CELPIP® Speaking Task 2 sample: Making a Meal from Very Little

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 you had to put together a meal with very little to work with. Maybe your fridge was nearly empty, the stove wasn't working, money was tight or you'd just moved into a place with an empty kitchen. Why were things so limited? What went through your mind at first, and how did you manage? 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

140 words

Um, when I first moved to Winnipeg, I rented a basement suite, and on the first night the stove didn't work. The landlord said the electrician can come only on Monday, and it was Friday. Also I had very little money, because I just paid the deposit and first month rent. At first I was stressed, because I was hungry and all the restaurants near me was expensive. Then my new neighbour Tunde saw me carrying boxes, and he lent me his rice cooker. So I made rice, and I put in a can of beans, some frozen vegetables and an egg on top. It was not fancy, but it was good. I cooked like this for three days. I learned that you don't need a perfect kitchen to eat well, and also that asking neighbours for help is OK.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 model tells a clear, complete story about managing without a stove or much money. Compared with the higher-level models, it uses simpler descriptions, develops the cooking experience less fully, and includes grammar slips that make some wording less smooth.

Then my new neighbour Tunde saw me carrying boxes, and he lent me his rice cooker. — Content/Coherence: The neighbour's help provides a clear turning point and a practical solution to the broken stove. A higher-level answer would develop the speaker's own decisions and preparation more fully, as the other models do through choosing and assembling dishes.
It was not fancy, but it was good. — Vocabulary: The meaning is clear, but 'fancy' and 'good' offer only a broad evaluation of the meal. A higher-level answer would use more precise language to show what made the improvised meal satisfying or successful.
At first I was stressed, because I was hungry and all the restaurants near me was expensive. — Listenability: The wording makes the initial worry easy to understand, but 'restaurants near me was' creates a grammatical bump. A higher-level answer would express the same pressure with more consistent grammar while keeping the conversational tone.
I learned that you don't need a perfect kitchen to eat well, and also that asking neighbours for help is OK. — Task Fulfillment: This directly answers what the speaker learned and connects both lessons to the experience. A higher-level answer would make the reflection more distinctive by showing how the unexpected solution changed the experience, beyond making meals possible.

Level 9 sample answer

164 words

So this was during my second year of college in Winnipeg, near the end of a really tight month. My part-time hours had been cut, and I had about eighteen dollars left until payday. Of course, that was the weekend my friend Leila said she'd drop by after her shift. When I opened the fridge, all I had was half a bag of potatoes, two eggs, an onion, some wilted spinach and a block of cheese. My first thought was to just cancel, because I was kind of embarrassed. But then I remembered my grandmother used to say an empty pantry is where real cooking starts. So I sliced the potatoes thin, fried them with the onion, poured the eggs over and folded in the spinach and cheese, basically a Spanish-style tortilla. I spent four dollars on a baguette to go with it. Leila had seconds and didn't suspect a thing. It taught me that being resourceful matters more than having a full fridge.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 model adds a believable emotional arc, concrete ingredients, and a clearly explained cooking solution. It is more developed and expressive than the level 7 model; compared with level 11, the practical challenge is simpler and the closing insight is broader.

My first thought was to just cancel, because I was kind of embarrassed. — Content/Coherence: Embarrassment gives the limited ingredients personal stakes and explains why hosting feels difficult. The later success resolves that worry. A higher-level answer would sustain this development through additional connected decisions, as the birthday dinner model does with equipment and preparation.
fried them with the onion, poured the eggs over and folded in the spinach and cheese — Vocabulary: The cooking verbs describe distinct actions and make the improvised dish easy to picture, showing greater precision than the level 7 model. A higher-level answer would extend that precision across more varied techniques and descriptions, as the level 11 model does.
So this was during my second year of college in Winnipeg, near the end of a really tight month. — Listenability: The conversational opening establishes the setting and financial pressure in an easy-to-follow sentence. A higher-level answer would connect more circumstances within similarly controlled wording, as the level 11 opening links the gas inspection, its duration, and the promised dinner.
It taught me that being resourceful matters more than having a full fridge. — Task Fulfillment: The lesson directly addresses the question and follows logically from making a successful meal with limited ingredients. A higher-level answer would offer a more particular insight into this occasion, such as how the limitation improved the shared experience.

Level 11 sample answer

179 words

Last February, the gas to my entire apartment building in Winnipeg was shut off for five days while the pipes were being inspected, which happened to coincide with the birthday dinner I'd promised my friend Ayumi. Six people were coming, and I was left with a microwave, an electric kettle and a tiny toaster oven. My first instinct was to book a restaurant, but a table for seven on a Saturday would have run well over three hundred dollars, which wasn't in my budget. So I treated it as a puzzle. I'd make dishes that didn't need a stove at all: fresh rice-paper rolls, with vermicelli softened in kettle water, plus a peanut dipping sauce whisked together by hand. The toaster oven handled a tray of glazed tofu in three shifts, and dessert was a no-bake cheesecake that had set in the fridge overnight. Admittedly, my counter looked like an assembly line, but everyone rolled their own, which turned dinner into an activity. If anything, it taught me that limits can make a meal more memorable rather than less.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 model integrates the equipment problem, hosting commitment, budget, and preparation into a detailed but coherent story. Precise cooking language, controlled sentence variety, and a reflection grounded in the guests' participation make it the strongest of these teaching models.

which happened to coincide with the birthday dinner I'd promised my friend Ayumi. — Content/Coherence: This clause connects the gas shutdown to an existing commitment, making the timing consequential. The later restaurant calculation and equipment-based menu follow naturally from that conflict, giving the story a closely connected chain of decisions.
a table for seven on a Saturday would have run well over three hundred dollars — Vocabulary: The expression 'would have run' conveys estimated cost naturally, while the specific booking circumstances make the rejected option believable. The vocabulary expresses the speaker's reasoning economically rather than merely naming the budget problem.
Admittedly, my counter looked like an assembly line, but everyone rolled their own, which turned dinner into an activity. — Listenability: The concession, vivid comparison, and clear consequence create an expressive sentence with an easy-to-follow progression. The wording supports a conversational delivery while carrying several connected ideas about the preparation and guests' involvement.
If anything, it taught me that limits can make a meal more memorable rather than less. — Task Fulfillment: The reflection answers the learning question and grows directly from everyone assembling their own rolls. It goes beyond successfully feeding guests: the equipment limits helped create the social activity that made the dinner memorable.

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