B1 Preliminary (PET) Speaking: 4 Parts in 10 to 12 Minutes, Picture and Discussion Samples

The B1 Preliminary Speaking test in one paragraph

The B1 Preliminary (still called PET by many teachers) Speaking test lasts 10 to 12 minutes for a pair of candidates and 15 to 17 minutes for a group of three, and has four parts, per the official B1 Preliminary exam-format page. Two examiners are in the room: the interlocutor asks the questions and "could be online, examining remotely", and the assessor only listens. Part 1 is a 2-minute interview about you. In Part 2 each candidate describes one colour photograph for about a minute. Part 3 is a discussion with your partner about a page of pictures: you make suggestions and try to agree on the best option. Part 4 is a general conversation on the same topic, with the examiner asking about your likes, habits and opinions. Speaking is one of four papers and is worth 25% of the result. The format is the same for B1 Preliminary and B1 Preliminary for Schools, and the same in the digital and paper-based exams. The thing most candidates get wrong is Part 2: they describe the people and stop. The handbook asks you to describe the whole photograph "as fully as possible", as if to someone who cannot see it, and Cambridge's own examiner comments on a sample test single out exactly that habit.

Part	Official timing (pair)	Who you talk to	What you do (format page wording)
1 Interview	2 minutes	The interlocutor	"Respond to questions, giving factual or personal information."
2 Extended turn	3 minutes in total, about 1 minute each	On your own	"Describe one colour photograph, talking for about 1 minute."
3 Discussion	4 minutes	Your partner	"Make and respond to suggestions, discuss alternatives and negotiate agreement."
4 General conversation	3 minutes	The interlocutor and your partner	"Discuss likes, dislikes, experiences, opinions, habits, etc."

How B1 differs from B2 First

Many teachers prepare both levels in the same room, and the tasks look alike. They are not the same task.

	B1 Preliminary	B2 First
Total (pair)	10 to 12 minutes	14 minutes
Part 2	One photo; describe it	Two photos; compare them and answer a printed question
Part 3	A situation and a page of pictures; discuss them all, then agree	A question with five written prompts; 2 minutes, then 1 minute to decide
Part 4	Likes, dislikes, habits and opinions; personal experience welcome	Questions that "ask primarily for an evaluation rather than for information"
Criteria	The same five names, with descriptors one level apart

If your students are moving up a level, the B2 First Speaking page covers the same four parts at the higher standard.

Part 1: the interview (2 minutes)

The B1 Preliminary handbook prints the frame in two phases. Phase 1: "Good morning/afternoon/evening. Can I have your mark sheets, please?", the examiners' names, then "What's your name? Where do you live?" to each candidate, and "do you work or are you a student?" with back-up prompts such as "Do you have a job? Do you study?". In Phase 2 the interlocutor selects "one or more questions from the list" for each candidate, starting with Candidate A. The handbook's sample list includes "How do you get to work/school/university every day?", "What did you do yesterday evening/last weekend?", "Do you think that English will be useful for you in the future?" and "Tell us about the people you live with." You answer the examiner, not your partner: the handbook says candidates "do not talk to each other in this task", and that this short conversation "is designed to help to settle them into the test".

Ten Part 1 questions in the official style (written by TalkDrill)

1. What do you usually do in the evenings? (Why?)
2. Tell us about your best friend.
3. What did you do last weekend?
4. Do you like cooking? (What do you cook?)
5. What is your favourite place in your town? (Why?)
6. How often do you use your phone for studying?
7. Tell us about a festival or celebration you enjoy.
8. What are you going to do next summer?
9. Do you prefer watching films at home or at the cinema? (Why?)
10. What kind of music do you like? (Why?)

Too short, passing and strong (TalkDrill)

All three answers are written by TalkDrill. The labels are our reading of the B1 Preliminary Speaking scales in the handbook, where Band 3 is the B1 standard and Band 5 is the top; they are not Cambridge marks.

Where Part 1 marks go

• One-word answers. Every back-up prompt the interlocutor needs is visible in Interactive Communication, which at Band 3 asks you to keep the interaction going "with very little prompting and support".
• Learnt speeches. The handbook tells teachers to "encourage learners not to learn set pieces for the exam. These will sound unnatural and probably won't answer the specific questions asked."
• Present tense for the past. "Yesterday I go to the cinema" is a common habit for Spanish, Italian and Portuguese speakers. The handbook's sample list has a past-tense question, so have a past answer ready. Our Romance-language page drills it.
• Not asking when you did not hear. Asking "Sorry, could you repeat the question, please?" "will not normally result in any loss of marks", per the handbook. Our short lesson on asking someone to repeat gives you three ways to say it.

