CELPIP® Speaking Task 3 sample: Apartment Courtyard on Moving Day
Describing a Scene · Preparation: 30 seconds · Response: 60 seconds · Published
Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.
Practice question
You're sending a voice message to a friend who is driving and cannot look at this picture. Describe what's happening in the apartment courtyard. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.
Model answers
These are transcripts of a model response, provided for comparison with your own recording.
Level 7 sample answer
124 words
This is an apartment courtyard in Nanaimo, where people are helping Carmen move. The weather is dry. Andrei, in black at the centre front, holds one end of a sofa and looks strained from the effort. Carmen wears red on the right and carries the other end toward the lobby. The sofa looks too wide for entrance. Um, a woman in purple holds the door with her foot and reaches for a plant beside it. On the left, a man in orange holds a box with books inside. Its bottom is opening, and an older woman in blue reaches underneath. Behind them, a boy in green steadies a cart with leaning cushions. A man in grey are tying a rolled rug near a van.
Why this answer is at level 7
This works as a level 7 teaching example because it covers the moving scene clearly and uses locations and clothing to identify people. Compared with the stronger answers, its descriptions are less precise, its actions feel more like a list, and some grammar interrupts the flow.
Carmen wears red on the right and carries the other end toward the lobby.
— Content/Coherence: This connects Carmen to the sofa already introduced and places her clearly. The following doorway problem is relevant, but a higher-level answer would link the movement and obstacle more smoothly within the same sentence.Its bottom is opening, and an older woman in blue reaches underneath.
— Vocabulary: The meaning is clear, but “bottom is opening” gives a broad description of the box problem. The stronger answers specify the peeling seam, helping the listener picture exactly what is coming apart.A man in grey are tying a rolled rug near a van.
— Listenability: The mismatch between “A man” and “are” briefly disrupts an otherwise understandable sentence. A higher-level answer would maintain grammatical control while describing the rug’s movement and the man’s effort.Behind them, a boy in green steadies a cart with leaning cushions.
— Task Fulfillment: This includes another important moving problem and gives the friend a useful location cue. A higher-level description would make the unstable load easier to visualize by specifying the tall stack and its direction of lean.
Level 9 sample answer
162 words
The picture shows friends helping Carmen move into an apartment in Nanaimo on a dry October afternoon. From the courtyard landing, you can see several jobs happening at once. In the centre foreground, Andrei in black looks strained as he carries one end of a sofa. Carmen, wearing red on the right, holds the other end and heads toward the lobby, although the sofa is wider than the doorway in that position. A woman in purple has her hands full nearby: she's holding the door with her foot while reaching toward a potted plant that partly blocks the entrance. On the left, a worried young man in orange grips a box whose bottom seam is peeling open beneath some books. An older woman in blue reaches underneath it. In the middle, a boy in green steadies a cart with cushions leaning to the right. Further back, a frustrated man in grey ties a rolled rug beside a van as its end uncurls.
Why this answer is at level 9
This reads as a level 9 teaching example because it organizes the courtyard clearly, describes the practical problems precisely, and connects simultaneous actions with controlled grammar. Compared with level 11, it offers less of an overall interpretation tying the separate difficulties together, and its detail requires careful pacing within the speaking time.
From the courtyard landing, you can see several jobs happening at once.
— Content/Coherence: This establishes the viewpoint and prepares the listener for several simultaneous activities. The level 11 answer develops a stronger organizing idea around awkward loads and returns to that idea at the end.A woman in purple has her hands full nearby:
— Vocabulary: “Has her hands full” naturally conveys how busy the woman is before the answer explains her competing actions. The level 11 answer adds more explicit emotional detail, helping distinguish how the people respond to their difficulties.On the left, a worried young man in orange grips a box whose bottom seam is peeling open beneath some books.
— Listenability: The location cue introduces a clear shift, and the relative clause keeps the person, box and damage connected. However, several details arrive together; a stronger delivery would need deliberate phrasing, while the level 11 wording compresses the contents into “book-filled.”although the sofa is wider than the doorway in that position.
— Task Fulfillment: This accurately explains the immediate obstacle and recognizes that the sofa’s position matters. The level 11 answer expresses that relationship more compactly through its description of the doorway and the sofa’s current orientation.
Level 11 sample answer
171 words
An apartment courtyard in Nanaimo is the setting for Carmen's move, with six friends helping her on a dry October afternoon. From an upper landing, we overlook several awkward loads. In the centre foreground, Andrei, wearing black, strains to grip one end of a sofa. Carmen, determined and dressed in red on the right, carries the other toward an open lobby doorway that's too narrow for its current orientation. Beside the entrance, a concerned woman in purple holds the door with her foot while reaching toward a potted plant obstructing part of the opening. On the left, a worried young man in orange grips a book-filled box by its sides, even as the bottom seam peels open. An alert older woman in blue reaches underneath it. Behind the sofa, an apprehensive boy in green steadies a cart whose tall cushion stack leans right. In the background, a frustrated man in grey crouches beside a van, tying cord around an uncurling rug. Even the smaller loads look difficult to keep under control.
Why this answer is at level 11
This is a strong level 11 teaching example because precise descriptions, controlled sentence structures and a consistent focus on difficult loads create a connected picture. It captures the people’s actions and emotions while using spatial cues to guide a friend who cannot see the scene.
Even the smaller loads look difficult to keep under control.
— Content/Coherence: The ending draws together the box, cushions and rug under the same idea as the awkward sofa. This gives the description a clear overall impression instead of simply stopping after the final person.an open lobby doorway that's too narrow for its current orientation.
— Vocabulary: “Current orientation” precisely explains why the sofa cannot pass through as positioned. The wording captures a spatial relationship efficiently and avoids suggesting that the sofa could never fit through the doorway.Beside the entrance, a concerned woman in purple holds the door with her foot while reaching toward a potted plant obstructing part of the opening.
— Listenability: The location cue anchors the listener before the sentence connects simultaneous actions with “while.” Although the sentence is long, its structure keeps the woman’s position, effort and obstacle connected; clear phrasing would help preserve that clarity aloud.An apartment courtyard in Nanaimo is the setting for Carmen's move, with six friends helping her on a dry October afternoon.
— Task Fulfillment: The opening efficiently establishes the place, purpose, group and conditions. It gives the friend a useful frame for the detailed description that follows, which covers all the visible people and their moving difficulties.
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.
Orient the listener to the scene, then group visible details by location or activity. Use precise descriptions and spatial connections rather than an unconnected inventory.
- 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
More Task 3 questions
- Family Portrait in a Townhouse Hall
- Babysitting in a Basement Playroom
- Apartment Viewing in North Bay
- Shared Rental Kitchen in Surrey
- Apartment Lobby Key Handover
- Shared Rental Yard Fence Repairs
All speaking Task 3 sample questions · Read the Task 3 guide