CELPIP® Speaking Task 4 sample: Shared Rental Kitchen in Surrey

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

How will this kitchen scene probably unfold over the next few minutes? Explain your predictions about several housemates using details you can see. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.

From the dining-room doorway, show a shared rental kitchen in Surrey on a wet November evening; rain shows through an open window. Seven housemates prepare supper in limited space. Centre foreground, Reza, a man around 30 in blue, holds a colander of cooked pasta above a sink crowded with dishes, looking frustrated. Right foreground, Xin, a woman around 30 in orange, carries a wide bowl of chopped vegetables towards a clear table corner, worried about the narrow aisle. Left foreground, a woman around 60 in purple watches a covered pot on the stove, her eyes widening as steam lifts its rattling lid. Left middle ground, an amused man aged about 40, wearing grey, extends a hand towards the stove control. Centre background, a focused woman around 20 in green pulls the dishwasher door open into the aisle. Right middle ground, an uncertain man around 70 in brown balances a leaning stack of bowls beside that door. Right background, a woman around 25 in yellow anxiously reaches for a curtain billowing from the window towards an open flour bag on the counter. 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

121 words

The man in grey will probably turn down the stove because steam is lifting the pot lid. The woman in purple will likely watch until the lid settles. Um, the woman by the window will probably pull the curtain away from the flour bag. Then she might close the window to stop it blowing. The older man's bowls is leaning, so he'll probably stop beside the dishwasher and straighten them. The woman in green may close its door so Xin can pass with her vegetables. Xin will probably put her bowl on the clear corner of table. Reza looks frustrated by the dishes in the sink, so I think he'll ask someone to move them before he continues with the pasta.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer makes relevant predictions about all the housemates and gives understandable reasons. Compared with the higher-level answers, it relies more on separate, simply expressed actions, with less explanation of how those actions affect each other and some grammatical slips.

The man in grey will probably turn down the stove because steam is lifting the pot lid. — Task Fulfillment: This directly answers the prediction question and supports the forecast with visible steam. A higher-level answer would also use his outstretched hand as evidence that the adjustment is imminent.
The woman in green may close its door so Xin can pass with her vegetables. — Content/Coherence: This connects the dishwasher door with Xin's movement, showing useful cause and effect. The higher-level answers develop the shared aisle problem further by explaining how the older man's bowls also affect the sequence.
I think he'll ask someone to move them before he continues with the pasta. — Vocabulary: The everyday wording communicates Reza's likely request clearly, but 'move them' leaves the solution broad. The top answer uses more precise language to explain where the dishes could go and how that would help.
The older man's bowls is leaning, — Listenability: The meaning remains understandable, but the mismatch between 'bowls' and 'is' interrupts the sentence's grammatical flow. The higher-level answers express the same observation with a correctly formed phrase about his leaning stack.

Level 9 sample answer

154 words

The man in grey will probably turn down the stove first. He's already reaching towards its control, and steam is lifting the covered pot's lid. The woman in purple will likely keep watching until the rattling settles. At the window, the woman in yellow will probably pull the curtain away from the open flour bag and then close the window to stop it billowing again. Meanwhile, the older man will likely pause to straighten his leaning stack of bowls. With the dishwasher door extending into the aisle, continuing forward would be awkward. The woman in green may close it briefly to give him and Xin room to move. Xin can then set her vegetables on the clear corner of the table. Finally, Reza will probably ask for some dishes to be shifted, because he's holding pasta above a crowded sink and already looks frustrated. A little coordination should get supper preparation back on track.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer gives clear, well-supported predictions and connects the housemates through the kitchen's limited space. Its vocabulary and transitions are more controlled than the level 7 answer, while the top answer develops the practical dependencies between actions more fully.

He's already reaching towards its control, and steam is lifting the covered pot's lid. — Task Fulfillment: This supports the stove prediction with both the man's movement and the pot's condition. The top answer extends that reasoning to the likely effects: settling the lid and reassuring the woman beside him.
The woman in green may close it briefly to give him and Xin room to move. — Content/Coherence: This treats the crowded aisle as a shared problem and explains why the door might close temporarily. The top answer adds another dependency by recognising that loading Reza's dishes would need to wait until people pass.
With the dishwasher door extending into the aisle, continuing forward would be awkward. — Vocabulary: The spatial wording clearly explains the obstacle, and 'would be' expresses a possible consequence naturally. The top answer is more specific about the older man's response, describing his decision to straighten the bowls before manoeuvring around the door.
Meanwhile, the older man will likely pause to straighten his leaning stack of bowls. — Listenability: The transition helps a listener follow the shift between simultaneous activities, and the sentence is easy to process. The top answer varies its sentence openings further and groups related predictions around the aisle problem.

Level 11 sample answer

168 words

I'd expect the housemates to coordinate their movements before supper preparation can continue smoothly. On the left, the man reaching for the stove control will probably reduce the heat beneath the covered pot. Since steam is lifting its rattling lid, that adjustment should settle it and reassure the wide-eyed woman watching beside him. At the back right, the woman in yellow is likely to gather the billowing curtain before it reaches the flour bag; closing the window afterwards would prevent a repeat. The aisle will require a little negotiation. The older man's stack of bowls is leaning, so he'll probably pause and straighten it rather than attempt to manoeuvre around the open dishwasher. Once the woman in green closes its door, Xin should be able to reach the clear table corner with her vegetables. Reza, meanwhile, may ask that some dishes be transferred from the sink into the dishwasher. That would address his immediate frustration, although loading it will probably have to wait until the others have passed.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer builds a coordinated forecast from the visible details, explaining consequences, competing movements and the order in which problems can be solved. Precise vocabulary, varied sentences and clear spatial references make the kitchen's unfolding activity easy to follow.

That would address his immediate frustration, although loading it will probably have to wait until the others have passed. — Content/Coherence: This recognises that solving Reza's sink problem depends on clearing the aisle first. It develops the coordination suggested in the other answers into a practical sequence, accounting for the dishwasher's competing uses.
The aisle will require a little negotiation. — Vocabulary: The natural phrase 'a little negotiation' concisely captures the housemates' need to coordinate their movements. It introduces the shared spatial problem without laboriously describing each person's difficulty separately.
On the left, the man reaching for the stove control will probably reduce the heat beneath the covered pot. — Listenability: The location and identifying action establish exactly who is being discussed before the prediction arrives. This sentence structure helps a listener track the scene while keeping the explanation fluent and specific.
the woman in yellow is likely to gather the billowing curtain before it reaches the flour bag — Task Fulfillment: This predicts an immediate action from the woman's anxious reach and the curtain's direction. The continuation about closing the window then explains how she could prevent the same problem from recurring.

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