CELPIP® Speaking Task 7 sample: A Later Start for High School

Level 7 sample answer

198 words

In my opinion, the school should keep the 8:00 start. I understand the sleep goal, but the later time could make daily life harder.

First, some students have part-time jobs after school. If school finish at 4:15, they might not get to work until almost five. They could lose hours, especially if the store needs someone earlier. That matters when a student is saving for college or helping at home.

Also, sports would be harder to arrange. Practices would start later, and students would get home later too. Then they still have homework and supper. They might go to bed later, so the new schedule wouldn't help them sleep more.

And then, um, families need to think about pickups. Older students sometimes collect younger children after school. A later finish could mean paying for extra care or asking someone else to help.

My friend Omar started putting his phone away earlier at night, and he says that helped his sleep. The school could teach habits like that before it make a big change.

So I'd keep the current time for now. Better sleep is important, but the school should consider the whole day, including what happens after classes.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 example gives a clear opinion and connects the later finish to jobs, sports and family responsibilities. Its straightforward development, occasional grammar errors and limited examination of alternatives make it less controlled and nuanced than the higher-level examples.

• They might go to bed later, so the new schedule wouldn't help them sleep more. — Content/Coherence: This connects later practices and homework to bedtime, keeping the argument relevant. A higher-level answer would distinguish a possible loss of sleep benefits from a definite conclusion that the change would not help.
• They could lose hours, especially if the store needs someone earlier. — Vocabulary: The everyday wording clearly explains the employment problem. A higher-level answer would use more precise scheduling language to explain when shifts become impractical and which students face the greatest difficulty.
• If school finish at 4:15, they might not get to work until almost five. — Listenability: The timeline is easy to follow, although the verb agreement error interrupts the sentence's flow. A higher-level answer would maintain grammatical control while explaining the same practical consequence.
• The school could teach habits like that before it make a big change. — Task Fulfillment: This offers an alternative that supports keeping the current start time. However, it relies on the friend's phone habit; a higher-level answer would explain how school guidance could address students' differing sleep and scheduling needs.

Level 9 sample answer

232 words

I'd support the later start, although the school would need to help families manage the change.

My main reason is that some teenagers struggle to fall asleep early enough to feel rested for an eight o'clock class. That doesn't mean everyone stays awake until midnight, but an early start can be difficult for students who also have a long trip to school. My younger cousin Valeria used to say she spent her first class trying to wake up rather than following the lesson. A later morning could give students like her a better opportunity to arrive ready to learn.

Another benefit is having a less rushed morning. With more time to get ready, students might be more likely to eat breakfast and remember what they need. That wouldn't automatically happen, of course, but the school could combine the new schedule with practical discussions about sleep routines.

The conflicts after school are real. Students with jobs could lose working hours, and families might need different pickup arrangements. I'd want the school to consult them before setting a start date. It could also ask coaches whether practices can be shortened or moved to different days, instead of expecting students to solve everything themselves.

For me, the potential improvement in students' daily well-being makes the proposal worth trying. I'd support a trial with feedback on sleep, attendance and scheduling problems before making the change permanent.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 example develops a clear supporting position while acknowledging uncertainty and practical objections. Its natural language and proposed trial strengthen the response, although it examines the interaction between sleep, afternoon commitments and unequal household impacts less deeply than the level 11 example.

• That wouldn't automatically happen, of course, but the school could combine the new schedule with practical discussions about sleep routines. — Content/Coherence: This qualifies the breakfast and preparation benefits instead of assuming they will follow automatically. A higher-level answer would examine more fully how later afternoon commitments could undermine the intended morning benefits.
• A later morning could give students like her a better opportunity to arrive ready to learn. — Vocabulary: The wording naturally connects the cousin's experience to classroom readiness. A higher-level answer would add precision about the conditions needed for that opportunity to produce better rest.
• The conflicts after school are real. — Listenability: This short transition makes the move from benefits to objections easy to follow. A higher-level answer would preserve that clarity while connecting each objection more directly to the conditions for supporting the proposal.
• I'd support a trial with feedback on sleep, attendance and scheduling problems before making the change permanent. — Task Fulfillment: The conclusion answers the question and proposes relevant ways to evaluate a trial. A higher-level answer would explain more precisely which employment, care or activity conflicts must be resolved for the change to be workable.

Level 11 sample answer

255 words

I'm sympathetic to the sleep and health goals, but I'd oppose a shift all the way to 9:15 unless the school can show how the afternoon conflicts would be managed.

The first concern is whether students would actually gain sleep. Starting seventy-five minutes later creates an opportunity for more rest; it doesn't guarantee it. If homework, practices and evening shifts all move back, bedtime may move with them. The school would need to consider that entire chain rather than treating the morning bell as an isolated decision.

The second issue is how unevenly the disruption could fall. Consider a student like my neighbour's son, Ikaika, who works after school to save for further education. If his employer needs coverage before five, a 4:15 dismissal could make those shifts impractical. Another student might be responsible for collecting a younger sibling. For those households, the change could create a financial or logistical problem that an extra hour in the morning wouldn't resolve.

Finally, school activities need workable schedules. Moving practice before class might protect afternoon jobs, but it would also require participating students to get up early again, weakening the proposal's purpose. Keeping practice after school could instead push supper and homework further into the evening.

I'd favour exploring a smaller adjustment, perhaps an 8:30 start, alongside guidance on realistic sleep routines. Before committing, the school should survey students about travel, employment and care responsibilities. Better rest is a worthwhile objective, but a policy intended to improve well-being needs to account for students' lives beyond the classroom.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 example sustains a precise, conditional position and follows the consequences of the schedule across students' whole day. It combines clear causal reasoning, attention to unequal impacts and a practical alternative, using controlled language to make a complex argument easy to follow.

• Moving practice before class might protect afternoon jobs, but it would also require participating students to get up early again, — Content/Coherence: This tests a possible solution against the proposal's original purpose. It explains why protecting afternoon commitments could recreate the early waking problem, developing the tradeoff beyond simply listing scheduling difficulties.
• For those households, the change could create a financial or logistical problem — Vocabulary: The terms financial and logistical precisely distinguish lost employment opportunities from care and pickup difficulties. Referring to those households ties the vocabulary directly to the preceding examples.
• Starting seventy-five minutes later creates an opportunity for more rest; it doesn't guarantee it. — Listenability: The balanced clauses make a nuanced distinction easy to follow. The concise qualification establishes the central reasoning clearly before the answer develops the longer chain involving homework, practices and evening shifts.
• I'd favour exploring a smaller adjustment, perhaps an 8:30 start, alongside guidance on realistic sleep routines. — Task Fulfillment: This gives a concrete alternative consistent with opposing the full shift to 9:15. It keeps the sleep objective central while responding directly to the afternoon disruptions discussed throughout the answer.