SpeakingExam
Picture description & discussion (PET-style)
CEFR Pathway · You are here
Warm-up · Section 1
5 minGet talking
Describe the room you're in for 60 seconds. Use 'in the foreground / background', 'on the left / right'.
Practise: 'I see what you mean, but I'd say…' — disagree politely with your partner's last opinion.
What's the scariest thing about speaking exams?
Grammar focus · Section 2
8–10 minPicture description + collaborative discussion structure
PICTURE: structure beats vocabulary.
→ The picture shows a family in a park.
→ In the foreground a boy is kicking a ball.
→ They look really happy — maybe it's a birthday.
→ I see your point, but I'd say the second option is better.
More detail
Use this 4-step frame: (1) GENERAL — 'The picture shows…' (2) LOCATION — 'In the foreground / background…', 'On the left / right…', 'In the middle…' (3) ACTIONS — Present Continuous: 'A man is reading. Children are playing.' (4) FEELING / GUESS — 'They look happy. Maybe it's a Sunday morning. It seems…'. DISCUSSION: combine OPINION ('I'd say…') + AGREEMENT ('I see what you mean') + DISAGREEMENT ('On the other hand…') + DECISION ('Shall we go with…?').
Question 1.Best opener for picture description?
Question 2.Which tense for actions in the picture?
Question 3.Polite disagreement?
Question 4.Polite agreement?
Question 5.Best closing of a discussion?
Vocabulary · Section 3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
Don't just read these — say one out loud, then use it about your life.
in the foreground
front of the picture
"In the foreground there's a dog."
Describe your room: foreground = ?
in the background
back of the picture
"In the background you can see mountains."
What's in YOUR background?
it looks like…
guess from appearance
"It looks like a market."
Describe a guess about a stranger.
I see what you mean, but…
polite disagreement
"I see what you mean, but I prefer X."
Disagree with a partner politely.
shall we go with…?
propose a decision
"Shall we go with the cinema?"
Propose a Friday plan.
I'd rather…
soft preference
"I'd rather try the new place."
Express a preference now.
Discuss with a partner
- →Describe any photo on your phone using the 4-step frame.
- →Pick 3 hobbies from a list — discuss & decide on ONE for a weekend.
Finish the sentence about you
- The picture shows… …
- In the foreground… in the background… …
- I see what you mean, but I'd rather… …
Pronunciation · Section 4
3–4 minSentence stress on content words during description
- • In the FORE-ground a MAN is READ-ing a NEWS-paper.
- • In the BACK-ground we can SEE the SEA.
- • They LOOK really HAP-py.
- • MAYbe it's a SUM-mer AF-ternoon.
How to say it
When describing a picture, stress the CONTENT words: 'In the FORE-ground a MAN is READ-ing a NEWS-paper.' Weak words (in, the, a, is) stay soft. Examiners hear rhythm as fluency, so a clear strong-weak alternation scores higher than a flat fast description.
Reading · Section 5
8–10 minThe 4-step frame that turns description into a score
B1 speakers usually describe a picture by listing nouns: 'a man, a dog, a tree, sun.' That scores low — no structure, no language. The 4-step frame fixes it instantly. STEP 1 — GENERAL: 'The picture shows a busy market.' STEP 2 — LOCATION: 'In the foreground a woman is buying fruit. On the right two men are talking.' STEP 3 — ACTIONS: use Present Continuous; this is the test's grammar focus. STEP 4 — FEELING / GUESS: 'They look relaxed. Maybe it's a Sunday morning.' The whole description takes 60–90 seconds. The frame also handles silence — if you forget what to say next, just announce the next step ('Now, in the background…') and your brain restarts. Examiners love structure. Use the frame and your score jumps without learning a single new word.
Question 1.Step 1 of the frame?
Question 2.Which tense for step 3?
Question 3.How long should the description take?
Q1.Listing nouns scores well.
Q2.The frame helps when you forget what to say.
Q3.You need to learn new vocabulary for the frame to work.
Listening · Section 6
8–10 minTwo candidates doing a PET-style collaborative task
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Examiner:Here are five activities for a school trip. Discuss them and decide which two are best.
Anna:Shall we start with the museum? I'd say it's educational.
Luca:I see your point, but I'd rather start with the picnic — more fun for everyone.
Anna:That's a really good point. The students would love that.
Luca:What about the boat trip? It looks expensive though.
Anna:I'd say maybe too expensive. On the other hand, it's unforgettable.
Luca:True. So shall we go with the picnic and the boat trip?
Anna:Sounds perfect to me. Let's go with those.
Question 1.What does Luca prefer first?
Question 2.Anna's worry about the boat trip?
Question 3.Final decision?
Exam skills · Section 7
5 minCambridge PET Speaking Part 2 & 3 — full performance
Task
Picture description (60s) + collaborative decision task (2 min) with a partner.
Strategy
PICTURE: lock the 4-step frame. Even if vocabulary is thin, the structure scores. DISCUSSION: never just agree. Examiners reward INTERACTION — pose options, push back politely, build on partner's ideas, propose a final decision. Use a different discussion phrase every turn (avoid repeating 'I agree').
Example
PICTURE: 'The picture shows a busy beach. In the foreground a family is having a picnic. In the background you can see the sea and a few boats. They look relaxed — maybe it's a Saturday afternoon.' DISCUSSION: 'I'd rather go with the museum first. — I see what you mean, but the picnic is more relaxed. — That's a fair point. Shall we go with the picnic and a short museum visit after?'
Practice · Section 8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.In the ____ a child is playing.
Question 2.It ____ like a summer evening.
Question 3.I see what you ____, but…
Question 4.____ we go with the cinema?
Question 5.I'd ____ the new restaurant.
Q1.Opener for picture description:
Q2.Polite disagreement:
Q3.Closing a discussion:
Writing · Section 9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write two paragraphs: (1) a 100-word picture description using the 4-step frame; (2) a 100-word transcript of a collaborative decision with a partner, using ≥ 5 discussion phrases.
Show model answer
PICTURE: The picture shows a busy café in winter. In the foreground a young woman is reading a book and drinking coffee. On the left two friends are laughing at something on a phone. In the background you can see a barista making drinks. They all look relaxed — maybe it's a Saturday morning. I'd say it feels warm and friendly. DISCUSSION: A: 'Shall we start with the museum?' B: 'I see what you mean, but I'd rather start with the picnic — more fun.' A: 'That's a really good point. What about the boat trip?' B: 'On the other hand, it's a bit expensive.' A: 'Shall we go with the picnic and a short museum visit?' B: 'Sounds perfect.'
Speaking · Section 10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
SPEAKING EXAM MOCK · Pairs. Part 1: 3 personal questions. Part 2: each describes a picture for 60 sec. Part 3: collaborative task — 'Which two activities for a weekend trip?'. Teacher gives band feedback.
Useful phrases
- • The picture shows…
- • In the foreground / background…
- • They look… / it seems…
- • Shall we go with…?
- • I see your point, but…
- • On the other hand…
- ExaminerDescribe this picture.
- Candidate_______________
- PartnerI really think we should do the museum first.
- Candidate_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Mock-exam day — exact band feedback. ~30 min total
Homework · Section 11
Take-homeTake it home
Record a 60-second description of any photo using the 4-step frame.
Do a 2-minute mock collaborative task with a study partner.
Memorise 8 discussion phrases.
Recap · Section 12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- Picture frame: General → Location → Actions → Feeling.
- Actions = Present Continuous.
- Discussion = opinion + agree + disagree + decide.
- Examiners reward INTERACTION, not solo monologues.
- Structure beats vocabulary — frame first, words second.