CELPIP® Speaking Task 8 sample: The Fish-Shaped Raffle Mixer

Describing an Unusual Situation · Preparation: 30 seconds · Response: 60 seconds · Published 23 October 2026

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

Practice question

You are collecting donated equipment for a volunteer-run fundraiser in Penticton. A craft club offers a strange raffle mixer. Call Morgan, the event’s treasurer, who must keep the draw fair. Tickets need thorough mixing, but volunteers must also carry the device between the entrance desk and the stage. Describe it in detail in your own words and ask whether to accept it.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

125 words

Hi Morgan, I'm collecting equipment in Penticton, and the craft club offered us a raffle mixer. It's about 45 centimetres long and 30 high. There's a clear oval drum between two green triangle supports on a cream wooden base. A silver bar goes through the drum, with an orange fish tail on the left. On the right, a bent silver handle has a round blue knob. There's also a yellow round lid on top. Um, I think turning the handle mixes the tickets inside. There's two carrying holes in the base, so we could move it to the stage. But I'm not sure if tickets would mix good in there. Since you're responsible for a fair draw, should I accept it? Thanks, let me know.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives Morgan a recognizable description and asks for a decision, but it mainly lists features. Compared with the higher-level answers, its wording is less precise, and it leaves the practical concern about fair mixing underdeveloped.

There's a clear oval drum between two green triangle supports on a cream wooden base. — Content/Coherence: This establishes the main structure clearly. However, the surrounding description mostly adds separate features. The higher-level answers connect parts more systematically through their positions and functions, helping Morgan build a more complete mental picture.
But I'm not sure if tickets would mix good in there. — Vocabulary: The fairness concern is understandable, but the wording is vague and grammatically awkward. The higher-level answers describe thorough or even mixing more precisely and explain the concern more clearly.
There's two carrying holes in the base, so we could move it to the stage. — Listenability: The cause-and-effect link is easy to follow, although the subject–verb mismatch makes the phrasing less polished. The higher-level answers use smoother grammar and identify the carrying route more fully.
Since you're responsible for a fair draw, should I accept it? — Task Fulfillment: This directly addresses Morgan's responsibility and asks whether to accept the donation. A stronger answer would make the decision more useful by proposing a mixing check before acceptance, while also weighing how manageable the device would be to carry.

Level 9 sample answer

157 words

Hi Morgan, I'm collecting donations in Penticton, and the craft club has offered an unusual raffle mixer. Since you're our treasurer, I'd like your opinion before accepting it. Imagine a transparent oval drum balanced between two dark green triangular supports on a cream wooden base. A silver axle runs through it lengthwise. An orange fish tail sticks out beyond the left support, while a silver crank with a round blue wooden knob extends beyond the right. There's a circular yellow hatch on the drum, attached by a silver hinge. I assume we'd put tickets through that opening and turn the crank to mix them. The whole device measures roughly 45 centimetres long and 30 high. Oval holes at opposite ends of the base should help volunteers carry it between the entrance desk and stage. It looks promising, although fair mixing is the sticking point. Should I accept it for the fundraiser? Thanks, I'll wait for your decision.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer organizes a detailed description clearly, uses precise mechanical vocabulary, and addresses both mixing and transport. It is stronger than the level 7 answer, but its final recommendation is less developed than the level 11 answer's conditional acceptance proposal.

Imagine a transparent oval drum balanced between two dark green triangular supports on a cream wooden base. — Content/Coherence: This gives Morgan an overall picture before introducing smaller components. The structure is clearer than the lower-level feature list. The stronger answer connects physical details to their functions more consistently, including explaining rotation when introducing the axle.
A silver axle runs through it lengthwise. — Vocabulary: The mechanical term and directional wording identify the part precisely, improving on the lower-level description of a bar. The stronger answer adds more specific material and shape vocabulary while keeping the device easy to picture.
It looks promising, although fair mixing is the sticking point. — Listenability: This short contrast clearly signals the shift from description to concern. However, Morgan must infer why mixing remains uncertain. The stronger answer explains that seeing tickets tumble does not establish thorough mixing, making the reasoning easier to follow.
Should I accept it for the fundraiser? — Task Fulfillment: The question clearly requests the required decision after discussing fairness and carrying holes. However, it offers no acceptance condition. The stronger answer gives Morgan a practical proposal by making acceptance dependent on checking mixing performance.

Level 11 sample answer

176 words

Hi Morgan, the craft club in Penticton has offered a raffle mixer for our fundraiser. Before I accept it, I'd appreciate your judgement as treasurer. Picture a transparent oval acrylic drum suspended between dark green triangular supports on a cream rectangular wooden base. A silver axle passes lengthwise through the drum, allowing it to rotate. Beyond the left support, an orange triangular tail makes the device resemble a fish; beyond the right, an L-shaped silver crank ends in a round blue wooden knob. Tickets presumably enter through a circular yellow hatch, which has a small silver hinge. At approximately 45 centimetres long and 30 high, it's substantial, although oval carrying holes at opposite ends of the base could make moving it from the entrance desk to the stage manageable. The transparent drum would let us watch the tickets tumble, but visibility alone wouldn't guarantee thorough mixing. Would you like me to accept it, provided we first check how evenly it mixes tickets? That could help us cover both fairness and portability. Thanks, I'll await your advice.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines precise visual detail with clear explanations of function and practical judgment. Its strength is the connection between description and decision: it weighs portability, distinguishes visibility from fair mixing, and proposes checking performance before accepting the donation.

A silver axle passes lengthwise through the drum, allowing it to rotate. — Content/Coherence: The sentence connects a component's location directly to its function. This helps Morgan understand how the device works as the description develops, rather than having to assemble that explanation from separate details.
Picture a transparent oval acrylic drum suspended between dark green triangular supports on a cream rectangular wooden base. — Vocabulary: Material, shape, colour, and position are expressed precisely. The specific nouns and modifiers give Morgan a detailed picture of the unusual equipment while maintaining a clear main structure.
The transparent drum would let us watch the tickets tumble, but visibility alone wouldn't guarantee thorough mixing. — Listenability: The clear contrast guides the listener from an apparent advantage to its limitation. Concrete wording about watching tickets tumble makes the fairness concern easy to understand without a lengthy technical explanation.
Would you like me to accept it, provided we first check how evenly it mixes tickets? — Task Fulfillment: This turns the fairness concern into a practical acceptance condition while leaving the decision with Morgan. Together with the earlier assessment of size and carrying holes, it addresses the fundraiser's competing needs for thorough mixing and manageable transport.

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.

Help the listener picture the unusual object through its shape, material, size and arrangement. Use comparisons and spatial language, then complete the requested interaction.

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