CELPIP® Speaking Task 1 sample: Is Eleven Old Enough for a Phone?

Level 7 sample answer

192 words

Simran, I understand why this is hard for you. Here is what I think. First, I think Dev needs some kind of phone now, because he takes the bus alone and walks to soccer. If the bus is late or practice is cancelled, he should be able to call you. That's more important than what his friends have.

But I don't think he needs an expensive smartphone. You can give him a basic phone, only for calls and texts. It's cheaper, and he can't play games on it all day. Also, maybe you can find a cheaper plan than $40. Some plans for kids are only for calling and texting.

Then, about your daughter, I know she got her phone at 13, so she might say it's not fair. You should explain her that the situation is different, because I don't think she took the bus alone at 11.

Finally, make some rules together with Dev, um, before you give him the phone. For example, no phone at the dinner table, and the phone stays in the kitchen at night. If he follow the rules, maybe he can get a smartphone later.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives clear, practical advice about safety, cost, fairness, and phone rules. Its simple vocabulary, occasional grammar errors, and assumption about Dev's sister make it less polished and convincing than the higher-level answers.

• because I don't think she took the bus alone at 11. — Content/Coherence: The answer explains different treatment by guessing about the daughter's past travel arrangements. A stronger answer would base the fairness argument on Dev's stated travel needs without assuming facts about his sister.
• It's cheaper, and he can't play games on it all day. — Vocabulary: The everyday wording makes the cost and screen-time benefits easy to understand. A higher-level answer would express these benefits with more precise and varied language while keeping the conversational tone.
• If he follow the rules, maybe he can get a smartphone later. — Listenability: The condition and possible reward are easy to follow, but 'he follow' interrupts the grammatical flow. Higher-level wording would keep the agreement accurate and make the closing recommendation sound more assured.
• You can give him a basic phone, only for calls and texts. — Task Fulfillment: This directly balances Simran's wish to contact Dev with her screen-time concern. A higher-level answer would connect this recommendation more smoothly to both the monthly cost and Dev's specific travel situations.

Level 9 sample answer

230 words

Simran, I've been thinking about Dev since we talked, and I'll be honest with you: I think it's time he had a phone, just maybe not the kind he's hoping for.

The main reason is safety and peace of mind. Now that he's riding the bus to school and walking to soccer on his own, there will be days when the bus doesn't show up or practice gets moved. You'll want to know where he is, and he'll want a way to reach you without borrowing someone else's phone.

That doesn't mean he needs a smartphone, though. A basic phone that only calls and texts would cover what he really needs, and it takes the screen-time worry off the table. You could also shop around for a cheaper plan — forty dollars a month seems like a lot for an eleven-year-old who'll mostly be texting 'I'm on the bus.'

As for your daughter, she might feel it's unfair, so I'd talk to her before Dev gets the phone. Point out that his situation is different because he's travelling alone, and maybe let her help set the rules. That way she feels included rather than left out.

Speaking of rules, write them down together with Dev: no phone at meals, and it charges in the kitchen overnight. If he sticks to them for a year, you can always revisit the smartphone question.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer develops the advice through realistic examples, natural transitions, and conversational vocabulary. Compared with level 11, its reasoning remains more straightforward, with less explicit framing of the underlying fairness principle and less flexible sentence construction.

• I think it's time he had a phone, just maybe not the kind he's hoping for. — Content/Coherence: This opening establishes a clear recommendation while setting up the basic-phone compromise. The level 11 answer goes further by organizing the decision around the kind of phone and the conditions attached to it.
• The main reason is safety and peace of mind. — Vocabulary: The phrase 'peace of mind' naturally captures Simran's concern about reaching Dev. The vocabulary is more idiomatic than level 7, while level 11 uses a wider range of expressions to explain competing concerns.
• Speaking of rules, write them down together with Dev — Listenability: This conversational transition connects the daughter's involvement to Dev's responsibilities, helping the advice flow aloud. Level 11 combines similarly clear organization with more varied sentence openings and controlled conditional structures.
• and maybe let her help set the rules. — Task Fulfillment: Including the daughter offers a practical response to the fairness concern. A stronger answer would also state more explicitly why Dev's independent travel can justify different timing despite her having waited until thirteen.

Level 11 sample answer

253 words

Simran, I know you've been going back and forth on this, so let me tell you where I've landed. I think Dev does need a phone now, but the question isn't really whether he gets one; it's what kind and on what terms.

What tips the balance for me is the independence he's already been given. A kid who rides the city bus by himself and walks home from practice in the dark come November needs a way to reach you if a bus is cancelled in a snowstorm or his coach runs late. Frankly, that matters far more than whether he's the last one in his class without a phone.

That said, a basic phone that handles calls and texts would meet that need without opening the floodgates to games and endless videos. It would also be considerably cheaper; if you shopped around, I suspect you could find a talk-and-text plan for well under the forty dollars you were quoted.

Where I'd tread carefully is with your daughter. Having waited until thirteen herself, she may well feel the rules have been bent for her little brother, so I'd sit down with her first and explain that if anything has changed, it's his travelling on his own, not simply his age.

Lastly, I'd agree on ground rules before the phone is even switched on — it stays in the kitchen overnight and never comes to the dinner table. Should he prove responsible over the next year or so, a smartphone could be his reward.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer builds a persuasive recommendation around Dev's growing independence, then connects phone choice, cost, sibling fairness, and responsibility. Precise vocabulary and varied, controlled sentences give the advice confidence while preserving a natural tone between siblings.

• What tips the balance for me is the independence he's already been given. — Content/Coherence: This identifies the central reason for the recommendation: Dev already travels independently. It gives the later advice a consistent foundation and moves the discussion beyond whether his classmates have phones.
• without opening the floodgates to games and endless videos. — Vocabulary: The idiom vividly explains Simran's screen-time concern, while 'games and endless videos' specifies the distractions being considered. The expression strengthens the basic-phone recommendation without sounding detached from a family conversation.
• Should he prove responsible over the next year or so, a smartphone could be his reward. — Listenability: The controlled conditional sentence links demonstrated responsibility to a possible upgrade. Its balanced structure provides a clear closing point and adds grammatical variety without making the advice difficult to follow.
• it's his travelling on his own, not simply his age. — Task Fulfillment: This directly addresses the daughter's likely objection by stating the principle behind different treatment. It gives Simran a usable explanation for allowing Dev a phone earlier while acknowledging the importance of the previous age expectation.