How should I use the time I have before the A2 speaking exam?

First things first, don't panic! Just skim read the text so that you have grasped the main ideas - remember, this is just a springboard to help you think of ideas for the discussion during the exam, so don't worry if you don't understand every part of the text.

Because the speaking at A2 is more spontaneous than that at GCSE, you should only be making brief notes on each question, which will remind you of key points that you want to include in your answers. It's also helpful to write down some key structures, such as the subjunctive or idiomatic expressions, as these will help your mark for your range.

Lastly, think about how you want the conversation to develop after these initial questions. The questions on the actual speaking card will only take up a couple of minutes of the exam, so try to anticipate which topics you will talk about after this, then write down some key vocabulary and ideas to help you during the discussion.