In the second part of the A2 Key speaking test you work with a picture or a set of prompts: you describe what you see and then talk with your partner about it. Candidates lose marks by saying three words and stopping, or by talking over their partner. This page gives you the sentences that keep a simple conversation moving.
One sentence about where it is and who is there: ‘This is a park and there are three people.’ Then move to details.
‘They are eating’, ‘She is wearing a red coat’, ‘A man is walking his dog.’ This tense carries most of a picture description.
In the background, on the left, next to, behind, in front of. Four of these turn a list of objects into a description.
If you cannot name it, describe it: ‘the thing you use to cut bread’. Stopping is a bigger problem than not knowing a word.
‘I think they’re happy because they’re smiling.’ One opinion with because turns description into conversation.
‘What do you think?’ or ‘Do you agree?’ invites them in and shows the examiner that you can interact.
‘Yes, and…’ or ‘I agree, but…’ keeps the conversation going without repeating what your partner said.
If your partner is quiet, ask them something. If they are talking a lot, wait for a pause and come in with ‘For me…’.
Not thisIn the picture I see a man. He is in a park. Finish.
ThisAdding what he is doing, what he is wearing and what you think about it.
Three short sentences and silence gives the examiner very little language. Aim for six or seven simple sentences.
Not thisThe man wear a blue jacket.
ThisThe man is wearing a blue jacket.
An action happening in the picture takes present continuous, and the third-person -s is missing as well.
Not thisStaying silent for ten seconds because you forgot the word ‘umbrella’.
This‘The thing you use when it rains.’
Examiners credit communication strategies. Describing round a missing word shows skill, not weakness.
Not thisTalking for the whole time so your partner cannot speak.
ThisAsking your partner what they think.
Interaction is part of the mark, and a candidate who never listens cannot show it.
Not thisIt have many people.
ThisThere are a lot of people.
English uses there is and there are to say what exists in a picture; have does not work here.
Not thisDescribing only the middle of the picture.
ThisMentioning the background as well.
The background gives you free extra sentences about the weather, the place and the time of day.
40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.
1Complete the sentence.
3Complete the sentence.
5Complete the sentence.
8Complete the sentence.
9Describe this picture in three sentences: a family having a picnic in a park on a sunny day.
One good answer
This is a park on a sunny day and there is a family having a picnic. The parents are sitting on a blanket and two children are playing with a ball. I think they are enjoying the day because everyone is smiling.
11Complete the sentence.
13Complete the sentence.
15Complete the sentence.
17Complete the sentence.
18Explain in one or two sentences why you should describe the background as well as the centre.
One good answer
The background gives me free sentences about the weather, the place and the time of day, so it makes my description longer without needing new vocabulary.
19Complete the sentence.
21Complete the sentence.
23Complete the sentence.
24Complete the sentence.
27Complete the sentence.
29Complete the sentence.
30Describe this picture in three sentences: two friends waiting at a bus stop in the rain.
One good answer
In this picture two friends are waiting at a bus stop and it is raining hard. One of them is holding an umbrella and the other is wearing a big coat. They look a bit cold, but they are talking and laughing.
31Complete the sentence.
33Complete the sentence.
34Complete the sentence.
37Complete the sentence.
40Explain in one or two sentences how you share the speaking time with your partner.
One good answer
I say what I want to say and then ask my partner what they think, and if they are talking for a long time I wait for a pause and add my own opinion.
Note
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Aim for six or seven simple sentences: where it is, who is there, what they are doing, what they are wearing, the background and your opinion.
Describe it. ‘The thing you sit on’ is perfectly good English and shows the examiner a strategy rather than a gap.
In this part, mainly to your partner. Look at them, ask them questions and respond to what they say.
You are not marked against each other. Ask short, clear questions and give them space; helping the conversation along is credited.
No, it is exactly right. The picture is a prompt, not a test of facts, so guessing language is what the task wants to hear.