CPE Speaking Part 3 on the visual arts
Cambridge Proficiency Speaking Part Three on art
Take turns using the script and tasks below to set tasks for two or three other students.
CPE Speaking Part Three Examiner’s script
“Now, in this part of the test you’re each going to talk on your own for about two minutes. You need to listen while your partner is speaking because you’ll be asked to comment afterwards.
So, (name of Candidate A) I’m going to give you a card with a question written on it and I’d like you to tell us what you think. There are also some ideas on the card for you to use if you like.
All right? Here is your card, and a copy for you (name of Candidate B). Remember, you have about two minutes to talk before we join in.”
(After two minutes) “Thank you.”
“(Name of Candidate B) wh…/ how/ do/ are/ is/ should…?” (question about the same general topic as Candidate A spoke about, but not usually related to what they said)
“(Name of Candidate A) what do you think/ do you agree/ how about you?”
(After about one minute) “Thank you” (taking back the cards)
“Now, (name of Candidate B), it’s your turn to be given a question. Here is your card, and a copy for you (name of Candidate A).
Remember (name of Candidate B), you have about two minutes to tell us what you think, and there are some ideas on the card for you to use if you like. All right?”
(After two minutes) “Thank you.”
“(Name of Candidate A) wh…/ how/ do/ are/ is/ should…?” (question about the same general topic as Candidate B spoke about, but not usually related to what they said)
“(Name of Candidate B) what do you think/ do you agree/ how about you?”
(After about one minute) “Thank you” (taking the cards back)
“Now, to finish the test, we are going to talk about (the topic they both just spoke about) in general.”
(The examiner asks a discussion question on the topic to Candidate A)
(The examiner turns to Candidate B and asks them to comment on what Candidate A said, asks them the same question, or asks them a different question).
(The examiner asks Candidate B a new question, if the previous question was not new).
(Continue alternating which candidate gets new questions, with some questions thrown out to both candidates, for up to four minutes).
CPE Speaking Part Three prompt cards on the topic of art
Based on real CPE Speaking exam tasks
| What helps people to appreciate art that is difficult to understand? school gallery or museum technology |
| How important is it to study art at school? creativity future enjoyment |
| Is it better to study traditional art or contemporary art at school? appreciation understanding producing it yourself |
| What are the advantages and disadvantages of having controversial public art? discussion publicity offense |
| What can be gained by the government funding visual artists? different kinds of art economics international relations |
| How easy is it for everyone to learn to draw? time needed methods comparisons to other skills |
| What part does mental illness play in being a genius? creativity expectations hard work |
| What are the most important qualities needed to become a famous artist? character training publicity |
Ask each other questions about art made from the question stems below.
CPE Speaking Part Three question stems
- Are there some things in life that…?
- At what age should people…?
- Do … need to… (to…)?
- Do you feel that there are the right number of…?
- Do you think celebrities/ governments/ famous people/ the media/…?
- Do you think it is true that…?
- Do you think men and women…?
- How can people…?
- How can… be helped to…?
- How can… change…?
- How do… benefit from…?
- How does… change as we get older?
- How easy is it for… to…?
- How important do you think… is?
- In many cultures,… How do you feel about this?
- In the past, many people… Is this a good thing, do you think?
- In today’s world,… What effect does this have?
- In what ways do people need to…?
- In what ways can… help…?
- In…, what sort of… should be provided?
- Is it better for… to… or…?
- Is it easier to… or…?
- Is it more important for… to… or…?
- Is it natural for… to…?
- Is it sometimes good to…?
- It is said that… What do you think about this?
- It’s often felt that… Do you agree?
- Nowadays many… find it difficult to… Why do you think this is?
- Researchers say that… How important do you think this is?
- (In a global world) should… be allowed/ encouraged/ made to…?
- Should (all) children be expected to…?
- Some people choose (not) to… Why do you think that is?
- Some people say that it is better to… than… What do you think?
- Some people say that… What do you think?
- Some people say/ think that… What do you think?/ How far do you agree?
- Sometimes… What do you think about that?
- There is a saying that…/ They say that… How much truth is there in this?
- To what extent are…?
- Today,… Is this a good thing in your view?
- What abilities…?
- What can… learn from…?
- What do we learn about ourselves from…?
- What do you think is the …est… (for…)?
- What do you think makes a good…?
- What is the appeal of…?
- What is the best way to…?
- What is your attitude towards…?
- What makes one… more… than another?
- What makes some people…?
- What problems will we face because…?
- What role do(es)… play in…?
- What skills…?
- Which is the more… …, …. or…?
- Which… has (had) the greatest impact on…?
- Why are so many people interested in…?
- Why do some people prefer not to…?
- Why do some people say that…?
- Why do we…?
- Why might young people…?
- Would the world be a better place…?
- Would… be better if…?
When your teacher stops you, ask about any questions above which you couldn’t understand, couldn’t make questions out of, couldn’t answer, etc, working together as a class to think of suitable questions and answers each time.
