CELPIP® Speaking Task 4 sample: Apartment Lobby Key Handover

Making Predictions · Preparation: 30 seconds · Response: 60 seconds · Published 23 October 2026

Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.

Practice question

Describe what will most probably happen next in this apartment lobby. Explain how the visible actions and objects support your ideas. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.

View diagonally across a Winnipeg apartment lobby during a replacement-key handout on a snowy February afternoon. Seven residents occupy the entrance area. Centre foreground, Dalia, a woman around 40 in purple, concentrates behind a small table, holding a key ring above an open box of blank envelopes. Loose blank envelopes near the table's edge lift in a gust from the open front door. Left foreground, an impatient man around 30 in navy waits with one palm extended towards Dalia. Left background, Freya, a woman around 60 in teal, pushes the front door inward with her shoulder while balancing two parcels; the upper parcel slips sideways, and her smile looks strained. Centre background, a focused man around 20 in red pushes an empty luggage cart towards the entrance along a clear route. Right foreground, a distracted girl around seven in yellow crouches beside a mitten on the floor. Right middle ground, an alert man around 50 in brown holds a slack leash attached to a small dog staring at the mitten. Right background, a woman around 70 in grey sits on a bench, struggling to remove a boot. No writing, logos, brands, signs or landmarks.

Model answers

These are transcripts of a model response, provided for comparison with your own recording.

Level 7 sample answer

121 words

Freya will probably need help because her top parcel is slipping while she holds the door with her shoulder. The man with the luggage cart may stop and offer to carry the parcels on it. That would let her move away from the door. Dalia will probably put the key ring down and catch the envelopes because they're lifting near the edge. The waiting man might have to wait longer. Um, the dog is staring at the mitten, so it may move towards it. The man will probably shorten the leash before the dog reach the girl. She might pick up the mitten quickly. At the back, the older woman will probably keep working on her boot while sitting in bench.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer makes relevant predictions and usually supports them with visible evidence. Compared with the higher answers, it connects fewer events across the lobby, repeats some basic vocabulary, and contains grammar errors that interrupt otherwise clear meaning.

That would let her move away from the door. — Content/Coherence: This explains a useful consequence of helping Freya. The higher answers extend that chain: moving away lets the door close, which reduces the gust disturbing Dalia's envelopes.
The waiting man might have to wait longer. — Vocabulary: The meaning is clear, but repeating 'waiting' and 'wait' makes the wording basic. The level 9 answer describes the effect on his patience, while level 11 incorporates his extended palm into the explanation.
The man will probably shorten the leash before the dog reach the girl. — Listenability: The prediction is understandable, but 'the dog reach' creates a grammatical stumble. The higher answers use accurate verb forms and connect the man's response more directly to the dog's interest in the mitten.
Freya will probably need help because her top parcel is slipping while she holds the door with her shoulder. — Task Fulfillment: This directly links a likely development to visible evidence, fulfilling the prediction task. The higher answers make the proposed help more concrete by explaining how Freya could transfer her parcels onto the approaching cart.

Level 9 sample answer

157 words

I expect the man with the empty luggage cart to help Freya first. She's balancing two parcels while pushing the door with her shoulder, and the upper parcel is already slipping sideways. Since his route is clear, he can probably bring the cart close enough for her to transfer the parcels. Once she's through, the front door can close, which should reduce the gust affecting Dalia's table. In the meantime, Dalia may briefly pause the key handover to gather the loose envelopes before they blow off the edge. That could test the waiting man's patience, although the interruption should be short. On the right, the small dog may step towards the mitten because it's staring directly at it and its leash is slack. The man holding the leash looks alert, so he'll likely shorten it while the girl picks up the mitten. The older woman will probably remain seated until she has managed to remove her boot.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer develops clear cause-and-effect relationships, uses more precise language than level 7, and supports its predictions consistently. Level 11 strengthens the response through clearer prioritization, more specific use of objects, and a closing idea that connects the residents' actions.

Once she's through, the front door can close, which should reduce the gust affecting Dalia's table. — Content/Coherence: This connects Freya's entrance with the disturbance at Dalia's table, developing the scene beyond separate predictions. Level 11 adds a clearer priority by identifying the slipping parcel as the most urgent issue.
That could test the waiting man's patience, although the interruption should be short. — Vocabulary: The expression about testing his patience conveys the resident's likely reaction more precisely than simply saying he will wait longer. Level 11 adds specificity by linking the delay to his extended palm.
On the right, the small dog may step towards the mitten — Listenability: The location cue helps listeners follow the shift from the table to the dog. Level 11 also guides listeners through the timing of events, explicitly placing Dalia's response before the doorway problem is resolved.
Dalia may briefly pause the key handover to gather the loose envelopes before they blow off the edge. — Task Fulfillment: This gives a plausible next action supported by the lifting envelopes and their position near the edge. Level 11 makes the action more concrete by including the key ring she must put down and the open box she can use.

Level 11 sample answer

172 words

The slipping parcel makes Freya's entrance the most urgent issue. Since the young man is approaching with an empty luggage cart along a clear route, he'll probably bring it over and offer its use. If she transfers both parcels onto it, she'll be able to move away from the doorway and allow the door to close. That should also settle the loose envelopes lifting in the gust. Before that happens, though, Dalia may need to put down the key ring and gather those envelopes into the open box, briefly delaying the impatient resident with his palm extended. On the right, I wouldn't be surprised if the dog takes a step towards the mitten: its attention is fixed there, and the slack leash allows some movement. The alert man will probably shorten the leash while the girl retrieves the mitten. Meanwhile, the woman on the bench is likely to stay seated and continue removing her boot. These small acts of cooperation should keep the handover moving without leaving Freya struggling at the entrance.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer organizes the scene around an urgent problem, then connects likely actions and consequences across the lobby. Its precise vocabulary, controlled uncertainty, and practical use of visible objects create a detailed, cohesive prediction.

The slipping parcel makes Freya's entrance the most urgent issue. — Content/Coherence: The opening establishes a clear priority and explains it immediately. This gives the response a stronger organizing idea than simply moving through the residents in turn.
its attention is fixed there, and the slack leash allows some movement. — Vocabulary: The wording precisely distinguishes the dog's focus from its opportunity to move. Both details support the prediction without claiming that the dog will definitely grab the mitten.
Before that happens, though, Dalia may need to put down the key ring — Listenability: The timing cue makes the return to Dalia easy to follow and clarifies that she may act before the door closes. The concrete action also helps listeners picture the sequence.
gather those envelopes into the open box, briefly delaying the impatient resident with his palm extended. — Task Fulfillment: This turns several visible details into a practical prediction: the box provides somewhere to collect the envelopes, and the resident's gesture explains why the interruption matters. The evidence supports both the action and its consequence.

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.

Connect each prediction to visible evidence. Explain plausible next events and use language of likelihood instead of presenting guesses as facts.

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