In part one of the speaking test, you’ll be with a partner, but you

won’t talk to them. You speak only to the examiner.

This part lasts between two and three minutes.

The main topics the examiners could ask you about are:

 Home town
 Family and home

 Work/study

 Leisure

 Future plans

The examiner will ask you questions on two or three of these

topics.

How to Answer the First Questions in the PET Speaking Test

The examiner will first ask, “What’s your name?” Remember to

speak in full sentences.

When the examiner asks you for your name, don’t just say,
“Michael.” Say:

 My name is Michael.

This shows that you know how to make simple sentences.

When asked for your surname do the same. Don’t just say,
“Jones.” Say:

 My surname is Jones.

After you have given your surname, the examiner will ask you to
spell it.

How to Add More Information to Your Answers

The examiner will usually ask, “Where are you from?”

So, when the examiner asks, “Where are you from?” Don’t just
say, “I’m from London.” Give more information about your town
or city. Say:

 I’m from London, the capital of the UK, which is in the

south of my country.

 I’m from Seville, a beautiful town in the province of

Andalucía.

This shows that you are a confident English speaker who can
form sentences and give extra information.

How to Sound Natural and Confident

The examiners might ask you to talk in more detail about your
town. Remember to speak clearly and confidently. You want the
examiners to be able to hear and understand you.

If the examiner asks you to tell them something interesting

about your town. Don’t start muttering, “My town is interesting
because it has lots of museums and parks…”

Be clear. Be confident.

 My town is interesting because it has lots of fantastic

museums and beautiful parks.
 Also remember to try and sound natural. You don’t want to
sound like a robot who has memorised all the answers. You
should sound like you are talking to a friend.

In PET, the examiners want to see that you can communicate

naturally. Listen to the difference between these two answers to
the question:

 What is the most interesting part of your town?

 The most interesting part of my town is the zoo because

you can see lots of different animals such as lions,
elephants and zebras. Lots of people like visiting the zoo.

Now let’s compare this with a more natural way to answer this
question:
  Um… The most interesting part of my town is … the zoo
because you can see lots of different animals. Such as
lion, elephants and … zebras. Lots of people like visiting
the zoo.

The second answer sounds a lot more natural. Try not to sound
like a robot when answering. Use intonation.

What to Do if You Don’t Understand Something

Maybe you didn’t hear the examiner or didn’t understand the

question. What should you do? Ask them politely to repeat the
question.

Don’t try and answer the question if you aren’t sure what you
are answering. Maybe they asked you where you are from. You
don’t want to say, “I love playing basketball. It’s my favourite
sport.”

 I’m sorry, could you repeat that, please?

 Can you say that again, please?

 How to Use More Adjectives and Verb Forms

On the topic of family and home you might be asked to talk more
about your family and where you live. Remember to use
adjectives to show off your abilities.

If they ask you to describe where you live, don’t just say, “I live
in a flat which has three bedrooms.” Use some adjectives. Show
off.

 I live in a gorgeous flat in the city centre which has three

bedrooms; there’s also a huge living room and a tiny
kitchen.

Using the adjectives gorgeous, huge and tiny makes this answer
more detailed and interesting.

If you are asked to tell them about your family, don’t just say, “I
have a brother and a sister.” Use some adjectives.

 I have an older brother and a younger sister.

If you want to get even higher marks, try to use different
adjectives and not just the regular boring ones.

 good – excellent
 interesting – fascinating

 nice – wonderful

 boring – dull

The examiner asks:

 Which do you think is better: living in the countryside or in

the city?

Let’s compare two answers:

 I think living in the countryside is a good choice. I find

nature very interesting and the views are nice. The only
negative is that it is sometimes boring.

This is a good answer.

Now let’s change the adjectives:

 I think living in the countryside is an excellent choice. I

find nature fascinating and the views are wonderful. The
only negative is that it is sometimes dull.

Next, let’s look at using verb forms correctly. It’s a good idea to
show that you can use different verb forms. This will show the
examiner your grammatical knowledge.

On the topic of leisure, you will have to talk about your hobbies:
what you enjoy doing, what sports you do, what music or films
you like, and so on.

If the examiners ask what kinds of sport you like doing, don’t
just use the present tense. Don’t just say, “I like tennis. Tennis is
my favourite sport.”

You could say:

  I like playing tennis. In the past I loved football but today I
prefer tennis. Next weekend I’m going to play it with my
friend.

Using a range of past, present and future verb forms shows your
ability to use English grammar to express different ideas.

Maybe they will ask about what music you enjoy listening to.
Don’t just say, “I like pop music. I listen to it every day.”

This is a good answer, but you want to give more information

and use different verb forms. Say:

 I used to like dance music, but at the moment I like

listening to pop music. I love listening to it every day. This
summer I am going to a concert to listen to my favourite
band.

On the topic of future plans, you may be asked to talk about

what you want to do in the future or how English will help you in
the future.

Making Your Answers Interesting

My next piece of advice is to make your answers interesting. You

don’t want to sound boring. Remember that the information you
give doesn’t have to be true.

In general, you should try and give an honest answer because it

will sound more natural. But if you can’t think of anything to talk
about, you can invent an answer.

Imagine that the examiner asks, “What do you want to be in the

future?” But you don’t know what you want to be in the future—
what can you do?

You could invent an idea to make your answer more interesting.

Make your answers interesting.

Don’t say, “I don’t know what I want to be in the future.” Say:

  I’m not sure what I want to do, but I’m considering
becoming a scientist because I think science is
fascinating.

Of course, you don’t get a higher score for being more

interesting, but making your answers interesting will make you
use a wider range of language.

You’ll naturally add more details and use more of your English,
and this will help your score.

Maybe you will be asked about whether you enjoy studying

English. Don’t just say “I like studying English because I like
languages.”

Try to make it more interesting. Say:

 I like studying English because I think it will help me in

the future and I really enjoy listening to English music and
it helps me understand my favourite songs.

This is a better answer. It’s longer, more detailed, and it uses a

wider range of language.

In conclusion, in part one of your PET speaking exam, you

should:

 Speak in full sentences

 Try to add extra information

 Speak clearly and confidently

 Try to sound natural

 Ask the examiner to repeat the question if you don’t

understand something

 Use a range of adjectives and verb forms in your answers

 Make your answers interesting