Ask the questions below, this time in exam style with one examiner and two or three candidates, including some discussion of the same questions by different people.
When your teacher stops you, change roles and do the same.
Ask about any questions you weren’t sure how to answer, etc, working together as a class to think of suitable answers each time.
Do the brainstorming task on the last page.
Compare your phrases as a class and/ or with a list of phrases.
Make more tasks like those above, on different topics like.
- Major life events
- The future
- Nature
- Food and drink
- Consumerism
- Music
- Are people in your country generally interested in contemporary art?
- Are there some things in life that people shouldn’t make art about?
- At what age do you think children should be taken to art galleries?
- At what age should people be allowed to stop studying art at school if they want to?
- Can you explain why some people hate abstract art?
- Do you believe that people your age in your country had a good arts education at school?
- Do you believe that schools trips to museums are a good idea?
- Do you feel that prices for art exhibitions in this town are reasonable?
- Do you think building new museums is always a good thing?
- Do you think governments should spend taxpayers’ money on buying important works of art?
- Do you think it is true that dying young is a good career move for an artist?
- Do you think it’s good for contemporary artists to be controversial?
- Do you think men and women make different kinds of visual art?
- Do you think that government spending on the arts is about right?
- Do you think the government should give special awards to great and influential artists?
- Do you think your government is doing enough to support your country’s traditional arts?
- Do art galleries need to try harder to connect with ordinary people?
- How can artists from this country be helped to be more well-known abroad?
- How can people learn how to appreciate good art?
- How can studying art change people?
- How does society benefit from public galleries?
- How easy is it for artists to find something completely new to do with their art?
- How important is learning how to paint and draw, in your opinion?
- How much do you think the government should get involved in promoting your country’s popular arts abroad? (What could they do?)
- In many cultures, craftspeople get much less respect than artists. How do you feel about this?
- In the past, many people kept even very expensive and important paintings in rooms where they lived. Was this a good thing, do you think?
- In today’s world, auction prices for contemporary artists are often as high as for the most famous renaissance and baroque artists. What effect does this have?
- In what ways can learning to art help people with mental problems?
- In primary schools, what sort of arts materials should be provided for free?
- Is it easier to learn painting or sculpture?
- Is it more important for museums to surprise people or to give them what they expect?
- Is it natural for people to rate their own judgements of art above the judgements of experts?
- Is it sometimes for public museums good to sell some works of art so that they can buy others?
- Is painting the best way of developing creativity?
- It is said that some works of art are important enough to a country that their export should be forbidden. What do you think about this?
- It’s often felt that art is overpriced nowadays. Do you agree?
- Nowadays many young artists find it difficult to live without the financial support of their parents. Why do you think this is?
- (In a global world) should all art students be encouraged to spend time abroad?
- Should children be expected to be able to identify the most well-respected artists and works of art?
- Some people choose to set up their own museums instead of giving their collections to public museums. Why do you think that is?
- Some people say that it is better to learn to appreciate great art than to make your own bad art. How far do you agree?
- Some people say that much contemporary art looks like it was made by children. What do you think about this?
- Sometimes experts have hugely different opinions on the value of the work of some contemporary artists. What do you think about that?
- To what extent are auction prices a fair reflection of the artistic merit of an artist?
- Today, most people can afford to have good-quality painted copies of famous paintings on the walls of their house. Is this a good thing in your view?
- What abilities do artists need to have to be successful nowadays?
- What can contemporary artists learn from old masters?
- What do we learn about ourselves from experiencing video art and artistic installations?
- What do you think is the best town to visit for fans of art?
- What do you think makes a good temporary exhibition?
- What is the appeal of so-called “blockbuster shows”?
- What is the best way to get young children interested in art?
- What is your attitude towards artists who seem to court controversy?
- What makes one painting more famous than another?
- What makes some people find art galleries boring?
- What problems will we face if fakes become more and more convincing?
- What role do parents play in determining how their children feel about art?
- What skills are transferable from arts degrees to unconnected jobs?
- Which foreign artists or artistic movements have had the greatest impact on art in your country?
- Why are so many people interested in stories of artists who are or were tortured geniuses?
- Why do some people prefer to keep their art instead of selling it?
- Why do some people say that their children should avoid studying the arts at university?
- Why do some people think that the arts aren’t as important as maths and science?
- Why do most people spend more time making art when they are young than when they get older?
- Why might people think that trying to become an artist might lead to poverty?
- Would the world be a better place if robots doing less creative jobs allowed more people to become artists?
- Would museums in this town be better if they had younger leaders?
Brainstorm language that you could have used in the speaking above for these functions:
Strong opinions
Weak opinions
Strongly agreeing
Weakly agreeing
Strongly disagreeing
Weakly disagreeing/ Politely disagreeing
Supporting with your arguments (with personal experiences, examples, etc)
Changing what part of the question you’re talking about/ Mentioning the subtopics
Speaking while thinking/ Filling silence
Ask similar questions to those above on other topics.
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