Κέντρο Ξένων Γλωσσών - Esmeralda Assioura
Tips for the CPE, ECPE, SPEAKING TEST

I know that most students find the oral exams for CPE and ECPE particularly stressful. Even the best-prepared students often ask me: ‘What is the right answer to this question?’ or ‘How am I supposed to answer this question?’

Even after all these years that I’ve been coaching candidates for the CPE and ECPE exams, I still feel so thrilled when -while preparing my students for the oral exam, asking them a series of questions that commonly appear on the exam- they go: «I don’t think I have an answer to this question.»

Well, I honestly believe that you do have, not one, but a number of answers that you can give to any question that you may be asked.

Below I have listed a few simple but extremely valuable tips for the proficiency speaking test which will not just see you through the exam but they will -most importantly- help you get a much-deserved top score:

The key thing is to go into the exam ready to ENJOY the whole conversation you are about to have. If you can really enjoy a 15-min interaction with both your partner and the examiner, then this is definitely going to reflect on your responses. Not only will you be ready to elaborate on the points in question but you will also be able to come up with more than one ways to answer! So ENJOY the CONVERSATION!
Don’t worry yourselves sick about what you’ll say! Worry about HOW you’ll say it. The examiner does NOT care about your personal views as much as about how efficient a speaker you are, so stop tormenting yourselves with negative thoughts about your ideas because you WILL NOT be asked to give an expert opinion. So make sure you avoid the SUBJECT-VERB-OBJECT structure when answering and use some of the more advanced structures!
Introduce your answers with phrases like ‘as far as I’m concerned’, ‘as far as I know’ or ‘to the best of my knowledge’ even when you are asked a closed-type Yes or No question. This way, you might come up with a new idea even on a very difficult topic and you will avoid creating a silent gap, which usually adds to the pressure.
Maintain good EYE-CONTACT with both the examiner as well as the other candidate. This can help release a lot of the tension and keep you focused on your task.
Listen closely to what both the examiner and the fellow examinees have to say. You don’t want to miss anything because it will more than likely add to your stress level.