CELPIP® Speaking Task 3 sample: Lakeside beach during a summer heat wave

Level 7 sample answer

142 words

Okay, so I'm at the beach and it's very, very hot today. On the left side, there is a old man in a yellow T-shirt. He is trying to fix his beach umbrella, but the wind is moving it and he looks upset. Near him, an old woman in a pink hat is sitting on a chair and fanning herself. She looks really tired. In the middle, a boy in red shorts is running to the water, and he left his chips on the towel. Um, a seagull is walking to the chips. A little girl in purple is making sandcastle, and a teenage boy in white is running backward to catch a flying disc. On the right, a couple is arguing beside a cooler. Behind them, a lifeguard in red is standing on her chair and looking at some dark clouds.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives a clear tour of the main beach activities using straightforward language. Compared with the higher-level samples, its descriptions are more repetitive, its grammar is less controlled, and it leaves out details that connect the action and establish the atmosphere.

• On the right, a couple is arguing beside a cooler. — Content/Coherence: The location marker helps the friend follow the tour across the beach. However, this remains a simple report of an isolated action. The higher-level samples connect the argument with the man's empty water bottle, creating a fuller picture.
• it's very, very hot today. — Vocabulary: The meaning is clear, but repeating a basic adjective adds little descriptive precision. The higher-level samples use stronger heat vocabulary and connect the weather with the crowded beach and people's discomfort.
• A little girl in purple is making sandcastle — Listenability: The short clause is easy to follow, but the missing article before sandcastle interrupts its grammatical smoothness. Higher-level phrasing also identifies her swimsuit and describes her proud patting, making the sentence more natural and informative.
• Behind them, a lifeguard in red is standing on her chair and looking at some dark clouds. — Task Fulfillment: This identifies the lifeguard and clouds, but gives limited detail about her concern. The higher-level samples describe her frown, and the top sample includes her whistle. This answer also leaves out the swimmers and the calm lake beneath the hazy sun.

Level 9 sample answer

171 words

You picked a scorching day to ask — the beach is packed and everyone's melting. The sun's hazy, the lake's flat and calm, but dark clouds are piling up on the horizon.

On the left, there's a man in his sixties in a yellow T-shirt wrestling with a beach umbrella. The wind keeps tilting it, and he looks fed up. Nearby, an older woman in a pink sun hat is fanning herself in a folding chair; she looks worn out.

In the middle, a boy in red swim trunks is dashing toward the water, leaving an open bag of chips on his towel, and a seagull's creeping up to it. A little girl in a purple swimsuit is proudly patting her sandcastle, while a teenage boy in a white tank top runs backward toward it, trying to catch a flying disc.

On the right, a couple's arguing beside their cooler, and the man's holding up an empty water bottle. Behind them, the lifeguard on her tall chair is frowning at those clouds.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer combines a clear spatial structure with vivid actions and a conversational voice suited to the phone call. Compared with the top sample, it captures fewer scene details and sometimes uses longer wording where a precise verb could describe the movement more efficiently.

• The sun's hazy, the lake's flat and calm, but dark clouds are piling up on the horizon. — Content/Coherence: This establishes the whole setting before moving through individual beachgoers. The contrast between calm water and gathering clouds gives the description a connected atmosphere. The top sample integrates this overview more tightly with its opening description of the heat and crowd.
• there's a man in his sixties in a yellow T-shirt wrestling with a beach umbrella. — Vocabulary: Wrestling vividly conveys the man's struggle, while his age and clothing help the friend locate him. This is more expressive than the simpler sample's description. The top sample sustains similarly precise language across more actions, particularly the teenager's backward movement.
• You picked a scorching day to ask — the beach is packed and everyone's melting. — Listenability: The direct address, contractions and playful exaggeration sound natural in a call to a friend. The opening quickly communicates both heat and crowding. The top sample achieves similar immediacy while fitting additional weather detail into its opening sentence.
• Behind them, the lifeguard on her tall chair is frowning at those clouds. — Task Fulfillment: The chair height and frown make the lifeguard's position and concern clear. However, this ending leaves out her whistle and the girls splashing in the lake. The top sample includes both, extending the description beyond the foreground activities.

Level 11 sample answer

188 words

The heat today is brutal: the beach is jammed, the sun's hazy and the lake's as flat as glass, though a bank of dark clouds is building on the horizon.

In the left foreground, a man in his sixties in a yellow T-shirt is battling a beach umbrella that the wind keeps tilting, and he's visibly losing patience. Nearby, in the shade, an elderly woman in a pink sun hat is fanning herself in a folding chair, looking utterly drained.

Dead centre, a boy in red swim trunks is sprinting for the water, having abandoned an open bag of chips on his towel, which a seagull is creeping toward. A little girl in a purple swimsuit is patting a sandcastle she's clearly proud of, while a teenage boy in a white tank top backpedals toward it, arms up for a flying disc.

On the right, a couple is bickering beside a cooler, the man brandishing an empty water bottle. Behind them, the lifeguard is frowning at those clouds with her whistle at her lips, and out in the lake, two teenage girls in blue are splashing each other.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines broad scene coverage, precise action verbs and clear spatial guidance. It connects nearby activities, captures expressions and gestures, and gives the friend a detailed picture of both the busy beach and the changing weather.

• while a teenage boy in a white tank top backpedals toward it, arms up for a flying disc. — Content/Coherence: The linking word connects the teenager's movement to the girl's sandcastle, making their spatial relationship clear. His direction and raised arms create a coherent piece of action rather than another disconnected item in a list.
• the lake's as flat as glass, though a bank of dark clouds is building on the horizon. — Vocabulary: The glass comparison gives the friend a vivid image of the calm water, while a bank of clouds describes the gathering weather precisely. The vocabulary adds visual information and reinforces the contrast within the scene.
• On the right, a couple is bickering beside a cooler, the man brandishing an empty water bottle. — Listenability: The location marker guides the listener, and the attached clause adds the man's gesture without restarting the description. The sentence groups related details efficiently, although its information density calls for clear pauses during delivery.
• and out in the lake, two teenage girls in blue are splashing each other. — Task Fulfillment: This extends the tour into the water and includes swimmers omitted from the other samples. Together with the lifeguard's whistle and the foreground gestures, it gives the friend a fuller account of the beach within the response.