C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2: How to Compare Photos

Hello English learners! If you are preparing for C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2, you will need to do much more than simply describe what you can see in a photograph. C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2 tests your ability to compare photographs, speculate about situations and develop your ideas clearly within a limited amount of time.

At this level, saying:

There are three people in the picture. They are sitting at a table. They look happy.

is not enough.

In C1 Advanced, you need to compare photographs, speculate about situations, interpret what might be happening, discuss people’s feelings or motivations and answer the questions you have been given.

And you need to do all of that in just one minute.

The good news is that you do not need to describe every detail. In fact, trying to describe everything you can see is one of the easiest ways to waste valuable speaking time.

In this lesson, we will look at how to organise your answer, what language you can use and how to sound more natural and confident in C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2.

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What Happens in C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2?

In Part 2 of the C1 Advanced Speaking exam, you are given three photographs.

You choose two of them and speak about them for approximately one minute without interruption.

You will also see questions above the photographs. These questions are important because they tell you what you should discuss.

After you finish, your partner is asked a short question connected with your photographs and has about 30 seconds to respond.

Then the roles are reversed.

The task tests your ability to do several things at the same time:

• compare two situations;
• describe relevant details;
• speculate about what may be happening;
• express and develop opinions;
• organise your ideas clearly;
• use a good range of vocabulary and grammar.

The important word here is relevant.

You are not expected to describe everything in the photographs.

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Don’t Just Describe the Photos

A common mistake is to spend most of the minute describing what is visible.

For example:

In the first photo, I can see a woman and a man. They are sitting in an office. There is a computer on the desk. In the second photo, there are several people outside. They are wearing sports clothes.

There is nothing grammatically wrong with this answer.

The problem is that very little is actually being said.

At C1 level, try to move beyond what you can see and talk about:

• what might be happening;
• why the people are doing something;
• how they might be feeling;
• what difficulties they might be experiencing;
• what the situations have in common;
• how the situations differ;
• which situation might be more challenging, enjoyable, useful, stressful, rewarding, etc.

Think of the photograph as a starting point for discussion, rather than something you have to describe in detail.

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A Simple Structure for Your One-Minute Answer

A useful structure is:

1. Introduce the main similarity or difference

2. Compare the two photographs

3. Speculate about the people or situations

4. Answer both questions in the task

5. Add a brief conclusion if you have time

You do not need to follow this structure mechanically, but it can help prevent you from getting stuck.

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1. Start by Comparing the Photographs

Avoid spending 20 seconds introducing each photograph separately.

Instead of:

In the first photograph, there are some people working in an office. In the second photograph, there are people working outside.

you could say:

Both photographs show people working together, although the environments they are working in are completely different.

Immediately, you have started comparing.

Here are some useful expressions.

Showing similarities

• Both photographs show…
• In both pictures, the people seem to be…
• One similarity between the two situations is that…
• What the two photographs have in common is…
• In both cases,…
• The people in both situations appear to be…

Showing differences

• The main difference seems to be…
• Whereas the people in the first photograph…, those in the second…
• While the first picture shows…, the second focuses on…
• The two situations differ considerably in terms of…
• Unlike the people in the first photograph,…
• By contrast,…
• There is quite a striking contrast between…

Try to compare ideas rather than simply objects.

For example:

❌ The first picture is indoors and the second is outdoors.

Better:

✅ Whereas the people in the first photograph seem to be working in a fairly controlled environment, those in the second may have to cope with much less predictable conditions.

Now you are demonstrating C1-level language and thinking.

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2. Learn to Speculate

You rarely know exactly what is happening in an exam photograph.

That is deliberate.

You are expected to speculate.

You do not need to be correct. You simply need to express reasonable ideas based on what you can see.

Instead of:

They are colleagues.

say:

They might be colleagues.

Or:

They seem to be colleagues working on a project together.

