CELPIP® Speaking Task 4 sample: Birthday Picnic at a Park Shelter

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

What is likely to happen at this picnic over the next few minutes? Explain your predictions using details you can see. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.

From a grassy rise, show a Calgary park during a breezy June birthday picnic; only one end of the table fits beneath a small shelter. Seven people attend the six-year-old girl's birthday. Left foreground: Layla, a worried woman in her thirties wearing yellow, braces an open box containing a round iced cake as wind lifts its lid. Centre foreground: Marcus, an alarmed man in his thirties wearing blue, reaches toward three empty cups as a ball rolls toward them. Right foreground: the delighted birthday girl in purple pulls a ribbon on a wrapped gift. Left middle ground: a frustrated ten-year-old boy in red chases napkins drifting toward a puddle. Centre middle ground: a hesitant woman around sixty in green holds folded chairs beside the cramped shelter. Right middle ground: a worried man around sixty in grey holds a partly spread blanket while watching dark clouds. In the background, an amused fifteen-year-old girl in orange holds a taut dog leash; the dog eyes a sandwich on a low bench. No text, signs, logos or recognizable landmarks.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

121 words

I think they'll move the cake toward the covered end of the table because the wind is lifting the box lid. Layla will probably close it first. Marcus will try to stop the ball before it reaches the cups, or the cups might fall over. Um, the boy chasing napkins will probably lose some in the puddle because they're already drifting that way. The older woman might need move her folded chairs so there's more space under the shelter. The man with the blanket will probably stop spreading it because he's watching dark clouds. The little girl will keep opening her gift. Also, the teenager will have to hold the dog back, because it look ready to go toward the sandwich.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives clear, relevant predictions supported by visible details, including the lifting cake-box lid and drifting napkins. Compared with the higher-level answers, it connects events less closely and contains grammatical slips that interrupt otherwise understandable phrasing.

I think they'll move the cake toward the covered end of the table because the wind is lifting the box lid. — Task Fulfillment: The prediction directly answers what will happen next and explains why using visible evidence. A higher-level answer would also connect moving the cake with the limited space beneath the shelter.
The little girl will keep opening her gift. — Content/Coherence: This is a relevant prediction, but it reads as another item in a list. A higher-level answer would connect her continued unwrapping to the adults' activity or explain how the weather might interrupt it.
the teenager will have to hold the dog back — Vocabulary: The everyday phrase clearly describes controlling the dog. A higher-level answer would describe the likely response more precisely, such as shortening the leash or guiding the dog away from the sandwich.
The older woman might need move her folded chairs — Listenability: The meaning is understandable, but the missing 'to' after 'need' interrupts the sentence's grammatical flow. The higher-level answers use complete, smoother phrasing while explaining where the chairs might go or why they need moving.

Level 9 sample answer

159 words

The picnic will probably shift toward the shelter, although its small size means everyone will have to make room. Layla is already bracing the cake box while its lid lifts, so I expect she'll close it and move the cake to the covered end of the table. Marcus will likely intercept the rolling ball; otherwise, those three empty cups could be knocked over. The boy in red may retrieve some napkins, but any that reach the puddle will probably be left behind. Meanwhile, the older woman could reposition her folded chairs to keep the sheltered space accessible. Since the older man is watching dark clouds with his blanket only partly spread, he'll probably fold it again instead of laying it out. The teenager will need to keep a close eye on the dog, whose taut leash and attention to the sandwich suggest it may pull forward. The little girl will probably continue unwrapping her gift while these adjustments happen.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer organizes the scene around moving toward shelter and uses precise vocabulary, clear transitions, and evidence-based predictions. Compared with level 11, it mostly handles each person separately rather than developing how their actions depend on one another.

The picnic will probably shift toward the shelter, although its small size means everyone will have to make room. — Content/Coherence: The opening gives the predictions a shared direction and recognizes the shelter's limited capacity. The level 11 answer develops that constraint further by suggesting that the woman with the chairs may need to move before other items come under cover.
Marcus will likely intercept the rolling ball — Vocabulary: 'Intercept' expresses Marcus's likely action precisely and economically. The level 11 answer combines similarly precise action language with an assessment of his position, making the prediction more fully reasoned.
Meanwhile, the older woman could reposition her folded chairs to keep the sheltered space accessible. — Listenability: The transition and complete sentence make the change of focus easy to follow. The level 11 answer strengthens the connection by introducing the chairs as a consequence of moving the cake, giving the listener a clearer chain of events.
whose taut leash and attention to the sandwich suggest it may pull forward — Task Fulfillment: The answer combines visible clues to support a cautious prediction about the dog. The level 11 answer takes that prediction further by explaining the teenager's likely response: shortening the leash or guiding the dog away.

Level 11 sample answer

169 words

I expect the adults' attention to split between protecting the food and reorganizing the picnic. With the cake-box lid already lifting in the wind, Layla will probably close it immediately, then move the box toward the sheltered end of the table. That creates a space problem: the older woman holding folded chairs may need to move aside before anything else can be brought under cover. Marcus appears well placed to stop the ball, so he'll most likely catch or block it before it reaches the three cups. Further back, the boy may abandon whichever napkins land in the puddle and concentrate on those he can still retrieve. The older man will probably fold his partly spread blanket; his attention to the dark clouds suggests he's reconsidering an exposed spot. Meanwhile, the dog may pull toward the sandwich, requiring the teenager to shorten its leash or guide it away. Through all this, the birthday girl is likely to remain focused on her gift, unless the worsening weather interrupts the unwrapping.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer connects immediate actions with their consequences, especially protecting the cake and making space under the shelter. Precise wording, varied sentence structures, and carefully qualified predictions create a cohesive explanation of how the picnic may unfold.

the older woman holding folded chairs may need to move aside before anything else can be brought under cover. — Content/Coherence: This develops a sequence in which bringing the cake under shelter creates a space problem that someone must address. It connects people's actions instead of treating every prediction as a separate event.
the boy may abandon whichever napkins land in the puddle and concentrate on those he can still retrieve. — Vocabulary: 'Abandon,' 'concentrate,' and 'retrieve' distinguish between losing some napkins and deliberately saving others. The wording turns the visible chase into a precise prediction about the boy's next decision.
Marcus appears well placed to stop the ball, so he'll most likely catch or block it — Listenability: The sentence moves smoothly from an observation to a prediction through 'so.' 'Catch or block' gives clear alternatives without interrupting the main idea, making the reasoning easy to follow aloud.
his attention to the dark clouds suggests he's reconsidering an exposed spot. — Task Fulfillment: The answer interprets the man's gaze alongside his partly spread blanket to explain a likely change of plan. 'Suggests' appropriately marks this as an inference, supporting the prediction without claiming certainty about his intentions.

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