Module 4 · Reading & Listening Strands · Lesson 16
Speaking Part 2 Long Turn
Comparing photos with timing and stance
Warm-up · Section 1
4 minGet talking
Look around the room. Pick TWO objects. In 10 seconds, say one thing they have in common and one way they differ. Don't think — speak.
Your teacher shows a photo of a stranger. In 20 seconds, speculate about their job and their morning — using language that DOESN'T claim to know.
A candidate spent 60 seconds describing two photos in detail. The examiner gave 3/5. Why? What did the candidate forget to do?
Grammar focus · Section 2
8 minSpeculation modals, adverbs and comparative frames
Quick rule
Part 2 is not description. Use SPECULATION (may / might / could / must / can't be) and COMPARISON FRAMES (whereas, while, unlike, in contrast) — not 'there is / there are'.
Examples
Open speculation: 'She MIGHT be a freelancer — there's no uniform.' (open, ~50% confidence)
Confident deduction: 'He MUST have been working for hours — the desk is covered in cups.' (confident, ~90%)
Comparison frame: 'WHEREAS the first photo is clearly staged, the second looks spontaneous.'
Hedged comparison: 'Both seem to be experiencing pressure, ALTHOUGH in very different ways.'
Quick check
Question 1.Pick the most appropriate frame for OPEN speculation about a stranger in a photo:
Question 2.Which sentence shows CONFIDENT deduction with evidence?
Question 3.Which connector best signals CONTRAST between two photos?
Question 4.'Both photos show people under pressure, ____ in very different settings.' Best fit:
Question 5.An examiner hears 60 seconds of pure description. Why is the score likely to be 3/5, not 5/5?
Vocabulary · Section 3
6 minWords & phrases to own
to seem / appear to be
to look like something is the case — hedged
e.g. She seems to be enjoying it, although it's hard to tell from her expression.
Use it now
Describe a photo of a colleague using 'seems to' twice.
↻ Recycled in listening · speaking
presumably
I assume, based on what I can see — hedged but confident
e.g. Presumably, the meeting is just starting — they've all just sat down.
Use it now
Use 'presumably' to explain something you can SEE but don't KNOW.
↻ Recycled in speaking · writing
in contrast / by contrast
marker of strong difference between two things
e.g. The first photo is highly formal; the second, by contrast, is almost playful.
Use it now
Compare your weekday and weekend mornings using 'by contrast'.
↻ Recycled in writing · speaking
what strikes me is
what stands out / what I notice — natural opener
e.g. What strikes me about both photos is the lack of eye contact.
Use it now
Look at any two photos in your phone — open with 'what strikes me is…'.
↻ Recycled in speaking · homework
arguably
you could make a case that — sophisticated hedge
e.g. Arguably, the second photo captures the more honest moment.
Use it now
Make: 'Arguably, ______ is the more ______ of the two.'
↻ Recycled in speaking · writing
to capture (a moment)
to record or convey something fleeting (photo lexis)
e.g. The photographer has captured a moment of complete exhaustion.
Use it now
Describe a photo you love using 'captures a moment of ______'.
↻ Recycled in speaking · homework
Pair / group discussion
- Which of today's items would feel MOST natural to drop into a Part 2 long turn for you? Which feels forced?
- Pick a photo on your phone. In 30 seconds, describe it using at least THREE of today's items.
Complete each stem about yourself
- What strikes me about the first photo is ______.…
- By contrast, the second photo ______.…
- Arguably, the photographer has captured ______.…
Rank & justify
Rank these from MOST to LEAST useful in the first 10 seconds of a Part 2 long turn.
- What strikes me is…
- Both photos show…
- Presumably…
- There is a man…
Quick write (60 seconds)
In 2 sentences, compare two contrasting photos from your own life using at least two of today's items.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3 minProminence on the contrast word
In comparison sentences, the STRESS lands on the CONTRAST word — that's what the examiner's ear is tuned to. 'The FIRST photo is FORMAL, whereas the SECOND is COMPLETELY relaxed.' Drill aloud: contrast pairs get the prominence.
- The FIRST photo is FORMAL || WHEREAS the SECOND is RELAXED.
- BOTH photos show PRESSURE || but in VERY different SETTINGS.
- She SEEMS to be ENJOYING it || ALTHOUGH it's HARD to TELL.
- PreSUMably the MEETing || is JUST STARTing.
Reading · Section 5
8 minExaminer's marking note: 'Why this candidate got Band 4'
Cambridge English · Examiner training note
Examiner's marking note: 'Why this candidate got Band 4'
A short note explaining why a fluent candidate received Band 4, not Band 5, on a Part 2 long turn.
Examiner: M. Whitcombe · Quarterly moderation
The candidate spoke confidently for the full minute. Pronunciation was clear and lexis was generally accurate. Why, then, Band 4?
