CELPIP® Speaking Task 1 sample: A Worrying Report Card

Giving Advice · Preparation: 30 seconds · Response: 90 seconds · Published 23 October 2026

Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.

Practice question

Your coworker Samira's nine-year-old son, Karim, brought home a report card showing a big drop in his reading mark, and he says his Grade 4 teacher at their Brampton school ignores him when he asks for help. Samira is upset and wants to email the principal tonight, but parent-teacher interviews are only two weeks away, and she does not want Karim to be treated differently in class. Advise Samira on how to handle the situation.

Model answers

These are transcripts of a model response, provided for comparison with your own recording.

Level 7 sample answer

201 words

Samira, I'm sorry, I know you're upset about Karim's report card. Here are a few things I think you can do.

First, please don't send the email to the principal tonight. You're angry right now, and maybe you will write something you regret later. Also, the principal will probably just ask if you talked to the teacher first.

So I think you should contact the teacher directly. You don't have to wait two weeks for the interview. You can send a short, polite message and ask for a meeting or a phone call. Ask her what she sees in class and why the reading mark went down. If you are friendly, I don't think she will treat Karim badly.

Another thing is, talk to Karim calmly. Ask him some examples, like when did he ask for help and what happened. Kids sometimes, um, they feel ignored when the teacher is just busy with other students.

And you can help him with reading at home, maybe twenty minutes every night. The library has lots of books for kids his age.

If you talk to the teacher and nothing change, then you can go to the principal. But start with the teacher first.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives Samira clear, relevant advice in a straightforward sequence. Compared with the higher-level answers, its vocabulary is simpler, its phrasing is less controlled, and its reassurance about Karim's treatment is too definite.

You can send a short, polite message and ask for a meeting or a phone call. — Content/Coherence: This turns the recommendation to contact the teacher into a practical action before the interviews. The higher-level answers connect that action more closely to Samira's concerns by showing how to frame the message as cooperation.
maybe you will write something you regret later. — Vocabulary: The everyday wording clearly explains why Samira should pause tonight. It offers less precision and range than the higher-level answers, which describe defensiveness, accusations, and the effect on the relationship.
Kids sometimes, um, they feel ignored when the teacher is just busy with other students. — Listenability: The meaning is easy to follow, but the written hesitation and repeated subject interrupt the sentence. The higher-level answers express possible differences in perspective with smoother phrasing. Actual pacing and pronunciation cannot be judged from the text.
If you are friendly, I don't think she will treat Karim badly. — Task Fulfillment: This directly addresses Samira's fear that Karim could be treated differently, but politeness cannot guarantee the teacher's response. A higher-level answer would explain how a cooperative approach may reduce tension while keeping follow-up options available.

Level 9 sample answer

230 words

Samira, I completely understand why you're upset. Nobody likes hearing that their kid feels ignored, so here's what I'd suggest.

Before anything else, I'd hold off on that email to the principal. Going over the teacher's head right away could make her defensive, and that's exactly the situation you're worried about, where Karim ends up feeling awkward in class. In most schools, the principal will just send you back to the teacher anyway.

Instead, why not reach out to the teacher this week rather than waiting for the interviews? Keep the message friendly and focused on Karim, something like, "I noticed his reading mark dropped and I'd love to understand what you're seeing." That way it sounds like teamwork, not a complaint.

It would also help to get the full picture from Karim. Ask him gently for specific moments, like what he was working on when he asked for help. Sometimes a nine-year-old remembers things a little differently from how they happened, but his feelings still matter, and the details will be useful when you talk to the teacher.

In the meantime, you could do some reading together at home. Even fifteen minutes before bed with a book he chooses can rebuild his confidence.

