner for the longer build-up? A: Yeah, let's go with that — it covers both situations.
A: I think sleep is the most important one. B: I think exercise is the best one. A: Breathing is also good, I do that sometimes. B: The planner is useful too, for school. A: Okay.