Speaking
Exam structure
Part 1
You will have a conversation with the examiner, who will ask you and the other candidate questions in turn, giving you the opportunity to talk about yourselves. Part 1 lasts 2 minutes.
Possible exam questions:
Do you have a large family?
What do you like most about your studies/job?
How are you planning on using English in your future?
Do you enjoy playing computer games?
How do you prefer to travel? By train or by plane?
Part 2
The examiner will give you verbal instructions and show you one or more pictures. First, you will answer a question about your reaction to aspects of the pictures (1 minute). Then, you and the other candidate will solve a decision-making task together. Part 2 lasts 4 minutes.
Possible situation:
First, I'd like you to look at some pictures and talk together about which picture interests you more.
Now look at all the pictures. I'd like you to imagine that a magazine is planning an article on how cinema is changing. These pictures will be used to accompany the article. Talk together about different aspects of the changes in cinema.
Part 3
The examiner will give you a card with a question and some ideas, and you will speak alone for about two minutes. Afterward, your partner will comment, and the examiner will ask you both a question on the topic. The same happens with your partner, followed by a discussion between you both. Part 3 lasts 10 minutes (2 minutes of presentation per candidate and about 6 minutes of discussion).
Possible situation:
Can Hollywood survive?
International competition.
Piracy
Financial climate.
Questions:
Do you think films reflect real society?
Do you think there is too much violence in films today?
Do you think films are changing to reflect the nature of their audiences?
How do you think the film industry should react to piracy?
( C2 Proficiency exam format | Cambridge English, n.d.)
(“ Speaking - Handbook ”, n.d.)
How to prepare
Practice makes perfect, and this is true in no area more than in speaking skills. To improve your spoken English, you need to do two things: listen to others speak, and, of course, speak yourself.
Speaking
Das „Sprechen“ hilft dir, dich klar und selbstbewusst auf Englisch auszudrücken. Durch aktives Reden übst du einfache Sätze zu bilden, deine Meinung zu sagen und deine Aussprache zu verbessern. Dies legt die Grundlage für flüssiges und verständliches Kommunizieren auf C2-Niveau.
Learning by doing
"Learning by doing" is about doing as much as possible in English to strengthen your speaking skills. Whether it's traveling abroad to an English-speaking country, taking a diving course in English, or voice chatting with English-speaking people while gaming, actively try to engage more in English than German while preparing for the exam.
AI alternative
How can you practice speaking if you don't have access to English speakers? Choose an AI (e.g., ChatGPT voice mode) and give it a system prompt . Choose a topic of your choice, and then just start speaking. It may feel awkward or strange at first, but it will greatly help you improve your spontaneity and confidence.