Part 2: describe one photograph (about 1 minute each)

The frame, from the handbook's sample test: "Now I'd like each of you to talk on your own about something. I'm going to give each of you a photograph and I'd like you to talk about it." Then: "A, here is your photograph. It shows people learning a language. B, you just listen. A, please tell us what you can see in the photograph." If you stop early, the interlocutor has back-up prompts: "Talk about the people/person. Talk about the place. Talk about other things in the photograph." Then your partner gets a different photograph (in the sample, people at a party) and you listen.

This is the biggest difference from B2 First and C1 Advanced. At B1 you do not compare two photographs and there is no printed question. The handbook says candidates "should keep their descriptions simple, and should not speculate about the context or talk about any wider issues raised by the photographs". They "should describe the people and activities in the photographs as fully as possible", imagining "they are describing the photograph to someone who can't see it", and this "may include naming all the objects, describing colours, clothing, time of day, weather, etc.". If you cannot remember a word, describe it: candidates "will be given credit if they can use paraphrase or other strategies". A short guess ("They might be ...") is fine; a minute of opinion is not the task.

The camera route: one minute in five moves (TalkDrill)

The seconds are our suggestion, not an official split. Think of a camera moving across the photo, so you never run out of things to say.

Move	About	What to say	Useful B1 language
1 The whole picture	5 to 10 seconds	Where it is and what is happening	"This photo shows ..." "It's inside, maybe in a ..." "It looks like a ..."
2 The people	15 to 20 seconds	Who they are, clothes, what they are doing	"On the left there's a man with short hair. He's wearing ... He's holding ..."
3 The place and things	15 seconds	Objects, colours, the background	"In the background I can see ..." "There are some ..." "Next to the window there's ..."
4 Time and weather	5 to 10 seconds	Day or night, season, weather, with a reason	"I think it's summer because they're wearing T-shirts."
5 One guess and a close	10 seconds	What they might be doing or feeling	"They might be ..." "Perhaps they are ..." "They look happy / tired / busy."

Two Part 2 photographs in the official style (TalkDrill)

Photo	What it shows	Words you will need
A: People cooking together	Three people of different ages in a small kitchen, chopping vegetables; rain on the window; a radio on a shelf	chop, chopping board, apron, sink, shelf, jars, pots and pans
B: A family at a train station	A mother and two children with suitcases on a platform; a departures board; one child eating a sandwich	platform, suitcase, backpack, departures board, waiting for, on time

A strong one-minute description of photo A (TalkDrill, about 140 words)

"This photo shows three people cooking together in a kitchen. It looks like a small kitchen in a flat. In the middle there's an older woman, maybe the grandmother, and she's cutting some vegetables on a wooden board. Next to her there's a young man wearing a blue apron. He's washing something in the sink. On the right there's a girl, about ten years old, and she's laughing because she's holding a very big carrot. On the shelf behind them I can see a radio and some jars, and there are a lot of pots and pans. I think it's raining outside, because the window is wet and the sky is grey. They might be preparing a family lunch, maybe for a special day. They all look happy and relaxed."

Notice the order: the whole scene, then each person, then the shelf, the window and the weather, then one guess. Position words ("in the middle", "next to her", "on the right", "behind them") hold it together, and "because" appears twice. A passing description says "There are three people. They are cooking. The woman is cutting vegetables. The kitchen is small." and stops after 25 seconds. It is accurate, and Band 3 rewards that, but the interlocutor will say "Talk about the place", and the minute shows less language than you have.

What Cambridge's examiner comments say about Part 2

Cambridge publishes a B1 Preliminary Speaking video of two candidates, Kenza and Mohammed, with examiner comments and marks. On Part 2 the examiners write that Kenza "only focuses on the person in the photograph and is ready to stop too soon, until she is prompted by the examiner to continue", and that Mohammed "speaks for a full minute" but "uses 'maybe' frequently" when he "could have used different ways of saying this, e.g., 'could', 'may' or 'might'". Their tips: "Practise describing pictures for 1 minute so that you know how much you can say" and "Remember to describe a lot of things in the picture, not just the people."

Where Part 2 marks go

• Comparing or giving opinions. Candidates trained for B2 First start with "Both pictures show ...". There is one picture. Describe it.
• Stopping at 30 seconds. Time yourself with a phone. The camera route above fills a minute without effort.
• "There is" with a plural. "There is two chairs" often comes from Spanish "hay", which is the same for one thing or many; Portuguese speakers often say "In the picture have two chairs". Say "There are two chairs" until it is automatic.
• Freezing on a word. Paraphrase is credited: "the thing you use to cut vegetables on" is better than silence.

