CELPIP® Speaking Task 4 sample: Pancake breakfast fundraiser in a community hall

Level 7 sample answer

133 words

I think a lot will happen in the next few minutes. First, the man cooking pancakes will have to throw away the burning batch, because there is already smoke and soon everybody will smell it. Also, the teenage boy is carrying too many plates and they're tilting, so I think some will fall on floor. The toddler is going to grab the open syrup bottle, um, because her dad isn't paying attention, and then syrup will spill all over the table. The woman in the teal sweater will need clean it. On the right, the cart with coffee might bump the coat rack, because it's right next to the door, and the parkas will fall down. Finally, the girl's balloon will hit the ceiling fan and pop, so she will be more upset.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer makes clear predictions and connects them to visible clues throughout the hall. Its straightforward sequence is easy to follow, but repetitive phrasing, grammatical slips and overly certain outcomes limit its precision compared with the higher-level answers.

• Also, the teenage boy is carrying too many plates and they're tilting — Content/Coherence: The answer clearly identifies the unstable plates before predicting a fall. However, repeatedly adding incidents makes the response feel like a list; a higher-level answer would connect nearby events with more varied transitions.
• because there is already smoke and soon everybody will smell it. — Vocabulary: The everyday words explain the burning pancakes clearly, but describe the consequences broadly. A higher-level answer would use more precise language for the burnt smell, ruined batch and cook's likely response.
• The woman in the teal sweater will need clean it. — Listenability: The missing 'to' after 'need' interrupts an otherwise understandable sentence. A higher-level answer would maintain grammatical control and identify the syrup cleanup more naturally.
• because her dad isn't paying attention, and then syrup will spill all over the table. — Task Fulfillment: The prediction uses the father's distraction to explain how the toddler could cause a spill. It fulfills the request for a reason, although a higher-level answer would distinguish this plausible outcome from something certain to happen.

Level 9 sample answer

166 words

Well, Tevita, if you look closely, there are several little disasters waiting to happen in that hall.

To start with, the batch of pancakes that's already smoking will be ruined in a minute or two, so I expect the bearded man to scrape it off and start again, looking even more stressed. Next to him, that tall stack of plates is already tilting, so the teenage boy will probably have to stop and put some down before they slide off.

Then there's the toddler. Since her dad is distracted, she'll almost certainly grab that syrup bottle and knock it over, and the woman collecting donations will end up wiping up a sticky mess.

Over by the door, the young woman is pushing her coffee cart right past that overloaded coat rack, so I'd bet she bumps it and a pile of parkas ends up on the floor. And the girl in the red toque will be disappointed when her balloon reaches the ceiling fan and pops.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer develops its predictions with clear visual evidence, natural expressions and an orderly movement around the hall. Compared with level 7, it anticipates practical responses as well as accidents; greater flexibility in phrasing and more selective certainty would bring it closer to level 11.

• so the teenage boy will probably have to stop and put some down before they slide off. — Content/Coherence: The reasoning develops beyond identifying danger: the boy may act to prevent the plates from falling. This adds depth compared with level 7. A higher-level answer could acknowledge alternative outcomes while keeping the explanation compact.
• will end up wiping up a sticky mess. — Vocabulary: This natural expression makes the volunteer's likely cleanup vivid and specific to spilled syrup. A higher-level answer would sustain this precision across the response, including the more generally described disappointment at the end.
• Next to him, that tall stack of plates is already tilting — Listenability: The location cue helps Tevita follow the shift from the cook to the boy. The full sentence remains clear but carries several linked clauses; a higher-level answer would vary sentence length and emphasis more flexibly.
• Since her dad is distracted, she'll almost certainly grab that syrup bottle and knock it over — Task Fulfillment: The father's distraction directly supports the prediction, so the reason is relevant and explicit. However, 'almost certainly' overstates what the scene establishes. A higher-level answer could leave room for someone to intervene.

Level 11 sample answer

184 words

Honestly, Tevita, I'd give it two minutes before the volunteers in that hall have their hands full.

The bearded man is the obvious starting point: one batch is already smoking, so unless he scrapes it off right away, the whole hall will reek of burnt pancake; either way, that batch is a write-off. Meanwhile, the teenage boy beside him is so pleased with himself that he hasn't noticed his stack of plates tilting; I suspect he'll lose the top few, or someone will rescue them just in time.

At the cash table, the toddler can almost reach that open syrup bottle, and with her dad's attention elsewhere, it's bound to tip over, leaving the cheerful volunteer in teal with a sticky cleanup.

Over by the door, the young woman wheeling in the coffee urns is cutting it close to a coat rack that's already sagging, so a heap of parkas may well end up on the floor. As for the girl in the red toque, her balloon is drifting straight for the ceiling fan, so I'm afraid it'll pop before she can catch it.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines detailed visual reasoning with expressive vocabulary and varied sentence structures. It develops consequences, possible interventions and conditional outcomes while maintaining a conversational address to Tevita, making its predictions more nuanced and engaging overall.

• I suspect he'll lose the top few, or someone will rescue them just in time. — Content/Coherence: The answer develops competing outcomes from the same tilting stack. Both follow logically from the visible danger, showing more flexible reasoning than simply predicting that the plates will fall.
• either way, that batch is a write-off. — Vocabulary: The idiom concisely conveys that the smoking pancakes cannot be saved. 'Either way' also draws the preceding possibilities together, so the vocabulary supports both precision and coherence.
• As for the girl in the red toque, — Listenability: This conversational transition clearly signals the final shift of attention. Naming the girl's distinctive clothing helps Tevita locate her immediately, while the following prediction gives the response a clear ending.
• a coat rack that's already sagging, so a heap of parkas may well end up on the floor. — Task Fulfillment: The prediction connects the rack's visible instability with a concrete consequence as the cart passes nearby. 'May well' expresses a likely outcome while preserving uncertainty, appropriately matching the predictive task.