CELPIP® Speaking Task 1 sample: Tools with Conditions Attached

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 fellow volunteer Omar runs a neighbourhood repair club in Kamloops whose shared tools are wearing out. A local hardware store has offered $600 in replacement tools if the club recommends only that store for six months. The club has no replacement budget, but members want to remain free to suggest cheaper supplies elsewhere. Tell Omar how you think he should handle the offer.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

196 words

Omar, I can see why you want to accept the tools. The club needs them, and there isn't money to buy replacements. But I think you should talk to the store about changing the condition before agreeing.

First, explain that members sometimes need cheaper supplies from other places. If you can only recommend one store, people might feel the club isn't giving them honest advice. Ask whether a thank-you sign at meetings would be enough instead. The store would still get some attention for helping.

Also, discuss the offer with the members. It's important that everyone understand the rule before you make a decision for the group. Um, you could ask what kind of support they would be comfortable accepting and write down their concerns.

Then check which tools really need replacing soon. Maybe you don't need to replace everything together. You could ask for donated tools or arrange to borrow some while you look for another solution. That might take longer, but it would give you more choice.

If the store won't change its condition, I'd turn the offer down politely. Six months are a long time to limit advice just to receive free tools.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives Omar clear, practical advice and follows a sensible sequence from negotiation to a backup plan. Compared with the others, its explanations are simpler, its wording is more general, and it gives less detail about making a revised agreement workable.

Then check which tools really need replacing soon. — Content/Coherence: This introduces a sensible way to reduce immediate replacement needs. The level 9 answer develops the connection further by explaining how a backup plan reduces pressure to accept the store's conditions.
The store would still get some attention for helping. — Vocabulary: The meaning is clear, but some attention and helping are general expressions. The higher-level answers describe the exchange more precisely through recognition, visible credit, and sponsorship.
First, explain that members sometimes need cheaper supplies from other places. — Listenability: The clear signpost and straightforward sentence make the advice easy to follow aloud. Across the answer, repeated explain-and-suggest patterns offer less conversational variety than the level 11 answer's questions, boundaries, and concrete consequences.
Ask whether a thank-you sign at meetings would be enough instead. — Task Fulfillment: This directly addresses the conflict by offering publicity in exchange for tools. The higher-level answers develop the negotiation by asking what recognition the store wants and explicitly preserving volunteers' freedom to recommend other suppliers.

Level 9 sample answer

229 words

Omar, I'd treat this as an offer to negotiate, because the tools would help but the recommendation rule could create problems. Members come to a repair club for practical guidance, and they should be able to trust that a suggestion fits their budget.

I'd start by thanking the store and proposing a different exchange. You could acknowledge its contribution on a sign or in club announcements without promising exclusive recommendations. That would give the business visible credit while allowing volunteers to suggest affordable supplies wherever they're available. Ask exactly what recognition the store wants; there may be room for a compromise.

Before accepting any revised terms, bring them to the members. Explain both the $600 benefit and the six-month restriction in plain language. Someone who rarely buys supplies might see the offer differently from someone who relies on finding the lowest price, so hearing those views matters.

Meanwhile, make a replacement list and separate essential tools from items that can wait. You could seek suitable donations or temporary loans for the essentials. That gives you a backup plan and reduces the pressure to accept the first offer.

If exclusivity is non-negotiable, I'd decline respectfully and leave the door open to future support. Saving money now could cost the club credibility later. A smaller donation with reasonable conditions might serve members better than a larger package that limits useful advice.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer develops the same recommendation with clearer reasoning, more precise language, and attention to different members' needs. It connects the backup plan to negotiating pressure, but the level 11 answer adds stronger practical safeguards and a more conversational delivery on the page.

That gives you a backup plan and reduces the pressure to accept the first offer. — Content/Coherence: This explicitly connects replacement planning with Omar's ability to negotiate, making the advice more integrated than at level 7. Level 11 extends the planning to unsuitable tools and optional contributions, anticipating further practical concerns.
If exclusivity is non-negotiable, I'd decline respectfully and leave the door open to future support. — Vocabulary: Exclusivity and non-negotiable precisely describe the store's condition, while leave the door open expresses a constructive refusal. Level 11 sustains similarly precise meaning with more conversational expressions suited to advising a fellow volunteer.
Someone who rarely buys supplies might see the offer differently from someone who relies on finding the lowest price — Listenability: The comparison gives a useful reason to consult members, but its length requires the listener to hold both perspectives in mind. Level 11 more often uses compact instructions followed by a concrete explanation.
Before accepting any revised terms, bring them to the members. — Task Fulfillment: This makes member consultation part of accepting a revised offer, directly addressing the club's shared interests. Level 11 adds getting those terms in writing, which helps prevent disagreement about what Omar promised.

Level 11 sample answer

260 words

Omar, I can see why this is tempting. Six hundred dollars in tools would take a real weight off your shoulders. Still, I'd go back to the store before agreeing, because members need to trust that your advice fits their budgets.

Ask what the store most wants from the arrangement. If it's visibility, you could offer a six-month acknowledgement on club materials and a sign beside the donated tools. A brief thank-you at meetings would also give the business credit without steering every purchase its way. That might meet its needs without putting you in an awkward position with members.

I'd be clear about the boundary: you can acknowledge sponsorship, but volunteers must remain free to recommend cheaper supplies elsewhere. If the store agrees, get the revised terms in writing and let members review them. It would be uncomfortable to discover three months later that the owner understood your promise differently.

Meanwhile, let's make a replacement list and work out what the club actually needs first. Set aside anything unsuitable for use, then see whether suitable donations or temporary loans could cover the essentials. Make contributions optional; members shouldn't feel they're being handed the bill for keeping their advice independent.

If the store won't budge, I'd thank the owner and decline without burning bridges. You could say you'd welcome another conversation about support without exclusivity. The offer may change once the store understands your concern. Either way, having a modest backup plan should help you make the decision calmly, instead of feeling that you have to accept whatever comes along.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines a clear recommendation with flexible negotiation, an explicit boundary, and practical safeguards. Its conversational phrasing supports detailed reasoning, while its attention to misunderstandings, tool suitability, and voluntary contributions makes the advice especially well developed for Omar's situation.

It would be uncomfortable to discover three months later that the owner understood your promise differently. — Content/Coherence: This gives a concrete consequence that explains why written terms matter. The advice develops beyond proposing a compromise to anticipating how that compromise could fail during the sponsorship period.
If the store won't budge, I'd thank the owner and decline without burning bridges. — Vocabulary: Won't budge and without burning bridges express firmness and relationship management naturally. Both expressions fit the specific need to reject an unacceptable condition while preserving the possibility of future local support.
Meanwhile, let's make a replacement list and work out what the club actually needs first. — Listenability: Meanwhile clearly introduces the parallel backup plan, while let's makes the advice sound collaborative. The sentence is easy to say aloud and keeps the practical next step clear despite the answer's broader detail.
you can acknowledge sponsorship, but volunteers must remain free to recommend cheaper supplies elsewhere. — Task Fulfillment: This states the central boundary precisely: the store can receive recognition while members retain affordable choices. The answer supports that boundary with written terms, member review, and alternatives if the store refuses.

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