Speaking Tips
• Don’t learn speeches and try to say them word-for-word in interviews – examiners will realise this easily. It is very hard to do this and sound natural.
• Try to relax and be natural – this will make speaking easier. Examiners want you to do your best, and are not trying to make your test difficult.
• Prepare your answers to common questions and personalise them. This will give examiners a good idea of your language level, and your ability to talk about past, present and future experiences.
• When describing something, don’t worry about every visible detail. Speak in general terms about it and how it affects you.
Listening Tips
• Listening exams usually have false information that sounds similar to the answer. Sometimes the information given matches one of the answers, but does not fit the question. For example: the person is talking about last week, but the question asks about next week. The correct information usually, but not always, comes afterwards.
• Nearly right is not the same thing as right; examiners often give information that sounds correct, but is not. Adverbs and modal verbs are often used to give incorrect information. It must be 100% accurate to be right.
• In long listening passages, there are often long sections with no relevant information, and then they give you two or three answers very quickly.
• Although long listening passages usually begin with an introduction, you cannot depend on this; the first word could be the answer to the first question.
Writing Tips
(If you are taking the writing part of the B1 Speaking and Listening Exam (Although not required for Citizenship or ILR application)
• Don’t try to write too many connecting and contrasting words. If every sentence has the same words or expressions, the writing can seem strained and artificial.
• Write on alternate lines (leaving every second line blank) so that you have space to make changes when checking through your work.
• Always credit your sources in writing, even when you talk about ideas and are not quoting the source.
Update: We no longer run the B1 Exam at Eurospeak, due to changes made by the UKVI from November 5th 2015. To book your B1 Exam Preparation class, please click here.