The candidate described both photos in detail — what each person was wearing, what was on the desks, the colour of the walls. She used 'there is' and 'there are' frequently. She used very little speculation language, almost no comparison frames, and — critically — she did NOT answer the printed question above the photos, which asked WHY each person might have chosen to work in that environment.
A Band 5 candidate, on the same prompt, would speculate ('she presumably chose the office for the structure'), compare ('whereas he seems to value the unpredictability of the café'), and finish with a brief personal angle ('personally, I'd find the second easier to think in'). The Band 4 candidate produced a TOUR of the photos; the Band 5 candidate produced an ARGUMENT about them.
The lesson, for examiners and for candidates: Part 2 is not a description test. It is a comparison-and-speculation test, anchored by the printed question.
Question 1.Why did the Band 4 candidate lose a mark?
Question 2.How does a Band 5 candidate differ, according to the examiner?
Question 3.The examiner's final lesson is that Part 2 is essentially:
Listening · Section 6
8 minListening Part 1 (spiral): four short extracts of CPE candidates doing Part 2
Programme
Pre-listen note sheet (Listening P1, spiraled)
| Extract 1 | Candidate A — Scottish, male — opens with description |
| Extract 2 | Candidate B — Irish, female — opens with comparison + speculation |
| Extract 3 | Candidate C — Australian, male — opens with the printed question |
| Extract 4 | Candidate D — international, female — opens with a personal angle |
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Scrub the bar or use ± 5 s to jump.
Show transcript
Extract 1 — Candidate A (Scottish, m):Em, so, in the first photo there is a man and he is sitting at a desk in an office. There is a computer on the desk and there are some papers. He is wearing a shirt and a tie. In the second photo there is a woman in a café. She has a laptop. She is drinking coffee. The café looks busy. There are other people in the background.
Extract 2 — Candidate B (Irish, f):What strikes me about both photos is the contrast in atmosphere. The man in the first one presumably chose the office for the structure — there's a kind of imposed order to the space. Whereas the woman in the café seems to actively want the noise around her. She might be a freelancer who finds silence stifling, or arguably someone who feeds off other people's energy.
Extract 3 — Candidate C (Australian, m):Why might each person have chosen this kind of working environment? The man in the formal office almost certainly didn't choose at all — he's in a corporate setting, presumably required to be there. By contrast, the woman in the café has clearly opted in. The laptop's hers, the table's small, she's settled in for hours. So the question really only applies fully to one of them.
Extract 4 — Candidate D (international, f):Personally, I'd find the second photo's environment much harder to focus in, but I can see why someone would choose it. The woman seems to value the buzz — what strikes me is how relaxed her shoulders are, in contrast to the man in the first photo, who looks as if he's been holding the same posture for hours. Both are working; only one looks as if she's enjoying it.
Question 1.Which extract is closest to BAND 5 in the examiner's terms?
Question 2.Which extract is closest to the BAND 4 'tour' problem from the reading?
Question 3.Which extract opens by directly addressing the printed question?
Question 4.Candidate B uses which combination?
Question 5.What does Candidate D add that B and C don't open with?
Question 6.What does Cambridge most reward across these four extracts?
Visual stimulus · Section 7
3 minSpeaking Part 2 — the photo pair and the printed question
This is the kind of stimulus you'll see on the page in Part 2. The PRINTED QUESTION above the photos is the answer requirement — not the photos themselves.
Notes
1-minute Part 2 frame
- ▸0:00–0:10 — Open with a comparison or a 'what strikes me is…' (NOT description).
- ▸0:10–0:30 — Speculate about Photo A — WHY this person might have chosen it.
- ▸0:30–0:50 — Speculate about Photo B — WHY this person might have chosen it, using a contrast frame.
- ▸0:50–1:00 — Brief personal angle / which would suit YOU and why.
Discuss in pairs
You have one minute. Compare the two photographs and say WHY MIGHT each person have chosen this kind of working environment? You don't need to describe the photos in detail — speculate and compare.
Exam skills · Section 8
3 minSpeaking Part 2 — long turn, 1 minute on two photographs
Strategy
- 1.(5s pre-turn) READ THE PRINTED QUESTION FIRST. It controls everything you say.
- 2.Open with comparison or 'what strikes me is…', NOT 'there is / there are'.
- 3.Speculate, don't claim. Use seems / presumably / might / could / must.
- 4.Use ONE contrast frame (whereas / by contrast / unlike) when you move between photos.
- 5.End with a 5–10s personal angle — it shows engagement, not just analysis.
- 6.Don't try to describe everything. Half the photo detail with twice the speculation = higher band.
