9.2 Speaking Part 1: Interview

9.2 Speaking Part 1: Interview

Quick Answer: Speaking Part 1 lasts about 3–4 minutes. The interlocutor asks personal questions about topics such as your name, home, studies or work, free time, and likes. Give extended answers (not one word), and ask for a repeat if you need one.

Part 1 opens the Speaking test. It warms you up, checks you can handle everyday personal English, and gives the assessor early evidence for all criteria. Many candidates throw away marks here by answering Yes, No, or Football and stopping. At A2, short answers can be accurate—but extended answers create more chances to show control of simple grammar, everyday vocabulary, and clear pronunciation.

Timing and interaction pattern

The interlocutor may ask Candidate A a question, then Candidate B a related or different question. You do not need to comment on your partner’s Part 1 answers unless invited. Focus on your turns.

Topic map: what you will almost certainly practise

Cambridge keeps Part 1 inside real A2 life domains. Build ready ideas—not scripts—for each box:

You cannot predict exact wording, but if you can speak for 20–40 seconds on each row, Part 1 becomes comfortable.

From one-word answers to A2 extended answers

The upgrade formula

Answer + detail + reason/example

How long is “extended” at A2?

• Too short: one word or a bare Yes/No
• Good default: two or three short sentences (roughly 15–40 words)
• Too long: a memorised 90-second speech that ignores the question

If the interlocutor moves on, stop politely—timing is their job. If they ask a follow-up, add one more sentence.

Sample Part 1 Q&A (original model)

Use these as models of length and structure, not as lines to memorise word-for-word.

Interlocutor: Good morning. What’s your name? Candidate: Good morning. My name’s Sara Ali.

Interlocutor: Where do you live, Sara? Candidate: I live in Manchester with my family. We have a small house near the park, and I usually walk to school.

Interlocutor: What do you study? Candidate: I’m at secondary school. My favourite subject is science because we do experiments. I also study English and maths every week.

Interlocutor: What do you like doing in your free time? Candidate: I like reading stories and listening to music. At the weekend I sometimes meet my friends at a café, and we talk for an hour.

Interlocutor: Tell me about your best friend. Candidate: My best friend is called Maya. She’s funny and kind. We met at school two years ago, and we both like swimming.

Notice: full sentences, personal detail, simple linking (and, because), no advanced idioms.

Phrase bank: opening and expanding Part 1 answers

Starters

• I live in…
• I’m a student at… / I work in…
• In my free time, I usually…
• At the weekend, I often…
• My favourite … is …

Add a reason

• … because I like / enjoy / need…
• … so I can…
• … and it’s fun / useful / relaxing.

Add frequency (A2 gold)

• always / usually / often / sometimes / never
• every day / once a week / at the weekend / in the evening

Add a tiny example

• For example, last Saturday I…
• For example, I often watch…

Preferences

• I prefer tea to coffee.
• I like football more than tennis.
• I don’t really like…

Simple opinion frames

• I think it’s interesting / boring / important.
• For me, the best day is…

Grammar that carries Part 1

You do not need rare structures. Control these:

Common accuracy wins: third person -s (She lives), don’t/doesn’t, question answers that match tense (Did you…? — Yes, I did / Yes, I went…).

If you do not understand: repair phrases

Asking for help is allowed and smart. Examiners prefer a clear repair to a wrong-topic monologue.

Do not say nothing for a long time. Do not answer in your first language. Do not ask the assessor.

Traps that lower Part 1 performance

1. One-word habit: Yes. No. Sports. → add detail every time.
2. Memorised monologue: a speech about your village when the question was about food.
3. Off-topic drift: question about free time → long story about a hospital visit with no link.
4. Partner dependence: looking at your partner to answer your personal question.
5. Over-formal or robotic tone: I hereby inform you that my domicile… — keep natural A2 English.
6. Panic laughter without words: smile is fine; you still need language evidence.
7. Inventing a false identity you cannot maintain if a follow-up comes—prefer simple truth.
8. Speaking too quietly so endings disappear (live vs lived becomes unclear).

Strategy by question type

Yes/No questions

Never stop at Yes/No.

• Q: Do you like cooking?
• A: Yes, I do. I often cook rice and vegetables for my family on Sundays.

Wh- questions (What / Where / Who / When / How)

Lead with a direct answer, then expand.

• Q: How do you get to school?
• A: I usually go by bus. It takes about twenty minutes, and I listen to music on the way.

Tell me about…

Use a mini structure: who/what + two details + feeling.

• Q: Tell me about your home.
• A: I live in a flat with my parents and my sister. My room is small but nice, and I have a desk for homework. I like it because it’s quiet.

Preference questions

Give a choice language frame + reason.

• Q: Do you prefer morning or evening?
• A: I prefer the evening because I feel more relaxed after school, and I can watch a film.

Original practice set (study with a partner or recorder)

Answer each item in two or three sentences:

1. What’s your name, and where are you from?
2. Who do you live with?
3. What do you do every morning before school or work?
4. What’s your favourite day of the week, and why?
5. What do you usually do on Saturdays?
6. Tell me about a friend or family member.
7. What kind of films or music do you like?
8. What food do you not like?
9. How do you help at home?
10. What would you like to do next weekend?

After each answer, check: Did I use full sentences? Did I add a reason or example? Could a stranger understand me?

Connecting Part 1 to the rest of Speaking

Part 1 is mainly interlocutor–candidate, but the language habits transfer to Part 2:

• Giving reasons (because…) helps discussion choices.
• Frequency adverbs make free-time talk richer.
• Repair phrases protect you when Part 2 prompts are unclear.
• Clear volume and pacing support Pronunciation marks for the whole test.

Analytic marks are awarded across the whole Speaking test, not only Part 2. A strong Part 1 already builds evidence for Grammar and Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Interactive Communication (responding to the interlocutor), and Global Achievement.

Two-minute pre-test warm-up (outside the room)

Silently or with a friend:

1. Say where you live + one detail.
2. Say one free-time activity + when you do it.
3. Say one like and one dislike with because.
4. Practise Sorry, can you repeat that, please? once so it is automatic.

That is enough. Do not cram new vocabulary five minutes before you enter.

Part 1 rewards clear personal English with extension. Walk in ready to answer about real life in full sentences, repair when needed, and stay flexible. The next section trains Part 2 Discussion, where you talk mainly to your partner with visual prompts and must keep a short collaborative conversation moving.