CELPIP® Speaking Task 7 sample: Healthier Vending Machines at the Arena

Level 7 sample answer

193 words

I think this is a good change, even if the centre makes a little less money.

First, the arena is a place for sports and exercise, so healthier food should be available there. Parents may want to buy something after a game without having to choose between chips and chocolate. Water, milk and other snacks would give them more useful choices.

Second, children notice what is easy to buy. My nephew always ask for chocolate at the rink because he sees it in the machine. If there were different snacks, he might try one of those instead. It could help families build a better habit.

But I understand the money is important. Nine thousand dollars helps families pay for hockey, and playing sports is good too. Um, the centre should find another way to support program if sales fall. It could ask local businesses to sponsor some registration fees.

Also, the new snacks need reasonable prices. If they cost too much, people will bring food from somewhere else.

So I'd support the change, but the centre needs to watch sales carefully and make sure children can still get help with their hockey fees.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives a clear position, understandable reasons and a relevant family example. Its straightforward language communicates the main ideas, but the financial backup and monitoring plan receive less development than in the higher-level answers.

• It could ask local businesses to sponsor some registration fees. — Content/Coherence: Sponsorship directly addresses the threatened hockey funding, so the suggestion follows logically. However, it remains a possibility; a higher-level answer would explain how dependable that support must be before the replacement proceeds.
• Water, milk and other snacks would give them more useful choices. — Vocabulary: The wording is clear but broad: more useful choices does not specify what families gain. Higher-level vocabulary would describe convenience, preferences or appealing alternatives more precisely.
• My nephew always ask for chocolate at the rink because he sees it in the machine. — Listenability: The familiar rink example is easy to follow, although the verb agreement error creates a grammatical snag. Higher-level wording would preserve this conversational quality with more consistent grammatical control.
• So I'd support the change, but the centre needs to watch sales carefully — Task Fulfillment: The conclusion clearly supports the change while acknowledging the funding risk. A higher-level response would turn watching sales into a more specific decision process for protecting registration assistance.

Level 9 sample answer

234 words

I understand why the centre wants healthier machines, but I'd oppose replacing everything at once because the registration support is too important to put at risk.

My main concern is access to hockey. That $9,000 helps children participate whose families might otherwise struggle with the fees. If revenue fell by a third, for example, the centre would have $3,000 less to distribute. That's only a hypothetical loss, but it shows why the financial side deserves careful planning. Supporting physical activity is part of supporting children's health too.

Another issue is that removing snacks from a machine doesn't necessarily change what people eat. My friend Malik brings snacks when he takes his daughter to practice because buying them at the arena gets expensive. Other families could do the same if the new options cost more. The centre might lose sales without producing much change in eating habits.

I'd prefer a gradual approach that tests demand. It could introduce water, milk and healthier snacks in some spaces while keeping a smaller selection of the current products. Clear prices and appealing placement could help the new choices compete. After a season, the centre would have actual sales figures to guide its next decision.

I'd support better choices, but the funding needs a backup plan before a complete replacement. A careful transition would give healthier snacks a fair chance while protecting children's opportunity to get on the ice.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer develops a persuasive case against immediate replacement through a hypothetical funding loss, a relevant example and a gradual alternative. Its reasoning and language are more precise than the level 7 answer, but its funding safeguards remain less concrete than those at level 11.

• If revenue fell by a third, for example, the centre would have $3,000 less to distribute. — Content/Coherence: The calculation makes the funding risk tangible, and the following sentence explicitly identifies it as hypothetical. The top-level answer goes further by specifying how a potential shortfall would be covered.
• Clear prices and appealing placement could help the new choices compete. — Vocabulary: Prices, placement and compete describe specific ways to encourage purchases, improving on general claims about better choices. The top-level answer extends this precision to sponsorship commitments and stock monitoring.
• Another issue is that removing snacks from a machine doesn't necessarily change what people eat. — Listenability: The transition clearly introduces a separate objection, while the conversational wording makes the distinction easy to follow. The top-level answer uses more varied transitions to connect benefits, qualifications and financial safeguards.
• I'd support better choices, but the funding needs a backup plan before a complete replacement. — Task Fulfillment: This maintains the stated opposition to replacing everything immediately while allowing healthier options. It answers the tradeoff directly, although the top-level response identifies a specific backup and explains what happens if it cannot be secured.

Level 11 sample answer

259 words

I'd support the switch, provided the centre secures a realistic backup for the hockey fund before changing the machines.

The strongest argument is convenience. Families shouldn't have to pack every snack themselves to find something that fits their preferences after practice. An arena that offers water, milk and a varied selection of healthier snacks would make those choices easier. It could also ask parents and players which products they'd actually buy, rather than assuming that anything carrying a healthy label will sell.

There's a second advantage in treating the machines as part of the centre's broader purpose. Children encounter the same options repeatedly throughout a hockey season. If appealing alternatives are consistently available, trying them can become an ordinary part of visiting the rink. My neighbour Josée, for instance, says her son is much more willing to try a different snack when he sees teammates choosing it too. That isn't a guarantee of changed habits, but it illustrates the opportunity.

The financial risk nevertheless needs more than good intentions. The $9,000 supports participation, which is itself a meaningful contribution to children's well-being. I'd therefore seek a confirmed sponsorship commitment to cover an agreed shortfall during the first season. If that support couldn't be secured, I'd phase in the replacement instead of gambling with registration assistance.

The centre should also track revenue and unsold stock monthly so it can adjust products and prices promptly. With those safeguards, I'd favour the change: families would gain convenient choices, while the children relying on fee assistance would retain their place on the ice.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines a clear conditional position with developed benefits, carefully qualified evidence and concrete funding safeguards. Its precise vocabulary and varied sentence structure support a coherent argument that protects both healthier choices and access to hockey.

• That isn't a guarantee of changed habits, but it illustrates the opportunity. — Content/Coherence: This qualification keeps the neighbour's example in proportion. It supports the possibility of children trying different snacks without treating an anecdote as proof that the replacement will change everyone's habits.
• track revenue and unsold stock monthly — Vocabulary: These precise, accessible terms identify what the centre should measure and how often. Including unsold stock shows attention to products that fail to sell, making the monitoring proposal more useful than a general instruction to watch sales.
• The financial risk nevertheless needs more than good intentions. — Listenability: This short sentence provides a clear pause after the benefits and signals the move to funding concerns. Its direct phrasing helps the listener follow the argument despite the surrounding, more detailed sentences.
• I'd therefore seek a confirmed sponsorship commitment to cover an agreed shortfall during the first season. — Task Fulfillment: The proposal directly connects support for healthier machines to protecting hockey assistance. The following fallback to a phased replacement makes the condition actionable and keeps the position consistent if sponsorship is unavailable.