3.2 Part 2 Continuous Dialogue Completion & Speech Functions

Part 2 of the A2 Flyers Reading and Writing paper is a continuous dialogue. It has 5 questions and 5 marks. The first speaker's turns are printed in full. The second speaker's answers are gaps. Children choose from A–H and write the letter in each gap. Two options are unused. The part begins with an example. Correct spelling still matters in the sense that the letter must be clear: a messy B that looks like D can lose the mark. Copy the letter clearly; do not write the whole sentence unless the paper asks for the letter only — and the official task asks for the letter.

The 2026 format page summarises this as reading and completing a continuous dialogue, then writing letters. The Handbook for Teachers (2024) is more precise about what is being tested: functional language. That is a different skill from Part 1. Part 1 asks "what does this word mean?" Part 2 asks "what would a person say next, in this conversation, so that the talk still makes sense?"

What the page looks like

A short scene-setting line introduces the speakers. Then the conversation runs as a chain, not as five separate mini-dialogues. That matters. Option F might answer question 1 grammatically and still be wrong because it belongs later, or because it repeats an idea the example already used.

Children should read all the alternatives before choosing. The Handbook warns that there may initially appear to be more than one correct alternative. An understanding of discourse features and referencing provides the correct answer.

Functions, not just question words

Teachers often drill wh- questions: where, when, how many, why, whose. Those help, but they are not the whole of Part 2. The Handbook tells teachers to practise appropriate responses not just to questions, but also to statements. A first speaker may say "It's really cold in here." A fitting reply is not a place or a number. It might be "Shall I close the window?" or "I'll get your sweater."

Question replies and statement replies

Build a function bank from the Flyers lists (including formulaic expressions that are new at Flyers, such as See you soon/later/tomorrow, What time…?, What else/next?, Shall we…? for suggestions, and short yes/no answers).

Short yes or no answers are on the syllabus, but a bare "Yes" is often too thin for Flyers Part 2 because another option will be "Yes" plus the detail the first speaker asked for. Match the function and the detail.

Referencing: the words that point back

Spend time establishing which words in the response refer back to the first speaker and therefore indicate a correct answer. This is the Handbook's most useful Part 2 tactic.

• there needs a place already mentioned ("at your office" → "There are about thirty people there.").
• it / that needs a singular noun already on the table ("the computer" → "No, it's only for work.").
• them / they needs a plural ("How many people…?" can set up "I don't know all of them.").
• then often points to a time already offered.
• Repeating a noun is also referencing: "your office" in the question and "the office" in the reply.

If two options both look like answers to "Where…?", check the reference. One may name a new place that the conversation has not prepared. One may use there when no place has been named yet. The unused options are often perfect answers to a different question.

Worked mini-example (original teaching dialogue)

Holly is talking to her cousin William about a school concert. William's replies are missing. The letters below are teaching options, not a copied sample paper.

Holly: Are you going to play the violin in the concert? William: …………………… (needs a yes/no about playing, not a place)

Holly: How many children are in the band? William: …………………… (needs a number)

Holly: Where do you practise after school? William: …………………… (needs a place)

Holly: It's a long evening for your mum and dad. William: …………………… (this is a statement; the reply must react, not answer where)

Holly: What time does it finish? William: …………………… (needs a time)

A teaching bank that would fit this scene:

• A Yes, I am. I practise every evening.
• B In the school hall, next to the stage.
• C See you later, then.
• D I haven't finished it yet.
• E About twenty children.
• F That's true. They might leave at the interval.
• G No, it's made of wood, not plastic.
• H At about nine o'clock.

A is the yes/no about playing. E is the number. B is the place. F reacts to the statement about mum and dad. H is the finishing time. C is a closing formula with no conversation to close yet. D has it with no unfinished object in Holly's turn. G answers a materials question nobody asked. Those three unused-style options look "Flyers-correct" in isolation; discourse throws them out.

Notice F. It does not start with yes or a wh- answer. Part 2 often hides the hardest item on a statement. Children who only hunt for where/when/how many leave that gap until last and then dump any leftover letter into it. Train them to label each first-speaker turn: question or statement, then function.

Before looking at A–H, predict

The Handbook suggests giving prompts of the kind found in this part and asking children to predict responses before they see the options. In class, cover A–H, read Holly's first line, and ask "What kind of answer?" Only then uncover the letters. This stops the child from falling in love with a sentence because it is long, polite, or contains a familiar Flyers chunk.

Also practise set expressions until they are automatic: See you soon, See you later, See you tomorrow, That's a good idea, I don't think so, Of course, I'm not sure, What time does it start?, Shall we…?. These chunks appear as whole options. A child who knows See you later as a closing will not drop it into a how many gap.

Time inside the 40-minute paper

Part 2 is only 5 marks. It should take about 4–5 minutes after the example: one read of the whole dialogue, one read of A–H, then five choices with unused letters checked at the end. Do not copy the full sentences onto the lines. Write the letter. Parts 3–7 still remain, and Part 1 should already have used about 6–7 minutes. If a child is still rewriting option sentences in joined-up writing at minute 20, the later cloze and story will be rushed.