Example
Strong opener: 'What strikes me about both photos is that each person seems to be making a deliberate choice about CONCENTRATION. The man in the first photo presumably wants the imposed order of the office, whereas the woman in the café might actively need the buzz around her to focus. Personally, I'd find the second easier on a tired day.' (Comparison + speculation + contrast frame + personal angle — all in ~30 seconds.)
Practice · Section 9
7 minFill in the blank
Question 1.She ____ to be enjoying it, although it's hard to tell from her expression.
Question 2.The man must have been working for hours — there are five empty cups on his desk. ____, he hasn't moved.
Question 3.The first photo is highly formal; the second, by ____, is almost playful.
Question 4.What ____ me about both photos is the lack of eye contact.
Question 5.____ , the photographer has captured the more honest moment in the second photo.
Question 6.The first man is clearly in a corporate setting, ____ the second seems to have chosen the café herself.
Writing · Section 10
4 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write the SCRIPT of your own 1-minute Part 2 long turn (~140 words) for the photo pair on this page. Use AT LEAST four of today's vocabulary items, ONE speculation modal and ONE comparison frame. Mark the timestamps (0:00 / 0:30 / 0:50) where each section starts.
- • ~140 words = roughly 1 minute spoken at natural pace.
- • Open with a comparison or 'what strikes me is…', NOT 'there is / there are'.
- • Speculate, don't describe. End with a 5–10s personal angle.
Before you submit
- ☐ Answers the PRINTED question (about WHY each person chose this environment).
- ☐ Uses at least 4 of today's vocabulary items.
- ☐ Includes at least 1 speculation modal and 1 contrast frame.
- ☐ Has a clear 4-part structure: open → photo A → contrast into photo B → personal angle.
Show model answer
(0:00) What strikes me about both photos is that each person seems to be making a deliberate choice about how to concentrate. (0:10) The man in the first photo is almost certainly in a corporate office — presumably he didn't choose the space himself, but he seems to value the imposed order: everything is on the desk for a reason, and his posture suggests hours of routine. (0:30) The woman in the second, by contrast, has clearly opted in. She might be a freelancer who finds silence stifling, or arguably someone who feeds off the buzz of strangers around her. (0:50) Personally, I'd find her environment harder on a tired day, but on a creative one I can see exactly why she's captured something the first photo couldn't. (147 words)
Speaking · Section 11
6 minMake it a real conversation
Speaking Part 2 — timed pair delivery. 10 minutes. In pairs: Student A delivers their 1-minute long turn on the photo pair above (partner times them on a phone, then asks the ~30s follow-up: 'Which environment would YOU prefer?'). Swap roles with a SECOND photo pair from the board below. Debrief: did each speaker compare, speculate AND answer the printed question?
Choose ONE alternative photo-pair theme for the swap round. Same 1-minute rules apply.
Why might each person have chosen this kind of LIFESTYLE / MOMENT / ENVIRONMENT?
Two commutes
Crowded train vs. solo cyclist — why this commute?
Two meals
Family dinner vs. solo desk lunch — why this way of eating?
Two holidays
Group tour vs. solo hiker — why this kind of break?
Two classrooms
Traditional rows vs. open-plan learning space — why this style?
Useful phrases
- What strikes me about both photos is…
- The first photo presumably shows…
- By contrast, the second seems to…
- She might be ______, or arguably ______.
- He must have been ______ — you can see ______.
- Personally, I'd find ______ because ______.
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Stretches if time allows. All work fine 1:1. ~16 min total
Homework · Section 12
Take-homeTake it home
Record yourself doing TWO 1-minute Part 2 long turns on two different photo pairs you find online. Time yourself strictly. Listen back and tick: (a) did I compare? (b) did I speculate? (c) did I answer the printed question? (d) did I add a personal angle?
Write a second 1-minute script (~140 words) for ONE of the swap-round prompts (Two commutes / Two meals / Two holidays / Two classrooms). Same checklist: 4 vocab items, 1 speculation modal, 1 contrast frame, printed-question answered.
Find ONE short YouTube interview (~3 mins) with anyone you find interesting. Transcribe the FIRST 60 seconds of any answer they give. Identify: speculation language, comparison frames, personal-angle sentences. This is the natural-English source of Part 2 lexis.
For each of today's 6 vocab items, write (a) one collocation, (b) one natural example in YOUR own voice, (c) one Part 2 sentence you would actually say. Keep this as a Part 2 phrase bank.
Recap · Section 13
Wrap-upWhat you've learned
- Part 2 is comparison + speculation + the printed question — NOT description.
- Open with 'what strikes me is…' or a comparison, never 'there is / there are'.
- Speculation modals (might / may / could / must / can't) and adverbs (presumably, arguably) carry the C1 mark.
- One contrast frame (whereas / by contrast / unlike) shapes the move from photo A to photo B.
- End with a 5–10s personal angle — it shows engagement and lifts you from Band 4 to Band 5.