Useful expressions include:

When you are fairly confident

• They seem to be…
• They appear to be…
• It looks as though…
• It seems as if…
• They are probably…
• I would imagine that…

When you are less certain

• They might be…
• They may be…
• Perhaps they are…
• It could be that…
• There’s a possibility that…
• I can’t be certain, but they may be…

For more developed speculation

• Judging by their expressions,…
• From the way they are behaving, I’d imagine…
• Given the circumstances, they may well be…
• The fact that … suggests that…
• It would be reasonable to assume that…

Compare these two answers:

The woman is nervous.

and:

Judging by her expression, she may be feeling slightly apprehensive, perhaps because she isn’t entirely sure what to expect.

The second answer shows far more flexibility and precision.

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3. Talk About Feelings and Reactions

Questions in Part 2 often encourage you to think about how people might feel or why they might be doing something.

Try not to rely on basic adjectives such as:

happy, sad, nervous, good, bad, difficult.

At C1 level, you have a much wider range available to you.

Instead of happy, consider:

• delighted
• relieved
• satisfied
• enthusiastic
• content
• thrilled

Instead of nervous, consider:

• apprehensive
• uneasy
• anxious
• under pressure
• self-conscious
• uncertain

Instead of difficult, consider:

• demanding
• challenging
• exhausting
• frustrating
• overwhelming
• mentally taxing

You can also describe mixed feelings:

• They may find the experience both exciting and intimidating.
• She looks slightly apprehensive but determined.
• They might be under considerable pressure, although they also seem to be enjoying the challenge.

This kind of nuance is particularly useful at C1 level.

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4. Explain Why

One of the easiest ways to develop an answer is to ask yourself:

Why?

Suppose you say:

The people in the second photograph probably find the situation more challenging.

Do not stop there.

Explain why.

The people in the second photograph probably find the situation more challenging because they seem to be working outdoors, where factors such as the weather or physical conditions may be beyond their control.

The basic pattern is:

Idea + reason + possible consequence

For example:

They might enjoy working in a group because they can exchange ideas and support one another, which could make a difficult task considerably less stressful.

That gives your answer much more depth.

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5. Use the Questions above the Photographs

One of the biggest mistakes candidates make is concentrating so hard on the pictures that they forget the actual questions.

Imagine the task asks:

Why might the people have chosen to learn these skills?

Which activity might give them the greatest sense of achievement?

Your job is not simply to compare the photographs.

You need to answer both questions.

A useful strategy is to keep returning mentally to:

Why…?

and:

Which…?

You could say:

Both groups may have chosen these activities because they wanted to challenge themselves, although the people in the first photograph may also need the skill for professional reasons. As for which experience might provide the greatest sense of achievement, I’d probably choose the second one because mastering a practical skill after considerable effort can be extremely rewarding.

The photographs provide the context.

The questions provide the task.

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Useful Linking Expressions

You only have one minute, so your ideas need to flow smoothly.

Useful expressions include:

Adding an idea

• What’s more,…
• Another point worth considering is…
• On top of that,…
• Not only that, but…

Contrasting

• However,…
• Whereas…
• While…
• By contrast,…
• On the other hand,…
• That said,…

Giving reasons

• This may be because…
• One reason for this could be…
• This is likely to be due to…
• Perhaps because…

Reaching a conclusion

• Overall, I’d say…
• On balance,…
• If I had to choose,…
• Taking everything into account,…

Do not try to squeeze as many linking expressions as possible into one answer. Use them naturally to connect your ideas.

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A Sample C1 Advanced Photo Task

Imagine you have three photographs showing people learning new skills:

You choose Photos 1 and 3.

The questions are:

Why might the people have decided to learn these skills?

Which activity might be more difficult to master?

Here is a possible answer:

Both photographs show people learning practical skills, although the reasons for doing so may be rather different. The people taking the cooking class might simply be doing it for enjoyment or perhaps because they’d like to become more confident in the kitchen. By contrast, the people learning to climb seem to be taking on a much more physically demanding challenge. They may be motivated by the sense of achievement they get from pushing themselves beyond their comfort zone. As for which skill is harder to master, I’d probably say climbing, because it requires not only technique but also strength, concentration and the ability to remain calm in potentially stressful situations.

