Speaking
Part 2 - Comparing
C1 Advanced Exam
C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2
In this part, you will be presented with three photos and two questions.
You have to talk about two of these photos.
You will need to compare and contrast the two photos that you chose.
Why might the people have chosen to be in these isolated places?
What problems might they face?
COMPARING AND CONTRASTING
Here are some phrases you can consider using to compare and contrast your photos with.
Similarities
Both pictures show…
In both pictures there are…
They're both quite similar because...
Both pictures show show people who are performing.
There are... in both photographs.
There are people listening to the music in both photographs.
In one respect the pictures are quite similar because...
In one respect the pictures are quite similar because people are performing and being listened to by an audience.
The top picture shows…
The bottom picture shows…
The picture on the left shows…
The picture on the right shows...
The top picture shows a man playing a piano while the bottom picture shows a group of people playing in an orchestra.
Differences
In one photo there are…
In the other photo there are...
In one photo there are some beautiful snow-covered mountains, trees and a lake while in the other photo there is an old castle.
In the photo above it looks like…
In the one below it looks like...
In the picture above it looks as if some people are backpacking in nature while in the the photo below it looks like they are taking a short walk near an old castle.
This picture shows... but that one shows...
This one shows a cold, northern country like Canada but that one looks like it was taken in the United Kingdom.
One difference between the pictures is that...
One difference between the pictures is that we can see a lake and mountains in the one on top.
The biggest difference between them is that this one... but the other one...
The biggest difference between them is that this one has a castle in it but the other one doesn't have any man-made structures.
This one looks more ... than that.
This one looks more fun than that.
Doing ... isn't as ... as...
Taking a short walk in the country side isn't as tiring as taking a hike in the mountains with backpacks.
While and Whereas can be used to connect two contrasting ideas in a single sentence:
In the top photo, it looks like they will do some camping while in the second photo, they are only out for a day trip.
The climate of the top photo looks cold whereas the climate of the bottom photo looks warmer but more wet.
Phrases like On the other hand and However are used when there are two different sentences:
In the bottom photo, the landscape is very flat and full of greenery. On the other hand, the landscape here seems really rocky and full of difficult terrane.
This photo looks like it was taken in a very remote and far away from civilization. However, this one here looks like it's near a town where people might live.
Adding an Opinion
Consider using the following alternatives to “I think”:
In my opinion…
I think...
I’d say that…
It seems to me that...
If you are less sure about your opinion, weaker openings could be:
I guess that…
I suppose that….
I’d say that…..