Module 4 · Reading & Listening Strands · Lesson 16
Speaking Part 2 Collaborative Task
Deciding together with a partner in a two-stage 4-minute pair task
Get talking · Section 1
4 minWarm-up
Two Part 2 attempts, side by side. Pair A: candidate 1 speaks for 2 min, candidate 2 speaks for 2 min, no interaction. Pair B: 4 minutes of overlap, hedged agreement, one visible disagreement, joint decision at the end. Which pair scores higher, and on which criterion?
Your partner has just proposed the option you least like. In 15 seconds, disagree WITHOUT using 'no', 'wrong' or 'I don't think so'. What did you reach for instead? Compare with your partner.
You have 60 seconds to reach a joint decision with your partner about the best café in town. Time it. What did you actually DO in the last 20 seconds that moved you from 'discussing' to 'deciding'? Name the moves.
Grammar focus · Section 2
8 minHedged agreement, tentative disagreement, consensus verbs
Quick rule
In a collaborative task you're not proving you're right — you're SHOWING you can negotiate at C2. Three grammar reflexes: (1) hedge before agreeing/disagreeing (I suppose / I'd say / I can see why…, though); (2) use conditionals to soften push-back (if you look at it from the other side, wouldn't that mean…); (3) use consensus verbs to lock in a decision (we're agreed on…, that leaves us with…, shall we settle on…).
When do I use it?
Examples
Hedge + build: 'I'd say that's largely right, and taking it a step further, wouldn't the same apply to…?'
Tentative disagreement: 'I can see the appeal — I'm just not convinced it would work in practice, if I'm honest.'
Invitation back: 'That's my instinct, anyway. Where do you land on it?'
Steering: 'So, we're roughly in the same place on the first two. That really leaves us with the third — how does it look to you?'
Lock-in: 'Right, let's settle on the second option, then, on the grounds that it works for the widest range of people.'
Quick check
Question 1.Your partner has just suggested the weakest option. Which reply best models C2 tentative disagreement?
Question 2.You want to BUILD on your partner's point, not just agree. Pick the strongest C2 move.
Question 3.The examiner has just said 'you have about a minute to decide'. Which sentence signals you have entered the decision stage?
Question 4.Which of these is NOT collaborative-task language?
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild a hedged-disagreement move.
2.Rebuild a decision-stage steering sentence.
Quick check 1.More C2 in a pair task: 'I agree.' or 'I'd go along with that up to a point — taking it a step further, wouldn't the same apply to the third one?'
Vocabulary · Section 3
6 minWords & phrases to own
to go along with (something) up to a point
to agree partially — a face-saving hedge before you qualify or disagree
e.g. I'd go along with that up to a point, although the same argument works the other way too.
Use it now
Finish: 'I'd go along with the idea of remote work up to a point, although…'
↻ Recycled in Speaking pair task
on the grounds that
because — but a formal, argumentation-style connector used in decisions and consensus
e.g. Let's go with the second option on the grounds that it doesn't exclude anyone.
Use it now
Lock in one decision you've made this week using 'on the grounds that'.
↻ Recycled in Decision-stage speaking
to have a case for / against
to have a defensible argument for or against an option
e.g. You could make a case for the first, but the third is harder to argue against.
Use it now
Use 'you could make a case for…' about one of the collab-task prompt themes below.
↻ Recycled in Listening pair debrief
where do you land on it?
friendly invitation move — pulls the partner back in without sounding formal
e.g. That's my instinct anyway. Where do you land on it?
Use it now
Give a partner one opinion of yours and end with 'where do you land on it?'
↻ Recycled in Live pair task
to settle on / go with (an option)
consensus verbs — audibly move the pair from discussing to deciding
e.g. Shall we settle on the third one, then? That way we've covered both sides.
Use it now
In 15 seconds, pretend to close a decision with a partner using 'shall we settle on…'.
↻ Recycled in Decision minute
broadly agreed on
signals the pair has consensus on part of the task, so you can focus on the rest
e.g. So we're broadly agreed on the first two. That leaves us with the third.
Use it now
Use 'we're broadly agreed on…' to summarise progress with a partner mid-task.
↻ Recycled in Steering move
to push back (on an idea)
to disagree politely and constructively — collaborative, not confrontational
e.g. I'd push back on that gently — I'm not sure the timing works.
Use it now
In one sentence, push back on 'meetings should be banned before 10am'.
