CELPIP® Speaking Task 3 sample: Shared Rental Yard Fence Repairs
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 who cannot see this picture asks what is happening in the shared rental yard. Describe the scene clearly, including people's actions and locations. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.
Model answers
These are transcripts of a model response, provided for comparison with your own recording.
Level 7 sample answer
119 words
This is the shared yard of a rental fourplex in Lethbridge. It's a windy May afternoon, and seven people are working around a fence. Étienne, in blue, holds a loose blue panel upright in the centre. He looks worried. Gabriela is behind him in red, working at a hinge with a screwdriver. On the left, a woman steadies an empty ladder, but one foot isn't touching the paving. A young man holds a plank above two trestles farther back. Um, on the right, a woman tries to catch paper curling beside a paint can. A boy chases a ball towards a paint tray. Behind him, a girl take a white sheet off the clothesline. It's flapping towards wet fence.
Why this answer is at level 7
This level 7 teaching answer gives a clear overview and covers everyone through a simple tour of the yard. Compared with the higher-level answers, its descriptions are less precise, its sentences are more repetitive, and some grammar errors interrupt the flow.
A young man holds a plank above two trestles farther back.
— Content/Coherence: The location phrase helps the listener place the young man behind the foreground activity. A higher-level answer connects this detail more clearly to the left side and explains that he is preparing to lower the plank.Étienne, in blue, holds a loose blue panel upright in the centre.
— Vocabulary: The clothing colour, object and position are easy to understand, but “holds” is fairly general. The higher-level answers use “grips” or “gripping” and “freshly painted” to convey his effort and the panel's condition more precisely.Behind him, a girl take a white sheet off the clothesline.
— Listenability: The action remains understandable, but “a girl take” breaks subject–verb agreement and disrupts an otherwise straightforward sentence. A higher-level answer uses an accurate verb form and a more specific action, such as unclipping the sheet.A boy chases a ball towards a paint tray.
— Task Fulfillment: This identifies the boy's action and the ball's destination, contributing relevant scene detail. A higher-level answer also places him on the right near the other activity and uses his orange clothing to help the friend identify him.
Level 9 sample answer
160 words
This picture shows a shared rental yard in Lethbridge, where seven people are doing fence work on a gusty May afternoon. In the centre foreground, Étienne grips a loose, freshly painted blue panel upright and looks worried. Gabriela, wearing red just behind him, concentrates on its hinge with a screwdriver. On the left, a woman in green steadies an empty stepladder, frowning as one foot lifts off the uneven paving. Farther back, a tense young man in black holds a long plank horizontally above two empty trestles, ready to lower it. Over on the right, a woman in yellow leans across a picnic table, anxiously trying to catch curling protective paper beside an open paint can. Nearby, a boy in orange chases a ball rolling towards a paint tray. At the back right, a girl in purple hurriedly unclips a white sheet from a clothesline as it flaps towards the wet fence. The wind is keeping everyone on their toes.
Why this answer is at level 9
This level 9 teaching answer provides a detailed, well-organized tour with precise actions, clothing and locations. Compared with level 11, it relies more on a repeated person-by-person structure and does less to group the activities into a connected account.
On the left, a woman in green steadies an empty stepladder
— Content/Coherence: The direction and clothing establish a clear visual reference before the action is described. The level 11 answer develops this organization further by grouping the ladder and plank activities within a shared description of the left side.holds a long plank horizontally above two empty trestles, ready to lower it.
— Vocabulary: “Horizontally,” “trestles” and “ready to lower it” describe the equipment and action precisely. This is substantially richer than the level 7 description; further improvement comes from integrating such details smoothly rather than adding more descriptive words.anxiously trying to catch curling protective paper beside an open paint can.
— Listenability: The wording is grammatical and vivid, but several details are packed into a single phrase. A higher-level delivery would use clear phrasing and emphasis so the listener can distinguish the woman's action, the moving paper and the paint can.At the back right, a girl in purple hurriedly unclips a white sheet
— Task Fulfillment: This directly serves the friend's needs by combining location, appearance and a specific action. The answer covers the scene thoroughly; the level 11 answer adds stronger overall framing that connects these separate activities to the difficult weather.
Level 11 sample answer
174 words
Fence repairs are under way in this shared rental fourplex yard in Lethbridge, but a gusty May afternoon is complicating the work. From the back doorway, you can see Étienne in the centre foreground, wearing blue and gripping a loose, freshly painted blue panel upright with a worried expression. Behind him, Gabriela, in red, concentrates on a hinge at its post, screwdriver in hand. The left side presents two contrasting preparations: a frowning woman in green steadies an empty stepladder with one foot lifting off uneven paving, while farther back a tense young man in black holds a long plank horizontally above two empty trestles. Across the yard, a woman in yellow has her hands full trying to catch blank protective paper curling beside an open paint can on the picnic table. Nearby, a concerned boy in orange chases a ball rolling towards an open paint tray. Behind him, a girl in purple hurriedly unclips a white sheet that's flapping towards the wet fence. The weather is clearly throwing a wrench into their efforts.
Why this answer is at level 11
This level 11 teaching answer combines detailed spatial description with a clear account of how the wind complicates the repairs. Precise vocabulary, varied sentence structures and purposeful grouping make the scene cohesive, although the dense wording needs controlled pacing within the speaking time.
but a gusty May afternoon is complicating the work.
— Content/Coherence: This opening establishes the central difficulty that connects the later details. The curling paper and flapping sheet then contribute to a coherent account of the weather's effect on the yard work.The left side presents two contrasting preparations:
— Content/Coherence: This groups the ladder and plank activities before describing them individually. Compared with the more sequential level 9 tour, it gives the listener a stronger sense of how the people occupy the same area.gripping a loose, freshly painted blue panel upright with a worried expression.
— Vocabulary: “Gripping” conveys effort, while the remaining details identify the panel's condition, colour and position alongside Étienne's expression. The vocabulary builds a precise image of this particular repair scene.Behind him, Gabriela, in red, concentrates on a hinge at its post, screwdriver in hand.
— Listenability: The sentence moves from location to person to action, then finishes with the tool. Its compact final phrase varies the rhythm while keeping the information understandable, provided the speaker pauses clearly around the descriptive phrases.a girl in purple hurriedly unclips a white sheet that's flapping towards the wet fence.
— Task Fulfillment: This combines an identifying detail, a precise action and the sheet's movement towards the wet fence. Together with the preceding location phrase, it helps the friend picture both where the girl is and why she is acting hurriedly.
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
- Lakeside beach during a summer heat wave
- Sandbag station during spring flooding
- Windy cul-de-sac before the first snow
- Community garden on harvest day
- Pancake breakfast fundraiser in a community hall
- Charity car wash in a parking lot
All speaking Task 3 sample questions · Read the Task 3 guide