CELPIP® Speaking Task 2 sample: Making Your Money Stretch

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 had to make your money stretch further than usual — for example, while saving for something important, after an unexpected bill, or when your income dropped for a while. What was the situation, and how did you feel when you realized money would be tight? What changes did you make, and how did the period end?

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

144 words

Two years ago in Edmonton, my laptop stopped working in the middle of my college program, and I needed a new one right away. The cheapest good one was about $700, and I didn't have that money. I felt stressed, because I also had to pay my rent and my hydro bill that month. So I made a plan. First, I stopped buying coffee and lunch outside, and I cooked big pots of soup every Sunday. Also I cancelled my streaming subscription for a while. My friend Callum lent me his old laptop until I could buy one, so I could still do my assignments. Um, it was not fun, I missed eating out with friends. But after two months I saved enough and I bought the laptop. I felt really proud of myself. I learned that small changes can make a big difference.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 teaching example tells a clear, complete story with practical changes and a successful ending. Compared with the other answers, it relies more on simple sequencing, everyday vocabulary, and briefly stated feelings, leaving less room for detailed explanation and reflection.

First, I stopped buying coffee and lunch outside, and I cooked big pots of soup every Sunday. — Content/Coherence: The changes clearly address the need to save for a laptop, and the Sunday routine adds a concrete detail. A higher-level answer would connect the choices more closely to the speaker's priorities or explain how the savings plan developed.
I felt really proud of myself. — Vocabulary: This expresses the final emotion clearly, but the wording is broad and familiar. The higher-level answers describe feelings and personal discoveries more precisely, helping the listener understand what overcoming the money problem meant.
Um, it was not fun, I missed eating out with friends. — Listenability: The conversational wording makes the sacrifice easy to understand. On the page, the loosely joined clauses make the relationship between the ideas less smooth; a higher-level answer would connect the disappointment and its cause more clearly.
But after two months I saved enough and I bought the laptop. — Task Fulfillment: This directly answers how the tight-money period ended and resolves the original laptop problem. A higher-level answer would develop the significance of that outcome beyond the brief pride and general lesson that follow.

Level 9 sample answer

174 words

So, a couple of years back in Moncton, my landlord told me he was selling the house and I had to be out in eight weeks. I found a decent one-bedroom for $1,350 a month, but they wanted first and last month's rent up front, plus I needed a moving truck, so I was looking at roughly $3,200. I had about half of that saved. Honestly, my stomach dropped when I did the math, because I'd never had to come up with that kind of money so quickly. I sat down with a spreadsheet and went through every expense line by line. I cut out takeout, switched to a cheaper phone plan, and sold a guitar I hardly played for $400. My brother, Dmitri, also offered to help me move with his friend's van instead of renting a truck, which saved another $250. By week seven, I had the full amount. It was a tough couple of months, but it showed me I'm far more disciplined than I thought when there's a clear goal.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 teaching example develops the financial problem with specific costs, varied solutions, and a clear deadline. Its idiomatic language and personal reflection add depth beyond level 7, while level 11 sustains more nuanced emotional development and connects the experience to a broader understanding of budgeting.

I sat down with a spreadsheet and went through every expense line by line. — Content/Coherence: This provides a logical bridge between discovering the shortfall and making changes. The following actions feel planned and purposeful. The top answer develops this reasoning further by explaining which costs were fixed and where flexibility remained.
Honestly, my stomach dropped when I did the math, — Vocabulary: The idiom makes the initial financial shock vivid and sounds conversational. A higher-level answer would sustain this emotional precision across the experience, as the top answer does when moving from recurring anxiety to a more resourceful outlook.
I cut out takeout, switched to a cheaper phone plan, and sold a guitar I hardly played for $400. — Listenability: The parallel action verbs make the changes easy to follow, while the guitar detail adds interest. A higher-level answer would combine this clear listing with more explanation of the thinking behind the choices.
it showed me I'm far more disciplined than I thought when there's a clear goal. — Task Fulfillment: The ending explains what the speaker learned after meeting the moving deadline, giving the story personal significance. The top answer takes the reflection further by showing how the experience changed the speaker's understanding of budgeting itself.

Level 11 sample answer

187 words

The winter after I started working at a garden centre in Kelowna, my hours were cut from thirty-five a week to about fifteen, which roughly halved my income for three months. I'd known business slowed down after the fall, but nobody had warned me it would be that drastic, and my first reaction was a kind of low-level panic every time I checked my account. Once the shock wore off, though, I treated it like a puzzle. I listed every fixed cost — rent, hydro, my transit pass — and realized the only flexibility was in groceries and the little things I'd stopped noticing. So I started meal-planning around whatever was on sale, swapped my gym membership for free skating at the outdoor rink, and arranged to pay my hydro bill in equal monthly instalments so it wouldn't spike in January. A coworker, Astrid, who'd been through the same slump the year before, shared her bulk-cooking recipes. By March my hours were back, and I hadn't touched my small emergency fund. That winter taught me that a budget isn't a punishment; it's a way of deciding what actually matters.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 teaching example combines a fully developed financial situation with precise language, clear reasoning, and a believable emotional progression. Its practical details support a cohesive story, and the ending turns the experience into a thoughtful insight about personal priorities.

By March my hours were back, and I hadn't touched my small emergency fund. — Content/Coherence: This resolves both the temporary income drop and the challenge of managing through it. Preserving the emergency fund gives a concrete measure of success, bringing the earlier spending decisions together in a purposeful ending.
my first reaction was a kind of low-level panic every time I checked my account. — Vocabulary: The phrase describes persistent, manageable anxiety with more precision than a general statement of stress. Linking it to checking the account makes the emotion specific to the money problem and gives the listener a recognizable experience.
Once the shock wore off, though, I treated it like a puzzle. — Listenability: The transition clearly signals a change from anxiety to action. Its conversational rhythm and simple comparison help the listener follow the speaker's changing attitude before the more detailed explanation of expenses and adjustments.
That winter taught me that a budget isn't a punishment; it's a way of deciding what actually matters. — Task Fulfillment: The reflection grows directly from the choices described, including cheaper meals and free recreation. It completes the account of the tight-money period by explaining how the experience reshaped the speaker's attitude toward spending and priorities.

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