CELPIP® Speaking Task 6 sample: An Earlier Winter Commute

Dealing with a Difficult Situation · Preparation: 60 seconds · Response: 60 seconds · Published 23 October 2026

Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.

Practice question

You pay your neighbour Ekow $70 a month to park behind his car in a shared driveway in Sydney, Nova Scotia. You agreed to continue for three more winter months, and Ekow is counting on those payments for household expenses. His work schedule has changed, so your car must now be moved by 6:30 a.m. on weekdays, 45 minutes before you normally leave. Snowbanks prevent nearby street parking. A property manager, Riley, offers you a separate parking spot for $120 a month, but needs your answer tonight. Choose whom to speak to: tell Ekow you are ending the arrangement early, or tell Riley you will decline the space and manage the earlier mornings.

Talk to Ekow and explain why you need to end the shared driveway arrangement early.
Talk to Riley and explain why you are declining the separate parking spot.

Model answers

These are transcripts of a model response, provided for comparison with your own recording.

Level 7 sample answer

121 words

Ekow, I need to talk about the driveway. I've decided to take the separate parking space, so I need to end our arrangement early. I know we agreed for three more months, and you were expecting the money. I'm sorry to change that plan. But moving my car at six thirty every weekday would mean getting up much earlier, and there's no street parking because of the snowbanks. The other space costs fifty dollars more a month, so this isn't an easy choice for me either. Um, could we agree on a short notice period? I'd also be happy to help you look for another person who leave earlier than I do. I want to make the change easier for you.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 teaching answer makes a clear decision, explains the parking problem, and acknowledges Ekow's financial expectations. Compared with the others, its reasoning is simpler, its transition proposal is less developed, and a grammatical error reduces polish.

I know we agreed for three more months, and you were expecting the money. — Content/Coherence: This connects the cancellation to the remaining agreement and Ekow's expected income. A higher-level answer would develop the consequence more fully, as the level 11 answer does by explaining the effect on his household budget.
so this isn't an easy choice for me either. — Vocabulary: The wording is understandable but broad: it describes difficulty without naming the benefit that justifies paying more. A higher-level answer would express that tradeoff more precisely, such as the level 11 answer's emphasis on predictable access.
another person who leave earlier than I do. — Listenability: The proposed replacement is easy to understand, but the verb should be 'leaves.' A higher-level answer would maintain grammatical control while expressing the practical requirement clearly, as the level 11 answer does with a departure that fits Ekow's.
I've decided to take the separate parking space, so I need to end our arrangement early. — Task Fulfillment: This directly tells Ekow which option the speaker has chosen. A higher-level answer would also connect that decision to Riley's deadline tonight and explain the immediate next step, giving the conversation a more complete ending.

Level 9 sample answer

152 words

Riley, thanks for giving me the chance to rent the separate parking spot. I've thought it over, and I'm going to decline it. Having access to my car without coordinating with someone else would be convenient, especially with snowbanks ruling out nearby street parking. However, the extra fifty dollars a month would add up to a hundred and fifty dollars over the three months remaining in my current arrangement. More importantly, Ekow has been counting on my parking payments for his household expenses. Although his schedule change makes the arrangement less convenient for me, I'd like to try adapting my mornings before withdrawing the income he expected. I'll need to leave forty-five minutes earlier, which will take some adjustment. Please go ahead and offer your space to someone else; I know you need an answer tonight. If my situation changes later, may I contact you about any spaces that might become available?

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 teaching answer develops a thoughtful refusal through specific costs, consideration for Ekow, and a courteous response to Riley's deadline. Compared with level 7, it connects its reasons more effectively; compared with level 11, some wording and sequencing could be tighter.

More importantly, Ekow has been counting on my parking payments for his household expenses. — Content/Coherence: The transition ranks the reasons: protecting Ekow's expected income matters more to this speaker than saving money. A higher-level answer would retain that clear priority while tightening the surrounding explanation so each sentence advances the decision.
especially with snowbanks ruling out nearby street parking. — Vocabulary: The phrase 'ruling out' concisely explains why street parking cannot solve the problem. This is more precise than level 7's wording. A higher-level answer would sustain that economy throughout, including the longer explanation about adapting mornings and withdrawing income.
I'll need to leave forty-five minutes earlier, which will take some adjustment. — Listenability: This short sentence gives the listener a clear statement of the practical sacrifice after a longer explanation. However, it returns to the morning disruption after the financial reasoning; a higher-level answer would group that consequence more closely with the schedule change.
Please go ahead and offer your space to someone else; I know you need an answer tonight. — Task Fulfillment: This makes the refusal actionable and respects Riley's deadline, completing the chosen conversation more explicitly than level 7. A higher-level answer could connect this closing more directly to a concrete plan for managing the earlier mornings.

Level 11 sample answer

165 words

Ekow, your new schedule has made me reconsider the parking arrangement, and I've decided to accept the separate parking spot Riley offered. I realize we agreed on another three months and that you've included my seventy-dollar payments in your household budget. Ending early therefore has a consequence for you beyond simply having an empty parking space. At the same time, clearing the driveway at six thirty would bring my departure forward by forty-five minutes every weekday. With nearby street parking blocked by snowbanks, we don't have an obvious alternative that preserves our original routine. The separate space will cost me fifty dollars more each month, but I think the predictable access is worth that expense. Could we work out a reasonable notice period rather than have the payments stop immediately? I'd also be willing to help advertise the space to someone whose departure already fits yours. Since Riley needs my answer tonight, I'll confirm the new space, then agree on the transition details with you.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 teaching answer combines a firm decision with a developed explanation of its consequences for both neighbours. Precise wording, connected reasoning, and practical transition proposals make it stronger than the other answers, while its closing addresses Riley's deadline.

Ending early therefore has a consequence for you beyond simply having an empty parking space. — Content/Coherence: This draws an explicit conclusion from Ekow's reliance on the payments. Compared with the shorter acknowledgment in level 7, it shows why cancellation matters and gives the later notice-period proposal a clear purpose.
an obvious alternative that preserves our original routine. — Vocabulary: The wording precisely limits the problem: snowbanks prevent an alternative that would keep the existing routine workable. It expresses the shared practical constraint without exaggerating it into a claim that no parking options exist.
The separate space will cost me fifty dollars more each month, but I think the predictable access is worth that expense. — Listenability: The balanced sentence places the extra cost and its benefit together, making the tradeoff easy to follow. 'Predictable access' gives the listener a concise reason for the decision, developing the broader statement of difficulty in level 7.
Could we work out a reasonable notice period rather than have the payments stop immediately? — Task Fulfillment: This proposes a negotiable way to reduce the financial disruption while keeping the cancellation clear. Together with the offer to advertise and the closing reference to tonight's deadline, it turns an uncomfortable announcement into a practical transition discussion.

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 a clear decision, explain it tactfully to the person addressed and develop the reasons. Acknowledge the other person’s needs and offer a practical way forward.

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