CELPIP® Speaking Task 2 sample: A Problem with a Meal Out

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

Recall a time when something went wrong while you were buying a meal or snack at a restaurant, a café, a food truck or a cafeteria, or with a takeout order. What was the problem, and did you feel comfortable saying something at first? What did you end up doing, and how was it resolved?

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

134 words

Um, this was last summer in Gatineau. I went to a small café with my friend Karim, and we ordered two sandwiches and coffee. When the bill came, it was almost forty dollars, and I was surprised because our food was only around twenty. I looked at it again and saw they charged us for two big lunch specials that we didn't order. At first I didn't want to say anything, because the café was very busy and the server looked stressed. But Karim said, just ask, it's your money. So I went to the counter and I explained the problem politely. The server checked the computer and she said sorry, it was a mistake from another table. She fixed the bill and gave us free cookie. I felt good that I spoke up.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 teaching answer tells a clear, complete story about a billing mistake, initial hesitation, and a successful complaint. Compared with the other answers, its vocabulary and reflection are simpler, and a small grammatical slip makes the language less polished.

I looked at it again and saw they charged us for two big lunch specials that we didn't order. — Content/Coherence: This clearly identifies the billing error and explains the surprising total. The story is easy to follow, though a higher-level answer would connect the events with more developed thoughts about the speaker's decision to act.
At first I didn't want to say anything, because the café was very busy and the server looked stressed. — Task Fulfillment: This directly answers whether the speaker felt comfortable speaking up and gives a believable reason for hesitating. The higher-level answers explore that hesitation further by showing what was at stake if the speaker stayed silent.
I felt good that I spoke up. — Vocabulary: The meaning is clear, but 'felt good' describes the reaction broadly. The higher-level answers use more precise expressions to explain overcoming nerves or balancing politeness with firmness.
She fixed the bill and gave us free cookie. — Listenability: The short sentence makes the resolution easy to follow. However, 'free cookie' needs an article here; a higher-level answer would maintain more consistent grammatical control while keeping the account conversational.

Level 9 sample answer

165 words

This happened a few months ago in Gatineau, on a Friday night when my roommate Hodan and I decided to treat ourselves to takeout from a little Vietnamese place on our street. I picked it up, walked home in the rain, and when we opened the bags, it was completely the wrong order. It was someone else's beef dishes instead of our vegetarian pho. My first reaction was to just eat it and not make a fuss, because I'm not great at complaining, especially on the phone in French, which is my second language. But Hodan doesn't eat beef, so that wasn't really an option. I called, took a deep breath, and explained slowly. The owner was really apologetic. It turned out the other customer had taken ours, too. He offered to remake our order right away, so I went back, and he threw in two spring rolls for the trouble. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't let my nerves get the better of me.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 teaching answer develops the wrong-order problem through concrete details, a personal language barrier, and a clear reason for complaining. Its conversational phrasing is stronger than the level 7 answer, while its closing reflection is less nuanced than the level 11 answer's.

But Hodan doesn't eat beef, so that wasn't really an option. — Content/Coherence: This creates a clear turning point: accepting the wrong meal would leave Hodan unable to eat it. Compared with the simpler billing story, the decision is more developed. The top answer adds another layer by considering responsibility for the whole group's evening.
Looking back, I'm glad I didn't let my nerves get the better of me. — Vocabulary: The idiom naturally expresses overcoming anxiety and connects to the earlier discomfort about calling in French. The top answer's vocabulary supports a more nuanced lesson about how to complain, beyond feeling glad about having done it.
I called, took a deep breath, and explained slowly. — Listenability: The compact sequence gives the written answer a natural speaking rhythm and makes the action easy to follow. The top answer shows greater sentence variety while integrating practical action with the speaker's effort to stay calm.
He offered to remake our order right away, so I went back, and he threw in two spring rolls for the trouble. — Task Fulfillment: This explains both what the speaker did next and how the restaurant resolved the mistake. A stronger response can also evaluate the outcome, as the top answer does when acknowledging that the replacement seating was cramped but acceptable.

Level 11 sample answer

185 words

Last March I organized a farewell dinner for my friend Yaroslav, who was moving to Calgary, at a little bistro in downtown Gatineau. I'd booked a table for ten a full two weeks ahead, yet when we walked in, the host insisted there was no record of it, and the place was packed. Everyone was looking at me, and frankly, my first impulse was to apologize to the group and suggest we grab shawarma instead. What stopped me was the thought that if I let it go, Yaroslav's last evening here would end with all of us standing on a cold sidewalk. So I pulled up the confirmation email, showed it to the host as calmly as I could, and asked to speak with the manager. It turned out our booking had been entered under the wrong date. The manager was mortified. Within fifteen minutes she'd pushed two smaller tables together in the back, and she covered our first round of appetizers. Admittedly, the corner was a bit cramped, but nobody minded. If anything, I learned that being polite and being firm aren't mutually exclusive.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 teaching answer combines a well-developed reservation problem with personal responsibility, controlled escalation, and a qualified resolution. Precise vocabulary, varied sentence structures, and a thoughtful closing observation make it the strongest of these teaching examples.

Yaroslav's last evening here would end with all of us standing on a cold sidewalk. — Content/Coherence: This makes the consequences of giving up concrete and personal. It explains why the speaker moves past embarrassment and takes action, giving the story a stronger connection between feelings, decisions, and events.
If anything, I learned that being polite and being firm aren't mutually exclusive. — Vocabulary: The expression 'mutually exclusive' captures the central lesson precisely. It grows naturally from the speaker's calm handling of the booking error and gives the ending more depth than a general statement of relief or satisfaction.
Admittedly, the corner was a bit cramped, but nobody minded. — Listenability: This short concession provides a clear change of pace after the longer account of the problem and solution. 'Admittedly' signals the qualification, while the conversational wording keeps the written response approachable.
So I pulled up the confirmation email, showed it to the host as calmly as I could, and asked to speak with the manager. — Task Fulfillment: This gives specific actions that address the missing reservation: producing evidence and requesting help from the manager. 'As calmly as I could' also connects those actions to the discomfort described earlier, keeping the response closely focused on the prompt.

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