CELPIP® Speaking Task 8 sample: The Hooded Phone Stand

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're at an equipment lending desk in Richmond, helping your neighbour Rashad record a birthday message for his grandmother. He shares an apartment and can record only after his roommates go to bed. You notice an unfamiliar device. Call Rashad, describe it in detail in your own words, and ask whether you should borrow it instead of a regular phone stand.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

132 words

Hey Rashad, I'm at the equipment lending desk in Richmond. I found a strange phone stand for your grandmother's birthday message. It has a round grey metal base, about 25 centimetres across, and there's three green rubber feet underneath. A yellow pole goes up from the back and bends forward. A blue felt hood hangs from the top, like a little tunnel with an open front. Inside, an orange clamp is attached on a short grey bracket coming from the pole's forward arm. Um, I think the phone goes in that clamp, and maybe the hood keeps your voice quieter. That could help after your roommates go to bed, but I don't know if it works. Should I borrow this instead of a regular stand? Let me know what you think. Bye!

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives Rashad a clear picture of the device and asks the required borrowing question. Compared with the stronger answers, its description is less complete, its language has a noticeable agreement error, and its suggestion about reducing noise needs more careful explanation.

A yellow pole goes up from the back and bends forward. — Content/Coherence: Describing the structure from the base upwards makes the device easy to picture. The higher-level answers develop this outline with the overall height and the hood's closed back, giving Rashad a fuller mental image.
A blue felt hood hangs from the top, like a little tunnel with an open front. — Vocabulary: The colour, material and tunnel comparison communicate an unfamiliar shape clearly. The higher-level answers add more precise features, such as a rounded roof, and use more specific language to explain how the parts connect.
It has a round grey metal base, about 25 centimetres across, and there's three green rubber feet underneath. — Listenability: The concrete details are easy to follow, but 'there's three' contains a subject–verb agreement error. The higher-level answers describe the same feet with grammatically controlled phrasing, making the description sound more polished.
Um, I think the phone goes in that clamp, and maybe the hood keeps your voice quieter. — Task Fulfillment: The speaker connects the device to Rashad's need to record while his roommates sleep, but the proposed benefit is vague. The higher-level answers distinguish possible sound absorption from preventing other people from hearing his voice.

Level 9 sample answer

157 words

Hi Rashad, I've spotted something unusual at the equipment lending desk in Richmond. It might help with recording your grandmother's birthday message after your roommates go to bed. Imagine a phone stand wearing a small blue felt hood. The stand is 40 centimetres tall, with a round grey metal base and three green rubber feet. A yellow pole rises from the back, then bends forward to support the hood. The hood has a rounded roof, an open front and a closed back, almost like a miniature tunnel. An orange phone clamp sits inside, connected to the pole's forward arm by a short grey bracket. My guess is that the felt might absorb some sound around the phone, but I wouldn't count on it keeping your roommates from hearing you. It could still be worth a try if you record quietly. Should I borrow this one instead of a regular phone stand? Give me your thoughts. Talk soon!

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer combines an orderly description, a memorable comparison and sensible caution about disturbing Rashad's roommates. Compared with the level 11 answer, it omits the base's diameter and uses less varied language to connect the physical description with the borrowing decision.

The hood has a rounded roof, an open front and a closed back, almost like a miniature tunnel. — Content/Coherence: The grouped shape details make the hood more fully imaginable than in the level 7 answer. The level 11 answer extends that completeness across the whole device by including both its overall height and the base's diameter.
A yellow pole rises from the back, then bends forward to support the hood. — Vocabulary: The verbs 'rises' and 'support' explain both movement and structural purpose precisely. The level 11 answer shows a wider range of spatial language through expressions such as 'mounted,' 'rear' and 'upper arm.'
It could still be worth a try if you record quietly. — Listenability: This short conditional sentence makes the practical suggestion easy to process after the longer description. The level 11 answer uses more developed clause structures while keeping the relationship between Rashad's circumstances and the noise concern clear.
My guess is that the felt might absorb some sound around the phone, but I wouldn't count on it keeping your roommates from hearing you. — Task Fulfillment: The speaker addresses the central practical concern and clearly marks the device's function as uncertain. The level 11 answer connects this caution more explicitly to recording after the roommates are asleep before presenting the borrowing choice.

Level 11 sample answer

172 words

Hi Rashad, before I collect a regular phone stand, there's an odd alternative at the lending desk in Richmond that I'd like to run past you. It resembles a tiny recording booth mounted on a stand. The circular grey metal base measures 25 centimetres across and is supported by three green rubber feet. From its rear, a yellow pole rises and bends forward, bringing the overall height to 40 centimetres. Hanging from that upper arm is a blue felt hood with a rounded roof, a closed back and an open front. An orange phone clamp is positioned inside it on a short grey bracket connected to the forward arm. I suspect the hood is intended to absorb nearby sound, although that wouldn't necessarily prevent your voice from travelling through the apartment. Given that you'll record your grandmother's birthday message after your roommates are asleep, we shouldn't assume it solves the noise issue. Would you like me to borrow it instead of the regular stand? Let me know which you'd prefer. Thanks. Bye!

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer integrates a detailed physical description with a carefully qualified explanation of the device's possible purpose. Its precise spatial language, controlled complex sentences and clear borrowing question keep the call focused on helping Rashad make a practical decision.

From its rear, a yellow pole rises and bends forward, bringing the overall height to 40 centimetres. — Content/Coherence: This sentence builds directly on the preceding base description and adds the overall height without interrupting the visual sequence. The description then moves naturally to the hood and the clamp inside it.
It resembles a tiny recording booth mounted on a stand. — Vocabulary: The recording-booth comparison gives Rashad an immediate overall image suited to his recording task. 'Resembles' and 'mounted' convey appearance and physical arrangement concisely, preparing him for the more detailed description.
I suspect the hood is intended to absorb nearby sound, although that wouldn't necessarily prevent your voice from travelling through the apartment. — Listenability: The sentence handles a complex distinction through a clear main clause followed by an 'although' clause. That structure helps the listener follow the possible benefit and its limitation without losing the main point.
Would you like me to borrow it instead of the regular stand? — Task Fulfillment: The call ends with the exact decision Rashad needs to make. The preceding description and caution about his sleeping roommates give him relevant information before this direct, natural request for his preference.

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.

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