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LanguageCert A1 test tips: Speaking and Listening

The LanguageCert A1 test is 8 to 9 minutes with one examiner. You do not need perfect grammar. You need to understand simple questions, answer with a short sentence, start and answer everyday situations, and ask simple questions about a picture. This page shows what to practise for each part.

Length
8 to 9 minutes
Level
CEFR A1
Parts
4
Pass mark
60 out of 100

Ready to try it? Free LanguageCert A1 practice test: hear the examiner, answer out loud and compare with example answers.

What to do in each part

  1. The start: your name and country

    a few seconds

    Before Part 1, the examiner checks your name, asks you to spell your family name and asks where you are from. LanguageCert says nothing needs to be written down.

    • Practise spelling your family name aloud with the English letter names until it is automatic. A, E, I, G, J, H, R and Y are the letters people most often say wrongly.
    • For double letters, say "double": "double L".
    • Answer "Where are you from?" with the country and, if you like, the city: "I'm from Pakistan, from Lahore."

    Useful language

    • My family name is Khan. K, H, A, N.
    • That's double S.
    • I'm from Nigeria, from Lagos.

  2. Part 1: Questions about you

    about 1½ minutes

    The examiner asks three simple questions about you, from a list that includes free time, your home, food, family, holidays and your daily routine.

    • Listen for the question word: what, where, when, who, how often. It tells you what kind of answer to give.
    • Answer in a full short sentence, and add one more fact if you can.
    • Learn the days, months and times, because routine questions use them.

    Short answers that work

    • I get up at seven o'clock.
    • I live with my husband.
    • My favourite food is rice.
    • I go to the park on Sunday.

  3. Part 2: Role plays

    about 1½ minutes

    Two situations, such as a café, a shop or the street. In the first, the examiner starts and you answer. In the second, you start. Each is about two turns each.

    • When you start, say what you want: "I want a bag, please." "Where is the bank, please?"
    • Use "please", "thank you" and "excuse me". They are part of answering appropriately.
    • You are always yourself. Only the examiner plays a different person.

    Useful language

    • Excuse me, where is...?
    • Can I have..., please?
    • How much is it?
    • Yes, good idea.
    • Sorry, I can't.

  4. Part 3: Two pictures

    1 to 1½ minutes

    You and the examiner have different pictures of the same place. You ask and answer to find what is different.

    • Learn four question patterns: "Is there...?", "How many...?", "What is the man doing?", "Where is...?"
    • Answer the examiner, then ask a question back. It is an exchange, not a description.
    • Use "In my picture..." to start your sentences.

    Useful language

    • In my picture, there is...
    • Is there a cat in your picture?
    • How many people are there?
    • The woman is buying bread.

  5. Part 4a: Listen and answer

    2 to 2½ minutes

    The examiner reads a short talk two times and you can make notes. You see three questions first. Then you answer them out loud.

    • Read the three questions before the talk starts, and decide what kind of answer each needs: a place, a time, a thing.
    • First listening: write one or two words for each answer. Second listening: check.
    • A short answer is fine: "Near the station."

    Answer like this

    • In a restaurant.
    • At the weekend.
    • Near the station.
    • He plays football.

  6. Part 4b: Your talk

    about 2 minutes, with questions

    You get a topic, 30 seconds to make notes, and then talk for up to half a minute. The examiner then asks follow-up questions.

    • Half a minute is about four or five short sentences.
    • Use your notes as a list: first, then, and, because.
    • Finish with why you like it: "I like it because..."

    Topics to prepare

    • Your home
    • Your weekend
    • Your family
    • Your favourite food
    • Your town

Common mistakes

  • Thinking grammar is all that matters. LanguageCert's handbook marks five things: listening and responding (worth a third of the marks), interaction and task, grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation and fluency. Understanding the examiner and answering what was asked is the biggest single part.
  • Staying silent when you don't understand. Ask: "Sorry, could you say that again, please?" A short request to repeat is much better than silence or a guess at a different question.
  • Answering with one word. "Flat." is an answer, but "I live in a small flat" shows more English and gives the examiner more to mark.
  • Describing your picture without asking questions in Part 3. Part 3 is about exchanging information. Ask the examiner about their picture as well.
  • Not using the 30 seconds in Part 4b. Write three or four words before you talk. Without notes, half a minute feels long.

A study plan

About thirty minutes a day. Always practise out loud, not in your head.

Day 1
Spell your family name aloud ten times. Answer the six Part 1 questions in our practice test 1 out loud.
Day 2
Do the four role plays in practice test 1. Then make two more of your own: a café and a bus station.
Day 3
Learn the four Part 3 question patterns. Look around your room and ask and answer questions about it.
Day 4
Practice test 1, Parts 4a and 4b, with the timer.
Day 5
Practice test 2, all four parts.
Day 6
Prepare a 30-second talk on your home, your weekend, your family and your favourite food.
Day 7
Do a full practice test with a friend as the examiner, from the name check to the last question.

Questions

What is the pass mark?
60 out of 100. In LanguageCert's handbook the raw marks are out of 30 and 18 is a pass, which is the same 60 per cent.
Can I make notes?
Yes, in Part 4. You make notes while the examiner reads the talk, and you have 30 seconds to make notes before your own talk. The notes are not marked.
Do I need a British accent?
No. You need to be understood. Speak clearly, at a steady speed, in your own accent.
Can I prepare without a teacher?
Yes. Practise out loud every day, with a friend or family member as the examiner if you can. Our practice tests read the examiner's words to you and show example answers.

More LanguageCert help

Official sources

TestWise Prep is independent and is not connected to LanguageCert or PeopleCert. Format checked against LanguageCert's SELT pages, practice papers and handbook on 14 October 2026; every practice question, situation, talk and example answer here is our own.