S.1-4 · Preliminary speaking: description, decision and discussion

The B1 Preliminary Speaking test: 10–12 minutes, with a partner, in four parts: the interview, the long turn 个人陈述 (a photo description), the collaborative task 协作任务 (a decision with your partner), and the discussion.

• Part 1: interview questions about you — the A2 sandwich still applies.
• Part 2: each of you describes a photo, alone, for about a minute.
• Part 3: you and your partner discuss options and reach a decision 决定.
• Part 4: a discussion about the Part 3 topic, with the examiner joining in.
• Memory hook: the four parts are a meal 一顿饭: the appetiser 开胃菜 (interview), the solo 单人表演 (photo), the cooking together (the decision), and the conversation over coffee (discussion).

A colour photo of people doing something. Describe it for about a minute.

• The recipe 配方: place → people → action → detail → guess. "In this photo, there's a kitchen. A woman and a girl are cooking. The girl is mixing something in a bowl. They're both smiling — they look like they're having fun."
• Use the present continuous for the action (A2's camera), and look like / seem / maybe / probably for your guesses. The photo can't confirm; you speculate 推测.
• ⚠ Don't just list objects. "There is a table. There is a bowl." is an inventory 清单, not a description. The recipe moves from scene to people to feeling.
• ⚠ Finish with a guess or an opinion. "I think they're enjoying it" is the sentence that turns description into English.

Five or six options (pictures or words) and a task: "Which two should the school choose?" — discuss with your partner and decide.

• The machinery: suggest (How about…?), respond (Good idea, but…), compare (The library is more useful than…), decide (So, we agree on…).
• ⚠ The decision must be mutual 双方的. Steamrolling 强行推进 your partner scores worse than a friendly compromise 妥协. "OK, let's choose yours — the library makes sense."
• ⚠ Don't agree to everything. "Yes, yes, yes" shows no English. "I see what you mean, but…" shows all of it.

• ⚠ The photo description has no 有口无心 template. "This is a picture of…" then silence is a lost minute. The recipe: place, people, action, detail, guess.
• ⚠ In Part 3, silence is the only failure. Anything grammatical beats quiet. When stuck: "What do you think about this one?" — the question machine restarts the conversation.
• ⚠ Part 4 widens the topic: give reasons. Do you like cooking? — Yes, I do. is thin. Yes — I cook at weekends, because it's relaxing and the results are edible 可食用的. The sandwich again, one level up.
• ⚠ Watch your partner's signals. If they haven't spoken, invite them: "What do you think?" Inviting your partner is itself marked — it shows interaction management 互动管理.

Run a full practice round with a partner.

• Interview: What do you like doing after school? — sandwich answers.
• Photo minute: find any photo on your phone (a meal, a street, a game) and describe it for sixty seconds: place, people, action, detail, guess.
• The decision: your class can start one club — music, coding, cooking, basketball, drama. Choose one together. Disagree politely. The drama club overhears everything.
• Discussion: Do you prefer learning in groups or alone? — answer, detail, reason.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. The photo recipe — place → people → action → detail → guess.
2. Guessing language — look like / seem / maybe / probably. The photo can't confirm; you speculate.
3. Part 3: your partner is silent — invite them: What do you think about this one? Interaction management is marked.
4. "Yes, yes, yes" to everything — ✗ → I see what you mean, but… Disagreement shows the English.
5. Part 4 answers — the sandwich, one level up: answer, detail, reason.