CELPIP® Speaking Task 1 sample: Whose Neighbourhood Gets Displayed?

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 sister Annika is preparing a neighbourhood photo display at a community centre in Regina. The space holds only 20 photographs, printing must stay within $200, and the opening is in ten days. A longtime resident who lent many older photographs expects them all to appear, while newer residents want recent neighbourhood life represented too. Help Annika decide how to select the photographs and discuss her choices with contributors.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

201 words

Annika, I'd choose a mix of older and recent photographs. The older pictures can show how the neighbourhood has changed, but recent ones will help newer residents feel included. You only have space for twenty, so you need a clear way to choose.

First, decide what each photograph adds to the display. Try to avoid several pictures showing almost the same thing. You could group them by topics, like local activities or buildings, because that would help visitors follow the story.

Also, speak to the resident who lent the older photographs soon. Thank them for sharing so much, and explain that there isn't enough room for every pictures. Um, show them which ones you hope to use and explain why. That should feel more respectful than letting them find out at the opening.

Then check the printing prices before making the final choices. You don't want to spend all the money and have nothing left for labels. Keep the labels simple so visitors understand what they're seeing.

Finally, give yourself a deadline to finish selecting. Ten days isn't very long, and you still need time for printing. Ask another person to check that the final display give both groups some space.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives Annika relevant, organised advice about balancing photographs, respecting contributors, and managing costs. Its selection process and deadlines remain fairly general, while occasional grammar slips make the delivery less polished than the level 9 answer.

Try to avoid several pictures showing almost the same thing. — Content/Coherence: This gives Annika a useful selection rule when space is limited. The level 9 answer develops a stronger organising principle by connecting older and recent photographs through shared themes and the neighbourhood's story.
recent ones will help newer residents feel included. — Vocabulary: The wording clearly explains why recent photographs matter, but relies on straightforward language about inclusion. The level 9 answer expresses the competing interests more precisely through ideas such as recognising knowledge and avoiding a display dominated by a particular source.
explain that there isn't enough room for every pictures. — Listenability: The intended message is easy to understand, but the mismatch between 'every' and 'pictures' interrupts the otherwise conversational phrasing. The level 9 answer handles the same sensitive explanation with more consistent grammatical control.
Finally, give yourself a deadline to finish selecting. — Task Fulfillment: This recognises the pressure of opening in ten days, but leaves Annika to decide the actual schedule. The level 9 answer also builds contributor permission and caption checks into the process, making its practical advice more complete.

Level 9 sample answer

232 words

Annika, I'd build the display around the neighbourhood's story rather than the number of photographs each person contributed. That gives you a fair reason for selecting images and makes the finished display more interesting than a collection dominated by one source.

Start by choosing a few themes, such as shared spaces, everyday activities, and changes over time. For each theme, look for older and recent photographs that work together. You don't necessarily need an exact ten-and-ten split, but both periods should have a clear presence. Avoid near-duplicates, because every one of those twenty spaces needs to add something.

I'd speak privately with the longtime resident before finalising the selection. Thank them for making the older material available, explain the space limit, and show how their selected photographs contribute. You could invite them to help identify dates or write short descriptions. That would recognise their knowledge without promising to display everything.

With ten days left, check printing costs immediately and set aside part of the $200 for labels or mounting materials if those are needed. Choose a consistent, affordable print size so the budget doesn't become another difficult decision for each image.

Finally, ask contributors to confirm that the captions are accurate and that they're comfortable with the selected photographs being displayed. Set a firm response deadline. That should leave you time to print and install a balanced display without rushing important conversations.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer combines a clear selection principle with thoughtful contributor communication and practical budget checks. It is more precise and consistently fluent than the level 7 answer, but offers fewer concrete decision tools, dates, and ready-to-use phrases than the level 11 answer.

I'd build the display around the neighbourhood's story rather than the number of photographs each person contributed. — Content/Coherence: This establishes a clear principle that connects fairness with the quality of the display. The level 11 answer makes that principle easier to apply through a numbered layout and a specific question for judging each photograph's contribution.
That would recognise their knowledge without promising to display everything. — Vocabulary: The precise wording distinguishes valuing the resident's expertise from accepting their expectations. This handles the disagreement more subtly than the level 7 answer; the level 11 answer adds language Annika could use directly in the conversation.
You don't necessarily need an exact ten-and-ten split, but both periods should have a clear presence. — Listenability: The conversational phrasing makes a qualified recommendation easy to follow. The level 11 answer gives the listener an even more concrete starting point by proposing a working balance and explaining how contributors should review it.
Set a firm response deadline. — Task Fulfillment: Following the permission and caption checks, this instruction helps protect the printing schedule. However, it leaves the deadline unspecified. The level 11 answer names day three for locking the selection and schedules the printing quote for tomorrow.

Level 11 sample answer

256 words

Annika, I'd have the difficult conversation today, before the longtime resident assumes the whole collection is being printed. You could say, 'Your photographs give us a window into the neighbourhood's past, and I'd really like your help choosing the strongest ones. We have twenty spaces, and recent life needs room too.' That recognises their contribution while making the limit clear.

Then make a rough layout using twenty numbered boxes. Start with ten older and ten recent images as a working balance, and invite one contributor from each group to review it with you. Ask them to flag missing perspectives, rather than choose their personal favourites. You'd keep the final decision, but people would have a chance to be heard before anything is set in stone.

For each photograph, ask what visitors would lose if it disappeared. If two older pictures show almost the same gathering, one could make room for a recent community activity. A faded image might still deserve a place if it captures something no other photograph shows.

I'd get a printing quote tomorrow. Twenty prints at $8 each, for example, would total $160, leaving $40 below your printing ceiling for adjustments. Confirm the actual price and turnaround before ordering.

Aim to lock the selection by day three, with permission and caption checks completed before printing. Tell contributors individually which images you've chosen and why. If someone is disappointed, acknowledge it without reopening every decision. You can be warm and firm; promising extra space you don't have would only make the conversation harder later.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer turns the competing expectations into a workable selection and communication process. Its concrete layout, sensitive dialogue, explicit schedule, and checked printing example make the advice detailed while keeping it natural and easy to follow.

For each photograph, ask what visitors would lose if it disappeared. — Content/Coherence: This provides a practical test of each image's value. The examples that follow show how to remove repetition while preserving a faded photograph with unique content, making the selection reasoning more developed than simply requesting a balanced mix.
Ask them to flag missing perspectives, rather than choose their personal favourites. — Vocabulary: The concise expressions 'flag missing perspectives' and 'personal favourites' define exactly what contributor feedback should achieve. The language helps Annika invite meaningful participation while retaining control of the limited display space.
You can be warm and firm; — Listenability: This short, balanced phrase gives the advice a memorable spoken rhythm. It captures the tone Annika needs with disappointed contributors, and the following explanation makes the recommendation feel supportive and practical.
Twenty prints at $8 each, for example, would total $160, leaving $40 below your printing ceiling for adjustments. — Task Fulfillment: The calculation directly addresses the printing limit and leaves room for adjustments. It is clearly presented as an example, followed by instructions to confirm the actual price and turnaround, so Annika has a concrete budgeting method.
Aim to lock the selection by day three, with permission and caption checks completed before printing. — Task Fulfillment: This converts the opening deadline into an actionable sequence. It connects selection, contributor permission, caption accuracy, and printing, reducing the amount of planning Annika must work out herself.

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