↻ Recycled in Grammar drill
to take (a point) a step further
to build on a partner's idea rather than just agree — Band 5 move
e.g. Yes, and taking that a step further, wouldn't the same argument apply to…?
Use it now
Take a classmate's opinion 'a step further' with 'yes, and…'.
↻ Recycled in Homework speaking
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pair / group discussion
- Which two items are you MOST likely to use in a real pair task? Which two feel over-formal?
- Choose any recent decision you and a friend actually made. Retell how you agreed on it using at least THREE of today's items ('go along with', 'on the grounds that', 'we're broadly agreed on', 'settle on', 'take it a step further').
Complete each stem about yourself
- I'd go along with that up to a point, although ______.…
- So, shall we settle on ______, on the grounds that ______?…
- Yes, and taking that a step further, wouldn't ______?…
Rank & justify
Rank these openers by how COLLABORATIVE they sound — most collaborative first.
- Where do you land on it?
- I agree.
- You could make a case for the first — I'd push back on the second, though.
- Let me tell you my opinion first.
- In the first photo, there is…
Quick write (60 seconds)
Two sentences: agree hedgedly with something your partner might say about work-life balance, then push it a step further with a build move.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3 minRising invitations & falling decisions
In a collaborative task your intonation carries the move. Invitations to a partner RISE at the end — they open the floor. Decisions FALL — they close it. Candidates who use flat or wrongly-rising tone on their decision sentence sound uncertain and prompt the examiner to intervene.
- / Where do you LAND on it ↗ /
- / What's YOUR gut on it ↗ /
- / So, shall we SETTLE on the third ↘ /
- / we're BROADly aGREED on the first two ↘ /
- / I can SEE why you'd say that / I'm not conVINCED it HOLDS though ↘ /
Reading · Section 5
8 minExaminer's marking note: 'Two fluent monologues do not equal a Part 2'
Cambridge English · Speaking examiner training note
Examiner's marking note: 'Two fluent monologues do not equal a Part 2'
Why a pair of fluent, articulate candidates can walk out of Part 2 with a Band 3 on Interactive Communication — and what a Band 5 pair audibly does differently.
Examiner: M. Whitcombe · Quarterly moderation
The pair in question had done everything you might imagine you should do. Candidate A gave a coherent, well-lexicalised two minutes on the prompts; Candidate B did the same. They took turns, they were polite, and neither of them interrupted or over-ran. And yet — Interactive Communication came out at Band 3. What went wrong?
The answer, from the moderating examiner's notes, was structural. Part 2 is not two long turns delivered side by side. It is one collaborative task in which each candidate demonstrates the ability to talk WITH the other — inviting, agreeing partially, disagreeing without dismissing, building on the partner's idea rather than immediately offering an alternative. A pair that speaks in orderly, non-overlapping monologues has technically completed the task. What they have not done is COLLABORATE.
The second thing this pair missed was the decision. CPE Part 2 has two audible stages: an open discussion of about three minutes, then a joint decision of about one minute. The decision stage is separately assessed; you cannot recover it in the discussion. A Band 5 pair moves into the decision explicitly — 'So we're broadly agreed on the first two; that really leaves us with the third' — and closes with a joint sentence, not with each candidate offering their own verdict. Our monologue pair simply ran out of time and offered two competing preferences, which the examiner had to interrupt.
The corrective, then, is not more fluency. It is the deliberate rehearsal of collaborative moves: the hedged agreement, the polite push-back, the build, the invitation back, the consensus verb. A Band 5 Part 2 sounds, oddly, like two colleagues genuinely trying to work something out. A Band 3 Part 2 sounds like a job interview conducted in the same room, twice.
Question 1.Why did the pair of fluent candidates lose marks on Interactive Communication?
Question 2.What is the SECOND thing the pair failed to do?
Question 3.According to the note, how does a Band 5 pair sound?
Question 4.What does the writer mean by 'the corrective is not more fluency'?
Listening · Section 6
8 minListening (spiral): three pairs doing a Part 2 collaborative task — weak, middle, strong
Programme
Pre-listen note sheet
| Pair 1 | Weak — two candidates delivering parallel monologues |
| Pair 2 | Middle — real interaction, but rushes past the decision stage |
| Pair 3 | Strong — hedged, building, audibly moves into a joint decision |
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Scrub the bar or use ± 5 s to jump.
