SPEAKING PART 1

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Barcelona, which is a cosmopolitan and modern city of Spain and
where I am currently living. But my parents are from China.
What do you do here?
I am a college student, and I am currently studying Business Administration. I hope this will
prepare me well for the labour market afterwards.

How long have you been studying English?

I have been studying English since my childhood, so practically all my life. Now at college,
I also get to attend some lessons in English. For instance, accounting and operations.

What do you enjoy most about learning English?

I guess the fact that English is a lingua franca, so that every time I go abroad I am able to
communicate with local people who dont speak my mother tongue.
Why are you preparing for the CAE exam?
Because the CAE exam is recognized by many institutions and I guess this is a way of
demonstrating my proficiency in English.
Do you have any hobbies or interests?
Not really, but I do enjoy swimming in my spare time, mostly weekends. In general, doing
sports lets me get away with my stressed routine.
What makes a good friend?
There is a saying that goes: A friend in need is a friend indeed. So for me a real friend is
someone who helps you and stays with you specially when youre having a difficult time.
How do you like to spend time with your friends?
The truth is that I dont get to see my friends a lot when I am at college because of the heavy
workload, but I love spending time with them watching movies, going to the beach or just
hanging around whenever we are free.

SPEAKING PART 2
1) I would say that pictures A and B have something in common.
Both pictures depict (represent, show) __________________.
- Explain A and B?

2) But in terms of (the purpose), I believe that A stands in stark contrast to B.

- A_____________, Conversely, B, ______________.
Another important difference is (their personality).

3) All pictures are interesting, but A gives a stronger idea of ______ because___.
SKEAPING PART 3
1) THINK
I am positive / convinced / inclined to believe
In my humble opinion
To my way of thinking
- A strong point in favor of ____ is that ____________

2) ASK
Do you go along with that?
Whats your take on this?
What are your thoughts on this?

3) AGREE
I couldnt agree more
Im with you 100% on this one
You took the words right out of my mouth
We see eye to eye

4) DISAGREE
Thats true in a way, but there is another way of looking at it. I mean
I dont feel convinced of this, I suppose
I beg to differ, but I am inclined to believe that 1)

5) MOVE ON
Moving on to ________, 1)
Should we discuss as well ___?

6) CHOOSE
The bottom line is that we choose one _____.
Shall we go with ____?

SKEAPING PART 4
Just following from what X was saying, I also feel that ________
I can sympathize with what X said but ___________
- One thing X didnt mention is __________
- Perhaps it should be also point out that __________
ESSAY
1) Introduction
No one would dispute the fact that
Few people would contest the fact that
Recent research indicates that
There has been a great deal of controversy over abortion in the US.
It goes without saying that science is not one of the most chosen careers by people, but how can we
encourage them to enter this field? Advertising and government grants could play a significant role.

2) Body
-Despite a few problems with the design, the car's advantages clearly outweigh its
disadvantages.
-The major drawback of this method is that it can be very time-consuming.
-The downside of running your own business is that you are responsible if anything
goes wrong.
It is often claimed that
Proponents/Supporters/Oponents of ( hunting ) argue that
Advocates/Proponents would claim that

3) A second alternative would be to

4) In light of the above
PROPOSAL
1) Introduction

- This proposal is intended to evaluate/ assess/ present/ outline / highlight (the

current problems with public transport)

- and suggest ways that (a course could help them to deal with these)/ give ideas
for (improving the service for local residents)
- The final section makes recommendations about (what should be included in the
course curriculum)

2) Current Situation (Problems when studying abroad)

Following a survey of local residents, it was found that

As the council may be aware, ___________.