Part 3: the picture discussion (decide together)

In Part 3 the interlocutor describes a situation, puts a page of pictures in front of you both, and then takes no further part. The handbook's sample: "Now, in this part of the test you're going to talk about something together for about two minutes. I'm going to describe a situation to you. A young man works very hard, and has only one free day a week. He wants to find an activity to help him relax. Here are some activities that could help him relax. Talk together about the different activities he could do, and say which would be most relaxing. All right? Now, talk together." The whole task takes 4 minutes. The interlocutor "does not take part in the interaction", and if it breaks down will "help to redirect the candidates but will not take part in the task itself".

The handbook's advice is precise, and it differs from B2 First in one important way. At B1, candidates "should discuss all the visual prompts, and not try to come to a conclusion too quickly". They "may bring in their own ideas, and should negotiate turns and elicit each other's ideas". They "are assessed on their use of appropriate language and interactive strategies, not their ideas", and "should not worry if the interlocutor stops them before they have reached a conclusion".

Two Part 3 tasks in the official layout (TalkDrill)

One minute of a strong exchange, Task A (TalkDrill)

A: "So, they want to raise money for a trip. What about a cake sale? Everybody likes cakes." B: "Yes, that's a good idea, and it's cheap to do. But I don't think they can make a lot of money with cakes. Maybe a car wash is better?" A: "Hmm, I'm not sure. It depends on the weather. If it rains, nobody comes. What do you think about the concert?" B: "I like it, because parents always go to school concerts. They could sell drinks too." A: "That's true. And the quiz night is similar, because people pay to play in teams." B: "OK, so the concert and the quiz are both good. What about the book stall? Do you think people buy old books?"

Count the moves: suggestions ("What about", "Maybe ... is better?"), reasons ("because", "If it rains"), a polite disagreement ("I'm not sure. It depends"), questions to the partner, a short summary ("so the concert and the quiz are both good") and a move to the next picture. That is the Band 5 Interactive Communication descriptor in the B1 handbook: "Initiates and responds appropriately. Maintains and develops the interaction and negotiates towards an outcome with very little support." A pair that takes one picture each with "I agree" between them is relevant and polite; that is closer to Band 3, "keeps the interaction going".

The official examiner comments make the same point. Kenza "tends to make short contributions" in Part 3 and "does not invite her partner to respond to what she says"; Mohammed "begins the interaction" and is "often moving the discussion forward, for example, 'What about this bag, what do you think about this bag?'". Mohammed received the higher Interactive Communication mark of the two.

Part 3 language at B1 (TalkDrill phrase list)

Move	Phrases
Start	"Shall we start with this one?" "Let's talk about the ... first."
Suggest	"What about ...?" "How about ...?" "Why don't they ...?" "They could ..."
Give a reason	"It's a good idea because ..." "If they ..., they can ..."
Agree	"Yes, I agree." "That's a good point." "You're right, and also ..."
Disagree politely	"I'm not sure about that." "Maybe, but ..." "I see what you mean, but ..."
Ask your partner	"What do you think?" "Do you agree?" "Which one do you prefer?"
Decide	"So, which one shall we choose?" "I think we both like ..." "Shall we say the ...?"

The full set of turn-taking language, with the B2 and C1 upgrades, is on our Part 3 phrases page.

Where Part 3 marks go

• Deciding in the first 30 seconds. The handbook warns that candidates who conclude too quickly "will not give themselves the opportunity to show their full range of language ability".
• Talking to the examiner. Turn your chair a little and look at your partner. The interlocutor is not part of this conversation.
• Parallel turns. Answer what your partner just said before you add your own picture. The official tip: "Listen to your partner and respond to what they say before adding your own ideas or asking a question."
• Saying too little. Another official tip: "the examiner does not know how much English you know, so you have to show him or her by speaking a lot."

Part 4: the general conversation (3 minutes)

Part 4 continues the Part 3 topic. Per the handbook, the questions "focus on candidates' likes/dislikes, habits and opinions", "can be addressed to one or both candidates", and the interlocutor may add "How/what about you?", "Do you agree?" or "What do you think?". In the sample test, after the relaxation task, the questions include "What do you do when you want to relax?", "Do you prefer to relax with friends or alone?" and "Do you think people spend too much time working/studying these days?". At B1 the handbook invites personal experience: "Candidates are encouraged to talk about their personal experiences, express their own likes and dislikes, and share their opinions." The interlocutor "will often ask" Why? "if candidates fail to give more than a minimal response", and there are "no right answers": you "will not be judged on" your opinions, "only on the language" you use.