Show transcript
Pair 1 — Candidate A (m):So, the first option is a beach holiday. It's relaxing. Everyone likes the beach. The second is city break. It's cultural. Then adventure and staycation. In my opinion the beach is best because it is relaxing.
Pair 1 — Candidate B (f):Yes. I think staycation is also good. It's cheap. It's convenient. In my opinion the staycation is best because families can save money. Actually I choose staycation.
Pair 2 — Candidate A (m):OK so I'd probably start with the adventure holiday — it forces people to actually do things together, which for a family that never sees each other could be really valuable. What do you think?
Pair 2 — Candidate B (f):Yeah, I'd go along with that up to a point, although — I mean, adventure only works if everyone's up for it. I could see it fracturing a family that's already out of practice with each other. I'd almost lean towards the city break — shared meals, shared walking, low stakes. — Oh, are we running out of time? Um, city break then? Yeah, city break.
Pair 3 — Candidate A (m):I can see the appeal of the adventure holiday — the shared challenge, the enforced teamwork — but I'd push back on it gently. For a family that hardly sees each other, I'd say you want low-stakes contact, not high-stakes. Where do you land on it?
Pair 3 — Candidate B (f):I'd go along with that. And taking it a step further, I think you could make a case for the city break on the same grounds — a lot of low-key togetherness, no one forced into anything they can't do. — OK, so we're broadly agreed on ruling out adventure and staycation. That really leaves us with beach or city break.
Pair 3 — Candidate A (m):It does. Shall we settle on the city break, then, on the grounds that it gives them shared experience without forcing constant conversation? A beach can end up as everyone reading separately.
Pair 3 — Candidate B (f):Agreed. City break it is.
Question 1.Which pair delivers two parallel monologues rather than collaborating?
Question 2.Which pair genuinely interacts but rushes past the decision stage?
Question 3.Which pair audibly moves into the decision stage with a steering sentence ('That really leaves us with…')?
Question 4.Which of these Pair 3 moves counts as a BUILD on the partner?
Question 5.What does Pair 3 do that Pair 2 misses in the last 30 seconds?
Question 6.Across the three pairs, what does Cambridge most reward?
Question 1.Pair 2's Candidate B says: 'Oh, are we running out of time? Um, city break then? Yeah, city break.' What does this reveal about her handling of the decision stage?
Visual stimulus · Section 7
3 minSpeaking Part 2 — the collaborative prompt board
This is what CPE Speaking Part 2 actually looks like on the page. A set of visual prompts around a central theme, ONE or TWO written discussion questions (~3 min together), and a SEPARATE final decision question (~1 min together). You are assessed on how you TALK TOGETHER — inviting, hedging, building, deciding — not on describing the pictures.
Notes
How adults learn a new skill
- ▸Option A — A structured, in-person evening course over 10 weeks
- ▸Option B — An intensive one-week immersive bootcamp
- ▸Option C — A long-term one-to-one mentorship with a working professional
- ▸Option D — A self-directed online course with a peer study group
Notes
The 4-minute two-stage frame
- ▸0:00–0:20 — Open TOGETHER. Read the discussion question aloud; one candidate names a first option and invites the partner in ('Where do you land on it?').
- ▸0:20–2:30 — Stage 1 discussion. Cover EACH option briefly; hedge, build, push back gently. Aim for ≥1 hedged agreement and ≥1 tentative disagreement each.
- ▸2:30–3:00 — Steering. 'So we're broadly agreed on X and Y — that really leaves us with Z.' Prepare the ground for the decision.
- ▸3:00–4:00 — Stage 2 decision. Move audibly into consensus: 'Shall we settle on…, on the grounds that…?' End with a joint sentence, not two solo verdicts.
Discuss in pairs
Look at the four ways of learning a new skill together. Stage 1 (~3 min): Talk together about how EFFECTIVE each of these ways of learning is for an adult, and what kind of person each one suits best. Stage 2 (~1 min): Now you have about a minute to decide which TWO of these ways of learning a new skill would work best for someone in mid-career who wants a genuine change of direction.
Exam skills · Section 8
3 minCPE Speaking Part 2 — Collaborative Task (~4 min, TWO stages)
Strategy
- 1.Read the DISCUSSION question aloud first — anchors the pair on the task, not the pictures.
- 2.Open with an INVITATION, not an opinion: 'Where would you start?' or 'What's your first instinct?'
