C2 Proficiency (CPE) · Paper 4 · 36 tasks

C2 Proficiency Speaking: the complete guide

Three parts in 16 minutes, with a partner and two examiners. What happens in each part at C2, the marks you need, how the examiners mark you, and free practice with an AI examiner who talks back.

Try one now · Part 3

Your card asks:

How important is it for cities to protect their old buildings?

Which opening sets up a strong two-minute answer?

Old buildings are old, and some people like them.
I’d say it matters up to a point, but there’s a real tension between keeping the past and housing people now, so let me look at both.
I agree.

At C2 the examiners listen for a developed, organised answer from the first sentence.

Practise a full Part 3 →

3 parts
16 minutes
2 candidates
200 for a C2

Practise Part 1 free → · Practise with the AI examiner

The three parts, and where students lose marks

Tap a part to practise it

Part 1 · Interview: Questions about you and your views · 9 tasks. Format: Examiner and you, questions each. Time: 2 min, in the test. C2 students score: Too few tries yet.
Part 2 · Collaborative task: Talk about photos with your partner, then a decision task · 9 tasks. Format: With your partner, 1 min + 3 min. Time: 4 min, in the test. C2 students score: Too few tries yet.
Part 3 · Long turn and discussion: A two-minute talk each from a card, then a discussion · 18 tasks. Format: Alone, then together, 2 min each + discussion. Time: 10 min, in the test. C2 students score: Too few tries yet.

Every part counts towards one Speaking score (75 marks)
Times are the test’s own, for a pair of candidates

Discourse Management is where C2 students score lowest: 2.8 out of 5 on average. Give longer answers that hang together: a view, a reason, an example, linked with words like “whereas” or “that’s why”.

Average marks from 24 Speaking sessions marked by the AI examiner, for 14 C2 students on Cambridge Ready.

The marks you need for a C2

200 on the Cambridge English Scale

Speaking: 45 of 75. About 60% of the marks gives 200.

What the examiners mark

Grammatical Resource: The range and control of your grammar. C2 students here: 3.4 of 5.
Lexical Resource: The range and precision of your vocabulary. C2 students here: 3.9 of 5.
Discourse Management: Extended answers that are relevant and hang together. C2 students here: 2.8 of 5.
Pronunciation: How easy you are to understand: sounds, stress and intonation. C2 students here: 3.3 of 5.
Interactive Communication: Starting, responding and moving the discussion forward. C2 students here: 3.9 of 5.
Global Achievement: The examiner who asks the questions gives one overall mark for the whole test. C2 students here: 3.2 of 5.

About 3 out of 5 on each scale (45 of 75 marks) gives 200, a C2.

Speaking is one of five scores, and your overall result is their average. Two examiners mark you: one asks the questions, the other listens.

From Cambridge’s published conversion tables. The exact mark varies slightly from paper to paper.

The method

Six habits that hold under time pressure

In Part 1, answer naturally and briefly. It’s a warm-up, but it’s marked.
In Part 2, keep the first minute on the photos, then move to the decision task.
In Part 3, use the card’s ideas as a springboard, not a list, and add your own.
Structure your two minutes: a view, two developed points, a short conclusion.
In the discussion after each long turn, respond to what your partner actually said.
Use precise, idiomatic language, but only what you can control.

The traps

The mistakes we see most

Reading out the card: The ideas on the card are optional. Listing them shows little of your own thinking.
Running out before two minutes: Two minutes is longer than it feels. Practise with a timer until a developed answer fills it.
A one-line reply to your partner: After your partner’s long turn you’re asked about it. A one-line answer wastes the chance to show range.
Idioms used loosely: An idiom that doesn’t quite fit sounds worse than plain, precise English. (~~Protecting old buildings is a piece of cake.~~ → Protecting old buildings is far from straightforward.)

Practise with the AI examiner → Marked on the Cambridge Speaking criteria, with an AI partner for the paired parts. One free Speaking part a month.

Questions students ask

How long is the C2 Proficiency Speaking test?

16 minutes for a pair of candidates (24 for a group of three), in three parts.

How many marks do you need to pass C2 Proficiency Speaking?

About 45 out of 75 in Speaking, which gives 200 on the Cambridge English Scale, the C2 level. That is about 3 out of 5 on each marking scale. You pass on your overall score, the average of all five skills.

What happens in C2 Proficiency Speaking Part 3?

Each candidate talks alone for about two minutes on a question printed on a card, with ideas to use if they want. The examiner asks the other candidate about it, and the part ends with a discussion of the wider topic.

Can I practise C2 Proficiency Speaking online?

Yes. Answer out loud and an AI examiner marks you on the Cambridge Speaking criteria, with an AI partner for the paired tasks. One marked Speaking part a month is free.