CELPIP® Speaking Task 4 sample: Apartment Viewing in North Bay

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

Consider the positions, actions and objects in this apartment. Explain what will most probably happen over the next few minutes, giving reasons for your predictions. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.

View diagonally from a kitchen doorway across a largely unfurnished North Bay rental apartment on a drizzly October afternoon. Seven people attend a viewing. Centre foreground, Chloé, a woman around 30 in navy, stretches a measuring tape across an alcove, looking excited. Left foreground, Cillian, a man around 30 in green, holds its other end with a puzzled expression; the tape stays entirely within the alcove. Centre background, a woman around 50 in purple smiles beside the open front door, holding a blank folder. Beside her, rain blows through an open window onto its interior sill. Right foreground, a man around 70 in beige grips his walker and frowns at a passage narrowed by an open closet door. Right middle ground, a woman around 20 in yellow holds that door's handle, watching him worriedly. Left background, a distracted boy around eight in red leans on a folding table; its surface tilts towards a water cup near its lower edge. Left middle ground, a concerned woman around 40 in grey reaches towards the cup. 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

116 words

I think the woman in grey will catch the cup first because it's near the lower edge of the tilted table. The boy is leaning on the table, so she will probably ask him to stand back. Then the woman in yellow will close the closet door because the older man needs room for his walker. Um, he's already frowning at the passage, so he'll probably move through once it's clear. The woman in purple might close the window because rain is blowing onto the sill beside her. Chloé will probably keep measuring the alcove. Cillian might ask about its size because he look puzzled. These small changes should make viewing a little easier for everyone.

Why this answer is at level 7

This answer gives clear, relevant predictions with sensible reasons and covers the main activity around the apartment. Compared with the higher-level examples, its organization is more list-like, its vocabulary is simpler, and a grammatical slip makes the delivery less polished.

These small changes should make viewing a little easier for everyone. — Content/Coherence: The closing sentence brings the predictions together, but the preceding events mostly form a list. The higher-level answers establish clearer priorities and connect the individual actions to how the viewing will continue.
Then the woman in yellow will close the closet door because the older man needs room for his walker. — Vocabulary: Everyday words communicate the door problem clearly. The higher-level examples use more precise expressions for the obstruction and its resolution, such as describing the passage as a bottleneck.
Cillian might ask about its size because he look puzzled. — Listenability: The prediction is easy to follow, but 'he look' breaks subject–verb agreement. The higher-level examples maintain grammatical control while connecting Cillian's expression to a possible discussion about the space.
The woman in purple might close the window because rain is blowing onto the sill beside her. — Task Fulfillment: This directly answers the prediction task by linking a likely action to visible rain and the woman's nearby position. A stronger treatment would also explain the immediate consequence, such as preventing more water from entering.

Level 9 sample answer

152 words

The cup is the most immediate concern. Since the boy is leaning on a tilted table and the cup is near its lower edge, the woman in grey will probably grab it before it slides off. She'll likely ask him to stop leaning on the table as well. On the right, I expect the young woman in yellow to close the closet door. She's already watching the older man's walker with concern, so she seems aware that he needs more room. Once that bottleneck clears, he'll probably continue through the passage. At the back, the woman holding the folder may close the window beside her, because rain is blowing onto the interior sill. Chloé and Cillian can probably continue measuring without interrupting anyone, since their tape stays within the alcove. Given her excitement and his puzzled expression, they'll likely compare their impressions of the space before finishing that part of the viewing.

Why this answer is at level 9

This answer combines well-supported predictions, clear sequencing, and more precise vocabulary than the level 7 example. Its development is strong, although the level 11 answer provides a clearer overall framework and connects the simultaneous activities more fully.

The cup is the most immediate concern. — Content/Coherence: This opening establishes a sensible priority before explaining the tilted table and possible rescue. The top-level example adds an opening framework that prepares the listener for the wider set of interventions.
Once that bottleneck clears, he'll probably continue through the passage. — Vocabulary: The word 'bottleneck' precisely describes the narrowed passage, while 'clears' naturally expresses its resolution. The top-level example sustains this flexible phrasing across the whole response and uses an idiomatic closing to unite the incidents.
She's already watching the older man's walker with concern, so she seems aware that he needs more room. — Listenability: The sentence moves smoothly from an observation to an interpretation and then to the man's practical need. The top-level example varies sentence structures further while maintaining similarly clear links between evidence and prediction.
Chloé and Cillian can probably continue measuring without interrupting anyone, since their tape stays within the alcove. — Task Fulfillment: This uses the tape's exact position to explain why measuring can continue without obstructing others. The top-level example integrates that prediction more explicitly into the timing of the surrounding interventions.

Level 11 sample answer

168 words

I'd expect three small interventions over the next few minutes. At the back left, the woman in grey is already reaching towards the water cup, which sits near the lower edge of a tilted table. She'll probably lift it away and ask the boy to take his weight off the table. Meanwhile, the young woman holding the closet handle is likely to close that door, since she's watching the older man's walker with concern. With the passage clear, he should be able to continue comfortably. The rain blowing onto the interior window sill presents a separate issue. Because the woman in purple is standing beside that window, she'll probably close it before more water comes inside, briefly interrupting her attention to the viewing. Chloé and Cillian, whose measuring tape remains inside the alcove, should be able to carry on throughout. Her enthusiasm and his puzzled expression suggest they'll discuss whether the space meets their expectations. Once these loose ends are addressed, the viewing will probably proceed more smoothly.

Why this answer is at level 11

This answer presents a well-organized forecast with precise language, varied sentence structures, and consistently grounded reasoning. It connects immediate interventions, activities that can continue alongside them, and the likely overall outcome of the viewing.

I'd expect three small interventions over the next few minutes. — Content/Coherence: The opening gives the listener a clear framework for the cup, closet door, and window predictions. The later return to the measuring pair and the overall viewing completes that structure.
Once these loose ends are addressed, the viewing will probably proceed more smoothly. — Vocabulary: The expression 'loose ends' neatly gathers the separate practical problems into a shared outcome. 'Addressed' and 'proceed more smoothly' provide a natural, precise closing without repeating each incident.
Chloé and Cillian, whose measuring tape remains inside the alcove, should be able to carry on throughout. — Listenability: The relative clause fits the spatial evidence into the main prediction without requiring a separate explanation. 'Throughout' also helps the listener understand that measuring can continue while the other people respond to nearby problems.
Her enthusiasm and his puzzled expression suggest they'll discuss whether the space meets their expectations. — Task Fulfillment: This draws a plausible shared next action from the pair's contrasting expressions. The word 'suggest' appropriately marks the interpretation as a prediction, and the proposed discussion stays closely connected to their apartment viewing.

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