CELPIP® Speaking Task 3 sample: Shared Rental Kitchen in Surrey

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

Your friend is on an audio call and can't see this shared kitchen. Describe the room and what its housemates are doing. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.

From the dining-room doorway, show a shared rental kitchen in Surrey on a wet November evening; rain shows through an open window. Seven housemates prepare supper in limited space. Centre foreground, Reza, a man around 30 in blue, holds a colander of cooked pasta above a sink crowded with dishes, looking frustrated. Right foreground, Xin, a woman around 30 in orange, carries a wide bowl of chopped vegetables towards a clear table corner, worried about the narrow aisle. Left foreground, a woman around 60 in purple watches a covered pot on the stove, her eyes widening as steam lifts its rattling lid. Left middle ground, an amused man aged about 40, wearing grey, extends a hand towards the stove control. Centre background, a focused woman around 20 in green pulls the dishwasher door open into the aisle. Right middle ground, an uncertain man around 70 in brown balances a leaning stack of bowls beside that door. Right background, a woman around 25 in yellow anxiously reaches for a curtain billowing from the window towards an open flour bag on the counter. 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

123 words

This is a shared rental kitchen in Surrey, and seven housemates are making supper. Rain is visible through an open window. Reza is in the centre, holding pasta in a colander above a sink full of dishes. He looks frustrated. Xin, in orange on the right, carries vegetables towards the table. There's not much room. On the left, steam lifts the lid of a pot. A woman in purple watches with wide eyes, while a man in grey reaches towards stove control. Um, at the back, a woman in green opens the dishwasher into the aisle. An older man beside it balances bowls, but the stack is leaning. Another woman in yellow reach for a curtain that's blowing towards an open flour bag.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 example gives a clear, mostly accurate tour of the kitchen and covers all the housemates. Compared with the higher-level examples, its shorter statements explain fewer connections between activities, and occasional grammar slips reduce polish.

Xin, in orange on the right, carries vegetables towards the table. There's not much room. — Content/Coherence: The location and action are clear, but the space problem feels like a separate observation. A higher-level answer connects Xin's concern directly to carrying the bowl through the narrow aisle.
a sink full of dishes — Vocabulary: This everyday phrase communicates the crowded sink effectively. The higher-level examples use more precise descriptions of the pasta, vegetables and kitchen layout while keeping the scene understandable.
Another woman in yellow reach for a curtain — Listenability: The listener can identify the person and action, but 'woman ... reach' contains a subject–verb agreement error. The higher-level examples maintain grammatical control while describing this same action.
This is a shared rental kitchen in Surrey, and seven housemates are making supper. — Task Fulfillment: The opening immediately establishes the setting, group and shared activity for the friend. A higher-level response builds on this useful overview by making the relationships between the crowded work areas clearer.

Level 9 sample answer

156 words

The picture shows seven housemates preparing supper in a shared rental kitchen in Surrey on a rainy November evening. Space is clearly at a premium. In the centre foreground, Reza, wearing blue, holds a colander of cooked pasta above a sink crowded with dishes. He looks frustrated. Xin is to his right in orange, carrying chopped vegetables towards a clear table corner and looking concerned about the narrow aisle. On the left, a woman in purple watches a covered pot with widened eyes as steam lifts its rattling lid. An amused man in grey reaches towards the stove control from behind her. Meanwhile, a young woman in green opens the dishwasher into the aisle. Beside it, an older man in brown balances a leaning stack of bowls, looking uncertain. At the back right, a woman in yellow anxiously reaches for a curtain that's billowing from the open window towards an open flour bag on the counter.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 example combines thorough coverage with precise descriptions and a clear route through the kitchen. Compared with the level 11 example, it more often presents separate observations instead of integrating actions, emotions and competing demands into connected sentences.

Meanwhile, a young woman in green opens the dishwasher into the aisle. — Content/Coherence: The transition signals simultaneous activity and locates the dishwasher clearly. The level 11 example connects the open door and the nearby man's leaning bowls within a single description, making their shared space easier to picture.
Space is clearly at a premium. — Vocabulary: This idiomatic expression neatly summarizes the cramped kitchen. The level 11 example develops that idea through competing demands and connected descriptions, giving the overview a stronger organizing role.
Beside it, an older man in brown balances a leaning stack of bowls, looking uncertain. — Listenability: The sentence introduces location, appearance, action and emotion in an easy sequence. The level 11 example varies sentence structure further while linking this man's situation to the dishwasher door.
carrying chopped vegetables towards a clear table corner and looking concerned about the narrow aisle. — Task Fulfillment: This gives the friend a specific destination and explains Xin's concern, improving on the level 7 description. The level 11 version adds the wide bowl, making the difficulty of moving through the aisle more concrete.

Level 11 sample answer

172 words

This shared rental kitchen in Surrey is a hive of activity as seven housemates prepare supper on a wet November evening. Viewed from the dining-room doorway, the room presents several competing demands. Reza, in blue at the centre front, holds a colander of cooked pasta over a sink crowded with dishes, his frustration plainly visible. To his right, Xin carries a wide bowl of chopped vegetables towards a clear table corner, looking worried about the narrow aisle. On the left, steam lifts the rattling lid of a covered pot under the wide-eyed gaze of a woman in purple. Behind her, an amused man in grey reaches towards the stove control. Although the young woman in green at the back appears focused, the dishwasher door she's opening occupies the aisle beside an uncertain older man balancing a leaning stack of bowls. At the rear right, a woman in yellow has another problem on her hands: she's anxiously reaching for a curtain that billows towards an open flour bag through the rainy, open window.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 example turns a detailed tour into a connected account of people sharing limited space. Precise vocabulary, varied sentence structures and links between actions and emotions make the busy scene vivid, although its longer sentences require careful pacing.

Viewed from the dining-room doorway, the room presents several competing demands. — Content/Coherence: The viewpoint gives the description a spatial anchor, while 'competing demands' organizes the cooking, washing and movement problems that follow. This creates a stronger thread than a sequence of individual observations.
a hive of activity as seven housemates prepare supper — Vocabulary: The familiar expression conveys the kitchen's bustle immediately and connects it to the shared meal preparation. Its effect is supported by concrete descriptions of crowded dishes, a rattling lid and leaning bowls.
holds a colander of cooked pasta over a sink crowded with dishes, his frustration plainly visible. — Listenability: The sentence moves smoothly from Reza's action to the crowded sink and then his emotion. This combines details that the lower-level examples more often deliver as separate statements.
Xin carries a wide bowl of chopped vegetables towards a clear table corner, looking worried about the narrow aisle. — Task Fulfillment: The description combines the object, destination, space constraint and visible concern. These connected details help the friend imagine both what Xin is doing and why moving through this kitchen is difficult.

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.

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