CELPIP® Speaking Task 5 sample: Borrowing Tools After Work
Comparing and Persuading · Choose: 60 seconds · Preparation: 60 seconds · Response: 60 seconds · Published
Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.
Practice question
You are coordinating a tool-lending project for ten neighbouring households in Mississauga. The group already owns 12 large tools and has $900 for storage. Borrowers need evening access, volunteer time is limited, and the shared indoor room is also used for classes. Choose one of the two storage arrangements.
Outdoor Combination Cabinet
- Setup costs $840
- Holds 16 large tools
- Anytime access with a combination code
- Weatherproof storage outdoors
Shared Room Cupboard
- Setup costs $480
- Holds 24 large tools
- Weekdays, 6–8 p.m.; volunteer checkout
- Indoor storage in the shared room
Your friend’s alternative
Garage Lending Corner
- Setup costs $300
- Holds 20 large tools
- Saturdays, 10 a.m.–noon; owner-assisted checkout
- Indoor storage in a neighbour's garage
Your friend Desmond offers a corner of his garage as the third option. Explain which original arrangement you prefer and persuade him it would serve the borrowing group better, while responding respectfully to his offer.
Model answers
These are transcripts of a model response, provided for comparison with your own recording.
The models choose Outdoor Combination Cabinet before responding to the friend’s alternative.
Level 7 sample answer
124 words
Desmond, thanks for offering your garage. It would save us a lot, and there's room for twenty tools. But I'd choose the Outdoor Combination Cabinet. Um, people need to borrow things in the evening, and your garage is only available on Saturday mornings. The cabinet has a code, so people could get a tool when they need it. That would be more easier for everyone. Also, you wouldn't need to be there for every loans. The cabinet costs $840, which is still under our $900 budget. It holds sixteen tools, and we only have twelve now. Your garage has more space, but I think useful opening times matter more. The cabinet would protect the tools outside and leave the shared room free for classes.
Why this answer is at level 7
This level 7 answer makes a clear choice and covers the group's main needs with relevant facts. Compared with the higher-level answers, its reasoning is less developed, its wording is more basic, and grammatical slips interrupt otherwise understandable sentences.
The cabinet has a code, so people could get a tool when they need it.
— Content/Coherence: This clearly connects the combination code with convenient borrowing. A higher-level answer develops the consequence through a specific midweek example, showing why Saturday access would inconvenience neighbours.That would be more easier for everyone.
— Vocabulary: The intended benefit is clear, but 'more easier' is an incorrect comparative, and 'everyone' leaves the benefit broad. A higher-level answer uses more precise wording about independent access and reduced volunteer responsibility.Also, you wouldn't need to be there for every loans.
— Listenability: The short sentence and clear linking word help the listener follow the additional benefit. However, 'every loans' creates a grammatical distraction; a higher-level answer expresses the same point more smoothly.Your garage has more space, but I think useful opening times matter more.
— Task Fulfillment: This directly compares the preferred cabinet with Desmond's offer and prioritizes the group's access needs. A higher-level answer gives fuller recognition to the garage's financial advantage while explaining why flexibility justifies the cabinet's higher cost.
Level 9 sample answer
158 words
Desmond, that's a generous offer, and I can see how the $300 setup would help us get the project off the ground. However, I'd choose the Outdoor Combination Cabinet because access is central to making this useful. Borrowers need tools in the evening, whereas your garage would only be available from ten until noon on Saturdays. If someone wanted to start a small project on Tuesday evening, they'd have to plan several days ahead. The cabinet's combination code would let them collect a tool when they needed it, without asking you to be there. That also takes an ongoing responsibility off your shoulders. At $840, the cabinet is expensive, but it's within our $900 budget. Its sixteen-tool capacity covers our twelve existing tools with some space left. Your garage offers more room and indoor storage; nevertheless, the weatherproof cabinet gives us independence and keeps the shared room available for classes. Could we put our budget toward that flexibility?
Why this answer is at level 9
This level 9 answer builds a persuasive case through a practical example, natural vocabulary, and respectful comparison. Compared with level 11, it evaluates the financial tradeoff less precisely and ends with a less explicit invitation to preserve Desmond's involvement.
If someone wanted to start a small project on Tuesday evening, they'd have to plan several days ahead.
— Content/Coherence: The concrete example develops the access argument beyond the level 7 answer's general claim about convenience. The higher-level answer extends this reasoning by explaining both advance planning and the possibility of waiting until the following weekend.That also takes an ongoing responsibility off your shoulders.
— Vocabulary: The idiom sounds natural and makes the benefit personal to Desmond. A higher-level answer adds precision by connecting independent collection with both his presence and the group's limited volunteer time.Borrowers need tools in the evening, whereas your garage would only be available from ten until noon on Saturdays.
— Listenability: The contrast introduced by 'whereas' makes the scheduling mismatch easy to follow. The higher-level answer states this central contrast more compactly before expanding it, giving the argument a slightly sharper spoken structure.At $840, the cabinet is expensive, but it's within our $900 budget.
— Task Fulfillment: This addresses affordability and acknowledges a drawback instead of presenting the cabinet as an effortless choice. The higher-level answer weighs that drawback more fully by stating the extra cost over the garage and the money remaining.
Level 11 sample answer
168 words
Desmond, I appreciate you offering part of your garage. At $300, with space for twenty tools, it's a substantial contribution to the project. I'd nevertheless recommend the Outdoor Combination Cabinet because the borrowing hours would determine whether neighbours actually found this convenient. Your Saturday window is two hours long, while the need we've identified is evening access. Someone who decided to tackle a project midweek would either have to anticipate it on Saturday or wait until the following weekend. With a combination code, the cabinet would allow collection whenever a tool was needed, without requiring your presence or another volunteer's time. Its $840 price is $540 higher than the garage setup, so the convenience comes at a real cost. However, we'd remain $60 under budget, and sixteen spaces would accommodate our twelve tools plus four additions. Weatherproof outdoor storage would also avoid competing with classes in the shared room. Could we accept your support in another way and invest in an arrangement whose availability matches the neighbours' needs?
Why this answer is at level 11
This level 11 answer combines developed reasoning, precise comparisons, and a considerate persuasive tone. It explains why access outweighs the garage's savings, accounts for capacity and volunteer time, and closes by keeping Desmond involved.
However, we'd remain $60 under budget, and sixteen spaces would accommodate our twelve tools plus four additions.
— Content/Coherence: This turns separate budget and capacity facts into a connected justification. Unlike the broader comparisons in the other answers, it specifies both the remaining money and the room for growth.Its $840 price is $540 higher than the garage setup, so the convenience comes at a real cost.
— Vocabulary: The phrase 'comes at a real cost' expresses the tradeoff naturally and precisely. Combined with the exact price difference, it gives the recommendation a balanced tone that strengthens its credibility.Your Saturday window is two hours long, while the need we've identified is evening access.
— Listenability: The compact contrast gives the listener a clear central point before the longer explanation. Its parallel structure makes the difference between available hours and actual borrowing needs easy to absorb.Could we accept your support in another way and invest in an arrangement whose availability matches the neighbours' needs?
— Task Fulfillment: The closing both invites agreement and respects Desmond's generosity. It maintains his involvement while returning to the group's main requirement, making the persuasion more considerate and purposeful than a simple rejection of his garage.
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.
Make your chosen option clear and compare it with the friend’s alternative using the stated facts. Explain how those differences meet your needs and persuade the listener respectfully.
- 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
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