CAE Speaking Test 1: concentration, advice and community projects
CAE Speaking Test 1 is a free C1 Advanced Speaking practice test in four parts, with recorded examiner prompts and 6 photos. You compare concentration and advice in different situations, then discuss what makes a community project worth maintaining. The Part 3 question is “How might these factors affect whether a community project is worth maintaining?”
- Free, no sign-up to start
- Solo practice with recorded examiner prompts
- Estimated Cambridge English Scale score
What is in CAE Speaking Test 1
| Part | Task | Exam time | In this test |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Interview | 2 min | 8 questions (6 asked), from “Where do you live?” |
| 2 | Long turn | 4 min | 3 photos each: people concentrating on different activities; people exchanging advice in different situations |
| 3 | Collaborative task | 4 min | How might these factors affect whether a community project is worth maintaining? |
| 4 | Discussion | 5 min | 6 questions (5 asked), from “Why do some community projects remain successful for many years?” |
Solo practice: you answer recorded examiner prompts. The real test is face to face with two examiners, usually in pairs.
Part 1: interview
- Where do you live?
- What do you enjoy about the area where you live?
- What do you find most rewarding about learning something new?
- Do you prefer working things out for yourself or asking someone to explain them? Why?
- Which interest have you kept for the longest time?
- How much does the place where you grew up influence your interests now?
- When do you find it easiest to concentrate? extra
- Is there something you would like to understand better in the future? extra
Part 2: long turn
Candidate A (you)
Photos of people concentrating on different activities.
Why might these activities require so much concentration?
How satisfying might the people find what they are doing?
Partner question: Which of these activities do you think would be most difficult to continue doing for a long time? Why?
Candidate B
Photos of people exchanging advice in different situations.
What might the people need advice about?
How useful might it be to receive advice in these situations?
Partner question: In which situation might it be most important to listen to a different point of view? Why?
Part 3: collaborative task
How might these factors affect whether a community project is worth maintaining?
- benefits to local people
- time needed from volunteers
- opportunities for new members
- reliable sources of money
- ability to adapt
Now you have about a minute to decide which two factors should have the greatest influence on a decision to continue a project.
Part 4: discussion
- Why do some community projects remain successful for many years?
- Should a project be judged by how many people use it or by the difference it makes to them? Why?
- How can organisers encourage people to remain involved after the initial excitement has passed?
- Is it better for community projects to have an experienced leader or to share responsibility? Why?
- How far should local people be expected to contribute their own time to public activities?
- When might ending a successful project be the right decision? extra
How it is marked
CAE Speaking marking
Grammatical Resource, Lexical Resource, Discourse Management, Pronunciation, Interactive Communication and Global Achievement: 75 marks. Our expert evaluation gives an estimate from your recordings.
More CAE Speaking tests
CAE Speaking practice tests · CAE Mock Test 1 · Updated 15 November 2026
Ready for CAE Speaking Test 1?
15 minutes in the exam; the solo practice is a little shorter. Free, no sign-up to start: you give an email address when you submit, and we email you when your expert evaluation is ready to view.