Eight Part 4 questions following Task A and Task B (TalkDrill)

1. Do you like going on school or work trips? (Why? / Why not?)
2. Have you ever helped to raise money for something? (What did you do?)
3. Do you prefer spending money or saving it? (Why?)
4. Is it easy to make new friends where you live? (Why? / Why not?)
5. Would you like to live in a different city one day? (Why? / Why not?)
6. Do you prefer doing activities alone or with other people? (Why?)
7. Do you think young people spend too much time talking to friends online? (Why? / Why not?)
8. What do you like doing with your friends at the weekend?

Passing and strong, question 4 (TalkDrill)

Passing: "Yes, I think it's easy. In my town people are friendly, and there are many activities for young people, like football and music." Relevant, a reason, an example. Band 3 on Discourse Management.

Strong: "It depends. At school it's quite easy, because you see the same people every day. But my sister moved to a big city last year for work, and she says it was really difficult at first, because everybody was busy. In the end she joined a running club, and now she has lots of friends there. So I think you have to do something, not just wait. What about you, Laura?" A contrast, a short story in the past, a conclusion and a question to the partner. The official Part 4 tip says the same thing in fewer words: "Imagine you have been asked 'Why?'"

Where Part 4 marks go

• One sentence and stop. Add a reason or an example every time, before the interlocutor has to ask.
• Ignoring your partner. When the question goes to both of you, "Do you agree?" is for you too. Respond to what your partner said, then add yours.
• Changing the subject. The information for candidates is blunt: if you do not know about a topic, "do not speak about something else!" Say what you do know, or what a friend might say.

How B1 Preliminary Speaking is marked

Per the B1 Preliminary handbook, "throughout the test candidates are assessed on their own individual performance and not in relation to each other". The assessor marks Grammar and Vocabulary, Discourse Management, Pronunciation and Interactive Communication; the interlocutor gives one mark for Global Achievement. Each is on a 0 to 5 scale, Bands 2 and 4 share features of the bands either side, and assessment "is based on performance across all parts of the test", not part by part. Cambridge's guide The Cambridge English Scale explained adds the arithmetic: at B1 the four analytical marks count once, the Global Achievement mark "is doubled", examiners "may award half marks", and there are 30 marks in the Speaking test.

Criterion	Band 3, the B1 standard (handbook)	Band 5, the top (handbook)	What to practise (TalkDrill)
Grammar and Vocabulary	Good control of simple grammatical forms; a range of appropriate vocabulary on familiar topics	Good control of simple forms and attempts some complex forms; vocabulary to give and exchange views on familiar topics	Past simple and continuous, "going to", there is and there are, comparatives, "because" and "so"
Discourse Management	Responses extended beyond short phrases, despite hesitation; mostly relevant; basic cohesive devices	Extended stretches despite some hesitation; relevant; a range of cohesive devices	The one-minute photo description; Part 4 answers of three sentences
Pronunciation	Mostly intelligible, with some control of phonological features at utterance and word level	Intelligible; intonation, sentence and word stress, and individual sounds generally right	Word stress and final sounds; see the word stress guide
Interactive Communication	Initiates and responds appropriately; keeps the interaction going with very little prompting and support	Maintains and develops the interaction and negotiates towards an outcome with very little support	"What about ...?", questions to your partner, a summary before deciding

The interlocutor's Global Achievement scale at B1 describes Band 3 as handling "communication in everyday situations, despite hesitation", and Band 5 as handling "communication on familiar topics, despite some hesitation" while organising "extended discourse". The candidate guidance in the Kenza and Mohammed comments puts it simply: "Don't worry if you sometimes make mistakes or hesitate when you are speaking, as long as your ideas are clear."

From marks to the Cambridge English Scale

The guide gives a conversion table for official practice tests only, and says it "should not be used to try to predict precise scores in the live exam".

Practice-test Speaking marks (out of 30)	Cambridge English Scale score	CEFR level
27	160	B2
18	140	B1
12	120	A2
7	102 (lowest score reported)	None (no certificate)

Our reading of the arithmetic: 18 of 30 is Band 3 on every criterion, so the B1 standard really is Band 3, and 27 of 30 is an average of 4.5. The overall result is the four skill scores added together and divided by four, and per the official results page: 160 to 170 is Grade A with a certificate stating B2, 153 to 159 Grade B, 140 to 152 Grade C, and 120 to 139 a certificate at A2; 102 to 119 appears on the Statement of Results without a certificate.

