APTIS SPEAKING TEST PART 1 & 2

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The Aptis by British Council is a relatively new exam but it is quickly gaining popularity among
English language learners. This is due to it becoming more widely accepted both here in Spain
and around the world, it being cheaper than other exams like Cambridge, and being able to get
the results more quickly.

Knowing exactly what an exam entails is half the battle when preparing for it. Today we’re
going to look at the Speaking exam. The entire exam is done on a computer, so for the speaking
part, you have to record your answers within a given time limit. This means preparation is key.
Knowing what to expect and being ready to show off your language skills will help achieve your
goal.

Part One

In the first part, you have to answer questions about yourself. There are three questions and you
must talk for thirty seconds for each question. Possible topics you could talk about
include Family, Your Job, Hobbies and Interests, Future Plans, Films and Books, The
Weather, Daily Routine etc. This means four or five clear sentences. If for example you are
asked, “What’s the weather like today?” You might think it impossible to have your answer last
a full thirty seconds. This is why it’s important to brainstorm things related to the weather. What
do you like to do when it’s hot outside? What clothes are you wearing for the current season? Is
it typical weather for this time of year? Is it unusually hot or cold? So a typical answer
to “What’s the weather like today?” doesn’t have to be difficult to elaborate on. Instead of just
replying “It’s cold but sunny” you can add “but this is normal for Madrid in winter. People
usually wear hats, scarves, winter coats and boots to stay warm. A typical winter snack is
roasted chestnuts which you can buy from street vendors.” Instead of talking solely about the
weather, we can incorporate other related vocabulary like in this instance; clothes. But we could
also talk about what people generally do in when the weather is hot/cold etc. The questions in
part one of the Aptis lend themselves to elaboration. You should keep talking, adding relevant
sentences until your time is up.

Part Two

In the second part of the Aptis speaking exam, you are given a picture which you have forty-five
seconds to describe. You then have to answer to related questions with a limit of forty-five
seconds for each.
A typical example of this could be the picture on the left.

1. Describe the picture.

2. Do you often have to work in a team in work or university?

3. Why is teamwork important?

Describing a photo is a question that comes up in many exams. With this type of question, you
should take as much time as possible to gather your thoughts. Then use all of the time given to
talk about it. Below are some useful phrases to describe the position of things within a picture.
When talking about what people are doing or wearing in a photo we must use the present
continuous. Subject + is/are + verb in ING It is also important to speculate about what the
subjects of the picture might be doing using expressions like:

It seems as if…

They might/may/could be …

It makes me think of …

I think …

Let’s try to answer the questions above. Remember you have 45 seconds for each answer which
should be approximately 5 to 7 clear sentences.

1. In this photo, I can see a group of people sitting around a table. In the background, there
is a large window and the room is bright. There are posters on the wall behind
them. They seem to be working on something together. In the middle of the table, there
is a model of something which they are pointing to and discussing. Maybe it’s a building.
They might be doing a project together for a university class. Maybe they are engineering
students and they are doing a project on town planning.
 2. When I was at university, I often had to give presentations with other students. We would
be given a project to discuss and research and would have to present it together in front of
the rest of our class. I enjoyed working with my classmates on these projects as it gave
me a different perspective on the topic. However, I also got very nervous having to speak
in front of so many people. I used to practise as much as I could beforehand to feel more
relaxed about it.

3. Teamwork is very important, not only in university but also in the working world. As I
mentioned before, having more than one person working on a project allows for more
input and different points of view to be considered. Being able to work in a team is
beneficial as it reduces the workload for everyone involved and means projects can be
finished more efficiently.

As you can see, each answer has clear, concise sentences. I hope this helps you in your
preparation for Aptis or indeed any English exam in which you are asked to describe a picture. In
the next part of this series, we will look at parts 3 and 4 of the Aptis speaking exam. Don’t forget
to check back soon.

In our English academies in La Elipa and Garcia Noblejas, you can prepare for Aptis as well as
the Cambridge First Certificate and Advanced.

APTIS SPEAKING PARTS 3 & 4

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Today at The language corner we’re going to look at the second part of the Aptis Speaking test,
with tips and sample answers to give you an idea of what is needed in this relatively new exam
by The British Council. Of course, here in our English academies, you can prepare for the Aptis
as well as The Cambridge exams with our native teachers.

