CELPIP® Speaking Task 3 sample: Pancake breakfast fundraiser in a community hall

Level 7 sample answer

137 words

Tevita, this picture is from a pancake breakfast in a community hall. It's winter, and a coat rack by the right door is full of heavy jackets. On the left, a man with a beard and a navy apron is cooking pancakes, and some are burning, so there is smoke. He looks stressed. A teenage boy in grey hoodie is carrying a big stack of plates. In the middle, a smiling woman in a teal sweater is taking money. Near her, a dad in a green parka is holding a little girl in pink, and she try to grab the syrup. At the back, two older people are arguing about a banner. On the right, um, a young woman is pushing a coffee cart through the door, and a girl in red hat is chasing a balloon.

Why this answer is at level 7

This illustrates level 7 through clear organization and understandable coverage of the main activities. Compared with the higher-level answers, it uses broader descriptions, leaves out some meaningful details, and has grammar slips that interrupt otherwise clear phrasing.

• At the back, two older people are arguing about a banner. — Content/Coherence: The location phrase helps the listener follow the scene, but the description groups the people together loosely. The higher-level answers explain that each person holds one end and that their disagreement concerns where to hang it.
• a smiling woman in a teal sweater is taking money. — Vocabulary: The clothing and expression identify the woman clearly, but “taking money” describes her role broadly. The higher-level answers use “collecting donations” or “taking donations” to connect her action directly to the fundraiser.
• and she try to grab the syrup. — Listenability: The meaning remains understandable, but “she try” interrupts the grammatical flow. The higher-level answers use a smoother relative clause and describe the toddler reaching toward the bottle more precisely.
• a girl in red hat is chasing a balloon. — Task Fulfillment: This covers the girl's main action but leaves out her expression and the balloon's movement toward the ceiling fan. The higher-level answers include those details, giving Tevita a fuller picture of what is happening.

Level 9 sample answer

168 words

Tevita, this is a pancake breakfast fundraiser in a Yellowknife community hall, and the coat rack by the right-hand door is leaning under heavy parkas.

On the left, a bearded man in a navy apron is flipping pancakes, but one batch is smoking, so he's clearly feeling the heat. Beside him, a teenage boy in a grey hoodie grins as he carries a tall, tilting stack of plates.

In the centre, a woman in a teal sweater is cheerfully collecting donations. In line, a distracted dad in a green parka is holding a toddler girl in a pink snowsuit, who's reaching for an open syrup bottle.

At the back, an elderly woman and an older man are each holding one end of a banner and arguing over where to hang it. On the right, a young woman in white is rushing in with a cart of coffee urns, letting snow blow in, while a frowning girl in a red toque chases a balloon drifting toward the ceiling fan.

Why this answer is at level 9

This illustrates level 9 through fuller scene coverage, precise action words, and clear movement between locations. Compared with level 7, it makes relationships easier to picture; the level 11 version adds sharper positioning and more compact, expressive descriptions.

• In line, a distracted dad in a green parka is holding a toddler girl in a pink snowsuit — Content/Coherence: The description connects the father and child to the queue and identifies both clearly. The level 11 answer places them at the head of the line, making their position relative to the donations table more exact.
• a teenage boy in a grey hoodie grins as he carries a tall, tilting stack of plates. — Vocabulary: “Grins” and “tall, tilting” communicate expression and instability efficiently. The level 11 answer adds “precarious” and cautiously interprets the grin, making the contrast between the boy's mood and the unstable plates more vivid.
• but one batch is smoking, so he's clearly feeling the heat. — Listenability: The connected clauses make the cooking problem and the man's reaction easy to follow. The level 11 version expresses the same relationship more compactly through “flustered as,” reducing the chain of clauses.
• a young woman in white is rushing in with a cart of coffee urns, letting snow blow in — Task Fulfillment: This includes the woman's movement, the cart's contents, and the snow entering with her, extending the coverage beyond level 7. The level 11 version further develops the moving scene with snow swirling behind her.

Level 11 sample answer

181 words

Tevita, imagine a Yellowknife community hall on a frosty February morning, packed for a pancake breakfast fundraiser. By the right-hand door, a coat rack is sagging under parkas.

In the left foreground, a bearded man in a navy apron is manning the griddle, flustered as one batch starts smoking. Next to him, a teenage boy in a grey hoodie is carrying a precarious stack of plates, grinning as though he hasn't noticed it tilting.

Front and centre, a woman in teal is cheerfully taking donations. At the head of the line, a distracted dad in a green parka holds a toddler in a pink snowsuit, who's straining toward an open syrup bottle on the table's edge.

Behind them, an elderly woman in lavender and an older man in a brown vest are bickering over where to hang a banner, each clutching one end. On the right, a young woman in white is wheeling a cart of coffee urns through that door, snow swirling in behind her, while a scowling girl in a red toque chases a balloon toward the ceiling fan.

Why this answer is at level 11

This illustrates level 11 through detailed spatial organization, precise vocabulary, and expressive descriptions that connect actions, emotions, and nearby objects. It gives Tevita a vivid account of the fundraiser while keeping the focus on the pictured activity.

• At the head of the line, a distracted dad in a green parka holds a toddler in a pink snowsuit — Content/Coherence: The precise location anchors the father and toddler within the scene. Their placement follows the donations table description naturally, helping the listener understand how the people and activities fit together.
• is carrying a precarious stack of plates — Vocabulary: “Precarious” captures the stack's instability economically. Together with the surrounding description of the boy grinning and the plates tilting, it gives a more expressive picture than simply calling the stack big.
• flustered as one batch starts smoking. — Listenability: This compact phrase links the cook's emotional state directly to the smoking pancakes. It communicates the relationship smoothly without needing a separate sentence explaining that he looks stressed.
• who's straining toward an open syrup bottle on the table's edge. — Task Fulfillment: This captures the toddler's effort, the open bottle, and its position at the edge. Those connected details help Tevita picture the immediate situation while the answer stays focused on describing the scene.