FIDE Test Oral Exam: The Spoken Part (A1, A2, B1)

Welcome back to the Fide Prep podcast.

In the last episode, we gave you an overview of the FIDE test. Today, we go inside the oral exam and focus on the first part of it: the spoken part.

If the oral exam makes you nervous, this episode is for you. We will explain the order of the spoken tasks, what happens at each level, and how to prepare in a calm and practical way.

One thing to keep clear from the start. The oral exam has two parts: the spoken part, and comprehension, which is the listening part. They happen in the same session, one after the other. First you speak, then you listen.

Today is only about the spoken part. That is the bigger one: two thirds of the marks of the oral exam come from there. The listening part brings the last third, and we will cover it in the next episode.

What the FIDE oral exam speaking part tests

The whole oral exam lasts around forty minutes. The spoken part usually takes around fifteen minutes.

You do not need perfect grammar or long sentences. The question is simple: can you communicate in everyday situations in Switzerland? Can you describe, ask for information, react, and give a simple opinion?

There are two examiners in the spoken part. One person speaks with you and leads the tasks. The other person observes and assesses your performance.

This can sound intimidating, but remember: they are not there to trick you. They follow a set structure and give you the situation. Your job is to respond as clearly as you can.

If you do not understand a question, stay calm. You have two options here, and they are not the same.

If you did not hear the question well, ask the examiner to repeat it.

But if you heard it clearly and the problem is a word you do not know, ask them to reformulate it instead. Then the examiner might say the same question again in different, simpler words. That helps much more than hearing the same difficult word a second time.

FIDE oral exam structure: A2, A1 and B1

Okay! Now let's talk about the exam structure.

The spoken part starts with an A2 block. Everyone begins there.

This is important. You do not choose A1, A2, or B1 before you begin the spoken part. You first do the A2 tasks. Then it continues either with the A1 level or with the B1 level.

So there are only two possible paths: A2 then A1, or A2 then B1. You will often see them written as A1-A2 and A2-B1.

The A2 block checks whether you can deal with familiar daily-life situations using simple but connected language.

A2: picture description

So, let us go through the A2 tasks.

It starts with a short warm-up: the examiner asks you to introduce yourself. One note here. This warm-up is not part of the official exam structure, but in practice it is often asked. Treat it as a friendly start.

Say your name, where you live, what languages you speak, your work, your family, or a hobby. Keep it short and natural. Around thirty seconds is enough.

Task one of the A2 block is usually a picture description.

Here you simply say what you see. Start with the place: where is this situation? Then the people: how many are there, how do they look, what are they wearing? Then the objects around them. And finally, in your opinion, what are they doing?

The pictures always come from everyday life, and the same topics come back again and again. On Fideprep.ch you can find a list of possible discussion topics with practice material, so you can see in advance what may come.

Use the words you know. If you do not know one word, explain it in another way. You may not know the word for "waiting room," but you can say: "People are waiting to see the doctor."

This is a good communication strategy. It shows that you can continue speaking, even when one word is missing.

A2: telephone role play

Task two is a short telephone simulation, or role play.

Usually this comes from the same picture you just described. You play one of the people in the image, and the examiner plays the other one. The examiner gives you the situation, and you act as the caller. You may need to arrange an appointment, change it, cancel it, ask for opening hours, or ask for practical information.

Imagine this situation: you have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, but you cannot come. You need to call and ask for a new appointment.

Start politely. Say who you are. Explain the problem. Ask clearly for what you need. Then finish politely.

For example, you can greet the person, give your name, and say that you have an appointment tomorrow at ten o'clock but that you cannot come. Then ask directly: can you move the appointment to another day?

And if you are aiming for A2 or B1, here is a good strategy: try to drag the conversation. For example, you can add a small complication. If the examiner offers you Tuesday at nine, do not just say yes. Say that you work on Tuesday morning, and ask for the afternoon instead. That one extra step gives you more to say, and it shows that you can really react, not only repeat.

A2: discussion

Task three is the discussion. After the image and role-play tasks, and still inside the A2 block, the examiner asks you a few follow-up questions on a similar topic.

