LanguageCert A2 test tips: Speaking and Listening

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

   1½ to 2 minutes

   The examiner names a topic, for example "Daily life", "Food and drink" or "Travel", and asks one question from each of three topics.

   • Give two pieces of information, or one and a reason: "I usually travel by bus, because it's cheap."
   • Listen for the tense. "What did you do last weekend?" needs the past.
   • Use "usually", "sometimes" and "never" for routine questions.

   Answers with a reason

   • I prefer the sea, because it's relaxing.
   • Last weekend I visited my aunt.
   • I usually cook at home, but sometimes we go out.

3. Part 2: Role plays

   about 1½ minutes

   Two everyday situations, such as phoning a restaurant, a problem in a shop, or asking a friend for advice. The examiner starts the first; you start the second.

   • When you start, explain the situation in one sentence: "I bought this laptop here, but it doesn't work."
   • Ask a question to keep it going: "Can I change it?" "What do you think?"
   • Use polite forms: "Could you...?", "I'd like..."

   Useful language

   • I'd like to book a table for two.
   • I bought this here, but...
   • Could you help me with...?
   • What do you think I should buy?

4. Part 3: Two pictures

   1½ to 2 minutes

   You and the examiner have different pictures of the same place, such as a park or a market. You exchange information to find the differences.

   • Use the present continuous for what people are doing: "A woman is buying fruit."
   • After each answer, ask about the examiner's picture: "What about in yours?"
   • Talk about weather, number of people, what they are doing and where things are.

   Useful language

   • In my picture, it's sunny.
   • What's the weather like in yours?
   • Is anyone sitting on the bench?
   • That's different in my picture.

5. Part 4a: Listen and answer

   2½ to 3 minutes

   The examiner reads a short talk about a person two times. You can make notes. Then you answer three questions out loud.

   • Read the questions first and underline the question word: why, where, what.
   • "Why" questions need "because" in the answer.
   • Answer in a short phrase or sentence. You do not need to repeat the whole question.

   Answer like this

   • Because he thinks they're comfortable.
   • In a car factory.
   • He watches TV programmes.

6. Part 4b: Your talk

   2 to 2½ minutes, with questions

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

   • Write five notes: what, where, when, who with, why.
   • One minute is about eight to ten sentences. Practise with a timer.
   • Join ideas with "and", "but", "so" and "because".

   Topics to prepare

   • Your job or studies
   • A place you like
   • Your favourite clothes
   • A holiday
   • Your best friend

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.
• Using only the present tense. Many Part 1 and follow-up questions ask about the past. Practise "went", "bought", "visited", "was".
• Stopping after 20 seconds in Part 4b. You have up to a minute. Use all five notes, and give a reason for at least one of them.
• Forgetting to ask in Part 3. The task is to find differences together. If you only answer, you leave the work to the examiner.

A study plan

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

Days 1–2

Spell your family name. Answer all twelve Part 1 questions in our practice test 1, each with a reason.

Days 3–4

Role plays from both practice tests. Then write and act out two situations from your own life: the doctor's surgery and your child's school.

Days 5–6

Part 3 from both tests. Then describe two photos on your phone as if the examiner had a different one.

Days 7–8

Part 4a from both tests: make notes on the first listening, check on the second.

Days 9–11

Prepare one-minute talks: your job, a place you like, a holiday, your family, your favourite food. Time each one.

Days 12–14

Do full practice tests with a friend as the examiner, then repeat the parts you found hardest.

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.

Official sources

• LanguageCert: A1 Speaking and Listening test (SELT)
• LanguageCert: A2 Speaking and Listening test (SELT)
• LanguageCert: B1 Speaking and Listening test (SELT)
• LanguageCert: International ESOL (Speaking & Listening) qualification handbook
• GOV.UK: Prove your English with a secure English language test (SELT)

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.