CELPIP® Speaking Task 3 sample: Park tree-planting day on a windy morning

Level 7 sample answer

144 words

Astrid, this picture shows a park next to a river in fall. Volunteers are planting trees, and it's windy, so leaves are flying around. On the left, an older woman in a purple fleece is planting a small tree and she looks proud. Behind her, a man in a olive-green jacket is pulling a big garbage bag, but it's starting to rip at the bottom. In the centre, a teenage boy in red jacket is leaning on a shovel and looking at his phone. He looks bored. Next to him, two little girls in blue raincoats are showing pinecones to each other. In the back, a woman in an orange vest with a clipboard is counting small trees, and she look stressed. On the right, um, an old man is giving out coffee, and some geese are walking to a box of granola bars.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 example gives Astrid an organized overview and covers the main groups of people. Compared with the stronger examples, its simpler descriptions, occasional grammar slips, and missing wind-related details make the scene less precise and vivid.

• Volunteers are planting trees, and it's windy, so leaves are flying around. — Content/Coherence: This clearly connects the volunteer activity with the weather. A higher-level answer develops that connection across the scene by describing the blowing mulch and unstable cups.
• an older woman in a purple fleece is planting a small tree — Vocabulary: The familiar words communicate the basic action clearly. A higher-level answer uses more precise language to distinguish the sapling from its stake and describe the woman kneeling and pressing soil around it.
• In the back, a woman in an orange vest with a clipboard is counting small trees, and she look stressed. — Listenability: The location marker helps Astrid follow the description, but the agreement error in the final clause interrupts otherwise straightforward phrasing. A higher-level answer maintains grammatical control while combining the woman's action and expression more smoothly.
• an old man is giving out coffee, and some geese are walking to a box of granola bars. — Task Fulfillment: This identifies the main activity and the geese's destination, helping Astrid picture the right side. A higher-level answer also includes the precarious cups and open snack box, making the small unfolding problems clearer.

Level 9 sample answer

174 words

Astrid, this is a volunteer tree-planting day in a Kamloops park along the river, on a cool, gusty fall morning with leaves swirling.

On the left, a woman in her sixties in a purple fleece is kneeling and patting soil around a sapling. She looks proud, although the stake next to it is leaning. Behind her, a man in an olive-green jacket is dragging a bulging garbage bag that's tearing at the bottom, and he hasn't noticed.

In the centre, a teenage boy in a red rain jacket is leaning on his shovel scrolling on his phone, bored stiff, while his pile of mulch blows away. Beside him, two girls in matching blue raincoats are excitedly comparing pinecones.

Further back, a woman in an orange vest with a clipboard is counting saplings on a trailer, looking stressed. On the right, a smiling older man in a flat cap is handing out coffee beside a stack of cups that's about to blow over, while three Canada geese waddle toward an open box of granola bars.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 example combines a clear spatial sequence with detailed actions, expressions, and wind-related problems. Compared with the strongest example, some phrasing is more crowded, and a few descriptions could communicate posture and instability more precisely.

• Astrid, this is a volunteer tree-planting day in a Kamloops park along the river, on a cool, gusty fall morning with leaves swirling. — Content/Coherence: The opening efficiently establishes the activity, location, and atmosphere before moving through the people. The strongest example adds more explicit foreground references, helping Astrid place nearby subjects within the wider scene.
• bored stiff, while his pile of mulch blows away. — Vocabulary: The idiom conveys the teenager's mood vividly, while the blowing mulch creates an engaging contrast with his inactivity. The strongest example extends this expressive precision through more varied descriptions of posture, movement, and instability.
• a teenage boy in a red rain jacket is leaning on his shovel scrolling on his phone — Listenability: The clothing and actions identify the boy clearly, but the adjacent action phrases feel slightly crowded. A higher-level answer separates his posture from his phone use more cleanly, making the sentence easier to follow aloud.
• She looks proud, although the stake next to it is leaning. — Task Fulfillment: This captures both the woman's pride and the visible problem beside her tree. The strongest example clarifies the stake's supporting role and emphasizes how badly it leans, giving Astrid a sharper picture.

Level 11 sample answer

189 words

Astrid, imagine a Kamloops park by the river on a blustery October morning, during a volunteer tree-planting day, with yellow leaves swirling.

In the left foreground, a woman in her sixties, in a purple fleece, is kneeling, patting the soil around a new sapling with obvious pride, though its supporting stake is leaning at an alarming angle. Behind her, a man in an olive-green jacket is hauling a bulging garbage bag that's begun to split at the bottom, blissfully unaware.

Dead centre, a teenage boy in a red rain jacket is propped on his shovel, scrolling through his phone, looking thoroughly bored, while his mulch pile is being scattered by the wind. Next to him, two girls of about eight in matching blue raincoats are excitedly showing off their pinecones.

In the background, a stressed-looking coordinator in an orange vest is counting saplings on a trailer, clipboard in hand. On the right, a cheerful elderly man in a tan flat cap is handing out coffee beside a teetering stack of paper cups, while in the foreground three Canada geese make a beeline for an open box of granola bars.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 example creates a detailed, coherent mental picture through precise spatial references, varied vocabulary, and smoothly integrated actions and expressions. Its strength lies in showing how the people, wind, and small mishaps interact, although the dense script requires brisk delivery within the response time.

• In the left foreground, a woman in her sixties, in a purple fleece, — Content/Coherence: The precise foreground reference establishes depth as well as direction. Together with the later background and foreground markers, it helps Astrid build a structured mental picture of the park.
• hauling a bulging garbage bag that's begun to split at the bottom, blissfully unaware. — Vocabulary: The verb conveys effort, the adjective suggests the bag's heavy load, and the final phrase captures the man's lack of awareness. These choices convey several aspects of the same small incident economically.
• In the background, a stressed-looking coordinator in an orange vest is counting saplings on a trailer, clipboard in hand. — Listenability: The sentence has a clear main action, with the clipboard detail added compactly at the end. This structure supports natural spoken grouping, though the overall density of the answer leaves limited room for pauses.
• a cheerful elderly man in a tan flat cap is handing out coffee beside a teetering stack of paper cups — Task Fulfillment: This combines the man's appearance, mood, activity, and the nearby wind-related problem. Astrid receives a concrete picture of both the welcoming volunteer atmosphere and the practical disorder around the coffee table.