108 New Cambridge Speaking Tasks for PET, FCE and CAE

The New Series

Eighteen new speaking activities are live this week. They cover three Cambridge levels — PET (B1 Preliminary), FCE (B2 First) and CAE (C1 Advanced) — across Parts 2 and 3 of the speaking exam. Each level has three Part 2 sets and three Part 3 sets, and every set holds six topics, which works out to 108 separate speaking tasks. A class can revisit the same format many times with fresh material. The series comes with a Cool English subscription, and subscribers can share it with all their students.

The activities also work for general speaking practice. A student does not need to be preparing for a Cambridge exam to gain from describing a photo under time pressure or defending a choice to a partner.

Part 2: Talking About Photos

Part 2 asks students to speak about photographs for about one minute. The level sets the challenge. PET shows one photo to describe. FCE shows two photos to compare. CAE shows three photos, and the student picks two to discuss while answering a question about the set.

The aim is not to name objects. A PET student might begin, "It shows a family getting ready in the morning — the father is helping a child with a backpack, and someone is tidying the sofa," and then develop that thread for the full minute. A one-minute timer runs on screen, and a panel of useful language stays hidden until a student taps to reveal it, so a class can attempt the task first and ask for support only when needed.

Part 3: Deciding Together

Part 3 is a paired discussion, though a student working alone can still talk through the choices aloud. The task presents several options and asks the pair to weigh them before reaching a decision. PET arranges illustrated choices around a central question; FCE and CAE use short text cards instead. A two-minute timer frames the discussion, and click-to-reveal expressions support students who stall.

Using It in Class

Each activity carries a printable PDF, and that is where a lot of the classroom value sits. Picture a group that has just finished the CAE photo task on screen. Hand out the paper version, change the pairs, and run it a second time. That second attempt is almost always sharper: the ideas are already organized, so students can focus on clearer comparisons and stronger vocabulary. The same rerun works as homework — a student records a one-minute answer, takes the feedback, and records it again, and the gap between the two takes is where the progress shows.

Teaching Tip

Before a paired discussion, it is tempting to let partners plan together out loud. One study points the other way. Foster and Skehan (1999) found that students who planned alone produced more complex and more fluent speech, with longer turns, while students who planned in groups did no better than students given no planning time at all. So try this before the Part 3 timer starts: give thirty seconds of silent, individual thinking time, and ask each student to settle on a first idea, one reason, and one phrase to use. Then let the pair talk. That quiet head start gives both students something to bring to the conversation.