CELPIP® Speaking Task 8 sample: The Hourglass Vegetable Gadget

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 at a kitchen equipment demonstration in Richmond and see an unusual hand-operated gadget. Call your cooking-club partner Yan, who is planning a vegetarian workshop with you. Participants will have only twenty minutes to prepare their ingredients. Describe the gadget in detail in your own words and ask whether Yan wants to come and watch it being demonstrated.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

121 words

Hi Yan, I'm at the kitchen equipment demonstration in Richmond. There's a strange gadget that might help at our vegetarian workshop. It has an orange body shaped like an hourglass, about 35 centimetres tall. It stand on a wide purple base. On top, there's a turquoise funnel, like a bowl. A clear oval window shows a silver spiral inside. Also, a silver handle sticks out on the right, with a red ball at the end. On the left is a curved turquoise outlet. Um, maybe you turn the handle to make vegetable strips. It might save time for vegetarian workshop, since people only have twenty minutes to prepare everything. Would you like to come and watch the demonstration? Okay, talk soon.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives Yan a clear picture of the gadget, connects it to the preparation deadline, and includes the invitation. Its simple descriptive language, occasional grammar slips, and limited explanation of practical usefulness keep it below the more developed answers.

Um, maybe you turn the handle to make vegetable strips. — Content/Coherence: The answer moves from appearance to a possible function, but the explanation is brief. A higher-level answer connects the funnel, spiral, and outlet into a tentative account of how vegetables move through the gadget.
On the left is a curved turquoise outlet. — Vocabulary: Colour, position, and a basic shape word help Yan picture the outlet. The higher-level answers describe its crescent shape and downward curve, making the unusual feature easier to visualize.
It stand on a wide purple base. — Listenability: The short sentence is easy to follow, but the verb should be 'stands.' A higher-level answer maintains grammatical control while connecting the body and base in a smoother description.
It might save time for vegetarian workshop, since people only have twenty minutes to prepare everything. — Task Fulfillment: This directly connects the gadget to the workshop's preparation limit. A higher-level answer explains what could affect the time saving, such as whether feeding vegetables into the gadget is straightforward.

Level 9 sample answer

152 words

Hey Yan, I'm at a kitchen equipment demonstration in Richmond, and I've found something that might be worth a look for our vegetarian workshop. It's a hand-operated gadget with an orange hourglass-shaped body, 35 centimetres tall. A broad purple suction base supports it, and a turquoise bowl-shaped funnel sits on top. Through an oval window at the front, you can see a vertical silver spiral. There's a silver crank on the right with a red ball for a grip. On the opposite side, a short turquoise outlet curves downward like a crescent. I'm guessing vegetables go into the funnel and come out through that outlet, perhaps as ribbons. With only twenty minutes for ingredient preparation, it could take some pressure off participants. On the other hand, we need to see whether using it is actually straightforward. Would you like to come here and watch it being demonstrated with me? Thanks, talk soon.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer combines precise visual details with a plausible explanation and a clear invitation. It develops the workshop connection beyond the level 7 answer, but its concern about ease of use remains broad compared with the specific practical reasoning in the level 11 answer.

On the other hand, we need to see whether using it is actually straightforward. — Content/Coherence: This balances the potential benefit with a reason to watch the demonstration. A higher-level answer identifies a specific difficulty, such as awkward ingredient feeding, and explains how it could cancel out the time saved.
On the opposite side, a short turquoise outlet curves downward like a crescent. — Vocabulary: The spatial reference, direction, and shape comparison create a more exact picture than the level 7 description. The top answer sustains this precision across additional details, including the base's shape and width.
There's a silver crank on the right with a red ball for a grip. — Listenability: The familiar sentence structure presents the crank's position and grip clearly. A higher-level answer keeps that accessibility while varying the structure, combining the descriptions of the crank and opposite outlet into a controlled sentence.
Would you like to come here and watch it being demonstrated with me? — Task Fulfillment: The invitation directly completes the requested call to Yan. A higher-level answer makes the invitation more purposeful by explicitly connecting the visit to deciding whether the gadget belongs in the workshop.

Level 11 sample answer

170 words

Yan, I'm at the equipment demonstration in Richmond, looking at a hand-operated gadget that could be relevant to our vegetarian workshop. Its orange body narrows in the middle like an hourglass and stands 35 centimetres high on a purple oval suction base, 22 centimetres across. A turquoise funnel, shaped like a bowl, is fixed to the top. Through the transparent oval window in front, there's a silver spiral running vertically inside. A silver crank extends from the right, ending in a red spherical grip; on the left, a turquoise crescent-shaped outlet curves downward. My guess is that turning the crank moves vegetables through the spiral and produces strips or ribbons, although the demonstration should establish exactly what happens. If it simplifies preparation, it could help participants stay within their twenty-minute limit. Still, any time saved could disappear if feeding ingredients into it proves awkward. Would you like to join me and watch it in action before we consider it for the workshop? Thanks, I'll look out for your reply. Bye.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines detailed spatial description, varied sentence structures, and careful reasoning about the workshop deadline. It distinguishes a guessed function from what the demonstration can establish and gives Yan a practical reason to attend.

Still, any time saved could disappear if feeding ingredients into it proves awkward. — Content/Coherence: This develops the earlier time-saving claim into a specific practical tradeoff. Unlike the broader concern in the level 9 answer, it identifies ingredient feeding as something to observe during the demonstration.
A silver crank extends from the right, ending in a red spherical grip; — Vocabulary: Precise component and shape terms describe both the mechanism and its appearance compactly. 'Extends' and 'ending in' also express how the parts connect, helping Yan construct a clear mental picture.
If it simplifies preparation, it could help participants stay within their twenty-minute limit. — Listenability: The condition comes first, followed by its practical consequence, making the reasoning easy to follow aloud. The sentence handles a more developed idea while keeping its structure clear and manageable.
Would you like to join me and watch it in action before we consider it for the workshop? — Task Fulfillment: The invitation brings the call back to their shared workshop planning. It gives Yan a concrete reason to attend: watching the gadget operate will help them decide whether it suits the participants' preparation needs.

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