Part 2: Talking about a topic

How Speaking Part 2 works

In Part 2 (Über ein Thema sprechen) you and your partner each get your own task sheet on the same everyday topic. It shows a short opinion – in telc’s official practice test, for example, about group travel. You report what your sheet says, give your own opinion and talk about your experiences. Then you discuss the topic together. Part 2 takes about 6 minutes in total and is worth up to 30 points. It is not a presentation: what counts is that you report, give reasons and respond to your partner.

A reliable four-step structure

• Report: „Auf meinem Blatt geht es um … Die Person meint, dass …“ (My sheet is about … The person thinks that …)
• Justify your opinion: „Ich sehe das ähnlich / anders, weil …“ (I see it the same way / differently because …)
• Share an experience: „In meinem Alltag habe ich erlebt, dass …“ (In my everyday life I’ve found that …)
• Ask your partner: „Und wie siehst du das? Was steht auf deinem Blatt?“ (And how do you see it? What does your sheet say?)

Practise out loud with a stopwatch and write down only keywords during the preparation time – full sentences on your notes tempt you to read them out. If you don’t know a word, explain it with simple German words instead of falling silent. The whole procedure and the scoring are explained in telc B1 oral exam. More topics with examples are in the speaking trainer (in German); the telc B1 exam overview shows all parts of the exam.