- 3.Every ~30s, alternate between HEDGED AGREEMENT, TENTATIVE DISAGREEMENT and a BUILD move. Don't stack three agreements — it reads flat.
- 4.At ~2:30 STEER: 'So we're broadly agreed on X and Y — that really leaves us with Z.'
- 5.At the decision cue, MOVE AUDIBLY into consensus: 'Shall we settle on…, on the grounds that…?'
- 6.Close with a JOINT sentence, not two solo verdicts.
Example
Strong close: 'So we're broadly agreed on ruling out the adventure and staycation options. That really leaves us with the beach or the city break. Shall we settle on the city break, then, on the grounds that it gives a family shared experience without forcing constant conversation? — Agreed. City break it is.'
Practice · Section 9
7 minFill in the blank
Question 1.I'd go ____ with that up to a point, although the same argument works the other way.
Question 2.So we're ____ agreed on the first two — that leaves us with the third.
Question 3.Shall we settle ____ the second option, given it works for more people?
Question 4.That's my instinct anyway. Where do you ____ on it?
Question 5.I'd push ____ on that gently — I'm not sure the timing works.
Question 6.Let's go with the third option, on the ____ that it doesn't exclude anyone.
Q1.Complete the hedge: 'I'd ___ ___ with that up to a point.'
Q2.Complete the steering sentence: 'So we're ___ agreed on the first two.'
Q3.Complete the consensus verb: 'Shall we ___ on the second option?'
Q4.Complete the invitation: 'That's my instinct anyway. Where do you ___ on it?'
Writing · Section 10
4 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a SCRIPT (~200 words) of a full 4-minute Part 2 collaborative task between Candidate A and Candidate B on the prompt board above (four ways of learning a new skill; decide which TWO work best for someone in mid-career). Show both stages — the ~3-minute discussion AND the ~1-minute decision. Mark timestamps at 0:00 / 2:30 / 3:00. Use at least SIX of today's collaborative moves distributed across the pair.
- • ~200 words = roughly 4 minutes of turn-taking pair speech.
- • Alternate turns; keep each turn short (1–3 sentences).
- • Show at least 2 hedged agreements, 1 tentative disagreement, 1 build move, 1 steering sentence and 1 consensus lock-in.
Before you submit
- ☐ Reads the discussion question at the start — the pair is anchored, not describing pictures.
- ☐ Includes at least one INVITATION back to the partner ('Where do you land on it?').
- ☐ Contains a visible STEERING sentence at ~2:30 ('That leaves us with…').
- ☐ Moves audibly into the DECISION stage with a consensus verb ('Shall we settle on… on the grounds that…').
- ☐ Closes with a JOINT sentence, not two solo verdicts.
Write your answer here
Restoring…0 words
Show model answer
(0:00) A: OK — how effective is each of these for an adult learner? Where would you start? B: I'd probably start with the mentorship — it's the only one with real accountability built in. What's your instinct? (0:30) A: I can see the appeal of that — I'd push back gently, though. Mentorship suits people who already know roughly where they're going. For a genuine change of direction I'd argue the evening course gives you more structure and a peer cohort. B: I'd go along with that up to a point. And taking it a step further, wouldn't the online-plus-study-group option do the same, with more flexibility for someone still working full-time? (1:30) A: That's fair — you could make a case for either. The bootcamp I'd rule out; a week doesn't shift a career. B: Agreed — and the mentorship is probably too narrow for a real change. (2:30) A: So we're broadly agreed on ruling out the bootcamp and the mentorship. That really leaves us with the evening course and the online option. (3:00) B: Shall we settle on those two, then, on the grounds that they combine structure, community and enough time for a mid-career learner to actually change direction? A: Agreed. Evening course and online with a study group it is. (204 words)
Speaking · Section 11
6 minMake it a real conversation
CPE Speaking Part 2 — LIVE timed pair task. 10 minutes total, TWO rounds of 4 minutes each. Round 1: use the collaborative prompt board above (four ways of learning a new skill). Round 2: swap partners (or swap roles in a 1:1 online lesson — one plays each candidate in turn) and use one of the alternative boards below. In each round: read the discussion question aloud, run the ~3-minute discussion, and — critically — move audibly into the ~1-minute joint decision.
Pick ONE alternative Part 2 collaborative task for Round 2. Same rules: ~3 min discussion + ~1 min joint decision.
