Paper 3 is the optional, separately endorsed spoken test. You answer questions on familiar topics, give a short individual talk, then discuss it. These tasks build the fluency, accuracy and range an examiner listens for.
Prepare and speak each one aloud, recording yourself if you can, then reveal our plan and check your own delivery. We coach the skill, never a memorised script.
1Familiar-topics practice. Ask a partner, or record yourself answering, these questions. Give full answers of two or three sentences, not one word: What do you usually do at weekends?
Is your town a good place for young people? Would you like to live somewhere else one day? Add a reason or an example each time.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: This opening part rewards extended, natural answers over correct-but-tiny ones. For each question use an 'answer, then because, then example' shape so you never stop at one line. Keep the tense consistent (usually means present habits) and let yourself sound relaxed, because fluency counts as much as accuracy here.
Model opening: At weekends I usually help at my family's stall in the morning, then meet friends for futsal; it's the part of the week I look forward to most.
Checklist:
- Every answer extended past one sentence
- A reason or example added each time
- Tense fits the question (habits, opinions, future)
- Spoken naturally, not read aloud
2Individual talk. Prepare and deliver a short talk on 'A skill I think everyone should learn'.
Plan four bullet points, speak from them rather than a full script, and aim to keep going for the time the test allows. Signpost your talk with phrases such as 'First...', 'Another reason...' and 'So, overall...'.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: A talk is judged on organisation, range and fluency, so plan headings, not sentences. Open with your choice and why it matters, develop two or three points with examples, and close with a short summary. Use signposting to keep the listener with you, and practise from bullets so it sounds spoken, not memorised.
Model opening: The one skill I think everyone should learn is basic cooking, not because it's fancy, but because it changes how healthily and cheaply you can live.
Checklist:
- Planned as bullet points, not a script
- Clear opening, middle and close
- Signposting phrases used
- Kept going for the time allowed
- Each point supported with an example
3Discussion practice. After a talk on 'Should students have a say in what they study?', have a partner ask follow-up questions such as 'Wouldn't that be chaotic?' and 'Who should decide?'. Practise agreeing, disagreeing politely and giving reasons, using phrases like 'I see your point, but...' and 'It depends on...'.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: The discussion tests whether you can develop ideas beyond your prepared talk. Listen to the actual question, then answer with a view and a reason rather than a memorised line.
A trial lesson can start from your child's attempt at Speaking (ESL) practice for Pearson Edexcel 4ES1, with feedback from an experienced teacher.
Use softening phrases to disagree politely, and 'it depends' to handle either-or questions. Allow yourself a moment to think before you speak.
Model opening: I see your point that it could be chaotic, but I think students could choose within limits (say, one subject in three) rather than everything.
Checklist:
- Answers respond to the actual question
- Views backed with reasons
- Polite agreement and disagreement used
- A range of linking phrases, not repetition
- Ideas developed beyond the talk
4Range-and-accuracy drill. Choose a familiar topic (your favourite meal, a place you would recommend, a hobby) and speak for one minute.
Then speak again on the same topic, this time deliberately using three linking words (however, although, whereas), one relative clause ('which...') and two topic-specific words. Compare the two attempts.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: This builds the 'range' the examiner rewards without losing accuracy. The first attempt is your natural baseline; the second consciously reaches for varied connectors and precise vocabulary. Keep the added structures correct, since a well-used 'although' clause lifts your band more than a risky sentence that breaks down.
Model opening: My favourite meal is nasi lemak, which my grandmother makes on Sundays; although it looks simple, the balance of sambal and coconut rice is hard to get right.
Checklist:
- Spoke for the full minute both times
- Three different linking words used
- One relative clause included
- Two precise, topic-specific words
- Added structures stayed accurate
5Reflection task. Record any of the talks above.
Then listen back once for fluency (pauses and fillers), once for accuracy (verb tenses, articles, plurals) and once for range (variety of words and structures). Note one thing to keep and one thing to improve for each, then re-record the opening thirty seconds.
Show plan, model opening & checklist
Plan: Examiners listen for all three qualities at once, so training your ear to separate them is the fastest way to improve. One focused listen per quality stops everything blurring together. Fixing the opening thirty seconds matters most, because a confident, accurate start sets the examiner's first impression.
Model opening: On my first listen I noticed I said 'um' before every new point; an easy fluency fix is a short silent pause instead, which actually sounds more confident.
Checklist:
- Listened separately for each quality
- One strength and one fix noted per quality
- Common accuracy slips checked (tense, articles, plurals)
- Opening thirty seconds re-recorded
- Fillers reduced on the retake
See the method and an annotated model on the speaking (ESL) page for Pearson Edexcel 4ES1, or the technique in our speaking (ESL) skills guide.