CELPIP® Speaking Task 3 sample: Garden centre checkout aisle
Describing a Scene · Preparation: 30 seconds · Response: 60 seconds · Published
Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.
Practice question
A friend is on an audio call and can't view the garden centre picture. Describe the setting, people and activity so your friend can picture the scene. Take 30 seconds to prepare and speak for 60 seconds.
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 covered garden centre in Abbotsford on a rainy afternoon. At front, a woman in purple is holding another herb pot over her shopping basket. Her basket look full, and she seems unsure about adding it. In the middle, a man in green pushes a cart with a tall flowering plant. One branch is touching a hanging watering can. On the right, an older woman is giving coins to a cashier, who looks patient. Um, there's a girl reaching for a tray on the left because it's tilting off a bench. A boy is watering a pot farther back. Also, an older man holds a curtain that's blowing towards some plants, while a woman waits behind the cart.
Why this answer is at level 7
This level 7 teaching example covers the setting and main activities in a clear spatial order. Compared with the higher-level answers, its simpler descriptions, occasional awkward grammar and loosely connected final details make the scene less vivid and cohesive.
In the middle, a man in green pushes a cart with a tall flowering plant.
— Content/Coherence: This gives the listener a clear central landmark. A higher-level answer would connect the cart, the brushing branch and the waiting woman to explain how these activities fit together in the narrow aisle.One branch is touching a hanging watering can.
— Vocabulary: The objects and their relationship are clear, but “touching” describes the contact broadly. A higher-level answer uses a more precise movement verb to capture the branch lightly brushing the can.Her basket look full, and she seems unsure about adding it.
— Listenability: The listener can understand both the full basket and the woman's hesitation. However, the verb agreement error interrupts otherwise straightforward phrasing; a higher-level answer would express this relationship more smoothly.Also, an older man holds a curtain that's blowing towards some plants, while a woman waits behind the cart.
— Task Fulfillment: This includes the remaining people and their actions, helping the friend picture the whole scene. Higher-level descriptions distinguish them more clearly through the man's concern, the curtain's appearance and the waiting woman's seedlings.
Level 9 sample answer
148 words
The scene is a busy garden centre in Abbotsford, with a covered shopping area and April rain visible outside. On the left, Amina, wearing purple, looks undecided as she holds an extra herb pot above a basket that's already full. Tyler, the young man in green at the centre, is carefully pushing a cart carrying a tall flowering plant. It's a bit of a squeeze: one branch brushes a hanging watering can, and a woman in teal waits impatiently behind him with seedlings. At the checkout on the right, an older woman in yellow offers some coins while the blue-clad cashier patiently counts them. Elsewhere, a girl in red is reaching anxiously for a tray tilting over a bench edge. In the background, a cheerful boy waters a pot, while an older man in grey grips a curtain that's blowing towards some small pots near the open side.
Why this answer is at level 9
This level 9 teaching example combines clear scene coverage with precise actions, emotional cues and connected descriptions. Compared with the level 11 answer, some spatial transitions remain broad, and a few objects receive less visual detail.
It's a bit of a squeeze: one branch brushes a hanging watering can, and a woman in teal waits impatiently behind him with seedlings.
— Content/Coherence: The description connects the branch, cart and waiting shopper into a coherent picture of congestion. The higher-level answer makes the physical layout more explicit by identifying the narrow aisle and distinguishing this blockage from the checkout activity.looks undecided as she holds an extra herb pot above a basket that's already full.
— Vocabulary: “Undecided,” “extra” and “already full” explain the woman's hesitation economically. The higher-level answer adds a sharper visual impression of the pot's position, helping the listener imagine the paused action.Elsewhere, a girl in red is reaching anxiously for a tray tilting over a bench edge.
— Listenability: The sentence is easy to follow and combines the girl's emotion with her action. However, “Elsewhere” gives the listener a broad transition; the higher-level answer anchors this shift on the left, making the spoken tour easier to track.an older man in grey grips a curtain that's blowing towards some small pots near the open side.
— Task Fulfillment: This gives useful background detail and links the curtain's movement to the nearby pots. The higher-level answer supplies the curtain's translucent appearance and the man's concerned expression, creating a fuller picture for the friend.
Level 11 sample answer
158 words
You're looking diagonally through a covered garden centre in Abbotsford, where April drizzle is visible beyond the open side. In the left foreground, Amina, a woman in purple, hesitates with an additional herb pot suspended above her already full basket. At the centre, Tyler, in green, carefully manoeuvres a cart carrying a tall flowering plant. A branch brushes a hanging watering can, and the narrow aisle leaves an impatient woman in teal waiting behind him with a flat of seedlings. The checkout presents another bottleneck: an older woman in yellow offers a handful of coins while the male cashier in blue patiently counts them. On the left, a worried teenage girl in red reaches towards an empty tray that's tipping beyond the bench edge. Farther back, a boy in orange cheerfully waters a pot. Near the opening, an older man in grey grips a billowing translucent curtain, looking concerned as it moves towards a cluster of small pots.
Why this answer is at level 11
This level 11 teaching example builds a detailed mental picture through precise spatial framing, economical vocabulary and connected activity. Its varied sentence structure supports a clear tour from the foreground to the background while preserving the scene's smaller visual tensions.
You're looking diagonally through a covered garden centre in Abbotsford, where April drizzle is visible beyond the open side.
— Task Fulfillment: The opening immediately establishes the viewing angle, location, shelter and weather. This gives the friend a strong frame for imagining where the people and activities belong.hesitates with an additional herb pot suspended above her already full basket.
— Vocabulary: “Hesitates” captures the woman's uncertainty, while “suspended above” precisely describes the pot's position. The wording conveys both her visible pose and the reason for her indecision without a separate explanation.The checkout presents another bottleneck: an older woman in yellow offers a handful of coins
— Content/Coherence: “Another bottleneck” connects the checkout to the earlier congestion around Tyler's cart. This gives the description an organizing thread while introducing a different foreground activity.Farther back, a boy in orange cheerfully waters a pot.
— Listenability: This short sentence provides a clear spatial transition after the more detailed foreground descriptions. Its simple structure gives the written script a useful change of pace while keeping the boy's appearance, mood and action easy to follow.
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
- Clothing store returns counter
- Winter craft market purchases
- Birthday Picnic at a Park Shelter
- Apartment Courtyard on Moving Day
- Family Portrait in a Townhouse Hall
- Babysitting in a Basement Playroom
All speaking Task 3 sample questions · Read the Task 3 guide