CELPIP® Speaking Task 2 sample: Reconnecting After a Long Silence

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 getting back in touch with a friend or relative after a long silence. Why had you hesitated to contact them? How did you restart the conversation and handle any awkwardness? What happened to your relationship afterwards?

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

122 words

My aunt Bridget and I both lived in Sudbury, but we hadn't spoken for almost a year. I'd forgotten to answer her letter, and then I felt too embarrassed to call. I worried she was angry with me. When I found an old photo of us, I decided to take it to her. Um, I called first and said sorry for not replying. At beginning of the visit, we didn't have much to say. So I asked about the photo, and she started telling me about that day. I felt more comfortable after that. She said she'd missed our talks too. We only had half an hour because she was going out, but we arranged another visit. Now we speak more regular.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 model tells a clear, complete story about reconnecting, using straightforward language. Compared with the higher-level answers, its emotional explanation and relationship outcome are less developed, and some phrasing is less natural.

So I asked about the photo, and she started telling me about that day. — Content/Coherence: The photo connects the decision to visit with the way the awkwardness eases. The sequence is easy to follow, but the shared memory remains vague; the higher-level answers explain more fully how the conversation changes an earlier misunderstanding.
I worried she was angry with me. — Vocabulary: Simple, familiar words communicate the reason for hesitating clearly. The higher-level answers describe more specific emotional distinctions, such as taking cancellations personally or feeling embarrassed about both criticism and the resulting silence.
Now we speak more regular. — Listenability: The short closing sentence is easy to understand, but regular needs the adverb form regularly here. The higher-level answers use more consistently natural phrasing, helping the listener follow the story without noticing distracting language errors.
We only had half an hour because she was going out, but we arranged another visit. — Task Fulfillment: Arranging another visit gives a concrete result, and the final sentence confirms continued contact. The higher-level answers develop the aftermath further by showing a specific communication habit or a more clearly defined pattern of ongoing contact.

Level 9 sample answer

152 words

My cousin Tomás and I used to meet for coffee in Sudbury, but after he cancelled twice, I stopped suggesting it. Nearly eight months passed. I assumed he was brushing me off, although I'd never actually asked what was happening. Then I came across a ridiculous drawing we'd made together and sent him a photo. He replied immediately and suggested calling that evening. I was pleased but nervous because I didn't want to sound as though I was keeping score. After we laughed about the drawing, I admitted I'd taken the cancellations personally. He explained that he'd been helping a relative clear out a house and hadn't realized how his silence had come across. We couldn't recover those missed months, but we could stop guessing about each other. We arranged a short walk that weekend and have met regularly since. Now, if either of us cancels, we suggest another date straight away.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 model develops a misunderstanding, an honest conversation, and a practical change in the relationship, with precise, conversational language. Compared with the level 11 model, it gives less detail about handling the uncomfortable moment and the narrator's changing understanding.

I assumed he was brushing me off, although I'd never actually asked what was happening. — Content/Coherence: This establishes both the cause of the silence and the weakness in the narrator's interpretation, preparing for the cousin's explanation. The level 11 answer develops that internal process further by showing how the delay itself becomes another reason to avoid contact.
I was pleased but nervous because I didn't want to sound as though I was keeping score. — Vocabulary: Keeping score precisely captures the fear of sounding resentful about the cancellations. The level 11 answer adds similarly precise language for how assumptions develop over time, extending the emotional insight beyond the immediate conversation.
We couldn't recover those missed months, but we could stop guessing about each other. — Listenability: The parallel wording and clear contrast support an easy-to-follow spoken rhythm while marking the story's turning point. The level 11 model also uses controlled repetition, alongside more detailed conversational beats that make the emotional transition easier to picture.
After we laughed about the drawing, I admitted I'd taken the cancellations personally. — Task Fulfillment: Shared humour provides an opening, and the admission directly addresses the source of awkwardness. Together with the later walk and rescheduling habit, this answers the prompt fully. The level 11 model shows more explicitly how the speaker handles discomfort during the conversation itself.

Level 11 sample answer

173 words

For two years, I avoided contacting my uncle Lucien in Sudbury over something surprisingly small. I'd recorded one of his childhood stories, and he'd sent back a page of corrections. I interpreted that as criticism of my effort and never replied. The longer I left it, the harder an explanation seemed. While sorting some papers, I found his original note. Beneath the corrections, he'd written that he hoped we'd record another story together. I'd completely overlooked that invitation. I called and admitted that I'd been embarrassed by the corrections, then embarrassed by my own silence. There was an uncomfortable pause, which I resisted filling with excuses. He explained that getting the details right had mattered to him because he appreciated the project. We agreed to start again with a twenty-minute recording, without committing ourselves to anything bigger. During that conversation, he asked about my life too, and the formality gradually disappeared. We now speak monthly. Reconnecting taught me how easily an unchecked assumption can harden into distance, even when neither person wants it.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 model combines a carefully connected story with nuanced self-reflection and precise language. It makes the hesitation, uncomfortable conversation, gradual return of warmth, and lasting relationship change concrete, then draws a lesson directly from those events.

The longer I left it, the harder an explanation seemed. — Content/Coherence: This explains how a small misunderstanding grows into prolonged silence. Finding the overlooked invitation then directly challenges that misunderstanding, so the decision to reconnect follows convincingly from the story's earlier details.
Reconnecting taught me how easily an unchecked assumption can harden into distance, even when neither person wants it. — Vocabulary: Unchecked assumption and harden into distance express a complex relationship problem compactly. The figurative wording earns its place because the story has already shown the assumption, the avoidance, and the uncle's continuing interest in reconnecting.
I called and admitted that I'd been embarrassed by the corrections, then embarrassed by my own silence. — Listenability: Repeating embarrassed gives the sentence a clear structure while distinguishing the original hurt from the later discomfort about not replying. The wording supports natural emphasis and lets the listener follow a layered emotional explanation.
There was an uncomfortable pause, which I resisted filling with excuses. — Task Fulfillment: The speaker describes a specific response to awkwardness: allowing the pause instead of making excuses. The manageable recording agreement, gradual loss of formality, and monthly calls then show both how contact resumes and how the relationship develops afterwards.

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