CELPIP® Speaking Task 3 sample: Apartment Viewing in North Bay

Describing a Scene · Preparation: 30 seconds · Response: 60 seconds · Published 23 October 2026

Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.

Practice question

You're telling a friend about this apartment viewing over the phone, so they can't see the picture. Describe the scene and what the people are doing. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.

View diagonally from a kitchen doorway across a largely unfurnished North Bay rental apartment on a drizzly October afternoon. Seven people attend a viewing. Centre foreground, Chloé, a woman around 30 in navy, stretches a measuring tape across an alcove, looking excited. Left foreground, Cillian, a man around 30 in green, holds its other end with a puzzled expression; the tape stays entirely within the alcove. Centre background, a woman around 50 in purple smiles beside the open front door, holding a blank folder. Beside her, rain blows through an open window onto its interior sill. Right foreground, a man around 70 in beige grips his walker and frowns at a passage narrowed by an open closet door. Right middle ground, a woman around 20 in yellow holds that door's handle, watching him worriedly. Left background, a distracted boy around eight in red leans on a folding table; its surface tilts towards a water cup near its lower edge. Left middle ground, a concerned woman around 40 in grey reaches towards the cup. No writing, signs, logos, brands or landmarks.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

120 words

This is a rental apartment in North Bay, and seven people are looking around. In the centre, Chloé is holding a measuring tape across an alcove. Cillian holds the other end on the left. She seems excited, but he looks puzzled. There's an older man with walker on the right. An open closet door leaves him little space. A woman in yellow holds its handle and watches him worriedly. Um, at the back, a smiling woman has a blank folder. Rain is blowing through an open window beside her. On the left, a boy in red leans on a folding table. The table is tilted, with a cup near its lower edge. A woman in grey reach towards the cup.

Why this answer is at level 7

This answer covers the main actions and makes the apartment scene understandable. Compared with the higher-level examples, it relies more on short, separate observations, uses simpler descriptions, and contains grammatical slips that reduce polish.

The table is tilted, with a cup near its lower edge. — Content/Coherence: This clearly establishes the cup's precarious position. However, the boy, table, cup, and reaching woman appear in separate statements; the higher-level answers connect these details into a more cohesive description.
She seems excited, but he looks puzzled. — Vocabulary: The contrasting emotions are clear and appropriate for Chloé and Cillian. The higher-level answers integrate these reactions into descriptions of their measuring actions, creating more variety than separate statements about how people look.
A woman in grey reach towards the cup. — Listenability: The action remains understandable, but 'woman' and 'reach' do not agree grammatically. The higher-level examples use accurate verb forms and more smoothly connect her movement to the cup's position.
An open closet door leaves him little space. — Task Fulfillment: This explains a key spatial problem for a friend who cannot see the scene. The higher-level answers make the description more complete by including the older man's grip on his walker and his frown.

Level 9 sample answer

159 words

The picture shows a rental apartment viewing in North Bay on a rainy October afternoon. The apartment is largely unfurnished, although there's a folding table at the back left. Chloé, wearing navy in the centre foreground, is excitedly measuring an alcove. Cillian holds the other end of the tape on the left, looking puzzled. The tape stays inside the alcove. Over on the right, an older man in beige grips his walker and frowns at the passage. He's in a tight spot because an open closet door is taking up space. A young woman in yellow holds its handle and watches him with concern. Meanwhile, a distracted boy in red leans on the folding table. Its surface tilts towards a water cup near the lower edge, which a woman in grey is reaching for. Beside the open front door, a smiling woman in purple holds a blank folder. Rain is blowing through the adjacent open window onto the sill.

Why this answer is at level 9

This answer develops the scene more fully than the level 7 example, with accurate grammar, specific locations, and clear connections between actions. Compared with the level 11 example, it remains more of a detailed tour, with less framing that unifies the separate complications.

He's in a tight spot because an open closet door is taking up space. — Content/Coherence: The explanation connects the older man's difficulty directly to the door, improving on the simpler observations in the level 7 answer. The level 11 example also introduces an overall theme that connects this difficulty with the other complications.
Chloé, wearing navy in the centre foreground, is excitedly measuring an alcove. — Vocabulary: Clothing, location, emotion, and action are expressed precisely in a compact sentence. The level 11 example adds more vivid physical description through its choice of action verbs.
Over on the right, an older man in beige grips his walker and frowns at the passage. — Listenability: The location cue helps the listener follow the move across the apartment, while the coordinated verbs keep the description flowing. The level 11 example gives this transition an additional connection to the contrasting situation elsewhere in the room.
The tape stays inside the alcove. — Task Fulfillment: This accurately clarifies the tape's position, helping the listener distinguish the measuring activity from the obstructed passage. The level 11 example incorporates the same detail into a more broadly connected account of the viewing.

Level 11 sample answer

173 words

You're looking into a largely unfurnished North Bay rental apartment, where seven people are attending a viewing on a drizzly October afternoon. Several small complications are unfolding at once. In the centre foreground, Chloé, in navy, enthusiastically stretches a measuring tape across an alcove. Cillian, wearing green on the left, holds the opposite end with a puzzled expression. Their tape remains within the alcove. Across the room, however, an older man in beige is in a tight spot: he grips his walker and frowns at a passage narrowed by the open closet door. The young woman in yellow holding its handle watches him anxiously. At the back left, a distracted boy in red leans on a folding table whose tilted surface leaves a water cup close to its lower edge. A concerned woman in grey reaches towards it. Meanwhile, the smiling woman in purple beside the open front door has a blank folder in hand. Rain is blowing onto the interior sill through the adjacent open window, adding another complication to the mix.

Why this answer is at level 11

This answer combines comprehensive scene coverage with a clear organizing idea: several small complications are happening during the viewing. Compared with the other examples, its more varied sentence structures and precise descriptions connect people, objects, and reactions into a cohesive account.

Several small complications are unfolding at once. — Content/Coherence: This gives the description an organizing idea before the individual details arrive. The narrowed passage, precarious cup, and incoming rain then feel like connected parts of the viewing rather than separate observations.
a folding table whose tilted surface leaves a water cup close to its lower edge. — Vocabulary: The precise wording explains the relationship between the table's tilt and the cup's position. It communicates the concern through visible details without claiming that the cup has already fallen.
Across the room, however, an older man in beige is in a tight spot: — Listenability: The spatial transition helps the listener relocate, while 'however' signals a change from the measuring pair to someone experiencing difficulty. The following explanation develops that difficulty in a clear sequence.
Rain is blowing onto the interior sill through the adjacent open window — Task Fulfillment: This specifies both the rain's route and where it lands, making the scene easier to reconstruct over the phone. It completes the description of the doorway and window area with a concrete environmental action.

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