The majority of students were of the opinion that

A number of students are struggling (to select an appropriate structure) Comments

made suggest that _________________.
 3) Suggestions (Ways a course could address these)
It would be advisable to
It is highly recommended that
4) Final Recommendations

Were the government to ..............., the current undesirable situation would doubtless
improve.
Implementation of the above ideas would result in...
There should be no delay in (creating____)

REPORT
1) Introduction
- The aim/ purpose of this report is to compare /examine/ evaluate/ outline /analyse
(some suggestions)/give information on/regarding

- It is based on a survey conducted among _______ / It is the result of a discussion

which took place among ____________

2) Current Situation (change)

An overwhelming majority cited that
It is worth considering
The first observation to make is

Predicting the future: The outlook for ... is (far from [+ing]) bright/ optimistic /
depressing/ daunting / promising

3) Suggestions /recommendations
It would be advisable to
In the light of the results of the survey I would advise against...
4) Conclusions
The reseach shows/demonstrates
From the research/the evidence we conclude that
As long as/provided that these recommendations are taken into consideration

SHED LIGHTS ON = explain, clarify

This discussion has shed some lighton the problem,

Experts hope the plane's flight recorders will shed light on the cause of the crash. Thelatest study co
uld throw light on why older people are the only ones affected.
MOST IMPORTANT KEY WORDS AND PHRASES TO A SUCCESSFUL C.A.E WRITING
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

-Despite a few problems with the design, the car's advantages clearly outweigh its disadvantages.

-The major drawback of this method is that it can be very time-consuming.

-The downside of running your own business is that you are responsible if anything goes wrong.

CAUSE

-lead to: The research could lead to a cure for many serious illnesses.

-result in: The fire resulted in damage to their property.

-be responsible for: He was responsible for the accident.

-bring about:The war brought about enormous social change.

-give rise to: Poor performance in exams can give rise to depression and even thoughts of suicide.

-trigger:to make something suddenly start to happen, especially a bad situation such as a crisis or a war, or

a medical condition: Certain foods can trigger allergies.

-contribute to: Passive smoking could contribute to the development of respiratory diseases among
nonsmokers.

EFFECT

-impact on: His work has had an enormous impact on the study of genetics.

-influence on: In his book, he examines the influence of the media on our society.

-implications: The results of the study could have important implications for future educational policy.

EMPHASIZING
-I would like to stress that the research is still at an early stage.
-It should be noted that there are a number of alternative methods available.
-It is worth bearing in mind that 90% of the scientists researching herbicides in the US are employed by
chemical companies.
-Factors such as temperature and acidity play a crucial role in determining how well the process works.
-These insects play a vital part in the food chain.

PROBLEMS

-issue: Issue is used especially about problems that affect a lot of people in society: International terrorism
is the biggest issue (=the most important issue) facing the world today. Previous governments failed to
address (=try to deal with) social issues such as unemployment and homelessness.
-challenge: something difficult that you must do or deal with, which needs a lot of skill, effort, and
determination: She said she was looking forward to the challenge of starting up a new business on her own.
-setback: something that happens which stops you making progress or which makes things worse than they
were before: Despite some early setbacks, his campaign for the presidency was successful.
-obstacle: Criminal gangs are the biggest obstacle to democratic reform.
-dilemma: The doctors were faced with a moral dilemma.
-vicious circle: Some developing countries get caught in a vicious circle. They cannot afford to pay their
debt repayments, and so the debts get even bigger.
ADVANCED

-sophisticated / high-tech (equipment) / state-of-the-art (technology)

VERY

-absolutely / extremely / highly / incredibly / remarkably

GOOD PERFORMANCE / PIECE OF WORK

-excellent / outstanding / impressive / exceptiona

WRONG INFORMATION / NUMBERS

-incorrect / inaccurate / misleading

NOT REASONABLE / NECESSARY

-unjustified / unreasonable / without good reason

COMPARISONS

-a great deal / far / much + comparative (cheaper / more economical than)

-a bit / slightly / barely + comparative (cheaper / more economical than)

-by far / easily the + superlative (This is easily the best solution we can think of)

VERY MUCH / NOT VERY MUCH

-dramatically / significantly / slightly

OR

-alternatively: You can go up into the mountains. Alternatively, you can stroll around one of Switzerland's

delightful cities where the old mixes with the new.

-on THE one hand ... on the other (hand)

BECAUSE

-As / since: As it was a hot day, they decided to leave all the windows open. Since it is difficult to predict

how the climate will change, it is not possible to say which countries will suffer the most.

-thanks to

-DUE TO/OWING TO + NOUN

The delay was due to a problem with the ship's engines.

-DUE TO/OWING TO + THE FACT THAT + subject + verb

The men did most of the work in the fields. This was partly due to the fact that the men were stronger.