Part 3

In this part of the exam, you will be shown two pictures and asked to compare them. This is quite
similar to the FCE or CAE and finding examples from those exams will help immensely. Again,
there are 3 questions which each have a 45 second limit for answering.
 1. Compare the two pictures. (45sec)

2. Why might people choose each type of holiday? (45sec)

3. Which of these types of holidays are better for you? (45sec)

As we saw in our previous post when describing photos we usually use modals of deduction to
say what we suppose is happening in the pictures. Let’s have a go at answering these ones 🙂

1. In the first picture on the left, a couple can be seen relaxing in deck chairs at the beach. I
imagine they are a couple as they are holding hands and the woman seems to be gazing at
her partner. There is a bag hanging off one deckchair and a hat hanging off the other. It
looks idyllic if I’m honest. In the second picture, we can see a group, with backpacks on
hiking through the mountains. They appear to be following a trail and are properly
prepared for the terrain. It reminds me of going trekking with my friends in the mountains
outside my city.

2. I reckon people choose beach holidays to get away from the hustle bustle of the city and
to completely switch off. Not only do they get to relax on what seems like a paradise
island but they also don’t have to worry about the stresses of their daily life. On the other
hand, this type of trip can seem utterly boring to some people which is why they might
prefer to do something more active. They also want to escape the fast-paced way of
things in the city by getting fresh air in a pristine landscape but obviously lying on the
beach for days would just bore them to tears.

3. Both types of holiday have their benefits. Relaxing on a beautiful beach for a week might
do somebody who has a high-stress job or day to day life the world of good as they can
just switch off and forget about everything for the time being. However, the hiking
holiday is obviously more active and in that way, it’s physically better for you. I suppose
it all depends on whether you want to do something active or would benefit just as much
from simply taking a break from your daily routine.

Part 4
The last part of the Speaking test for Aptis, you are once again given a photo with three
questions. This time, however, you’ll have one minute to prepare your ideas and two minutes to
cover all three questions.

1. Tell me about the first thing you bought online.

2. How did you feel about the purchasing?

3. Would you recommend online shopping?

For this question, since you have a minute to prepare it’s a good idea to jot down the points you
want to mention without writing full sentences. Be careful not to describe the photo given as this
is not the task in this question. The questions are more abstract (e.g a feeling). Make sure you
answer all three questions and stay on topic. Doing otherwise will lose you valuable points. You
are free to glance at your notes while you speak so it’s really important to practise brainstorming
and making the most of this.
Here is an example of how you can brainstorm some ideas in one minute. Notice that as well as
answering the questions I’ve also included short structures to include in my answer. This final
part of the Aptis speaking exam is aimed at the higher levels so it’s important to incorporate
advanced structures into your answer. Think about inversions (not only but also, only if/when),
passives, conditionals etc. It’s also good to use any related vocabulary you can think of. Having
said that, we also recommend you stick to what you know in the exam. Practise these structures
before the exam so you are confident using them. Don’t try to wing it in the exam by throwing in
structures you half know and are likely to get wrong. Accuracy is of vital importance in any
speaking exam and the Aptis is no different.

Let’s have a go at answering this one:

If I recall correctly, the first thing I bought online was a necklace from eBay. It was being
auctioned on the site and I thought it was really beautiful. I remember feeling excited by the
bidding process. I would place a bid and wait to see if someone outbid me for the item. In the
end, mine was the highest bid and I won the auction. I also remember feeling quite nervous
however because of the payment method. Only by giving the website my credit card details
could I proceed. I was also worried it wouldn’t arrive even after paying for it. I decided I’d have
to take the chance and thankfully my necklace arrived shortly after.

I would definitely recommend shopping online nowadays. There are so many shops and you can
buy virtually anything delivered to your doorstep. It’s really handy for people who work a lot or
simply don’t enjoy going shopping on the high street, especially around the holidays or sales
when bricks and mortar shops are packed. Not only is shopping online faster and more efficient
but it’s also cheaper than the high street stores a lot of the time.

As you can see, I used the notes from the spider diagram to shape my answer but also added
more information as I thought of it. I hope this helps. Don’t forget you can prepare for the Aptis
exam in Madrid in our English academies in Madrid in both La Elipa and Garcia Noblejas. All of
our native teachers at our language academies are familiar with not only the Aptis but also all of
the Cambridge exams. So if you are looking to prepare for the FCE in Madrid or the CAE in
Madrid, make sure you stop by our English academies in Madrid in La Elipa and La Almudena.
Looking forward to meeting you!