Isolated Places & Painting - Test 5

C1 Advanced · Speaking Long Turn · Cambridge English Advanced 2, Cambridge University Press

Compare two of your three pictures and speak on your own for about a minute. Then answer a short question about your partner's pictures.

I'd like you to compare two of the pictures, and say why the people might have chosen to be in these isolated places, and what problems they might face.

It's your turn first. Here are your pictures. They show people in isolated places.

Isolated places

A man sitting in long grass in a rural meadow, working on a laptop

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/4900008c7bb7335b7423bdde05a3424e622af880af507919a54e940b33034a36.avif

candid documentary photograph, man in a checked shirt sitting cross-legged in tall grass in a remote countryside meadow working on a laptop, wire fence behind him, overcast natural light, shot on 35mm film, no text, no watermark

A couple camping beside an orange tent on a bluff overlooking a winding river valley

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/4e1b52a5d2138b40208528ce42c19645298a6ff001b086298cdbb0b020734277.avif

candid documentary photograph, couple sitting by a small orange dome tent on a grassy cliff edge overlooking a vast winding river valley and forest at dusk, dramatic cloudy sky, picnic blanket, natural light, shot on 35mm film, no text, no watermark

A man fishing alone from a small rowing boat on a calm lake

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/02da0bd3b9e99dc823c760da620fd19edd73d87dfe3e55bfd6f5302274421893.avif

candid documentary photograph, lone man in a red cap fishing with a rod from a small aluminium rowing boat in the middle of a calm forest lake, still green water, evergreen shoreline, soft daylight, shot on 35mm film, no text, no watermark

Who might enjoy being in this isolated situation the most? ….. (Why?)

Why might the people have chosen to be in these isolated places?

What problems might they face?

I'd like you to compare two of the pictures, and say what skills the people might need to do this painting, and how enjoyable the activity might be.

Now, here are your pictures. They show people painting for different reasons.

Painting

A laughing toddler covered in paint, finger-painting at a table

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/bca05924b1d25e7cb9a6475ce9fdcedc720cddf7f0ab31db9cf74fb164b0aaea.avif

candid documentary photograph, laughing toddler in a white t-shirt covered in smudges of red blue and yellow paint, finger-painting on paper at a kitchen table, bright indoor light, joyful, shot on 35mm film, no text, no watermark

A woman hand-painting a decorative porcelain plate in a workshop

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/a6e504b21e910a26216645cbdc57e58b92ff3837e3daa8ae63cbaef67ceea829.avif

candid documentary photograph, woman in a denim shirt carefully hand-painting a floral design onto a porcelain plate with a fine brush in a ceramics workshop, stacked plates and a botanical reference book beside her, soft window light, shot on 35mm film, no text, no watermark

A man in overalls painting an interior wall beside a staircase

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/93882c412da1e912d79cae2461f3275c8bd29ad91d5017b52165d94bdc669896.avif

candid documentary photograph, man in white painter's overalls painting an interior wall with a brush next to a modern metal staircase, seen through the stair railings, natural indoor light, shot on 35mm film, no text, no watermark

Who do you think will finish their painting first? ….. (Why?)

What skills might the people need to do this painting?

How enjoyable might the activities be?

In this part of the test, I'm going to give each of you three pictures. I'd like you to talk about two of them on your own for about a minute, and also to answer a question briefly about your partner's pictures.

Practise this Speaking task free online: solo with exam timers and a self-recorder, as a live mock Speaking test with a partner over a video call, or as a full three-person mock exam — a real examiner reads the official examiner script to Candidates A and B. Rooms are invite-by-link; partners can join without an account.

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