Making music & Watching live performances
B2 First · Speaking Long Turn · Cambridge Ready original exercise
Speak by yourself for about one minute, comparing your two photos. Afterwards, give a short answer to a question about the photos your partner described.
Please compare your two photographs and tell us what the people might get out of making music in these situations.
Let's begin with you. These are your photographs, and they show people making music.
Making music
A teenage girl practising the violin alone in her bedroom.
https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/1252526b183fa4933e94a14fc800f371ed72dcc2775ca3191b19486a66641678.avif
candid documentary photograph, a teenage girl practising the violin alone in her bedroom, music stand in front of her, afternoon light through the curtains, concentrated mood, wearing a plain black T-shirt 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 group of friends playing guitars and drums together in a garage.
https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/0dc578219a33d93bb4604350c3ee4a475f89ad52bacd4b37ec48819edfe6cff8.avif
candid documentary photograph, four young friends of different backgrounds playing plain wooden acoustic guitars and a drum kit together in a cluttered garage, smiling at each other, loud joyful mood, everyone in plain solid-colour T-shirts, bare garage walls with no posters, framed close so the guitar headstocks are cut off by the edges of the picture, plain unmarked amplifiers, no caps, the drummer in a plain grey T-shirt with nothing 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
Would you like to play in a band? (Why? / Why not?)
What might the people get out of making music in these situations?
Can you compare them and tell us how the people might be feeling while they watch these performances?
Right, your turn now. Here are your two photographs, and they show people watching live performances.
Watching live performances
A large crowd at an outdoor music festival at sunset.
https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/b253cd0726bc7554c76c2887f10bf270c212ef17bdc5488bf5dd4392f920cdbf.avif
candid documentary photograph, seen from low inside a large diverse crowd at an outdoor music festival at sunset, raised arms and happy faces filling the frame against an orange sky, the stage only a small dark silhouette with a few warm lights far away, excited celebratory mood, nothing in people's hands, everyone in plain solid-colour clothes with nothing printed on them, 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 small audience watching a play in a little theatre.
https://cdn.cambridgeready.com/images/d8d1a6865707506f33f3cb62e1306d08e8cfe6f0b05948e61dbcb7356871d891.avif
candid documentary photograph, seen from the side of a little old theatre, actors in simple costumes performing on a small wooden stage in the foreground and a small audience of mixed ages in rows beyond them, faces lit softly by stage lights, absorbed and quiet mood, dark bare walls, 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
Would you rather be in a big crowd at a festival or in a small theatre? (Why?)
How might the people be feeling while they watch these performances?
Next, you'll each get two photographs to talk about by yourself for roughly a minute. After that, I'll ask you a short question about your partner's pictures.
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.