What Is Part 3?
Part 3 shows you an image (a photo or illustration of a scene) and asks you to describe it. You get 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.
The image typically shows people doing activities in a specific location — a park, office, market, restaurant, etc. Your job is to describe as much as you can see in detail.
The Left-to-Right Scan
Scan the image systematically:
1. Start with the big picture (10 seconds): "This image shows a busy outdoor market on what appears to be a beautiful sunny day."
2. Left side (15 seconds): "On the left side of the image, I can see a young woman who is examining some fresh vegetables at a stall."
3. Center (15 seconds): "In the center, there are several people walking around, and there's a man who seems to be selling flowers."
4. Right side (15 seconds): "On the right, I notice a couple sitting at a small café table, enjoying what looks like coffee."
5. Background/details (5 seconds): "In the background, there are some buildings and trees."
This method ensures you cover the entire image and never run out of things to say.
Essential Spatial Vocabulary
Use these location phrases constantly:
Position: in the foreground, in the background, on the left side, on the right, in the center, at the top, at the bottom, in the corner
Proximity: next to, beside, near, close to, in front of, behind, between, across from
Actions (present continuous): is walking, are sitting, is holding, are talking, is wearing, are eating, is looking at, seems to be enjoying
Appearance: appears to be, looks like, what seems to be, who is wearing, that appears to be
Using spatial words + present continuous tense throughout = CLB 7 Part 3.
Fill 60 Seconds Without Struggling
If you run out of things to describe, use these gap-fillers:
- Speculate about feelings: "The woman appears to be quite happy, perhaps because she found exactly what she was looking for." - Speculate about weather/time: "Based on the shadows, it looks like it's a warm afternoon." - Speculate about the location: "This could be a farmers' market, possibly in a suburban neighborhood." - Describe colors: "The stall is decorated with bright red and yellow banners."
Speculation counts as valid description. It shows vocabulary range and fills time.