CELPIP® Speaking Task 8 sample: The Floating Leaf Scoop

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 supplies at a parks service counter in Moncton for Saturday's pond cleanup. Your volunteer mentor Valeria has asked you to choose a tool for collecting floating leaves. Volunteers must stay on shore, and the equipment allowance is $45. An unusual scoop costs $40. Call Valeria, describe it in detail in your own words, and ask whether it is suitable to buy.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

119 words

Hi Valeria, I'm at the parks counter in Moncton, choosing something for Saturday's pond cleanup. There's a strange scoop here for $40. It has a yellow oval edge around a blue mesh basket. The basket is 50 centimetres wide, 35 long and 12 deep. Two white foam cylinder sit outside it, one on each side, attached with grey brackets. A silver pole comes from the back and has a black rubber grip. It's 120 centimetres long. Um, I think the white pieces help it float while the mesh catches leaves. It fits our $45 allowance, but I'm unsure about the reach because we must stay on shore. Would it be suitable to buy for cleanup? Thanks, Valeria. Talk soon.

Why this answer is at level 7

This answer provides a clear description, a basic explanation of the scoop’s function, and a relevant buying question. Compared with the higher-level answers, its vocabulary is simpler, its functional explanation is less developed, and a grammatical slip makes the wording less polished.

I think the white pieces help it float while the mesh catches leaves. — Content/Coherence: This connects the unusual parts to their likely purpose, so the description goes beyond appearance. A higher-level answer develops the explanation by describing drainage and showing why that would help volunteers collect leaves.
It has a yellow oval edge around a blue mesh basket. — Vocabulary: The colours, shape, and material give Valeria a useful picture, but the wording is fairly basic. The higher-level answers use more precise terms for the edge and explain more clearly how the parts are positioned and attached.
Two white foam cylinder sit outside it — Listenability: The meaning remains understandable, but the singular noun after “Two” makes the phrase grammatically awkward. The higher-level answers describe these same floats with more controlled wording, making their position easier to follow.
It fits our $45 allowance, but I'm unsure about the reach because we must stay on shore. — Task Fulfillment: This addresses both the spending limit and the shore restriction, giving Valeria relevant information for the purchase decision. A higher-level answer explains the practical consequence of limited reach: leaves farther from shore may remain inaccessible.

Level 9 sample answer

150 words

Hi Valeria, I'm calling from the parks service counter in Moncton about Saturday's cleanup. I've found a scoop that looks like a fishing net with floats attached. Its blue mesh basket has a yellow oval rim and measures 50 centimetres wide, 35 from front to back and 12 deep. Along either side, a white foam cylinder is secured to the rim with two grey brackets. A straight silver pole extends from the back, ending in a black rubber grip. The pole is 120 centimetres long. My guess is that the cylinders support the basket on the water while the mesh collects floating leaves and lets water drain away. At $40, it's within our allowance, with $5 to spare. The sticking point is reach: since we must remain on shore, we might only collect leaves close to the edge. Do you think it's suitable to buy? Thanks for your advice. Bye.

Why this answer is at level 9

This answer combines precise physical details with a clear explanation of flotation, drainage, budget, and limited reach. Compared with the top answer, some measurements remain separate factual statements, and the practical benefit of draining water is left for Valeria to infer.

The sticking point is reach: since we must remain on shore, we might only collect leaves close to the edge. — Content/Coherence: This develops the shore restriction into a concrete limitation and clearly identifies the main buying concern. The top answer also develops the positive side of the decision by explaining how drainage could make collecting debris easier.
Along either side, a white foam cylinder is secured to the rim with two grey brackets. — Vocabulary: Precise placement and attachment language helps Valeria reconstruct the tool accurately. The top answer extends this descriptive control into a more integrated visual introduction and carefully qualified explanations of how the equipment might work.
A straight silver pole extends from the back, ending in a black rubber grip. — Listenability: The sentence guides the listener naturally from the basket to the handle. However, the pole’s length comes in a separate short sentence afterward; the top answer incorporates its length and grip into the same flowing description.
At $40, it's within our allowance, with $5 to spare. — Task Fulfillment: This makes affordability immediately clear rather than merely stating the price. Together with the reach concern and direct buying question, it supports a useful decision; the top answer strengthens that support by explicitly explaining the tool’s practical advantage.

Level 11 sample answer

164 words

Hi Valeria, I've found an unusual scoop at the parks service counter in Moncton, and I'd appreciate your judgement before buying it for Saturday. Imagine a shallow blue mesh basket suspended inside a yellow oval rim, with a white foam cylinder mounted along each side. Two grey brackets secure each cylinder to the rim. The basket measures 50 centimetres across, 35 from front to back and 12 deep. Extending from the rear edge is a straight silver metal pole, 120 centimetres long, finished with a black rubber grip. The cylinders appear intended to keep the basket afloat, while the mesh would presumably retain leaves and allow water through. That could make collecting surface debris easier without lifting a basketful of water. However, I'm concerned about its reach: if the leaves drift farther out, volunteers couldn't follow them because we must stay on shore. It costs $40 against our $45 allowance. Would you consider it suitable to buy under those conditions? Thanks, Valeria. Talk soon.

Why this answer is at level 11

This answer creates a coherent mental picture and turns the physical details into a balanced buying assessment. Precise vocabulary, smooth descriptive phrasing, and careful distinctions between visible features and inferred functions make the recommendation request well supported.

That could make collecting surface debris easier without lifting a basketful of water. — Content/Coherence: This draws a practical benefit from the mesh’s drainage function. It gives Valeria a reason to consider the scoop useful before the answer weighs that benefit against the difficulty of reaching leaves from shore.
The cylinders appear intended to keep the basket afloat, while the mesh would presumably retain leaves and allow water through. — Vocabulary: Precise functional language explains flotation and drainage, while “appear intended” and “presumably” identify these functions as informed guesses. That distinction suits an unfamiliar tool whose performance the caller has not demonstrated.
Imagine a shallow blue mesh basket suspended inside a yellow oval rim, with a white foam cylinder mounted along each side. — Listenability: The invitation to imagine the object gives Valeria an immediate listening frame. The sentence builds outward from the basket to the rim and side floats, organizing several details into a picture that is easy to follow.
Would you consider it suitable to buy under those conditions? — Task Fulfillment: This directly asks Valeria for the required purchase judgement. Referring to the conditions ties the question to the preceding explanation of shore access, limited reach, and the $40 price within the $45 allowance.

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