Mistakes in the TEF speaking section

I recently worked as an examiner for the TEF. There were so many candidates that I was able to spot several serious, recurring mistakes in their answers — mistakes anyone could make.

▪️In Section A, where it was necessary to ask questions for 5 minutes, two candidates decided to end the conversation in the second minute and, saying something like ‘et ma dernière question...’, they simply fell silent and tried to move on to reading the task of Section B. At the same time, before Section A, we discussed the timing in detail, it is also written on the printout with the task. But alas, my unsuccessful signs, hints, and then explanations took about a minute of exam time before the person continued speaking.
I always advise everyone to never interrupt a task, let the examiner do it for you.

▪️In Section B, some people forget to answer the first question of the assignment and are in a hurry to move on to “persuading” their friend. Based on the requirements, your answer should begin with the presentation of the advertisement itself in your own words. Imagine that your examiner has never seen it. But don't read the entire ad, it's a waste of time. Build a presentation-conversation and use elements from the advertising announcement that are important in your opinion.

▪️And the last very important point - in Section B, do not invent too many new facts. Sometimes those who rent, believing that this is more profitable for them, at the very beginning of a conversation with a “friend”, mention the details of his life: how many children he has, the make of his car, the name of his spouse, where he works and who he works with, who he lives with and what his interests are. And by the end of the dialogue, they suddenly forget what exactly they came up with, and with each new remark the conversation becomes more and more strange and illogical, the respondent is overcome by even greater panic, he begins to frantically remember what he said there, forgetting to control the correctness of his speech. Try to use information from the advertisement, sometimes going deeper, and also remember that it is much more valuable for your score to rely on information received from the examiner.

I hope in general terms it’s been possible to give some ideas for thought.

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