CELPIP® Speaking Task 2 sample: Finding a Manageable Exercise Routine

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

Tell a story about a time an exercise activity turned out to be harder to manage than you expected. What was difficult, and how did you feel? What did you change, and how did that affect you or anyone exercising with you? How did it turn out?

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

122 words

A friend called Amina invited me to a free exercise class in Richmond. She liked energetic classes, so I thought I should try to keep up with her. However, the instructor moved more faster than I expected, and I kept missing the steps. Um, I felt awkward, especially because my friend was enjoying it. At the break, I asked the instructor to explain me an easier version. She showed me how to do the movements without following every change. I also told my friend she didn't need to stay beside me. After that, I could join in without feeling rushed. We both enjoyed the rest of the class. I learned that doing an activity together doesn't mean doing everything the same way.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 model tells a clear, complete story about struggling with a class and making practical changes. Compared with the level 9 answer, its emotional detail and outcome are simpler, its vocabulary is less precise, and some grammar disrupts the flow.

She liked energetic classes, so I thought I should try to keep up with her. — Content/Coherence: This establishes why the speaker attempted an unsuitable pace. The connection is clear, but a higher-level answer would develop how the friend's behaviour affected the speaker's pressure, as the level 9 story does with encouragement that causes rushing.
After that, I could join in without feeling rushed. — Vocabulary: The everyday wording clearly expresses improvement. A higher-level answer would use more precise language to distinguish keeping company, matching another person's pace, and maintaining a manageable routine.
However, the instructor moved more faster than I expected, and I kept missing the steps. — Listenability: The contrast and concrete difficulty make the sentence easy to follow. However, the unnecessary 'more' before 'faster' interrupts its grammatical flow. A higher-level answer would express the same difficulty with greater control.
We both enjoyed the rest of the class. — Task Fulfillment: This directly answers how the activity turned out for both friends. However, enjoyment is a broad outcome. A higher-level answer would explain the friend's response to exercising separately and whether the change helped sustain the routine.

Level 9 sample answer

153 words

When my friend Ronan suggested exercising together at a community centre in Richmond, I assumed we'd be a good match. We both wanted a regular routine, and sharing the trip made it easier to show up. The problem emerged during our first session: he enjoyed short, demanding sets, whereas I needed more time to learn each movement. I felt as though I was holding him back, and he kept offering encouragement that actually made me rush. Before the next session, I explained that I wanted company without having to match his pace. We agreed to warm up together, follow separate routines, and meet again for the final ten minutes. He was relieved because he'd been worried about leaving me behind. Over the following month, we kept going regularly. That arrangement worked because we shared the commitment while leaving room for different abilities. Trying to copy him would probably have put me off altogether.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 model develops a convincing problem, a negotiated solution, and a lasting outcome, using precise language and clear sequencing. Compared with the level 11 answer, it explores the speaker's underlying motivation less deeply and gives less detail about how the change altered the speaker's behaviour.

I felt as though I was holding him back, and he kept offering encouragement that actually made me rush. — Content/Coherence: The friend's well-meant encouragement makes the difficulty more layered than simply finding exercise hard. A higher-level answer would develop the speaker's recognition of their own motives further, as the level 11 story does with embarrassment about ranking.
That arrangement worked because we shared the commitment while leaving room for different abilities. — Vocabulary: Words such as 'arrangement' and 'commitment' precisely explain why the compromise worked. A higher-level answer would sustain this precision while expressing a more layered insight into how the same exercise structure can affect people differently.
We agreed to warm up together, follow separate routines, and meet again for the final ten minutes. — Listenability: The parallel actions make the revised routine easy to follow aloud. A higher-level answer would retain this clarity while weaving in more qualification and interpersonal sensitivity, as the level 11 speaker does when proposing a limited change.
He was relieved because he'd been worried about leaving me behind. — Task Fulfillment: This explicitly explains how the change affected the exercise partner and resolves the earlier tension. A higher-level answer would also give a specific sign of the speaker's changed behaviour beyond continued attendance, such as no longer monitoring comparisons.

Level 11 sample answer

170 words

I joined a free fitness challenge at a community centre in Richmond, expecting the group atmosphere to keep me motivated. Each week, participants recorded how many rounds of a simple circuit they'd completed. By the second session, I was rushing through movements just to avoid finishing last, which defeated my original purpose of building a routine I could maintain. I felt embarrassed admitting that the scoreboard mattered to me. Still, I spoke privately with the organizer, Kalani, who'd put considerable effort into making the challenge fun. I explained that I liked having a shared goal but found comparisons unhelpful while I was learning. Rather than asking her to redesign everything, I suggested recording my attendance and personal progress separately. She agreed and offered that option to everyone. Several people chose it. A month later, I was still attending, and I no longer checked where I ranked. The turning point was recognizing that a motivating structure for one person can become a distraction for another, even when everyone's intentions are good.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 model connects an exercise difficulty to a clearly examined personal motive, then develops a considerate solution with consequences for the group. Precise vocabulary, controlled phrasing, and concrete evidence of changed behaviour support a thoughtful ending that grows naturally from the story.

I was rushing through movements just to avoid finishing last — Content/Coherence: This identifies the mechanism behind the difficulty: competition changes how the speaker exercises. It sets up the later decision to track personal progress, giving the problem and solution a stronger causal connection than a general mismatch in pace.
a motivating structure for one person can become a distraction for another — Vocabulary: The precise contrast between 'motivating structure' and 'distraction' captures why the challenge helped some participants but troubled the speaker. The abstract language earns its place because the story has already demonstrated the distinction.
Rather than asking her to redesign everything, I suggested recording my attendance and personal progress separately. — Listenability: The opening qualification leads smoothly into a concrete proposal. Its controlled structure communicates both consideration for the organizer and the practical change, allowing a nuanced idea to remain easy to follow.
A month later, I was still attending, and I no longer checked where I ranked. — Task Fulfillment: This supplies concrete evidence that the adjustment worked: attendance continued and the distracting behaviour stopped. Alongside the organizer offering the option to everyone, it completes both the personal outcome and the effect on others.

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