For each board: discuss what each option offers and demands, then decide which TWO would work best for the person / situation named.
Board 1 · A city grant for community wellbeing
Options: longer library hours · a free evening gym · a network of neighbourhood cafés with mental-health drop-ins · outdoor exercise equipment in every park. — Decide the TWO best for a lonely, low-income older population.
Board 2 · A first job for a school-leaver
Options: retail assistant · gap-year au-pair abroad · junior office role at a family friend's firm · apprenticeship in a trade. — Decide the TWO best for someone who doesn't yet know what they want to do.
Board 3 · Reducing screen time for a young family
Options: one screen-free evening a week · a shared family charging station · outdoor Sunday routine · replacing all family screens with paper alternatives for a month. — Decide the TWO that would actually STICK.
Board 4 · Improving a small workplace's culture
Options: monthly team lunch · a genuinely quiet room · flexible-hours core-time policy · anonymous fortnightly staff pulse survey. — Decide the TWO that would matter most in a team of 12 people.
Useful phrases
- Where do you land on it?
- I'd go along with that up to a point, although…
- I can see the appeal — I'm not convinced it holds up, though.
- And taking it a step further, wouldn't the same apply to…?
- So we're broadly agreed on X and Y. That really leaves us with Z.
- Shall we settle on…, on the grounds that…?
- Candidate AOK, so how effective do you think the evening course would be for an adult changing career?
- Candidate BI'd say it gives real structure, and a cohort you can lean on. What's your instinct?
- Candidate A_______________
- Candidate BFair — attendance probably drops after week four for most people.
- Candidate A_______________
- Candidate BProbably, yes — a week is even less time to build a habit.
- Candidate ASo where does that leave the mentorship and the online course?
- Candidate B_______________
- Candidate AAgreed. Shall we settle on those two, on the grounds that they combine structure and sustained feedback?
- Candidate BAgreed. Mentorship and online course it is.
Your speaking notes
Restoring…Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Stretches if time allows. All work fine 1:1 online — the teacher plays Candidate B in one round and moderator in the next. ~16 min total
Homework · Section 12
Take-homeTake it home
Record yourself and a partner (or record both sides of a 1:1 online role-play) doing a 4-minute Part 2 collaborative task on ONE of the alternative boards. Time yourselves strictly. Listen back and tick, for EACH of you: (a) at least one hedged agreement, (b) at least one tentative disagreement, (c) at least one build move, (d) at least one invitation back, (e) one audible steering sentence, (f) a joint decision closing sentence.
Write a second full 4-minute Part 2 pair script (~200 words) for a DIFFERENT board above. Same distribution: ≥2 hedged agreements, 1 tentative disagreement, 1 build move, 1 steering sentence, 1 consensus lock-in with 'on the grounds that'. Mark the timestamps (0:00 / 2:30 / 3:00).
Find ONE ~5-minute podcast segment in which two people are visibly deciding something together (not a monologue, not a debate). Transcribe 90 seconds. Underline every collaborative move: hedged agreement, tentative disagreement, build, invitation back, consensus verb. Count them per speaker.
Finished? Reveal the answer key to self-check your work.
For each of today's 8 collaborative expressions, write (a) one natural example in your own voice, (b) one Part 2 sentence you could actually say on a real prompt, and (c) the STAGE it belongs to (opening / hedging / building / steering / deciding). Keep this as a Part 2 phrase bank you can reread the day before the exam.
Finished? Reveal the answer key to self-check your work.
Recap · Section 13
Wrap-upWhat you've learned
- CPE Part 2 is a 4-minute PAIR task — talk together, not in parallel monologues.
- TWO stages: ~3 min discussion + ~1 min joint decision. The decision stage is separately assessed.
- Interactive Communication is earned through hedged agreement, tentative disagreement, build moves and invitations back.
- Steer at ~2:30 with a sentence like 'That really leaves us with X and Y' — it prepares the ground for the decision.
- Move audibly into the decision with a consensus verb: 'Shall we settle on…, on the grounds that…?' Close with a JOINT sentence.
Extra Practice
Need more practice with this exam skill?
R&UoE P4 · Key Word Transformations
Part 4 · Key word transformations
Three to eight words, keyword unchanged
Practise this exam skill
Listening P1/P3 · Distractors
Distractor awareness drill
Corrections, concessions and false starts that trap careless listeners
Practise this exam skill
Optional — this doesn't count towards lesson completion.