CELPIP® Speaking Task 1 sample: Late-Night Messages from the Manager

Level 7 sample answer

194 words

Manpreet, I can see you're really tired, so here is my advice. First, I think you should talk to your manager. Maybe your manager doesn't know that you feel you have to answer every message at night. You can ask politely which messages are urgent and which ones can wait until the morning. Because if you don't ask, nothing will change.

Also, you should turn off the notifications for the work chat after, um, seven o'clock. You can check it one time before bed if you want, but you don't need to answer right away. Your family is important too, and they are already complaining, so they need your time.

Another idea is to ask the company for a work phone. Then you can leave it in your bag on the weekend, and your personal phone is only for your personal life.

About the promotion, I don't think your manager will choose people only because they reply fast. They will look at your work during the day, so do a good job in office and stay organized. If you are exhausted, your work will get worse, and that is more bad for the promotion.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 model gives clear, relevant advice about messages, family time, and promotion worries. Its straightforward organization makes it easy to follow, but uneven wording and limited detail about handling emergencies keep it below the more developed answers.

• Because if you don't ask, nothing will change. — Content/Coherence: This gives a clear reason for speaking to the manager, although the explanation is brief and absolute. Higher-level answers develop why the conversation could help by explaining that sending messages and expecting immediate replies may be different things.
• and that is more bad for the promotion. — Vocabulary: The meaning is understandable, but the comparative wording is awkward. Higher-level answers express the connection between exhaustion, weaker work, and promotion prospects with more natural and precise language.
• Also, you should turn off the notifications for the work chat after, um, seven o'clock. — Listenability: The opening signpost makes the next recommendation easy to follow. The written hesitation interrupts the timing advice, however. The higher-level scripts present similar phone boundaries in smoother, more controlled sentences.
• You can ask politely which messages are urgent and which ones can wait until the morning. — Task Fulfillment: This directly addresses Manpreet's uncertainty about replying after hours. A higher-level answer makes the arrangement more actionable by suggesting an agreed phone call for genuine property emergencies.

Level 9 sample answer

237 words

Manpreet, honestly, I think you've been carrying this on your own for too long, so here's what I'd suggest.

The first thing is to have a short, private conversation with your manager — not a complaint, just a question. Something like, 'When you message the group at ten at night, do you need an answer then, or is first thing in the morning okay?' A lot of managers send messages whenever an idea pops into their head and never expect a reply. You might find out you've been stressing over nothing.

Second, set some boundaries on your phone. You can mute the work chat from eight p.m. to seven a.m. and all weekend, so your time with your family actually feels like time off. Just agree with your manager that anything truly urgent, like a burst pipe in a tenant's unit, comes as a phone call instead.

Third, I'd stop worrying that this will cost you the promotion. In my experience, what gets people promoted is reliable work during office hours — clear notes, organized files, calm handling of difficult tenants. Being burnt out by spring would hurt you far more than answering a message at eight in the morning instead of eleven at night.

And if the late messages continue after you've talked, it's fair to ask whether the company could provide a work phone. That way, you can switch it off when you walk in the door.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 model combines practical steps, natural conversational language, and details suited to property management. It develops the advice more fully than the level 7 answer, while its confident reassurance about promotion leaves room for the more measured framing of level 11.

• Second, set some boundaries on your phone. — Content/Coherence: This clearly introduces the next stage after clarifying the manager's expectations. The surrounding advice adds specific quiet hours and an emergency exception. The higher-level answer connects these steps to family attention and professional responsibility with more fluid transitions.
• whenever an idea pops into their head — Vocabulary: This natural idiom gives an accessible explanation for the manager's late messages. It shows greater flexibility than the simpler wording at level 7. The higher-level answer adds more precise language for workplace diplomacy and the effects of exhaustion.
• Manpreet, honestly, I think you've been carrying this on your own for too long, so here's what I'd suggest. — Listenability: Direct address, contractions, and a conversational opening make the script sound supportive and approachable. The higher-level answer sustains that personal tone while using a wider range of sentence structures to explain its recommendations.
• Third, I'd stop worrying that this will cost you the promotion. — Task Fulfillment: This directly addresses the concern that makes setting boundaries difficult for Manpreet. However, the reassurance assumes more certainty about the promotion than the situation provides. The higher-level answer challenges her assumption more gently and emphasizes the work she can control.

Level 11 sample answer

249 words

Manpreet, I've noticed you checking your phone every few minutes lately, and I don't think you can keep this up until spring, so let me share a few thoughts.

The most useful step, I think, would be to clarify expectations directly with your manager. People who fire off messages at eleven at night are often just clearing their own heads; it rarely occurs to them that someone on the receiving end feels obliged to respond. If you frame it as a question about priorities rather than a grievance — 'Which of these should I be acting on after hours?' — you come across as conscientious, not difficult.

Meanwhile, I'd put some guardrails on your phone. Muting the chat between eight in the evening and seven in the morning, with weekends off entirely, would give your family back the attention they've been missing. Just agree that a genuine emergency, like a flooded unit, comes through as a phone call.

As for the promotion, I'd gently push back on the idea that instant replies are what's being judged. What tends to get noticed is the quality of your daytime work: how smoothly lease renewals go, how you defuse tense situations with tenants. Ironically, running yourself ragged is the surest way to let that slip.

Finally, should the late-night messages carry on regardless, it would be perfectly reasonable to request a company phone. Once work lives on a separate device, you can leave it in a drawer on Saturday morning and genuinely switch off.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 model combines tactful advice, precise workplace language, and well-connected explanations. It handles Manpreet's competing concerns with a clear initial conversation, practical boundaries, an emergency arrangement, and a fallback if the problem continues.

• Finally, should the late-night messages carry on regardless, it would be perfectly reasonable to request a company phone. — Content/Coherence: The conditional structure makes the company phone a purposeful fallback after the earlier steps. This gives the advice a clear progression and shows how Manpreet could respond if clarifying expectations does not resolve the problem.
• how you defuse tense situations with tenants. — Vocabulary: The verb precisely describes managing conflict, and the reference to tenants fits Manpreet's workplace. This makes the promotion advice concrete by identifying a professional skill that could demonstrate her readiness for greater responsibility.
• The most useful step, I think, would be to clarify expectations directly with your manager. — Listenability: The sentence clearly prioritizes the main recommendation. The brief conversational insertion softens the advice without obscuring the action, giving the script a controlled, considerate tone suited to speaking with a worried coworker.
• Just agree that a genuine emergency, like a flooded unit, comes through as a phone call. — Task Fulfillment: This turns the boundary advice into a workable arrangement for property management. It protects Manpreet's family time while preserving a clear way to reach her about urgent situations, making the recommendation responsive to the actual demands of her job.