Notice what this answer does.

It does not spend time telling us:

There are people in a kitchen.

or:

The climbers are wearing helmets.

Instead, it uses what can be seen in the photographs to develop ideas.

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How to Respond to Your Partner’s Photographs

Do not forget that Part 2 also involves listening.

After your partner’s one-minute turn, the examiner asks you a question about their photographs.

You have approximately 30 seconds to respond.

This is not the moment for a one-word answer.

If the examiner asks:

Which of these people do you think will remember the experience for the longest?

avoid:

Probably the climbers.

Instead, develop your answer:

I’d probably say the climbers because the experience seems much more intense. Overcoming fear or completing something physically demanding tends to create strong memories, so I imagine it would stay with them for quite a long time.

A good short response usually contains:

Answer + reason + development

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What If You Don’t Know a Word?

Do not panic if you cannot remember the exact word for something in a photograph.

The examiner is not testing whether you know the name of every object.

Use paraphrasing.

If you cannot remember tripod, you might say:

the equipment the camera is standing on.

If you cannot remember harness, you might say:

the safety equipment they’re wearing around their bodies.

Being able to explain an idea when you do not know the exact word is an important communication skill.

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Common Mistakes in C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2

Mistake 1: Describing everything you can see

You only have one minute.

Choose details that help you answer the questions.

Mistake 2: Talking about each photo separately

Do not give two mini-descriptions.

Compare them throughout your answer.

Instead of:

In the first picture… In the second picture…

try:

Whereas…, …

Both…, although…

Unlike…, …

Mistake 3: Forgetting to speculate

Photographs often leave plenty of room for interpretation.

Use:

may, might, could, seem, appear, probably, perhaps, I imagine…

Mistake 4: Ignoring one of the questions

There are usually two prompts above the photographs.

Make sure you deal with both.

Mistake 5: Trying to sound too sophisticated

C1 does not mean using the longest words you know.

It means being able to express ideas clearly, precisely and flexibly.

A natural sentence such as:

They may find the experience rewarding because they are achieving something together.

is much better than an unnatural sentence full of memorised advanced vocabulary.

Mistake 6: Memorising an entire answer

You cannot predict the photographs you will receive.

Instead, learn flexible language for:

• comparing;
• contrasting;
• speculating;
• discussing feelings;
• giving reasons;
• making judgements.

Then practise using that language with many different topics.

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A Useful One-Minute Formula

When practising at home, remember:

COMPARE → SPECULATE → ANSWER → DEVELOP

Compare

What do the two situations have in common? How are they different?

Speculate

What might be happening? How might the people feel? Why might they be doing it?

Answer

Respond directly to the questions above the photographs.

Develop

Explain your ideas rather than simply stating them.

For example:

Both photos show people facing some kind of challenge, although the first situation appears much more physically demanding. The people may have chosen these activities because…

That is already a much stronger beginning than:

In the first picture I can see…

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C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2 Practice Worksheet

Would you like more C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2 practice? Download my free worksheet containing 10 exam-style photo sets. Each task gives you three photographs to choose from and questions designed to help you practise comparing, speculating and developing your answers.

Download the C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2 Photo Practice Worksheet and start practising

Related posts:

• C1 Advanced Lessons 
• C1 Advanced Speaking
• C1 Advanced Speaking Part 3: Guide & Practice 
• Words and Phrases for Speculation 
• Adjectives that Describe Feelings

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FAQ 

How long do you speak in C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2?
You speak for about one minute while comparing two of three photographs and answering the questions provided.

Do you have to describe all three photos?
No. You choose two photographs to compare.

Should you describe everything you see?
No. Focus on relevant details and use the photos as a starting point for comparison, speculation and discussion.

How can I practise C1 Advanced Speaking Part 2?
Practise with sets of three photographs, give yourself one minute, and concentrate on comparing, speculating, answering the questions and developing your ideas.