The descriptors for every band at B1, B2 and C1, and how the same words climb from one exam to the next, are on our criteria and scale page.

For Schools, groups of three and notes for teachers

Many B1 Preliminary candidates are teenagers, and the person reading this is often their teacher. The facts that change how you prepare a class:

• For Schools or standard. Same level, same format, same marking. The for Schools version "is tailored to the interests and experience of school-age learners", per the official B1 Preliminary page.
• Paper or digital. The Speaking test is face to face either way. The information for candidates: "It's the same as the paper-based exam. You take the Speaking test together with one or two other candidates, and there are two examiners."
• Groups of three. Per the handbook, when there are three candidates the format is unchanged and the test takes 15 to 17 minutes instead of 10 to 12; examiners "are trained to ensure each candidate has the same opportunity to speak".
• Interruptions are normal. "Don't worry if the examiner interrupts you when you are still speaking. This shows that you have spoken enough." Tell students before the day, because many read it as a bad sign.
• Accent and variety. The handbook accepts responses "in all varieties and accents of English, provided they do not interfere with communication", and "the consistent use of American pronunciation, spelling and lexis is acceptable".
• Dates. In both the 2026 and 2027 examination dates PDFs, paper-based B1 Preliminary for Schools is listed among the exams "available throughout the year", while paper-based B1 Preliminary has set dates (below).

The official topic list

The handbook lists the topics B1 Preliminary and B1 Preliminary for Schools draw on: clothes; daily life; education; entertainment and media; environment; food and drink; free time; health, medicine and exercise; hobbies and leisure; house and home; language; people; personal feelings, experiences and opinions; personal identification; places and buildings; relations with other people; services; shopping; social interaction; sport; the natural world; transport; travel and holidays; weather. One Part 3 situation per topic gives a class 24 practice tasks.

A 12-minute classroom mock (TalkDrill printable)

1. Roles. Four students: an interlocutor (reads the script), an assessor (silent, marks), and candidates A and B. Rotate after each mock.
2. Part 1, 2 minutes. The interlocutor reads the Phase 1 frame above, then two questions from the list to each candidate.
3. Part 2, 3 minutes. One photo each from a magazine or phone. The interlocutor times 60 seconds and uses the three back-up prompts only if a candidate stops.
4. Part 3, about 4 minutes. A situation sentence and six pictures drawn on the board. "Now, talk together." Stop them after 2 to 3 minutes of discussion even if they have not decided.
5. Part 4, 3 minutes. Four questions on the Part 3 topic, with "What do you think?" to bring the quieter candidate in.
6. Marks. The assessor gives 0 to 5 for each of the four criteria, half marks allowed; the interlocutor gives one Global Achievement mark and doubles it. Out of 30, as in the official guide.

The official B1 Preliminary preparation page has free sample tests, lesson plans, a vocabulary list, the handbook for teachers and the information for candidates, plus Speaking test videos with examiner comments for both versions.

A practice route to test day

The dates. Per the 2026 examination dates PDF (version 4), the remaining paper-based B1 Preliminary sittings are Saturday 21 November and Thursday 3 December 2026; the 2027 PDF (version 1) lists Saturday 6 March, Saturday 8 May, Saturday 12 June, Tuesday 27 July and Thursday 2 December 2027. Digital B1 Preliminary and B1 Preliminary for Schools are available through the year via centres. Per the results page, digital results arrive 5 to 10 working days after the session and paper-based results normally 4 to 6 weeks after. Fees are set by each centre, not by Cambridge; see our fees and registration page, and the dates page for every 2026 and 2027 sitting.

1. Watch the Kenza and Mohammed video once, with the examiner comments open. It is on the preparation page. Pause after each part and say what you would do differently.
2. Part 1 and Part 4 every day, five minutes. Three questions from the lists above, out loud; an answer, a reason and an example each time. Our AI interview practice asks "Why?" the way the interlocutor does.
3. Part 2 every other day. Any photo from your phone, a 60-second timer, the five camera moves. Listen back and count how many things you named.
4. Part 3 with a partner, or with the AI as the second candidate. Our paired practice bank has timed B1 tasks; the group discussion mode trains turn-taking with more than one voice.
5. Pronunciation once a week. Word stress and final sounds are good places to start. If Turkish or Vietnamese is your first language, our Turkish and Vietnamese page has the drills.
6. Two full 12-minute mocks in the last fortnight. Record them and mark them with the classroom mock sheet above.

The Cambridge English hub carries the dates block, the Scale strip and the B2 First and C1 Advanced pages for when you are ready for the next level.