CELPIP® Speaking Task 1 sample: Practice Time and Quiet Afternoons

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 friend Amara in Moncton is preparing for a cello audition in six weeks. Her work schedule leaves afternoons as her only regular practice time, but her downstairs neighbour works nights and sleeps then. Rehearsal rooms cost $25 an hour, and Amara can spend only $40 a week on alternatives. Give Amara advice on preparing for her audition while keeping a good relationship with her neighbour.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

188 words

Amara, I understand why you need to practise, especially with your audition coming soon. But your neighbour needs sleep too, so I think you should talk before this becomes a bigger problem.

First, ask when your neighbour usually sleeps and whether there is a short time when playing would be okay. Don't just ask if you can practise at afternoon. Try to agree on a clear start and finish time, because that will make the noise easier to plan around.

Also, I'd use a rehearsal room once a week for your loudest practice. One hour costs $25, so it's within your budget. You can prepare what you want to work on before going, so you don't waste the paid time.

For the other days, um, ask your music teacher about quieter exercises. Some practice activities doesn't need the full sound of the instrument, and you could save the louder parts for the rented room.

Finally, check with your neighbour after a few days. If the arrangement isn't helping, you can change it early. You've still got six weeks, so a simple plan now should help both of you.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives Amara a clear, workable plan that respects her audition preparation and her neighbour's sleep. Compared with the higher-level answers, its language is less precise, occasional grammatical slips interrupt the flow, and its backup plan needs more detail.

First, ask when your neighbour usually sleeps and whether there is a short time when playing would be okay. — Content/Coherence: The advice follows a sensible order: understand the neighbour's sleep schedule before negotiating practice time. The higher-level answers develop this more carefully by specifying a conversation while the neighbour is awake and proposing a temporary arrangement.
before this becomes a bigger problem. — Vocabulary: This everyday phrase communicates concern clearly, but 'a bigger problem' is broad. The higher-level answers use more precise language about reliable sleep, disruptive sessions, and preserving goodwill.
Some practice activities doesn't need the full sound of the instrument — Listenability: The meaning is understandable, but the mismatch between 'activities' and 'doesn't' briefly disrupts the spoken flow. The higher-level answers express the same distinction between quiet practice and full-volume work with smoother grammatical control.
One hour costs $25, so it's within your budget. — Task Fulfillment: This directly respects Amara's budget and supports a practical weekly booking. The higher-level answers make fuller use of the financial constraint by identifying the remaining $15 or suggesting a lower-cost alternative if home practice remains disruptive.

Level 9 sample answer

226 words

Amara, I'd treat this as a scheduling problem you and your neighbour can solve together. You need consistent practice for the audition, and your neighbour needs reliable sleep, so leaving either person to guess won't work.

Start by having a calm conversation when your neighbour is awake. Explain that the audition is six weeks away, then ask whether there's any afternoon window that would disturb them less. Even a shorter, agreed session could be more useful than a longer practice interrupted by complaints. Offer to stick to a clear finishing time so they know what to expect.

I'd also reserve one hour in a rehearsal room each week. At $25, that leaves $15 of your weekly budget available. Before each session, list the passages that need full volume, and use the room specifically for those. That way, you're getting your money's worth instead of spending half the booking deciding what to play.

Meanwhile, ask your teacher which exercises you could do more quietly at home. A practice mute might help with some work, although I'd get advice before relying on it for audition preparation, since it changes how the cello sounds.

Finally, suggest a one-week trial of whatever you agree on. If your neighbour still can't sleep, you'll find out while there's time to adjust. A predictable routine should take some pressure off both of you.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer combines clear organization, precise everyday language, and well-developed advice about scheduling, spending, and quieter practice. Compared with level 11, it leaves the response to an unsuccessful trial less concrete and gives less detail about structuring the paid rehearsal.

Finally, suggest a one-week trial of whatever you agree on. — Content/Coherence: The trial gives the earlier recommendations a useful review point, making the plan feel connected and adjustable. The level 11 answer extends this sequence with a specific lower-cost room enquiry if home sessions remain disruptive.
You need consistent practice for the audition, and your neighbour needs reliable sleep — Vocabulary: The paired expressions 'consistent practice' and 'reliable sleep' describe both people's needs precisely and naturally. The level 11 answer adds more nuanced wording about an open-ended promise, a defined period, and sharing the inconvenience.
That way, you're getting your money's worth instead of spending half the booking deciding what to play. — Listenability: This conversational sentence makes the reason for preparing a passage list easy to follow aloud. The level 11 answer makes the rehearsal instructions more compact and concrete by specifying difficult passages followed by an uninterrupted audition run.
At $25, that leaves $15 of your weekly budget available. — Task Fulfillment: The calculation explicitly connects the rehearsal recommendation to Amara's spending limit. The level 11 answer handles practical uncertainty more fully by qualifying room availability and naming another place to enquire if the arrangement fails.

Level 11 sample answer

250 words

Amara, six weeks is close enough that you need a dependable practice routine, but an exhausted neighbour is unlikely to welcome an open-ended promise to be quieter. I'd propose a specific, temporary arrangement.

Ask for a conversation at a time that suits your neighbour, and explain both your audition deadline and the limits of your work schedule. Then find out when their sleep is most easily disturbed. If there's an afternoon window they could tolerate, offer a fixed session with a firm stopping time. Knowing exactly when the sound will end may make an otherwise frustrating situation more manageable.

I'd then separate your practice by purpose. Ask your teacher which activities require the cello's full sound and which could be done quietly, perhaps through fingering work or score study. That protects your preparation without assuming that every useful minute has to be audible downstairs.

For the full-volume work, book one $25 rehearsal hour a week, provided a suitable room is available. Arrive with a written list of difficult passages and finish with an uninterrupted audition run. You'll stay below your $40 weekly ceiling while using that paid hour deliberately.

Finally, put the proposed schedule in a friendly message and review it together after a week. If the home sessions remain disruptive, ask the community centre whether it has a lower-cost room rather than committing to bookings you can't sustain. You're asking your neighbour to accommodate a defined six-week period, so showing that you're sharing the inconvenience should help preserve goodwill.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer builds a detailed, conditional plan around Amara's deadline, limited practice hours, budget, and relationship with her neighbour. Precise wording and clear transitions connect each recommendation to its purpose, while the review and fallback make the advice especially complete.

I'd then separate your practice by purpose. — Content/Coherence: This organizing principle connects quiet home activities with the paid full-volume session. It develops the earlier answers' suggestions into a deliberate practice strategy, with different settings serving different preparation needs.
so showing that you're sharing the inconvenience should help preserve goodwill. — Vocabulary: The wording captures the relationship issue precisely: Amara needs to demonstrate effort and compromise while requesting accommodation. 'Sharing the inconvenience' and 'preserve goodwill' express more social nuance than simply avoiding complaints.
I'd propose a specific, temporary arrangement. — Listenability: This short sentence gives the listener a clear direction after the more complex opening. Its emphasis on a specific, temporary arrangement prepares the listener for the fixed stopping time and the defined audition preparation period.
For the full-volume work, book one $25 rehearsal hour a week, provided a suitable room is available. — Task Fulfillment: The recommendation assigns scarce rehearsal money to a clear purpose, stays within the budget, and acknowledges availability. The surrounding advice strengthens it with a prepared passage list, an audition run, and a lower-cost room enquiry if needed.

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