C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2 long turn: compare two photos for a minute

Part 2 of the C1 Advanced Speaking test is the one part where you speak alone. The examiner gives you three photographs. You compare two of them and answer two questions, all in about a minute, without interruption. The trap is describing. The marks are for comparing, speculating and organising a full minute of speech.

This guide covers the format, what is assessed, a structure for the minute, a worked example and three practice tasks from the ScoreFluent bank. Part 3, where you talk with your partner, has its own guide: the collaborative task.

What is the long turn in C1 Advanced Speaking?

The Speaking test lasts 15 minutes for a pair, or 23 for a group of three, with two examiners: an interlocutor who runs the test and an assessor who listens (Cambridge exam format). In Part 2 each candidate gets three photographs and talks about two of them for one minute. The other candidate then responds for about 30 seconds (information for candidates).

The handbook adds three details. The prompts are two questions written above the photographs, and you answer them with reference to both. You will always be asked to speculate and never merely to describe. And the other candidate should not speak during your turn (C1 Advanced Handbook for Teachers). In the handbook's sample, the 30-second question to your partner is about your photographs.

Checked 15 and 16 October 2026 against the sources linked above. ScoreFluent is not affiliated with Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

How is the long turn assessed?

Candidates are assessed on individual performance across the test. The assessor awards marks for Grammatical Resource, Lexical Resource, Discourse Management, Pronunciation and Interactive Communication, and the interlocutor awards a Global Achievement mark (handbook).

Cambridge's teacher guide uses Part 2 to explain Discourse Management. It means producing a full minute of speech and presenting ideas in a suitable order, for example talking about the similarities between the pictures together rather than jumping back and forth (Assessing speaking for C1 Advanced). The other criteria apply across the whole test, so your range of language and your pronunciation count here too.

Is there planning time before the long turn?

Neither the format page nor the handbook describes a planning period for Part 2. The handbook says a short pause to gather your thoughts is acceptable, but anything longer gives you less time to produce language. The practice tasks below come with a 60-second planning step in ScoreFluent so you can learn the structure. That step is our practice setting, not part of the real test. As you improve, cut it to a few seconds.

How do I structure the one minute?

Cambridge sets the minute and the two questions. The internal split below is our suggestion for filling it:

1. First 10 seconds: frame the pair. Name what the two photographs share and one key difference. This gives you a spine to hang the comparison on.
2. Next 25 seconds: compare and speculate. Answer the first written question using both photographs. Use might, could, must be and it looks as if for speculation, and whereas, in contrast and both… but for comparison.
3. Last 25 seconds: answer the second question with a judgement and a reason. "I'd say the first would affect people more, mainly because…"
4. Keep talking until the interlocutor says thank you. Do not close with that's all. If you run out, add a second reason or a qualification.

How do I choose which two photographs?

Pick the pair that gives you a contrast to talk about, not the pair you find easiest to describe. Two photographs that differ in who, where or why give you more to speculate about than two that look alike. Cambridge's candidate guide also says to speculate even if you are not sure what the photographs show.

What does a worked example look like?

This is for Task 1 below, with photographs 1 (rain) and 3 (the café in the heat). It was written by the ScoreFluent team for this guide. It is not a Cambridge model and not a bank answer.

Both photographs show people dealing with weather they did not choose, but they deal with it very differently. In the first, the pedestrians look as if they are hurrying home under their umbrellas, so the rain is probably something to get through rather than enjoy. In the second, the customers have settled in the shade with cold drinks, which suggests they have adapted by slowing down. As for mood, I'd say the rain would affect people more, because it is hard to avoid when you have to commute, whereas the heat can be managed by choosing where to sit. Even so, a very hot day might make people irritable.

Notice the frame in the first sentence, the speculation (look as if, probably, suggests), the comparison (whereas), and a judgement with a reason. It also ends with a qualification, which fills the last seconds without repeating itself.

What mistakes cost marks in the long turn?

• Describing. "There is a man and a woman and a table" earns little. Say what they might be feeling and why.
• Finishing early. The handbook says students sometimes finish too early because they have little idea what a minute feels like. Time yourself.
• Jumping between photographs. Group your comparison by idea, not by photograph.
• Skipping the second question. The task has two. Answer both.
• Memorised openings. Cambridge's candidate guide says memorised general answers almost certainly will not answer the question you are asked.
• Speaking about something else. If the topic is unfamiliar, use the strategies in the FAQ below, which show language rather than knowledge.

Where can I try C1 Advanced long turn practice tasks?

Practice items from the ScoreFluent bank (not real exam questions)

Each task has three photographs. They are described in words here because the images stay inside the practice tool. Choose two, speak for one minute, then answer the follow-up question for about 30 seconds.

Bank model answer to the follow-up question

I do, to a certain extent. Grey, rainy weather tends to make people withdraw, while sunshine seems to bring them outdoors and make them more sociable, which is why the first warm day always feels like a celebration.

Bank model answer to the follow-up question

I would say the crowded train, mainly because there is so little personal space and no control over delays. The ferry looks almost pleasant by comparison, although it would probably depend on the weather.

Bank model answer to the follow-up question

I would be reluctant to say they should force them, since local people live with the consequences. However, if the national benefit is clear, I think governments have a duty to offer proper compensation and to listen seriously before they decide.

How does ScoreFluent score long turn practice?

ScoreFluent's C1 Speaking practice is solo: you record yourself. A recording alone cannot observe real interaction with another candidate. The estimate covers Grammatical Resource, Lexical Resource, Discourse Management and Pronunciation. Interactive Communication and Global Achievement are not scored. Treat the result as a provisional practice estimate. It is not a predicted Cambridge score, and we do not claim it is calibrated. Two things differ from the real test. Our task has a planning step, and the follow-up question is put to you, whereas in the real test your partner answers about your photographs.

New accounts get 40 free credits, credits never expire and there is no subscription. Speaking answers get an Examiner report bought with credits (pricing). Start with 40 free credits →

Where next: the C1 Advanced hub, the Speaking guide, the Part 3 guide, how C1 Advanced is scored and the full list of C1 task guides.

Where did these facts come from?

• Cambridge English: C1 Advanced exam format
• C1 Advanced Handbook for Teachers
• C1 Advanced: information for candidates
• Assessing speaking for C1 Advanced (teacher guide)

Checked 15 and 16 October 2026. ScoreFluent is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. The practice tasks above come from ScoreFluent's own bank and are not real exam questions.