CELPIP® Speaking Task 4 sample: Charity car wash in a parking lot

Level 7 sample answer

132 words

I think some funny things will happen soon. First, the girl with the hose will spray water in the open window, so the driver of the red pickup will get wet. He will be upset and maybe he will yell. Also, the wind is strong, so some of money on the table will fly away, and the woman will have to run after it. The young woman in the yellow dress looks very impatient, so I think she will leave the line, um, or the coach will try to make the line go faster. On the right, the boy's bucket is too full, so he will spill the soapy water on ground. And the little dog will jump in the puddle and get all soapy, because the owner is not watching him.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 sample covers several people and gives clear reasons for its predictions. Compared with the higher-level samples, its repeated sentence patterns, general vocabulary and occasional grammar slips make the explanation less fluent and precise.

• The young woman in the yellow dress looks very impatient, so I think she will leave the line — Content/Coherence: This clearly connects her expression to a likely action. However, the following alternative about the coach speeding things up leaves the prediction less focused. A higher-level answer would choose a main outcome or explain how the alternatives connect.
• He will be upset and maybe he will yell. — Vocabulary: The reaction is understandable, but upset and yell describe it broadly. The higher-level samples use more precise language for getting wet and feeling embarrassed, making the interaction easier to imagine.
• Also, the wind is strong, so some of money on the table will fly away, — Listenability: The cause and effect are easy to follow, although some of money creates a grammatical interruption. Higher-level wording would express the quantity smoothly and vary the repeated pattern of so followed by a prediction.
• And the little dog will jump in the puddle and get all soapy, because the owner is not watching him. — Task Fulfillment: This directly answers what happens next and explains the prediction through the owner's distraction. A higher-level answer would develop the consequence further, such as the dog splashing someone or the owner discovering its condition.

Level 9 sample answer

174 words

So, Nasser, based on this picture, I don't think that car wash is going to run smoothly for the next few minutes.

The first thing that'll happen, I'm almost sure, is that the girl with the hose will send a spray of water straight through that half-open window, and the poor driver in the beige cap will get soaked. She'll be so embarrassed.

At the cash table, the wind is already lifting the bills, so a few of them are likely to blow across the parking lot, and the woman counting them will have to chase them down, maybe with help from the two boys with the sponges.

Meanwhile, the boy with the overfilled bucket is going to spill some of it on the wet asphalt, and that little white dog will end up rolling in the soapy puddle, since its owner isn't paying attention. When it shakes itself off, somebody's going to get splashed.

As for the impatient young woman, I'd guess she'll give up and drive off before her car gets washed.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 sample develops the predictions with clearer consequences, natural conversational language and varied expressions of likelihood. It is more controlled than the level 7 sample, while the level 11 sample connects people's competing demands more tightly and handles possible outcomes more flexibly.

• At the cash table, the wind is already lifting the bills, — Content/Coherence: This establishes visible evidence before predicting the bills blowing away and people chasing them. The explanation forms a clear sequence. The higher-level sample also connects separate situations through the coach's competing demands, giving the whole scene greater unity.
• will have to chase them down, maybe with help from the two boys with the sponges. — Vocabulary: Chase them down is a natural, specific expression, and maybe keeps the boys' involvement tentative. The higher-level sample extends this vocabulary range with more precise emotional language and idioms that fit the unfolding mishaps.
• Meanwhile, the boy with the overfilled bucket is going to spill some of it on the wet asphalt, — Listenability: Meanwhile clearly signals a shift to another part of the picture. The sentence continues into the dog's actions and the owner's distraction, requiring clear pauses. The higher-level sample gives these overlapping events a more compact temporal structure.
• As for the impatient young woman, I'd guess she'll give up and drive off before her car gets washed. — Task Fulfillment: This offers a definite, plausible outcome while marking it as a guess. It improves on the lower sample's competing alternatives. The higher-level answer also develops the coach's response elsewhere, making fuller use of the interactions between people.

Level 11 sample answer

180 words

Well, Nasser, judging by this picture, the next few minutes at that car wash are going to be eventful.

The most immediate surprise involves the pickup. The girl with the hose hasn't noticed the driver's window is half open, so unless he manages to roll it up in the next few seconds, he's going to get a faceful of water. I imagine she'll be mortified and the coach will hurry across to smooth things over.

Not that the coach has a spare moment, mind you. The woman in the yellow sundress is clearly running out of patience, and I wouldn't be surprised if she pulled out of the line altogether.

At the cash table, that gust is bound to carry off a few bills, which the boys with the sponges will happily chase across the lot. Finally, the boy with the overfilled bucket will probably slosh half of it onto the asphalt just as the unleashed dog reaches the soapy puddle, so by the time its owner hangs up, he'll have a very wet, very sudsy pet on his hands.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 sample combines well-supported predictions with conditional reasoning, precise vocabulary and a conversational rhythm. Its particular strength is showing how events overlap: the coach faces competing demands, and the bucket spill coincides with the dog's arrival.

• Not that the coach has a spare moment, mind you. — Content/Coherence: This links the predicted intervention at the pickup to the impatient customer's existing complaint. The coach becomes a connection between events, so the response develops an unfolding situation rather than simply moving around the picture.
• he'll have a very wet, very sudsy pet on his hands. — Vocabulary: Sudsy precisely describes the effect of the soapy puddle, while on his hands naturally suggests a problem the owner must handle. The wording makes the consequence vivid without losing the conversational tone.
• Well, Nasser, judging by this picture, the next few minutes at that car wash are going to be eventful. — Listenability: The direct address and brief introductory phrases create a natural spoken opening. Eventful gives the listener a clear expectation that several connected mishaps will follow, helping the detailed predictions feel purposeful.
• so unless he manages to roll it up in the next few seconds, he's going to get a faceful of water. — Task Fulfillment: This uses the half-open window to explain the likely outcome while allowing the driver to prevent it. That conditional reasoning makes the prediction convincing and responsive to what the people could do next.