If you've done all that and things still don't improve, then by all means go to the principal. You'll have a much stronger case by then.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer develops the advice with clearer reasons, more precise vocabulary, and useful wording Samira could borrow. Compared with level 11, its preparation and follow-up steps are less tightly connected, and some claims about school responses are too broad.

but his feelings still matter, and the details will be useful when you talk to the teacher. — Content/Coherence: This connects listening to Karim with preparing for the teacher conversation, while acknowledging his feelings. The level 11 answer makes that sequence more explicit and gives a concrete classroom example to show what useful detail looks like.
Going over the teacher's head right away could make her defensive — Vocabulary: The idiom and the word 'defensive' explain a possible consequence more precisely than level 7's simpler warning. The level 11 answer extends this idea into a fuller explanation of how the complaint could affect the relationship.
Instead, why not reach out to the teacher this week rather than waiting for the interviews? — Listenability: The transition clearly signals the alternative, and the conversational question softens the advice. Compared with level 7, the wording flows more smoothly; level 11 sustains this conversational control through a more closely connected argument.
In most schools, the principal will just send you back to the teacher anyway. — Task Fulfillment: This supplies a reason to approach the teacher first, but the broad claim is unsupported by the prompt. Stronger advice would ground the recommendation in Samira's situation and explain what she could bring to the principal if concerns remain.

Level 11 sample answer

266 words

Samira, I can hear how worried you are, and I'd be just as rattled if I were in your shoes. But before you hit send on anything tonight, let me make a case for a slightly different approach.

The email to the principal is the step I'd hold back on. Once a complaint lands on the principal's desk, the teacher is almost certainly going to hear about it, and even if she's entirely professional, the relationship starts off on the wrong foot, which is precisely what you're trying to avoid for Karim's sake.

What I'd do instead is ask the teacher for a short phone call this week. There's no rule that says you have to wait for interviews, and two weeks is a long time when a nine-year-old is feeling discouraged. Frame it as wanting to work together: you've noticed the drop in his reading mark, and you'd like to hear how things look from her side. Teachers tend to respond far better to curiosity than to accusations.

Before that call, though, sit down with Karim when he's relaxed, not straight after school, and ask him to walk you through a particular day. Specific examples, like being told to wait during silent reading, will make the conversation much more productive than "he says you ignore him."

Meanwhile, keep reading with him at home so the report card doesn't become his whole story.

If the call goes nowhere, you'll have a record of trying, and the principal will have to take it seriously. The principal's door stays open; it just works better as a second step.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines a persuasive overall argument with carefully sequenced actions and language tailored to Samira's worries. Its strongest features are the concrete preparation for the teacher call, flexible conversational phrasing, and memorable explanation of escalation, although some predictions are overly certain.

Before that call, though, sit down with Karim when he's relaxed, not straight after school — Content/Coherence: This explicitly places the conversation with Karim before the teacher call and adds a practical condition for gathering details. The advice forms a connected process, developing the looser lists of actions in the other answers.
Meanwhile, keep reading with him at home so the report card doesn't become his whole story. — Vocabulary: The phrase 'his whole story' concisely conveys that Karim's confidence and identity matter alongside his reading mark. It gives the home-reading recommendation an emotional purpose beyond the simpler practice suggestions in the other answers.
The principal's door stays open; it just works better as a second step. — Listenability: The balanced clauses provide a clear, memorable ending. The familiar image makes the escalation advice easy to grasp and reassures Samira that approaching the teacher first still leaves another route available.
Specific examples, like being told to wait during silent reading, will make the conversation much more productive — Task Fulfillment: The hypothetical classroom example shows Samira exactly what kind of information to gather about Karim's requests for help. This makes the recommendation more usable than simply asking for details, while supporting a focused conversation with the teacher.

What moves an answer from 7 to 9 to 11

These are model answers written to show each level. The labels are practice estimates, not examiner scores.

Give advice that fits the person and their constraints. Develop suggestions with reasons, practical steps and a supportive tone rather than listing tips.

Content/Coherence: Level 7 models communicate the main ideas; level 9 models develop relevant details with clear connections; level 11 models sustain precise, well-integrated development.
Vocabulary: Compare adequate everyday wording with more varied, accurate choices at level 9 and flexible, precise expression at level 11.
Listenability: Higher-level delivery needs clear pronunciation, rhythm, intonation and controlled pauses. Transcripts suggest phrasing and organisation, but cannot demonstrate these audio features; a recording is needed.
Task Fulfillment: Compare how fully the response addresses the request, develops enough relevant detail and maintains an appropriate tone for the audience within the task limits.

Assess the criteria together. A longer answer or rarer words alone do not establish a higher level.

Answer this question and get your level