CELPIP® Speaking Task 1 sample: One Parking Space for Two

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 cousin Jing shares an apartment in Prince Albert with a roommate, and they pay equal rent, but the roommate uses the apartment's only parking space. The free lot Jing uses nearby is closing next month, and the remaining option costs $90 a month and is a ten-minute walk away. She can afford $50 and returns from work at 11 p.m., but she doesn't want a parking argument to damage their relationship. Advise Jing on reaching a fair arrangement.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

194 words

Jing, I'd speak to your roommate soon, before the free lot closes. You both need to understand the problem while there's still time to make a plan. Um, your roommate might not realize how difficult the change will be for you, especially when you come home so late.

First, explain the price and your $50 limit. Don't begin by saying the apartment space should be yours. That could make the conversation uncomfortable. Ask if your roommate would consider sharing the cost of the other space, because you both pay the same rent.

Also, suggest taking turns with the closer space. Maybe you could change every week. This would give both of you some convenient parking instead of leaving one person to walk all the time. You can discuss about which nights matter most to each of you.

Before agreeing, check whether the paid permit lets either car use the space. You need to know the arrangement will actually work. Then write down your plan and try it for a month. I think having a clear agreement help you avoid another argument later. Keep the conversation friendly, but be honest about what you can afford.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives Jing a clear, friendly plan that addresses cost, parking access and the relationship. Its general wording, incomplete cost proposal and occasional grammar slips make it less precise and polished than the higher-level answers.

Maybe you could change every week. — Content/Coherence: The weekly rotation is easy to understand, but it is suggested before checking either person's schedule. The higher-level answers connect parking access more carefully to Jing's late returns and her roommate's needs.
Keep the conversation friendly, but be honest about what you can afford. — Vocabulary: The everyday wording communicates useful advice clearly. The higher-level answers use more precise language to explain shared benefits, competing priorities and the resentment that unclear arrangements can create.
I think having a clear agreement help you avoid another argument later. — Listenability: The intended message is understandable, but 'agreement help' interrupts the otherwise straightforward phrasing. The higher-level answers express comparable advice with more consistent grammatical control, making the reasoning easier to follow.
Ask if your roommate would consider sharing the cost of the other space, because you both pay the same rent. — Task Fulfillment: This addresses fairness and avoids demanding the apartment space. However, it leaves the contribution unspecified. The higher-level answers calculate the equal split and explicitly show that Jing's share fits her budget.

Level 9 sample answer

232 words

Jing, I'd approach this as a shared household problem and raise it before the nearby lot closes. The old arrangement worked while you had free parking, but circumstances have changed. Your roommate may be more willing to reconsider if you explain the practical impact instead of opening with a demand for the apartment space.

Be specific about the numbers: the alternative costs $90, while your limit is $50. Ask whether your roommate would consider splitting that cost equally, with both of you sharing access to the two spaces. At $45 each, your share would fit your budget. You'd still need your roommate's agreement, of course, so present it as a proposal rather than a bill.

Next, discuss how to allocate the closer space. Coming home at 11 p.m. is a reasonable consideration, but ask which times are difficult for your roommate too. You might reserve the apartment space for particular late returns and rotate it on other days. That could provide some give and take without assuming your schedules fit together perfectly.

Before committing to the paid lot, check whether its permit lets either vehicle use the space. Once you've agreed on the cost and schedule, put the details in a friendly message and review them after a month. Clear expectations should help prevent everyday parking frustrations from turning into resentment. I'd aim for an arrangement you can both explain and accept.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer develops a workable proposal with clear calculations, considerate negotiation and flexible parking access. Compared with level 11, it explains the basis of fairness less fully and gives less detail about handling changes after the agreement begins.

You might reserve the apartment space for particular late returns and rotate it on other days. — Content/Coherence: This connects Jing's late arrival to a flexible schedule while preserving access for her roommate. The level 11 answer develops the reasoning further by explicitly separating financial decisions from scheduling and questioning whether an apparently equal rotation works in practice.
Clear expectations should help prevent everyday parking frustrations from turning into resentment. — Vocabulary: The phrase 'turning into resentment' precisely describes how repeated inconvenience could damage the relationship. The level 11 answer adds language that distinguishes established habits, shared rental benefits and practical fairness.
At $45 each, your share would fit your budget. — Listenability: This short sentence makes the financial result easy to follow when spoken. The level 11 answer maintains that clarity while linking the contribution to a more developed explanation of shared access and costs.
Once you've agreed on the cost and schedule, put the details in a friendly message and review them after a month. — Task Fulfillment: The written follow-up and review make the proposal actionable and help protect the relationship. The level 11 answer strengthens this by specifying that the agreement should also cover what happens when plans change.

Level 11 sample answer

258 words

Jing, I'd reopen the parking discussion now, while you still have time to make arrangements. Your roommate has become accustomed to the apartment space, so an unexpected demand could feel personal. Explaining that the free lot is closing gives you a clear, practical reason to reconsider how a shared rental benefit is allocated.

I'd put a concrete proposal on the table: if your roommate is willing, split the $90 monthly charge equally and share the use of both spaces. Your $45 contribution would remain within your $50 limit. Paying equal rent doesn't automatically settle every parking question, but it provides a reasonable starting point for discussing shared access and shared costs. Ask what your roommate thinks would be fair.

Then separate the financial agreement from the parking schedule. Explain that returning at 11 p.m. makes the closer space particularly valuable to you, and invite your roommate to identify their own priority times. Depending on those needs, you could reserve it for specified evenings or alternate weeks. Avoid promising a neat rotation until you've compared your actual schedules; an arrangement that looks equal on paper may be inconvenient in practice.

Before either of you pays for the additional space, confirm that its permit allows either vehicle to use it. I'd then write a short agreement covering contributions, the schedule and what happens when plans change, with a review after one month. That gives you something clear to refer to without turning every evening into a negotiation. You can be considerate about the relationship while remaining firm about your budget.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines a concrete, affordable proposal with careful reasoning about fairness and both roommates' priorities. Its strength lies in anticipating practical complications while keeping the advice direct, considerate and easy to follow.

Then separate the financial agreement from the parking schedule. — Content/Coherence: This clearly organizes the negotiation into related decisions. It helps Jing distinguish agreeing on contributions from deciding who gets the closer space, allowing each issue to receive proper attention.
an arrangement that looks equal on paper may be inconvenient in practice. — Vocabulary: The contrast between 'on paper' and 'in practice' expresses a subtle fairness problem economically. It explains why alternating access may still fail to accommodate Jing's late returns or her roommate's priorities.
Ask what your roommate thinks would be fair. — Listenability: This brief, direct sentence gives the listener a clear action after the fuller explanation of rent and parking costs. The variation in sentence length keeps the detailed advice conversational and manageable.
I'd then write a short agreement covering contributions, the schedule and what happens when plans change, with a review after one month. — Task Fulfillment: The agreement covers payment, access and exceptions, making the proposed arrangement easier to maintain. Including changes and a review directly supports Jing's wish to resolve the parking problem without repeated conflict.

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