The 0510 speaking test is a conversation on a topic. After a warm-up, you develop your ideas, give opinions and support them with reasons. These tasks are for rehearsing that skill, not scripts to memorise - we never hand out speaking-test scripts.
Practise aloud, record yourself if you can, then use the checklist. Book a mock conversation with our teachers to build fluency and confidence, and check the syllabus for the current format.
1Practise turning short answers into developed ones on the topic 'the way we spend our free time'. For each question below, speak aloud for about three sentences: give your answer, add a reason, then an example. - What do you enjoy doing in your free time? - Do young people today have enough free time? - Is it better to spend free time alone or with others? Record yourself and listen back for any one-word or yes/no answers you could have developed.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: Developed answers are rewarded, so train the pattern answer, then reason, then example. A bare 'I like reading' becomes 'I like reading, because it lets me escape a busy week, and last month I finished a whole series in the holidays.' Avoid ending on a single word. Always add the 'because'.
Model opening: (An example of extending one answer - your own answers should be yours.) 'I enjoy cooking in my free time, because it relaxes me after school, and at the weekend I like trying a recipe from a different country.'
Checklist:
- Every answer had at least a reason, and often an example
- I avoided yes/no or one-word replies
- I spoke in full sentences, not fragments
- I sounded like I was sharing real views, not reciting
2Practise giving a balanced view on 'living in a town versus the countryside'. Speak aloud on each prompt, giving one point for each side before saying which you prefer and why. - What are the good things about living in a town? - What might someone miss about the countryside? - Where would you rather live, and why? Use phrases such as 'on one hand... on the other hand...' to structure your answer.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: A balanced answer shows range and fairness. Practise the frame: one advantage of each side, then your own preference with a reason.
Linking phrases such as 'however', 'on the other hand' and 'that said' make you sound fluent and organised. Developed, connected speech is what the examiner listens for, not a memorised list.
Model opening: (Example approach - use your own ideas.) 'On one hand, a town has everything close by; on the other, the countryside is calmer. I'd choose a town, mainly because I like being able to walk to my friends.'
Checklist:
- I gave a point for each side before my preference
- I used at least one linking phrase
- I stated a clear preference with a reason
- I spoke fluently without long pauses
3Practise responding to opinion statements on 'technology in everyday life'. For each statement, say whether you agree or disagree and give two reasons. Speak aloud, and try to give your strongest reason first. - 'Phones have made people less polite.' - 'It is easier to learn new things now than it was for our parents.' - 'We rely on technology too much.'
A trial lesson can start from your child's attempt at Speaking assessment practice for Cambridge International 0510, with feedback from an experienced teacher.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: You do not have to hold the 'right' view - you have to justify the one you take. Practise stating your position clearly, then giving two reasons, strongest first. Put a linking word between them such as 'firstly... and also...'.
A confident, reasoned disagreement is as strong as agreement. Avoid trailing off after 'I agree'.
Model opening: (Example - your reasons should be your own.) 'I partly agree that we rely on technology too much. Firstly, many people cannot find their way without a map app; and also, we reach for a screen the moment we are bored.'
Checklist:
- I stated my position clearly for each statement
- I gave two reasons each time
- I put my strongest reason first
- I used linking words and did not stop at 'I agree'
4Practise keeping a conversation going about 'helping in your community'. Ask a partner to put each question, then follow it with 'Why do you think that?' - answer both without one-word replies. - Should students do some volunteering? - What kind of help does your area need most? - Would you enjoy organising an event to help others? Aim to develop the follow-up as fully as the first answer.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: In the real conversation the examiner follows up on what you say, so practise expecting 'why?'. Never treat the first answer as the end; leave yourself somewhere to go.
A good habit is to give a reason unprompted, then add an example when the follow-up comes. Keep your sentences flowing and connected.
Model opening: (Example of answering a follow-up - use your own views.) 'Yes, I think students should volunteer. Why? Because it shows you a world beyond school, and when I helped at a food drive I understood problems I had only read about before.'
Checklist:
- I answered both the question and the follow-up fully
- I used no one-word replies
- I added reasons and an example
- I kept the conversation flowing rather than stopping
5Practise speaking for about a minute without long pauses on an everyday topic. Choose one prompt, think for thirty seconds, then speak. - Describe a place you go to relax and why it suits you. - Talk about a skill you would like to learn and how you might start. - Describe a typical weekend and one thing you would change about it. Use linking words to move between ideas, and keep going even if you hesitate.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: Fluency is about keeping going and connecting ideas, not about perfect grammar. Plan three quick points before you start. Use signposts such as 'to begin with', 'another thing' and 'in the end' to move between them.
If you lose your thread, rephrase rather than stopping. Recording yourself shows where the pauses fall.
Model opening: (Example opening - continue with your own ideas.) 'A place I go to relax is the small park near my house. To begin with, it is quiet in the early evening, which is when I usually go...'
Checklist:
- I spoke for about a minute
- I had few long pauses
- I used linking words to move between points
- I covered two or three points and rephrased instead of stopping when stuck
See the method and an annotated model on the speaking assessment page for Cambridge International 0510, or the technique in our speaking assessment skills guide.