CELPIP® Speaking Task 2 sample: A Deal You Came to Regret

Talking about a Personal Experience · Preparation: 30 seconds · Response: 60 seconds · Published 23 October 2026

Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.

Practice question

Talk about a time when you bought something because it seemed like a great deal or you wanted it right away, and later you weren't so sure it had been a good decision. What did you buy, and what made it seem like a good idea at the time? When did you start having doubts, and what did you do? What did you learn from it?

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

144 words

A few years ago in Red Deer, I bought a two-year membership at a gym near my place. My friend Brett told me about a special deal, it was half price if you pay for two years at once. So I paid $600. At first I felt very proud and motivated. I went four times a week in the first month. But then winter came, and it was cold and dark, and the gym was a twenty-minute walk. I started going less and less. After three months I almost never went, and I felt guilty every time I saw the card in my wallet. I asked about cancelling, but they said no refunds. So, um, I found a neighbour who wanted it and transferred the membership to him for $300. I learned that a cheap deal is not cheap if you don't use it.

Why this answer is at level 7

This answer fits the level 7 teaching example through a clear, complete story about an attractive gym deal that became poor value. Compared with the higher-level examples, its sentence patterns and emotional descriptions are simpler, and its lesson could become a more specific plan for future purchases.

But then winter came, and it was cold and dark, and the gym was a twenty-minute walk. — Content/Coherence: This clearly explains why the membership stopped being useful. However, the repeated linking with “and” makes the explanation feel like a list; a higher-level answer would connect the inconvenient walk more directly to the original purchasing mistake.
At first I felt very proud and motivated. — Vocabulary: These familiar words communicate the initial excitement clearly. A higher-level answer would describe the attraction more precisely, such as the satisfaction of securing a bargain or the assumption that paying would guarantee regular attendance.
So, um, I found a neighbour who wanted it and transferred the membership to him for $300. — Listenability: The conversational transition and clear action sequence make the solution easy to follow. The filler is natural; the greater opportunity is to vary the surrounding sentence patterns, giving the story more rhythm and emphasis.
I learned that a cheap deal is not cheap if you don't use it. — Task Fulfillment: This directly answers what the speaker learned and ties the lesson to the unused membership. A higher-level response would also explain how that lesson changes a future decision, such as trying a shorter membership before committing.

Level 9 sample answer

172 words

When I first moved to Regina, I needed a winter coat, and I'll admit I was trying to save every dollar I could. I'd tried on a really warm parka at an outdoor store for about $280, but then I spotted a puffy coat on a clearance rack at a discount store for just $45. It looked almost the same, so I grabbed it without a second thought, feeling pretty clever. My roommate, Rashad, asked me if I was sure, and I brushed him off. Then January hit. The first morning it dropped to minus thirty, I waited fifteen minutes for the bus, and the wind went straight through that coat like it was paper. By the time I got downtown, I couldn't feel my fingers. That weekend I swallowed my pride, went back and bought the parka, which had gone up to $299 by then. So in the end I spent $344 instead of $280. It taught me that with some things, especially here, paying more upfront actually saves you money.

Why this answer is at level 9

This answer fits the level 9 teaching example through vivid storytelling, natural expressions, and a concrete financial consequence. Compared with the level 7 example, the regret feels more fully developed; the level 11 example adds deeper self-reflection and a more actionable purchasing rule.

So in the end I spent $344 instead of $280. — Content/Coherence: The cost comparison neatly resolves the apparent bargain and makes the regret measurable. A higher-level answer could develop the mistaken reasoning behind the purchase further, connecting the final cost to how the speaker judged value.
That weekend I swallowed my pride, went back and bought the parka, which had gone up to $299 by then. — Vocabulary: “Swallowed my pride” precisely captures the embarrassment of reversing the decision, while the added price detail strengthens the consequence. A higher-level answer would sustain this precision when explaining the speaker's assumptions and responsibility.
The first morning it dropped to minus thirty, I waited fifteen minutes for the bus, — Listenability: The time marker and concrete situation help a listener enter the moment when doubts became unavoidable. A higher-level answer would balance this clear storytelling with similarly fluent reflective passages, giving the lesson comparable weight.
It taught me that with some things, especially here, paying more upfront actually saves you money. — Task Fulfillment: The lesson directly follows from buying a coat unsuitable for the weather. A higher-level answer would turn this useful conclusion into a specific future habit, explaining how the speaker would assess warmth and value before purchasing.

Level 11 sample answer

187 words

About two years ago, I signed up for a meal-kit delivery service in Halifax, mostly because the first box was advertised at seventy percent off. At roughly $27 for three dinners, it felt almost irresponsible to say no, and I'd convinced myself it would finally get me out of a cycle of takeout. The first box was lovely — I made a lemon-herb salmon I'm still a bit proud of. What I hadn't noticed, buried in the terms, was that the subscription renewed automatically at full price, which worked out to about $90 a week. By the time my sister Paola asked why I had three boxes stacked by the door, I'd been charged nearly $270 for meals I didn't have time to cook. My first instinct was to blame the company, but, if I'm honest, the information had been there all along. I cancelled that evening, gave two of the kits to Paola, and wrote myself a rule I still follow: if an offer seems too good to pass up, I read the cancellation policy before I enter a card number. Impulse, I've learned, rarely comes cheap.

Why this answer is at level 11

This answer fits the level 11 teaching example by connecting the tempting discount, overlooked renewal terms, wasted meals, and personal responsibility into a cohesive story. Precise language and conversational reflection lead naturally to a practical rule that directly addresses the original mistake.

My first instinct was to blame the company, but, if I'm honest, the information had been there all along. — Content/Coherence: This shift from blame to accountability deepens the story beyond an expensive subscription mistake. It explains why the final lesson focuses on reading terms, giving the reflection a clear connection to the events.
At roughly $27 for three dinners, it felt almost irresponsible to say no, — Vocabulary: “Almost irresponsible to say no” captures how the speaker justified an impulsive purchase as a sensible choice. The phrasing conveys the persuasive force of the discount more precisely than simply saying it seemed cheap.
The first box was lovely — I made a lemon-herb salmon I'm still a bit proud of. — Listenability: The brief personal aside gives the wording a conversational rhythm and makes the early satisfaction memorable. It also creates a clear emotional contrast with the later discovery of charges and unused meals.
if an offer seems too good to pass up, I read the cancellation policy before I enter a card number. — Task Fulfillment: This gives a concrete, repeatable response to the exact problem the speaker experienced. Alongside cancelling and sharing the unused kits, it completes both parts of the requested reflection: what the speaker did and what changed afterward.

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.

Tell a specific personal experience in a clear sequence. Explain what happened, how you reacted and why it mattered, using details that help the listener follow the story.

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