Memory

C2 Proficiency · Speaking Long Turn · Cambridge Ready original exercise

Speak on your own for about two minutes in answer to the question on your card, using the ideas if they help. Then answer a short question about what your partner said.

Take about two minutes, and then we'll all discuss it.

You're going first. This card has a question for you to talk about, and some ideas underneath that you can use or ignore, as you prefer.

Memory

the influence of emotions

photographs and recordings

retelling stories

How reliable are our memories of the past?

What do you think?

Do you agree?

How about you?

Have you ever discovered that you remembered something wrongly? (What happened?)

Do photographs help us remember, or do they replace our memories? (Why?)

Does it matter if our memories aren't completely accurate? (Why? / Why not?)

Once more, you have about two minutes, and then we'll talk about it together.

Thank you. Now it's your turn. Your card has a different question, again with a few ideas you can use if you'd like to.

Memory

a sense of identity

learning from the past

old buildings and places

Why is it important for communities to remember their history?

What do you think?

Do you agree?

How about you?

Can a community focus too much on its past? (Why? / Why not?)

How do young people today learn about local history?

Are old buildings worth preserving when they're no longer useful? (Why? / Why not?)

For the final part, I'll give each of you a card with a question to talk about on your own for about two minutes. Please listen while your partner is speaking, as I'll be asking for your thoughts on what they say.

Answer this Speaking task out loud and an AI examiner marks it on the official Cambridge Speaking criteria, with what you did well and what to fix next.

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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