CELPIP® Speaking Task 7 sample: Tablets or Computer Access

Expressing Opinions · Preparation: 30 seconds · Response: 90 seconds · Published 23 October 2026

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

Practice question

Terrence’s high school in Brandon can use its technology budget either to lend tablets for homework or to keep its computer room open after classes with staff support. It cannot afford both. Which option should the school choose? Support your choice with reasons and examples.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

192 words

I'd choose lending tablets because students could use them at home when they have time. Keeping the computer room open would help, but only students who can stay after school could use it.

First, students have different schedules. Some may take a bus home or have an activity after classes. If they need to stay at school for extra hour, that could be difficult. A borrowed tablet would let them do homework later in the evening instead.

Also, a tablet could be useful for several subjects. Students could read an article, check an assignment, or watch a lesson again. Um, it give them a way to work without depending on another person's device. They could also review something over the weekend.

Finally, students need practice organizing their own work. Using a school tablet at home could help them decide when to study and keep their assignments together. The school should explain how to look after the tablets before lending them out.

I understand that staff in the computer room could answer questions. Still, access at home would be more flexible. With only enough money for one option, I'd put the tablets first.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 teaching answer makes a clear choice and gives relevant reasons about schedules, homework uses, and independence. Its examples remain fairly general, its vocabulary is familiar, and occasional awkward grammar makes it less polished than the other answers.

Some may take a bus home or have an activity after classes. — Content/Coherence: This gives a relevant reason why students might need tablets at home. The explanation stays general; a higher-level answer would trace a specific consequence, such as missing the bus and therefore being unable to use the computer room.
Students could read an article, check an assignment, or watch a lesson again. — Vocabulary: These familiar verbs clearly describe useful tablet activities across subjects. A higher-level answer would use more precise language to explain how taking materials home supports continued work or addresses unequal access.
Um, it give them a way to work without depending on another person's device. — Listenability: The meaning is understandable, but the filler and incorrect verb form interrupt the otherwise straightforward wording. A higher-level answer would express this point more smoothly, with accurate grammar and fewer verbal distractions.
I understand that staff in the computer room could answer questions. — Task Fulfillment: The answer acknowledges a real benefit of the competing option while maintaining its choice. A higher-level answer would explain more fully why flexible access outweighs that support and identify conditions needed for tablet loans to work.

Level 9 sample answer

236 words

I'd keep the computer room open after classes because access to technology is more useful when students can also get help using it effectively. A tablet at home would be convenient, but it wouldn't solve every homework problem.

The biggest advantage is the staff support. Imagine a student who understands a topic but can't work out how to format a document or upload an assignment. At home, that small obstacle could stop the whole evening's work. In the computer room, someone could help the student get back on track before frustration builds.

Another reason is that a full computer setup suits a wider range of assignments. Reading a short article on a tablet may be comfortable, whereas comparing several sources and writing a long report could be awkward. For example, I'd much rather edit a presentation using a larger screen and a keyboard than keep switching between small windows.

The room would also provide a predictable place to concentrate. Not every student has a quiet desk available at home. Staying after classes could give someone a focused period to finish an assignment before going home to a busy household.

I recognize that transportation and other commitments would prevent some students from staying. The school should therefore consult students about the most useful opening times. Nevertheless, given this budget choice, I'd favour supported computer access because it combines suitable equipment, practical guidance, and a place to work.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 teaching answer develops distinct reasons through concrete homework situations and makes the benefits of supported computer access easy to understand. Compared with the level 11 answer, it examines the practical limits of its preferred option less deeply, especially for students who cannot stay after classes.

At home, that small obstacle could stop the whole evening's work. — Content/Coherence: This develops the document-formatting example into a clear consequence, showing why staff help matters. A higher-level answer would also examine the conditions behind the example, including whether the student can attend the supported session.
a full computer setup suits a wider range of assignments. — Vocabulary: The phrase makes a useful distinction between having a device and having equipment suited to demanding homework. A higher-level answer would qualify this broad claim more precisely around the assignments the school actually requires.
A tablet at home would be convenient, but it wouldn't solve every homework problem. — Listenability: The direct contrast is easy to follow and prepares the listener for the reasons that follow. A higher-level answer would retain this clarity while stating a more precise limitation than the broad phrase about homework problems.
The school should therefore consult students about the most useful opening times. — Task Fulfillment: This responds constructively to the transportation objection and keeps the recommendation practical. A higher-level answer would distinguish students helped by adjusted hours from those whose transport or commitments prevent attendance altogether.

Level 11 sample answer

256 words

I'd choose the tablet loans, primarily because the value of school technology depends on whether students can access it when they actually need it. An excellent computer room has limited value to someone who cannot stay after classes.

Take a student who catches a bus immediately after the final bell. If using the computer room means missing that ride, the school has effectively attached a transportation problem to homework support. A borrowed tablet would allow that student to read an assigned chapter at seven in the evening or revise a paragraph on Saturday. That flexibility would extend the benefit beyond students whose schedules happen to fit the opening hours.

The second advantage is continuity. A student could begin research in class and return to the same materials at home, rather than trying to complete every digital task during a narrow afternoon window. For assignments that allow it, materials could be downloaded at school, reducing dependence on home internet. The school would need to check those arrangements before choosing the devices.

Finally, a loan program could direct limited resources towards students with the greatest access difficulties. If demand exceeded supply, a fair borrowing system could prioritize students without a suitable device at home. That would make the budget serve a clear educational purpose rather than simply increasing convenience for everyone equally.

Staff support is a substantial benefit of the alternative, and tablets won't suit every assignment. Even so, I'd favour bringing access within students' reach, provided the school selects equipment that supports the homework it actually assigns.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 teaching answer connects its recommendation to access, continuity, and fair allocation, developing each through specific consequences or practical arrangements. Its precise wording and explicit conditions make the argument persuasive without assuming tablets will suit every student or assignment.

the school has effectively attached a transportation problem to homework support. — Content/Coherence: This draws a clear consequence from the bus example: support becomes difficult to access when attendance means losing transport home. It turns a scheduling detail into a strong explanation of why tablet loans may reach students more effectively.
a fair borrowing system could prioritize students without a suitable device at home. — Vocabulary: The wording precisely identifies both an allocation method and the students it would serve. Words such as “prioritize” and “suitable” help explain how limited technology funding could address actual homework needs.
The second advantage is continuity. — Listenability: This short transition clearly announces a distinct reason and gives the listener a pause after the detailed bus example. The following explanation makes the abstract idea concrete through research begun in class and continued at home.
The school would need to check those arrangements before choosing the devices. — Task Fulfillment: This makes the recommendation conditional on whether downloading materials would actually support assigned homework. Alongside the acknowledgment of staff support and tablet limitations, it shows careful attention to whether the chosen option can deliver its promised benefits.

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.

State your position and develop distinct reasons with concrete examples. Connect the argument and explain relevant trade-offs while keeping your position clear.

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