CELPIP® Speaking Task 5 sample: Picking a Restaurant for a Club Anniversary

Level 7 sample answer

135 words

Leila, I agree the food hall is cheaper. And it's nice that everybody can choose. But I think The Harbour Lantern is better for our party.

We want to talk, right? The food hall is very loud in Saturday night. We will sit at big tables with strangers. At the Lantern we get a room just for us. So we can hear each other. Also, five years is a big thing. I think a real restaurant is nicer for that.

The money is okay too. The set menu is $36, and then the tip. So it's still under $45 for each person. Baljit can have the vegetarian main. Parking is not free, I know. But downtown it's hard to park on Saturday. Um, so both places have a problem. Can we go to the Lantern?

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer makes a clear choice and supports it with relevant points about conversation, cost and Baljit's meal. Compared with the higher-level answers, its explanations are brief, its vocabulary is more general, and occasional awkward phrasing interrupts the flow.

• At the Lantern we get a room just for us. — Content/Coherence: This directly connects the private room to the club's need to talk easily. The explanation is clear but basic; a higher-level answer would develop what that privacy allows the members to do during their anniversary dinner.
• Also, five years is a big thing. — Vocabulary: The meaning is understandable, but 'a big thing' expresses the anniversary's importance vaguely. A higher-level answer would use more precise language about celebrating the milestone or remembering the club's time together.
• The food hall is very loud in Saturday night. — Listenability: The short sentence makes the concern easy to follow, but 'in Saturday night' is awkward. A higher-level answer would use natural phrasing such as 'on Saturday evenings' and connect the noise more smoothly to difficulty hearing each other.
• So it's still under $45 for each person. — Task Fulfillment: This addresses the spending limit, while the surrounding answer also covers vegetarian food and parking. However, staying within budget depends on the tip; a higher-level answer would explain the available room for tipping more carefully.

Level 9 sample answer

167 words

Leila, I'll be honest, the food hall did cross my mind. Being able to grab whatever you're craving for under twenty dollars, with no tip to calculate at the end, is pretty appealing. But for this particular dinner, I'm going to push for The Harbour Lantern.

The whole point of the evening is to catch up after five years together, and the food hall is notoriously loud on Saturday nights. We'd be scattered along big shared tables, shouting over strangers. The Lantern would give us a private back room for the eight of us, which means we could actually have a conversation, maybe even do a little toast.

I also checked the budget. The set menu is $36 with tax, so even with a decent tip, everyone stays under forty-five. Baljit has a vegetarian main on it, and I'll call ahead to make sure it's a good one.

Parking's paid, sure, but you'd be circling downtown for twenty minutes otherwise. Can I go ahead and book it?

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer builds a persuasive case by acknowledging Leila's preferences before prioritizing conversation, privacy and the budget. It is more fluent and specific than the level 7 answer, though some exaggerated predictions and less developed anniversary details make it less controlled than the level 11 answer.

• The whole point of the evening is to catch up after five years together, — Content/Coherence: This establishes a clear priority that organizes the restaurant comparison. It develops the reasoning beyond the level 7 answer; the level 11 answer makes the occasion more concrete through shared memories and club activities.
• with no tip to calculate at the end, is pretty appealing. — Vocabulary: This uses natural conversational language to acknowledge a specific advantage of Leila's suggestion. A higher-level answer would sustain this ease while using more varied, precise expressions to explain the anniversary's significance.
• Parking's paid, sure, but you'd be circling downtown for twenty minutes otherwise. — Listenability: The contraction and brief concession create an easy conversational rhythm. However, the definite prediction about parking goes beyond the supplied information; a higher-level answer would preserve the fluent delivery while expressing that uncertainty accurately.
• Baljit has a vegetarian main on it, and I'll call ahead to make sure it's a good one. — Task Fulfillment: This addresses Baljit's needs and adds a practical booking step, improving on the level 7 answer's simple mention of the dish. A higher-level treatment could acknowledge that the set menu offers limited vegetarian choice and check Baljit's preference.

Level 11 sample answer

189 words

Leila, I can absolutely see the appeal of the food hall: everyone gets exactly what they're craving, nobody has to untangle a shared bill at the end of the night, and most of us would walk out having spent barely fifteen dollars. If this were a casual weeknight catch-up, I'd be the first to agree.

This, however, is our fifth anniversary, and what people want is to sit together and reminisce, which is precisely the thing a crowded food hall on a Saturday evening makes nearly impossible. We'd be scattered along communal tables, half of us out of earshot of the other half, competing with strangers. The Harbour Lantern, by contrast, would give the eight of us a private back room where we could linger over dessert, propose a toast, and settle next year's reading list.

It also respects the limits everyone requested, since the $36 set menu already includes tax, leaving room for a decent tip without going over forty-five. I've already confirmed the vegetarian main for Baljit. And although parking isn't free, circling downtown searching for a street spot is hardly preferable. Shall I reserve the room?

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines a sustained argument, varied sentence structures and vivid details tailored to the club's anniversary. Its persuasive language is strong, although the claimed vegetarian confirmation and the estimate that most members would spend barely fifteen dollars go beyond the supplied information.

• where we could linger over dessert, propose a toast, and settle next year's reading list. — Content/Coherence: These concrete possibilities explain why the private room matters to this particular club. The answer develops the anniversary experience more fully than the lower-level versions, connecting the venue to both celebration and conversation.
• nobody has to untangle a shared bill at the end of the night, — Vocabulary: The expression 'untangle a shared bill' makes a practical concern vivid without sounding excessively formal. It contributes to a detailed, sympathetic acknowledgment of why Leila might prefer individual food counters.
• If this were a casual weeknight catch-up, I'd be the first to agree. — Listenability: The conditional sentence creates a natural transition from agreement to persuasion. Its clear structure helps the listener follow why the food hall's advantages carry less weight for this anniversary dinner.
• leaving room for a decent tip without going over forty-five. — Task Fulfillment: This explicitly connects the tax-inclusive menu price to the requested spending limit and allows for tipping. It makes affordability part of the argument for choosing a venue that also supports easy conversation.
• I've already confirmed the vegetarian main for Baljit. — Task Fulfillment: This gives Baljit's dietary needs direct attention, but it presents an invented confirmation as completed. The supplied facts establish that a vegetarian main exists; saying the speaker would confirm its suitability would keep the response grounded.