CELPIP® Speaking Task 3 sample: Windy cul-de-sac before the first snow

Level 7 sample answer

142 words

So it's sunny, but it's really windy on my street, and there are some dark clouds far away. Everybody is getting ready for winter. On the left, a man in a blue shirt is standing next to a big pile of leaves. He looks proud. A little boy in yellow jacket wants to jump in the pile. Behind them, a woman in a red vest is on a ladder and she's cleaning the eavestrough. The ladder is moving, and a teenage girl is holding it, but she's looking at her phone. In the middle, a old man is chasing a cover from his rose bushes. Um, in a garage at the back, a couple is arguing about the snow blower. On the right, a young woman is carrying cushions and one is slipping. Behind her, an umbrella is moving in the wind.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 example gives a clear tour of the street and covers the main activities. Compared with the higher-level examples, it uses broader descriptions, develops fewer details within each activity, and has small grammatical slips.

• On the left, a man in a blue shirt is standing next to a big pile of leaves. — Content/Coherence: The location helps the friend follow the scene, but the description mainly lists people and objects. The higher-level examples connect the man's pride, the boy's readiness to jump, and the wind disturbing the pile.
• Behind her, an umbrella is moving in the wind. — Vocabulary: The meaning is clear, but 'moving' gives only a general impression. The level 11 example uses 'rocks' to describe the umbrella's particular movement more precisely.
• In the middle, a old man is chasing a cover from his rose bushes. — Listenability: The action is understandable, but 'a old man' creates a small grammatical stumble, and 'chasing a cover from' is awkward. The higher-level examples use 'an elderly man' and explain that the cover is flapping off the bushes.
• in a garage at the back, a couple is arguing about the snow blower. — Task Fulfillment: This identifies another winter preparation activity for the friend. However, the disagreement remains general; the level 11 example makes it visible by describing the man pulling the starter cord and the woman pointing at the manual.

Level 9 sample answer

166 words

Well, it's a classic fall Saturday here — sunny but really windy, and there's a band of dark snow clouds way off to the west, so everyone's out getting ready for winter.

On the left, a man in a blue flannel shirt is leaning on his rake next to a huge pile of leaves, looking very pleased with himself. A little boy in a yellow jacket is crouched down beside it, obviously about to jump in, and the wind's already blowing leaves off the top.

Behind them, a woman in a red vest is up a ladder clearing out the eavestrough. The ladder's wobbling, and the teenage girl holding it is glued to her phone.

In the middle, an elderly man is chasing a frost cover that's flapping off his rose bushes, and he looks fed up. In an open garage further back, a couple is bickering over a snow blower. Then on the right, a young woman's carrying way too many patio cushions, and one's slipping.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 example combines an organized street tour with precise seasonal vocabulary and a conversational voice suited to a friend. Compared with level 11, it leaves some interactions less developed and finishes before describing the umbrella.

• so everyone's out getting ready for winter. — Content/Coherence: This gives the individual activities a shared purpose, connecting the weather to the neighbourhood's preparations. The level 11 example develops that thread further through the wind's effects on the leaves, frost cover, and umbrella.
• a couple is bickering over a snow blower. — Vocabulary: 'Bickering' conveys the couple's disagreement compactly and adds personality beyond the level 7 wording. The level 11 example adds specific action language, including 'yanking the starter cord,' so the friend can picture the disagreement.
• The ladder's wobbling, and the teenage girl holding it is glued to her phone. — Listenability: The contractions and familiar expression sound conversational, while the sentence clearly pairs the unstable ladder with the distracted helper. The level 11 example uses 'yet' to make the contrast between those details more explicit.
• Then on the right, a young woman's carrying way too many patio cushions, and one's slipping. — Task Fulfillment: The location, load of cushions, and slipping cushion give the friend a useful picture of the foreground. The level 11 example completes this area by including the open umbrella rocking behind her.

Level 11 sample answer

184 words

It's a bright October Saturday, but the wind's ferocious, and there's an ominous band of dark snow clouds hugging the western horizon, so the cul-de-sac is scrambling to get ready.

In the left foreground, a man in a blue flannel shirt is leaning on his rake beside a mountainous leaf pile, proud of his handiwork, while a six-year-old boy in a yellow jacket crouches next to it, poised to leap in, as gusts peel leaves off the top.

Behind them, a woman in a red vest is up a ladder clearing an eavestrough. The ladder's wobbling, yet the teenage girl holding it is fixated on her phone.

In the centre, an elderly man in a brown jacket is chasing a frost cover that's flapping off his rose bushes, looking exasperated. Behind him, in an open garage, a couple is at odds over a snow blower: he's yanking the starter cord while she points at the manual. On the right, a young woman in purple is juggling an armful of patio cushions, one slipping from her grip, while an open patio umbrella rocks behind her.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 example creates a detailed, connected picture through precise actions, spatial organization, and relationships between simultaneous events. It covers the winter preparations thoroughly, although the long leaf-pile sentence would need careful pacing when spoken.

• poised to leap in, as gusts peel leaves off the top. — Content/Coherence: The description connects the boy's imminent jump with the wind disturbing the man's completed work. These linked actions turn the leaf pile into a developing scene rather than an isolated object.
• an ominous band of dark snow clouds hugging the western horizon — Vocabulary: 'Ominous' establishes the approaching weather's mood, while 'hugging the western horizon' locates the clouds vividly. The wording supports the sense of urgency behind the neighbourhood's winter preparations.
• he's yanking the starter cord while she points at the manual. — Listenability: The parallel actions make the couple's disagreement easy to follow. 'While' joins the contrasting approaches efficiently, and the concrete verbs communicate what each person is doing without a lengthy explanation.
• while an open patio umbrella rocks behind her. — Task Fulfillment: This completes the right-hand area and adds another visible effect of the wind. Together with the slipping cushions, it helps the overseas friend picture both the winter preparations and the difficulties happening around them.