FCE Part 2 Speaking Questions (II)
Here are some more questions to practice the FCE Part 2 speaking exam. The FCE part 2 speaking exam focuses on your ability to compare two picture and also your ability to be coherent when you’re speaking by yourself for a relatively long time. Fluency and coherence are heavily emphasized in this portion of the speaking exam.
Compare these two photos and say which one of them you find most enjoyable:
Example Answer:
In these two pictures we can clearly see people having fun, although the people in these pictures are having fun in quite different environments. In the picture on the left, there are two women having fun in the snow, while in the picture on the right there is a father and daughter having fun on the beach. Both locations are great in my opinion because even though the climate in one is hot and in the other it is cold, there are plenty of fun activities to do in either.
I personally prefer the heat, I love surfing, swimming even building sandcastles, but I have plenty of friends who enjoy the cold. I have friends who love skiing, snowboarding, and all sorts of cool activities people can do in the snow.
In the end, there is no wrong answer when it comes to this question, it just depends on whether you are willing to leave your comfort zone and try something new.
Compare these two images and say whether it is better to eat out or cook at home:
Example Answer
There are advantages and disadvantages both to eating at home and to eating out. When we eat out in my family, it is usually a special occasion, for example a fun Friday night, someone’s birthday or any other special event. While eating at home is nothing out of the ordinary. In my family we eat at home most days. Some families eat out more often than others and I have friends whose family never cooks at home because nobody likes cooking or because it is cheaper for them to eat out. When comparing both photos, I tend to lean towards eating at home, there is a feeling of coziness associated with home cooked food and although eating at a restaurant is great, it doesn’t compare to a nice home cooked meal with your family and friends.
Compare these two pictures and say whether it is better to work at home or in an office:
Example answer
A good working environment is essential to being productive and having a good work-life balance. In these two pictures we can see two quite common examples of how people are choosing to work nowadays. One the one hand, working from home allows you to see your friends and family more, but some people say it blurs the line between work and personal life, as we are doing both activities in the same space. On the other hand, working from the office can feel like a bit of a waste of time as people have to commute there and sometimes the work done in the office could easily be done at home. I believe there needs to be a compromise because many people feel like there is no need in spending five or six days a week holed up in a stuffy office. In my view, there should be two or three days of office work and two or three days of home-office work, in this way, meetings would be reserved for the office time and people could be productive at home during their home-office hours.
Compare these two pictures and say whether it is better to drink tea or coffee and why:
Example answer
This sometimes feels like a controversial question because coffee and tea have some avid fans and it sometimes feels like you can only like one or the other. The obvious answer as to which is the healthiest feels fairly obvious. Tea is healthier than coffee. Why? Because tea is just water with some dried leaves in it. There is barely any difference between some herbal teas and just drinking hot water. Even though the answer to this question seems straightforward, many people have pointed out the health benefits provided by coffee. I am not an expert, but I have heard coffee is quite a healthy drink as well. I will say though that coffee warrants moderation, but I have never heard anybody tell me to drink less tea!
In conclusion, although both drinks are healthier than drinking a soda or drinking a beer, my money is on tea being healthier because it’s basically just water and there is nothing healthier than water.
Compare these two pictures and say whether it is better to draw by hand or using a computer:
Example answer
These two pictures show people drawing in two separate ways. Drawing on paper almost feels like something teenagers would say is from the past, while drawing on a computer or tablet feels like a much more futuristic way to draw. I know many people will say that drawing on a tablet computer is much more practical because we all live our life in a computer now. By drawing it in a digital format it is easier to share online on our social medias, but I must say, that there is no comparison to drawing on a piece of paper. It is like comparing reading a real book and a digital book. Although the digital book is much more convenient, as we can have many of them in one device, many people like me would say that a real book is a far superior reading experience. Also, computers tend to tire your eyes after a while and so drawing on paper might be better for them.
Regardless of whichever method you choose to draw in, the most important thing is that people continue being creative and creating art in whatever format for people to enjoy.
