CELPIP® Speaking Task 1 sample: The Last Bus After Rehearsal

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 bandmate Isabel in Charlottetown attends rehearsals twice a week that finish at 9:30 p.m., but her last bus leaves at 9:10 p.m. The other members cannot start earlier, and a taxi home costs $30, while her monthly transportation budget is $60. With a concert six weeks away, she worries that leaving early will affect the band, but she feels uncomfortable requesting regular rides. Offer Isabel advice about managing rehearsals and getting home.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

193 words

Isabel, I think you should tell the band about the bus problem now. Um, waiting until the concert is closer could make everyone more worried. You want to practise properly, but spending $30 after every rehearsal won't work with the money you have available for transportation.

First, ask if the group can practise the songs that need you most before you leave. Since they can't start earlier, changing the order might help. The others could use the remaining time for parts they need to work on without you. That way, leaving early wouldn't waste the whole evening.

Also, ask whether anyone could offer a ride sometimes. Explain that you're not expecting a ride after every rehearsal. Someone might already travel near your home, so helping occasionally could be easier than you think. It's worth to ask instead of guessing that everyone will mind.

Finally, save taxi money for rehearsals when staying until the end is especially important. Your $60 would cover two trips, although you also need to consider any bus costs. On other nights, leave enough time to catch the bus. I think a clear plan make this less uncomfortable for everyone.

Why this answer is at level 7

This answer offers practical, clearly ordered advice about rehearsal priorities, occasional rides and taxi costs. Compared with the stronger answers, it leaves more planning details unresolved and contains language errors that reduce precision and smoothness.

The others could use the remaining time for parts they need to work on without you. — Content/Coherence: This explains how Isabel's early departure could still leave useful rehearsal time for the band. The stronger answers develop the arrangement further by establishing a departure time and identifying important full-length rehearsals before the concert.
It's worth to ask instead of guessing that everyone will mind. — Vocabulary: The meaning is clear and addresses Isabel's discomfort, but the expression should use worth asking. The stronger answers use more natural wording and explain how to make a request that allows bandmates to decline.
I think a clear plan make this less uncomfortable for everyone. — Listenability: The closing sentence is brief and reassuring, but the subject–verb agreement error interrupts its smoothness. The stronger answers use grammatically controlled closing sentences that communicate the benefit of planning more fluently.
Your $60 would cover two trips, although you also need to consider any bus costs. — Task Fulfillment: This correctly connects the taxi price to Isabel's limited budget and acknowledges bus costs. The stronger answers make the constraint more explicit: those taxi trips would consume the entire monthly allowance, so bus fares must be allowed for before reserving taxis.

Level 9 sample answer

237 words

Isabel, I'd explain the situation at the next rehearsal so the band can plan with you. Leaving early without a shared arrangement could affect preparation, but trying to stay every night would quickly exceed your budget. At $30 a taxi trip, your entire $60 monthly allowance would cover only two rides, before any other transportation costs.

Since an earlier start isn't possible, suggest changing the rehearsal order. Put the songs or transitions that depend most on your part near the beginning, and work out exactly when you need to leave to reach the 9:10 bus. The others could use the final section for work that doesn't require everyone. That would protect the most useful group practice time.

I'd also ask about occasional rides in a way that leaves people free to decline. You could say, 'Does anyone happen to head towards my place, and would an occasional ride work?' Asking for help on selected evenings is less pressure than requesting a permanent arrangement. If someone agrees, clarify the dates rather than assuming they'll always be available.

Finally, make a plan for the remaining six weeks. Identify any rehearsals where a complete run-through matters especially, and consider reserving taxi money for those, after allowing for your bus costs. Ask permission to record relevant sections so you can review anything you miss. With everyone in the loop, you can contribute seriously without making an expensive commitment you can't maintain.

Why this answer is at level 9

This answer gives detailed, connected advice that respects the fixed start time, transport budget and Isabel's reluctance to request rides. It is close to the strongest answer, but does less to establish a dependable departure arrangement, discuss contributions for rides or check whether the plan works.

Finally, make a plan for the remaining six weeks. — Content/Coherence: This connects the immediate transport problem to concert preparation and introduces priorities for the remaining rehearsals. The strongest answer completes that planning cycle by proposing a review after the arrangement has been tried.
Asking for help on selected evenings is less pressure than requesting a permanent arrangement. — Vocabulary: Selected evenings and permanent arrangement express the distinction clearly and tactfully. The strongest answer adds precision about voluntary participation and an appropriate contribution, giving Isabel more language for managing the social side of rides.
Put the songs or transitions that depend most on your part near the beginning, and work out exactly when you need to leave — Listenability: The instruction is understandable, but the sentence combines rehearsal priorities with departure planning. The strongest answer separates these actions into distinct sentences, helping the listener absorb each step.
If someone agrees, clarify the dates rather than assuming they'll always be available. — Task Fulfillment: This directly addresses Isabel's discomfort by keeping rides occasional and explicitly agreed. The strongest answer develops the arrangement further by suggesting a discussion of an appropriate contribution and checking the overall plan after some rehearsals.

Level 11 sample answer

262 words

Isabel, I'd bring this to the band as a planning issue at your next rehearsal. The concert is six weeks away, so there's still time to adjust how you use the sessions. The group needs to know that staying until 9:30 isn't financially sustainable: two $30 taxi rides would consume your entire monthly transportation budget before bus fares.

Because the start time can't move, propose putting material that requires your participation earlier in the evening. Work backwards from the 9:10 bus departure, allowing enough time to reach the stop, and give the band a dependable leaving time. The final portion could then be assigned to sections the others can rehearse independently. That turns your early departure into something everyone can plan around.

I'd also make one straightforward request for occasional rides, with no expectation attached. You might say, 'If anyone is already heading my way, could we discuss a ride on selected nights?' If someone offers, agree on the evenings and ask what contribution would be appropriate. A specific, voluntary arrangement is easier to manage than wondering at every rehearsal whether someone will drive you home.

Finally, map out the remaining rehearsals and identify which full-length sessions matter most, such as a complete concert run-through. After accounting for bus fares, reserve whatever taxi money remains for those priorities. With the band's permission, record parts you miss and practise them before the next session. I'd review the arrangement together after a couple of rehearsals, so any gaps can be addressed well before the concert. Being clear now gives everyone a realistic way forward.

Why this answer is at level 11

This answer combines precise language with a coordinated, workable plan for rehearsal priorities, departure timing, voluntary rides and affordable taxis. Its follow-up review makes the advice especially strong because the band can identify problems while there is still time before the concert.

I'd review the arrangement together after a couple of rehearsals, so any gaps can be addressed well before the concert. — Content/Coherence: The review connects the proposed arrangements to their practical results. It extends the other answers by explaining how Isabel and the band can adjust their plan before missed rehearsal time becomes a concert preparation problem.
A specific, voluntary arrangement is easier to manage than wondering at every rehearsal whether someone will drive you home. — Vocabulary: Specific and voluntary precisely describe the kind of ride arrangement Isabel needs. The sentence captures both logistical uncertainty and social discomfort in natural, economical language.
You might say, 'If anyone is already heading my way, could we discuss a ride on selected nights?' — Listenability: This conversational example gives Isabel words she could comfortably use. The conditional opening and polite question make the request easy to follow while conveying that help would be occasional and dependent on someone's existing route.
After accounting for bus fares, reserve whatever taxi money remains for those priorities. — Task Fulfillment: This turns the budget calculation into a spending rule tied to essential rehearsals. Whatever remains avoids assuming Isabel can afford taxi trips after paying bus fares, keeping the recommendation realistic within her monthly transportation budget.

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