8 tips to ace your Cambridge speaking exams

Feeling nervous about the upcoming Cambridge speaking exam? Worried that your language skills may not be up to par? The thought of being questioned makes your confidence waver. You're not alone in having these concerns. Many students have felt the same initially, but with the right guidance, preparation, and practice, you too can boost your confidence and perform at your best. We have a few tips, tricks, and strategies to help you get started.

Cambridge speaking exams are not just about testing your knowledge of content. They also test how you put your ideas together, how you use discourse markers to structure your responses, and how you perform various language functions such as agreeing, disagreeing, or stating your opinion. List of things to better prepare, by John D’Souza, Director of The English Advantage (T.E.A).

Here is a list of things that will help you prepare better:

1. FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THE EXAM FORMAT AND RUBRICS

A lot of students are feeling let down by their exam results even though they thought they did a good job. It's crucial to carefully review each section of the exam and grasp what's required of you in each one.

Additionally, the exam's rubrics will outline what type of language you should be using during the test. The marking band descriptors that are available to the public can give you an idea of how the examiners will evaluate your language and responses.

2. LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENT LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS AND THE WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM

As humans, we often rely on a limited range of vocabulary when communicating. For example, when expressing our preferences, we typically use phrases like "I like" or "I love." However, to demonstrate a strong command of language, it's important to expand our vocabulary. Instead of simply saying "I like," we can use more sophisticated phrases like "I enjoy" or "I am very interested in."

3. PRACTICE WITH YOUR FRIENDS OR CLASSMATES

Gathering your friends who are also preparing for the same exams as you can be beneficial. You can discuss your learnings and share the new language you have picked up with each other.

4. WATCH THE SAMPLE VIDEOS AVAILABLE ONLINE

There are numerous sample videos available online from Cambridge that can be extremely helpful in preparing for the exam. Watching the candidates respond in these videos can provide valuable insight.

Additionally, Cambridge provides links that detail how candidates are marked, which can give you a fair understanding of what examiners are looking for and how they grade the candidates.

5. ASK YOUR TEACHERS TO HAVE MORE MOCK SPEAKING SESSIONS IN CLASS

Your teachers are the best people who can help you prepare well for the exam. Having more mock sessions in class wherein your teachers evaluate your performance, will be good in the long run as you will get an expert opinion on how you are faring in the language.

6. TALK IN THE MIRROR

Think of various topics and talk to yourself in the mirror. This will help you see your own facial expressions and gain an understanding of how you would look in front of the examiner.

Along with being able to answer well, you should also be able to look confident, and talking in the mirror is a great way to practice.

7. TALK ALOUD

If you struggle with expressing yourself or have a soft voice, it's important to find a quiet space where you can read aloud or simply talk about topics that interest you.

This practice can help you gain confidence and discover your own unique voice. Talking about current events or subjects that captivate you offers numerous benefits.

8. LISTEN TO INTERVIEWS AND PODCASTS

You can also try listening to interviews and podcasts as it will help you in interviews and role plays. When you hear two people conversing with each other in English, you can see how the twist entered the language, how they perform various functions, how they interrupt each other, how they talk to each other, or even things that you can avoid doing in your speaking exams.