CELPIP® Speaking Task 4 sample: Windy cul-de-sac before the first snow

Level 7 sample answer

138 words

I think a few things will happen on this street soon. First, the little boy is ready to jump, so he will jump in the leaf pile and the leaves will go everywhere because of the wind. The man will have to rake again, so he won't be happy. Also, the ladder is wobbling. I think the woman on the ladder will call to the girl, and the girl will put her phone away and hold it properly. Um, the old man's cover is flapping in the wind, so it will blow down the street and he can't catch it. On the right, one cushion is slipping, so it will fall on the ground. The couple will keep arguing until the snow blower start. Because of the dark clouds, everybody will try to finish quick before the snow.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer makes several relevant predictions and usually links them to visible clues. Compared with the higher-level answers, its repeated sentence patterns, broad vocabulary and grammatical slips make the explanation less precise and fluent.

• the little boy is ready to jump, so he will jump in the leaf pile — Content/Coherence: The prediction follows logically from the boy's position, but repeats the idea of jumping. The higher-level answers build a fuller chain connecting his landing, the gusts, scattered leaves and more raking.
• the leaves will go everywhere because of the wind. — Vocabulary: The meaning is clear, but 'go everywhere' describes the result broadly. The higher-level answers use more precise movement language to help the listener picture leaves scattering or swirling across the lawn.
• The couple will keep arguing until the snow blower start. — Listenability: The prediction is easy to follow, but 'the snow blower start' needs 'starts.' Higher-level delivery would maintain grammatical control while expressing how the couple's disagreement might develop.
• Because of the dark clouds, everybody will try to finish quick before the snow. — Task Fulfillment: This uses the approaching clouds to support a prediction about people's behaviour. However, the conclusion stays general; the top answer connects the weather pressure to a specific outcome for the couple in the garage.

Level 9 sample answer

166 words

I'd say this street is going to get a lot messier in the next few minutes.

Let's start with the leaf pile. That little boy is crouched and ready to pounce, and the wind's already stripping leaves off the top, so once he jumps in, they'll be scattered all over the lawn. His dad, or whoever the man with the rake is, will probably laugh, but he'll be raking all over again.

Next, the ladder. It's wobbling, and the girl holding it isn't paying attention, so I expect the woman up top to call down to her. The girl will likely pocket her phone and grip the ladder properly.

As for the elderly man, that frost cover is flapping so hard that it'll probably tear free and tumble down the street before he can grab it. And on the right, the cushion that's slipping will hit the ground any second, while that open patio umbrella could easily get blown over. Clearly, everyone's racing those snow clouds.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer develops clear evidence-based predictions with vivid vocabulary and conversational organization. Compared with level 7, it explains consequences more fully; compared with level 11, an occasional lengthy aside and a general closing prediction make it less economical and specific.

• It's wobbling, and the girl holding it isn't paying attention, so I expect the woman up top to call down to her. — Content/Coherence: The answer combines the unstable ladder and the girl's distraction to explain a likely response. This develops the reasoning beyond level 7. The top answer also establishes why this situation deserves priority.
• the wind's already stripping leaves off the top — Vocabulary: 'Stripping' gives a precise, energetic picture of the wind removing leaves. This is more expressive than level 7's broad wording; the top answer sustains similarly precise movement language across more of the scene.
• His dad, or whoever the man with the rake is, will probably laugh, — Listenability: The conversational aside acknowledges uncertainty about the relationship, but briefly interrupts the prediction. The top answer's direct reference to the man with the rake keeps the same idea moving more efficiently.
• Clearly, everyone's racing those snow clouds. — Task Fulfillment: This ties the street's activity to the approaching weather, but summarizes urgency rather than developing another concrete prediction. The top answer uses those clouds to explain why the garage couple may resolve their disagreement.

Level 11 sample answer

179 words

I suspect that within five minutes, most of this street's careful preparations will have been undone by the wind.

The leaf pile will be the first to go. The boy in yellow is crouched and clearly about to launch himself into it, and with gusts already peeling leaves off the top, his landing will send the rest swirling across the lawn. The man with the rake will probably see the funny side, though he'll be starting from scratch.

The ladder is the more pressing concern. It's wobbling, and the girl steadying it is absorbed in her phone, so I'd expect the woman up top to call down sharply, at which point the phone will disappear and the girl will brace the ladder properly.

Elsewhere, the elderly man's frost cover is bound to tear loose and go cartwheeling down the cul-de-sac, the young woman on the right will lose that slipping cushion, and the open patio umbrella behind her may well topple. Given those clouds in the west, I imagine the couple in the garage will settle their disagreement quickly.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines detailed causal reasoning, precise vocabulary and purposeful organization. It prioritizes the ladder concern, varies how predictions are expressed and connects individual actions to the wind and approaching weather, giving the response a strong overall thread.

• his landing will send the rest swirling across the lawn. — Content/Coherence: This completes a clear causal chain: the boy is poised to jump, gusts are already lifting leaves, and his landing will scatter more. The following prediction about renewed raking extends the consequence naturally.
• go cartwheeling down the cul-de-sac — Vocabulary: 'Cartwheeling' vividly describes the loose cover tumbling in the wind, while 'cul-de-sac' locates that movement precisely. The wording conveys a specific visual outcome with very few words.
• The ladder is the more pressing concern. — Listenability: This short transition clearly redirects the listener from the playful leaf-pile scene to the unstable ladder. Its brevity provides a useful pause between longer explanations and makes the speaker's priorities easy to follow.
• Given those clouds in the west, I imagine the couple in the garage will settle their disagreement quickly. — Task Fulfillment: The answer turns the approaching weather into a specific prediction about the couple's next actions. 'I imagine' appropriately presents their resolution as an inference, while the clouds provide a clear reason for greater urgency.