Finally, it was time for the Speaking exam. He was paired with a nervous boy named Marco. They sat across from a stern but polite examiner.“In this part of the test, I’m going to give you two photographs,” the examiner said.Leo’s photos showed a person hiking alone and a group of people at a crowded festival.“Compare the photographs and say why the people might have chosen these activities,” the examiner instructed.
The heavy rain... Leo’s mind blanked. Prevented the flight from taking off? No, that was too many words. Prevented the flight from being on time? He gripped his pencil. He remembered his teacher, Mrs. Gable, shouting, "Check your prepositions, Leo!" Suddenly, it clicked: The heavy rain prevented the flight from taking off. He counted the words. Six. Perfect.
He leaned back in his chair, a slow grin spreading across his face. The "First Certificate" was finally his, and more importantly, he never had to think about the difference between "fond of" and "interested in" under a time limit ever again. FCE First Certificate in English (FCE ESOL Camb...
When Leo finally walked out of the building, the sun was setting. He felt hollowed out, his brain a puddle of B2-level vocabulary. He didn’t know if he had passed, but he knew he had used every "In addition" and "In conclusion" he possessed.
Leo took a breath. “Whereas the person in the first photo is seeking solitude and a connection with nature, the people in the second photo are clearly looking for a shared social experience. One advantage of the hike is the peace and quiet; however, the festival offers a sense of belonging.” Finally, it was time for the Speaking exam
The morning blurred into a whirlwind of multiple-choice cloze tests and long-form articles about the benefits of urban gardening. By the time the "Writing" paper arrived, his hand was beginning to cramp. He chose the essay: “Is it better to live in a small village or a big city?”
He looked at Marco, making sure to use the "collaborative" language they had practiced. “What do you think, Marco? Do you prefer quiet holidays or busy ones?”Marco smiled, the tension breaking. They navigated the rest of the conversation with ease, speculating on the future of technology and the importance of learning second languages. The heavy rain
Lunch was a tense affair. He sat on a stone bench outside the testing center, chewing a dry sandwich and listening to other candidates argue over Part 1.“The answer was ‘keen’!” one girl insisted.“No, it was ‘fond’! It had the preposition ‘of’ after it!” another countered.Leo winced. He had written ‘interested.’ He checked his notes. Interested in. Fond of. He had definitely missed that point.