What is the most important thing to
remember when taking your B2 First speaking exam?
Yeah, you must remember to look fabulous! It's a big day!
No, Monica! That was a stupid thing to say! You must
remember to talk! Okay yes, but also try to avoid the present simple!
My name is Toby, I am a Cambridge Speaking Examiner,
this is SMASH English and here is everything you need to know
about avoiding the present simple in your B2 First
Speaking exam! Before we begin, why should you avoid
the present simple? Well the clue is in the name
"present SIMPLE". Here is a secret that nobody has told you before: it is
better to try to use complex grammar and make
mistakes than it is to use simple grammar and
speak perfectly. Doesn't that change your lives?
It changed mine! Phwoar! That is great great advice! Cheers, mate!
So how can we do this? Well it's very difficult to prepare
complex grammar for parts three and four of the speaking exam because these
are supposed to be natural and normal conversations.
So if you prepare something it immediately becomes
unnatural and not normal... The examiners will know if you have
memorized structures to use in parts three and four so try not to.
If you need any help with part three I have a video telling you all about it
and everything you must do so watch that
instead. For parts one and two though
you absolutely should be avoiding the present simple
and trying to use complex grammar! Let's start with part one then.
Part one. Part one consists of the examiner asking you
simple questions about familiar topics. If you only have
one partner in the exam it's only two minutes long so the
examiner will only have time to ask you one or two
questions, maybe three if you give very short answers but try not to do that!
Let's look at some examples of possible questions
you could be asked in part one. Here are some examples divided into topics:
your friends, your hometown, your hobbies and your future.
What do you like doing with your friends? Do you have a best friend?
Do you like your city? Is there a lot to do
in your city? What is your favorite thing to do in the evenings?
Do you enjoy sport? Do you have any goals for this year?
Let's look at some of these questions and think about some
possible answers that we could give. What do you like doing with your friends?
This question is in the present simple. So, Monica, what do you like doing with
your friends? I like listening to music and dancing
and acting and seeing my friends and going shopping.
See! Because the question was in the present
simple the student answered in the present simple. No! Don't
do that! Oh my God! I made a big mistake! Here are the grammar structures that I
want you to use instead. The present perfect.
Used to and would. If only and I wish. It depends plus a zero
conditional. And inversion. Let's see how we can use each of these
structures to answer the same question. I have
always loved going shopping with my friends because...
I used to love going shopping with my friends
but now i prefer... If only I had more time to spend with my
friends but when I do have time I enjoy going
shopping... It depends, if the weather is nice we go
shopping but if not we spend time inside
listening to music... Rarely do I see my friends these days
but when I do I enjoy going shopping with them. What's
great about these structures is that they can stay basically the same
to answer any question in the present simple. Remember
your answers don't need to be true. The examiner
does not care about your personal life they care about your language. Um, even my
private life? Excuse me! I have like one million followers on Instagram
yeah? The examiner is probably one of them!
Let's have a look at another question now. Uh, Bruce, I want you to answer
using one of these structures. Yup. Bruce, do you like your city? Oh if only I lived
somewhere else! I hate my city there's like nothing to
do and that's why I make videos with this
idiot! Thank you so much, Bruce!
Now let's look at the remaining structures.
I have always loved my city. All of my friends live there and there is so much
to do. I used to love my city when I was young
but a lot of my friends have moved and now it's boring. It depends
if it's summer it's fun because the weather is nice and we can go
out, in the winter it's very quiet. It depends is probably the easiest one
to use. When you don't know what to say or when
you cannot think of a long extended answer
say 'it depends" and it will broaden your language. Add the zero conditional
to it! When you do that the examiner is happy,
I am happy! You're happy! We're happy! Everyone's happy! Your marks will go up
and you can say "I learnt that from SMASH English
and SMASH English is great and i'm going to subscribe!"
If you need any help with the zero conditional then watch my video
all about the zero conditional! You think it's easy,
trust me it's not! Never have I loved my town
but it's okay. I think i'll move when I am older though.
Remember it's better to make a mistake using this grammar
than to use the present simple perfectly so embrace your mistakes! Love your
mistakes! In the B2 First speaking exam anyway...
Monica, do you have any goals for this year? Actually I've never had
any goals! I believe that if you're hot like me
goals are not necessary because good things just happen to you!
I didn't use to give myself goals but this year I've given myself the goal
to help Toby with SMASH English. If only I had set myself a goal. I think
goals are really important because that way
you know where you are going in life and that's really important!
Yeah well it depends what you mean by a goal. If you mean like an ambition
then this year my ambition is to help Toby
with SMASH English but if you mean like a new year's resolution
then no mate I don't do that. Never do I set myself goals.
I think you only live once and so you should just live
in the moment, do you know what i mean?So remember: present perfect,
used to, I wish, if only, it depends plus the zero conditional,
inversion. Practice these all the time! Ask yourself
a present simple question, the simplest questions you can think of,
and try answering using one of these structures. Toby what is your favorite
color? Oh, I don't know. It used to be green but now that I'm older I like red.
Toby, do you have a dog? If only I had a dog! I would love to have a dog, having a
dog would change my life! Toby, do you like music? I have always
loved music! The more you do it the easier it will get.
Throw the truth out the window and bring the grammar in the wind...
It doesn't work doesn't work... Okay so what about part
two? Part two. Well for describing the pictures we
should always be using modal verbs. Modal verbs in the present
simple, but modal verbs to speculate: could, would,
might, may, must, couldn't. If you want more information on that
then watch my video on part two of the Cambridge speaking exam!
But after your partner has finished describing their pictures
the examiner will ask you a question about
their pictures. There are two types of question
that the examiner could ask you: One is if you like something or not,
so present simple again. The other one is asking you to choose between
the pictures: what activity would you prefer? where would you prefer to go?
If you are asked if you like something, then
use the same structures that I told you to use in part one:
used to, present perfect, inversion, if only,
it depends. However if you have used one of them in part one try not to use
it again in part two. Repetition
is not going to score you high marks. But if you are asked to choose between the
two pictures use a second conditional. This always
works so always do it! "If I had to choose
i would say _____ because _____" Finished! It's that simple! Monica,
which of these places would you prefer to spend your holiday in?
If I had to choose I would say the beach because I
love wearing my bikini because everybody looks at me and I know what they're
thinking! They're thinking "wow she is so hot!". And Bruce?
If I had to choose, I would say camping. I prefer
relaxing in nature with a beer in my hand like a real man. You know what I
mean? And another example! Which of these
activities would you prefer to do outside? If i had to choose i would say
cycling because it's great exercise and it makes
my legs look really firm and hard and so sexy!
And bruce? If I had to choose I would say walking
because I don't know how to ride a bike. Is that embarrassing? I don't know. And
with that we are finished! Now you can answer these simple basic
questions in the Cambridge B2 First Speaking exam
without using the present simple! Remember
the present simple is your enemy! We hate the present
simple! Yes? Yes! If you liked the video don't forget to SMASH that like button,
subscribe if you haven't already, leave a comment
down below! My name is Toby and this was SMASH English... you