A few things can be tested here. For example, can you describe a habit of yours or express an opinion, can you compare things, and can you talk about the past. So expect a few questions here, but depending on the time left, the examiner can skip a few questions.

Give more than one-word answers when you can. Instead of only saying, "Yes, I go to the doctor," say: "Yes, I go when I am very ill. Last winter I had the flu, so I called the surgery in the morning."

That extra detail shows more vocabulary, and it lets you show the past tense.

One more thing, and it matters if you are aiming for A1. This block is the A2 section, and everybody does it. So it is completely normal if you cannot answer everything here. Do not panic, and do not stop. Say what you can, in the simplest words you have, and keep going.

Choosing A1 or B1

After the A2 block, the spoken part continues with either the A1 level or the B1 level.

Here, the examiner proposes a level to you, based on how the A2 tasks went.

It is only a suggestion. The decision stays yours. If you do not agree with the examiner, you can say so and take the other level.

A1 tasks

Let us look at the A1 part first. If you continue with A1, the tasks stay very practical and direct.

You get four pictures. They belong together: the four pictures are four moments of the same everyday scene.

First, you describe what you see. This is mainly a vocabulary check. Name the place, say who is there, and say what they are doing. Sometimes the examiner points at an object in the picture and asks you the word for it. They may point at a handbag, for example, and ask: "What is this?"

Then you play the dialogue with the examiner. The examiner takes one role, you take the other. Usually, there is one exchange for each picture, so each of you speaks about four times. These turns are short. This dialogue is much smaller than the phone call in the A2 block.

The situations are very common ones: send a parcel at the post office, confirm a doctor's appointment, ask when the next bus comes, or ask about opening hours. Simple language is enough here. Answer simple questions, and react politely.

B1 tasks

Now the B1 part. If you continue with B1, the examiner gives you two topics, and you choose one.

This choice is really yours. Take the topic you like best, the one where you have the most to say. You do not get extra marks for picking the more difficult one.

Then you answer three to four questions on that topic, and each one checks something different. Can you give an opinion. Can you compare the good and the bad sides of something. Can you talk about something that already happened, in the past. And can you talk about the future, or about a situation that is not real, like "what would you do if this happened".

So at B1 the examiner wants more than a yes-or-no answer. Give your opinion and a reason. And match your answer to the question: if the question is about the past, answer about the past. If it is about the future, or about an imaginary situation, talk about your plans, your wishes, and what you would like to do.

The listening part

And with that, the spoken part is finished. It is the bigger part of the oral exam: about two thirds of the marks come from here.

Right after it, in the same session, you continue with the listening part. That is the other third of the marks. It may happen in another room with only one examiner.

One detail worth remembering: the listening part follows the level you took in the second section. If you did A1, you get the A1 and A2 listening. If you did B1, you get the A2 and B1 listening. So the level you take in the spoken part also decides your listening part.

Five speaking tips

Here are five practical speaking tips.

First: answer the question that the examiner asks. Second: use simple sentences you can control. Third: use words such as first, then, because, but, and for example. Fourth: if you forget a word, explain it differently. Finally, add one relevant detail when you can.

How to prepare for the fide oral exam

The best preparation is active practice. Do not only read vocabulary lists. Speak out loud.

On Fideprep.ch we have free example videos. Play one and read out loud along with the narrator, at the same time and at the same speed. This is called shadowing, and it is one of the best exercises for speaking.

Choose an everyday image and describe it for one minute. Practise a short phone call by yourself. Record yourself answering a question about work, health, travel, or your home. Then listen again and notice one thing you can improve.

You can also prepare useful personal examples. Think about a doctor's appointment, a trip, a problem at work, your apartment, or a course you attended. These experiences can help you answer many different questions.

Remember: the spoken part of the FIDE oral exam is about everyday communication. You do not need perfect French or German. You need to show that you can understand the situation, respond clearly, and keep the conversation going.

On Fideprep.ch, you can practise with free oral sample questions, a realistic mock oral exam, and guided speaking tasks for A1, A2, and B1. We will put the links in the episode description.

In the next episode, we will focus on comprehension: the listening part of the oral exam, what happens there, and how to listen for the information that matters.

Thank you for listening. Continue your FIDE preparation on Fide Prep. See you next time.