S.1-2 · Key speaking: interview and collaborative discussion

The A2 Key Speaking test: 8–10 minutes, with a partner 搭档, and two examiners. It is the friendliest part of the exam — a conversation, not an interrogation 审问.

• Part 1: the interview. The examiner asks about you: name, school, hobbies, family, home.
• Part 2: the collaborative discussion. You and your partner look at five pictures and talk: which do you like, why, what would you choose.
• Memory hook: Part 1 is a friendly chat 聊天; Part 2 is planning a trip with a classmate. Both are conversations you already have — just in English, with marks.
• The examiners want: clear answers, interaction 互动 with your partner, and everyday vocabulary. They do not want speeches.

Answer in full sentences, two or three of them per question.

• Where do you live? — ✗ "Beijing." → "I live in Beijing, in an apartment near the park. I like it because it's quiet." Answer + detail + reason.
• Memory hook: every answer is a sandwich 三明治: the answer, a detail, a reason. I like football. I play every weekend. It's fun with my friends.
• Prepare the classics aloud: your name (spelled), your school, your family, your hobbies, your favourite food, your weekend. These are rehearsed 排练过 answers — say them until they're warm.

Five pictures (e.g. five birthday gifts), a question, and your partner. You must talk to each other, not just to the examiner.

• Start: Which do you like? / I like the camera — what about you?
• Agree, disagree, add: I agree. / Really? I think the book is better, because… / That's true, but…
• ⚠ Never give a monologue 独白. The marks are in the interaction: ask your partner's opinion, answer theirs, build on it.
• ⚠ Disagreeing is free marks. "I see your point, but I'd choose the bike" shows more English than yes-saying. The exam is the one place where polite disagreement pays.

• ⚠ One-word answers are the mark-killer. "Yes." "Beijing." "Football." — three answers, zero sentences. The sandwich, every time.
• ⚠ Don't recite 背诵 a memorised speech. Examiners hear it instantly and redirect. Prepare building blocks, not paragraphs.
• ⚠ Look at your partner in Part 2, not at the examiner. The discussion is with them; the examiner is just listening in.
• ⚠ Don't freeze on an unknown word. Describe around it 迂回表达: "It's a thing for… you use it to…" — paraphrasing is a marked skill, not a failure.
• ⚠ Pronunciation matters less than audibility 可听度. Speak up. The quiet correct answer and the loud correct answer earn the same mark, but the quiet wrong-mumble earns nothing.

Answer first, then read the explanation.

1. Where do you live? — Answer + detail + reason. The sandwich, every time.
2. Part 2: your partner says the book is best. — Respond to them: Really? I think… / I agree, and… Interaction is the mark.
3. You don't know the word for 植物 — describe around it: a plant — a green thing for your desk. Paraphrasing is a skill, not a failure.
4. A memorised two-minute speech — the examiner redirects instantly. Blocks, not speeches.
5. Quiet mumble vs clear voice — audibility is free marks. Speak up.