Aptis Speaking Practice Test 8
Here’s our eighth exam-style speaking practice test. As usual, we’ll be publishing the supplementary version of this test to give you ideas on how to answer the questions more fully. Meanwhile, this is your chance to have another go on your own!
If you’ve been following our practice tests, you’ll be very familiar with the format by now. If you haven’t, we recommend you go back to Speaking Practice Test 1 and work your way through all the posts up to Speaking Practice Test 7. They’re full of useful advice to help you improve your English level and prepare well for your test. Watch the supplementary versions of the earlier tests too, and you’ll find it easier to get started.
Before you watch
Here are the questions we’re going to ask you in each part of Test 8. Read them and make some notes on what you could include in your answers.
Remember to try to use a variety of structures and vocabulary, and always try to speak for the full amount of time given. It’s up to you to raise the level of a simple question like ‘Please tell me about your family’. It would be very easy – and very A1-style! – to simply list the members of your family, how old they are, etc. But this won’t do! You need to get as much good language as you can into those 30 seconds.
For example, you could contrast your immediate (or nuclear) family with your extended family. Or talk about your ancestors on your mother’s/father’s side.
Using phrasal verbs also raises the level. Here are a couple of good ones for this topic: look after and take after. For example:
I’m the oldest, so I used to look after my younger brothers and sisters.
I take after my father in looks, but my mother in character.
The important thing is to demonstrate what you know even in Part One, the simplest part of the test. This will help you get into English mode! Then you’ll feel more prepared and ready to answer the more challenging questions later on.
Aptis exam-style Speaking Practice Test 8: Questions
Speaking Part One
Please tell me about your family.
Please tell me about your favourite writer.
What are you planning to do next weekend?
Speaking Part Two
Describe this picture. (The picture shows an Asian man sitting on some red steps, reading an Asian newspaper.)
How do people in your country learn about what’s happening in the world?
How has reporting of the news changed in the last fifty years?
Speaking Part Three
Tell me what you see in these two pictures. (One picture shows a little girl at home singing into a microphone and doing karaoke, and the other shows a vocalist singing onstage with his band at a festival.)
Why do people enjoy music?
Which singing situation would you prefer, and why?
Speaking Part Four
Tell me about a time when someone stopped you from doing what you wanted to do.
How did you feel about it?
How important do you think rules are in our lives?
While you watch this exam-style speaking practice test
As we advised you in Test 7, remember to pause the video and add to your notes, but don’t write a script. You want to make your responses sound natural, and you want them to fit the question. So maybe just write the beginnings of each answer, and use those to help you.
Remember that it’s perfectly fine to use expressions like the following to give yourself time to consider your answer:
Hmm … let me think …
That’s a good question …
Well, I’d say …
I’ve never thought about that before, but …
A really good way to practise is to record yourself answering while you watch the video. The timers are very clear, and this will get you used to speaking for the correct amount of time. Either do this on your computer or mobile, or open another tab and go to www.vocaroo.com to record yourself. You can email yourself the recordings to listen to later.
In future we’ll be offering a premium service with Speaking Tests that allow you to record on them directly. Then you’ll be able to send us your answers and receive feedback and advice on how to improve.
Next steps
Check out all the other exam-style Speaking Practice Tests, and watch their supplementary versions too. The complete list is in our Guide, together with all the other free exam material.
Prepare for the Aptis Core Test with all our exam-style grammar and vocabulary tests.
And remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel and click on the bell for notifications too. Then you’ll know as soon as we publish the supplementary version of Speaking Test 8.