Choosing what to buy & Giving presents

C1 Advanced · Speaking Long Turn · Cambridge Ready original exercise

Choose two of your three photographs, compare them and answer both printed questions in about a minute. After that, you get around 30 seconds to respond to one quick question on your partner's photographs.

Choose two of the photographs and compare them. Say what the people might be considering before they buy, and how they might feel if they make the wrong choice.

I'll start with you. These photographs show people deciding what to buy.

Choosing what to buy

A young man comparing two pairs of headphones in an electronics shop

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/59c42483ddc7b5138c643d7fd160c30e795dccb2f45a767f552866dc1b779fe3.avif

candid documentary photograph, a young man holding two different pairs of headphones and comparing them at a plain white display table in a bright minimalist electronics shop, both pairs plain matte black and plain white with no logos, the blurred background only bare white walls and empty display tables, no boxes, shelf labels or price tags, natural light, shot on 35mm film, no print, logos or writing on anyone's clothes, no signs or labels with readable text, no text, no watermark

A woman examining vegetables at an outdoor market stall

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/d15117db64857ad1308057979c9b7c550ed01a126b6430d59b9843ff98ddb9e6.avif

candid documentary photograph, a woman in her fifties picking up and examining tomatoes at a colourful outdoor market stall, the stallholder chatting to her, loose produce in wooden crates, no price cards, chalkboards or signs anywhere, the stallholder in a plain apron with nothing printed on it, natural light, shot on 35mm film, no print, logos or writing on anyone's clothes, no signs or labels with readable text, no text, no watermark

A couple trying out a sofa in a furniture showroom

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/0cd315b4477c79858f75df4f6744fc7746ba727fc658f9faa6e98af2edb0b08c.avif

candid documentary photograph, a young couple sitting on a large sofa in a furniture showroom, bouncing slightly to test it and looking at each other uncertainly, natural light, shot on 35mm film, no print, logos or writing on anyone's clothes, no signs or labels with readable text, no text, no watermark

Which of these things would you take longest to choose? (Why?)

What might the people be considering before they buy?

How might they feel if they make the wrong choice?

Choose two of the photographs and compare them. Say what the people might be thinking about, and how much the present might mean to the person receiving it.

Now it's your turn. Your photographs show people preparing or handing over presents.

Giving presents

A teenage boy giving his mother a homemade card in the kitchen

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/7e413473e30a42a427f8b519246aae04ef9ed160e8991cdb3ba0b16052ce4b77.avif

candid documentary photograph, a teenage boy shyly handing his mother a homemade card in a family kitchen, the mother touched and smiling, the card closed, its front a plain hand-drawn flower with no writing, natural light, shot on 35mm film, no print, logos or writing on anyone's clothes, no signs or labels with readable text, no text, no watermark

Colleagues giving a wrapped present to a coworker who is leaving

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/6360ea9032e7a9f8ab1ff5bb3c5d042f253b96eccb31e8a800d9f1dab6495651.avif

candid documentary photograph, a group of office colleagues handing a wrapped present to a smiling older coworker who is leaving the company, balloons in the background, no banners and no cards with writing, natural light, shot on 35mm film, no print, logos or writing on anyone's clothes, no signs or labels with readable text, no text, no watermark

A woman wrapping presents at a table covered in paper and ribbon

https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/963a7b2793344f6da8de42df00dcb8e5f8efa39f8b76ae820566dce7d1704074.avif

candid documentary photograph, a woman in her thirties at a dining table covered in coloured paper, ribbon and scissors, tying a ribbon bow on top of a neatly wrapped box, two finished wrapped presents beside her, her face visible, smiling and concentrating, natural light, shot on 35mm film, no print, logos or writing on anyone's clothes, no signs or labels with readable text, no text, no watermark

Which of these presents do you think would be most appreciated? (Why?)

What might the people be thinking about?

How much might the present mean to the person receiving it?

Next, you'll each have three photographs to work with. Choose two of them and speak by yourself for roughly a minute, and after that I'll ask you a quick question about your partner's photographs.

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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