26 ISE II Collaborative Task Prompts

The Trinity ISE II Collaborative Task often takes exam candidates by surprise. In this part of the test, the examiner plays a role and you need to have a discussion about the situation that they introduce. It’s the candidate’s responsibility to maintain the interaction, ask questions, find out more information and give advice.

If you are looking for more ISE II speaking activities, check here.

• How to do the Trinity ISE II topic task
• ISE II Collaborative Task Activity (Pair Work)
• 100 ISE II Conversation Questions
• Gerunds and Infinitives – ISE II Conversation Task

Common mistakes in the Collaborative Task

The ISE II collaborative task lasts 4 minutes and it’s the most interactive part of the whole speaking exam. That’s not an insignificant length of time, so exam candidates need to be careful about how they go about this task. Here are some common mistakes that people might make:

• Not listening carefully to the prompt. Remember that you don’t see the prompt written down and they are sometimes a bit strange. Listen carefully because interactive listening is part of your speaking mark in Trinity, so you don’t want to lose points here.
• Not asking enough questions about details. The initial prompt will never give you all the information you need. Start with questions about basic details that help you form a better picture of the situation before you start giving your opinion.
• Not maintaining the interaction. Don’t forget that it’s the candidate’s responsibility to keep the conversation going. If you don’t interact with the examiner, you may find yourself experiencing multiple awkward silences.
• Solving the problem to quickly. 4 minutes is a long time and if you give your solution to the examiner’s dilemma too quickly, you will find you have nothing more to say. The majority of the collaborative task should be asking questions and reacting to the answers. Start to offer advice and solve the problem towards the end of the 4 minutes.
• Not engaging with the examiner. The examiner is playing a role. Imagine they are your friend, family member or colleague. Act and speak like it’s a natural conversation; agree, disagree, tell them they are wrong, be empathetic to their problems, offer friendly advice. All of these things help to make the conversation realistic and interesting.

26 ISE II Collaborative Task Prompts

Here are 26 ISE II Collaborative Task prompts to practise before the exam. The best way to use these is to think about how the examiner might extend these situations and what their backstory is. Then you can think of some advice to offer them.

Download a pdf version of 26 ISE II Collaborative Task Prompts:

1. My friend is travelling around the world, but I haven’t heard from her recently and I’m starting to get really worried.
2. There’s a chance of a promotion at work, but I’m not sure if I want to apply for it.
3. My son is graduating from secondary school this year. He wants to take a gap year before going to university, but I’m not sure how I feel about it.
4. I’m thinking of changing my degree at university and studying art instead.
5. My best friend is getting married next week, but I don’t get along very well with her partner.
6. I lost my job last week and I’m having trouble paying all my bills. Now, I’m not sure what I should do.
7. I want to start doing exercise, but a gym membership is really expensive.
8. One of my colleagues is really lazy and never does any work. I’m thinking about telling the boss about it.
9. I’ve been offered a job in the capital city, but I don’t know if I want to take it because it’s so far from my family.
10. My brother wants my parents to invest in his new business, but his ideas never work out.
11. My niece is moving abroad for work and I want to get something really nice for her to remember me by.
12. It’s my 25^th wedding anniversary this year and I want to have a big party with all our friends and family, but my wife doesn’t agree.
13. I want to sell my flat in the city and buy a house in the countryside, but money might be an issue.
14. I got a phone call from my boss the other day and I still can’t believe what she told me!
15. My boyfriend wants to go to Rome on holiday this summer, but I don’t really want to go there because I prefer relaxing holidays.
16. I watch a lot of news on the TV, but I think I might stop. It’s so depressing!
17. My daughter starts school next year and we can’t decide whether she should go to a state school or a private school.
18. My uncle is a farmer and he loves it, but he’s been having some money issues recently.
19. I’ve been thinking about contacting my childhood friends to have a reunion, but I haven’t spoken to them in years.
20. One of my neighbours never recycles and I think I should say something.
21. I heard some strange noises last night outside my bedroom window and now I’m scared to sleep alone.
22. Sometimes I wish I could be rich and famous, but I never have to opportunity to show off my talents.
23. My nephew has made some very interesting friends at school, but I’m not sure I like the path he’s going down.
24. I feel like I can’t afford basic things nowadays. Everything is so much more expensive than it used to be!
25. I’m really worried about the environment, but I don’t know what I can do to help.
26. My husband and I are retiring soon and we are considering moving to another country for a few years, but we are a bit worried that the change will be too much for us.