CELPIP® Speaking Task 8 sample: The Yellow Leash 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're at a home-goods store in Oshawa with $60 in store credit that expires Sunday and can't be exchanged for cash. You want to thank your neighbour Wyatt, who shovelled your shared front walk all winter, and you spot an odd dog-walking gadget for $72. Wyatt loves his dog but is attached to his old leash. Call his daughter Moana, describe the gadget thoroughly using only your own wording, and ask whether he'd really use it.

A dog leash handle shaped like a thick flashlight, about 20 cm long, covered in bright yellow rubber with finger grooves on the underside. A thin red cord comes out of a slot at the front end and ends in a silver metal clip. On top of the handle sits a flat round grey silicone disc that pops up into a small collapsible bowl, folded in rings like an accordion; when popped up, the bowl is about the width of a saucer, noticeably wider than the handle. Hanging underneath from a short black strap is a small black plastic cylinder, about the size of a roll of coins, with a hinged lid. A round white button sits on the side of the handle near the thumb. Plain white background. No text, labels or logos.

Model answers

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

Level 7 sample answer

145 words

Hi Moana, it's me. I'm at the home store and I want to buy something for your dad, to say thank you for shovelling all winter. Um, I found a dog thing, but it's strange. It's a handle for a leash, and it looks like a big flashlight. It's bright yellow rubber, and there are grooves for the fingers. A thin red cord come out from the front, with a silver clip for the collar. On top there's a grey silicone bowl that pop up, so the dog can drink water. Under the handle there is small black tube, I think for bags. There's a white button on the side, maybe to stop the cord. I have $60 credit and it's $72, so I pay $12 more. But I know he likes his old leash. Do you think he will really use it? Thanks, bye!

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer communicates the gift idea, describes the main features, and asks about Wyatt's likely use. Compared with the higher-level answers, its wording is less precise, its flow is more repetitive, and recurring grammar errors make the description less smooth.

On top there's a grey silicone bowl that pop up, so the dog can drink water. — Content/Coherence: Connecting the bowl's position with its purpose helps Moana picture the gadget. However, the description mainly lists features; the higher-level answers connect the parts more smoothly and explain the bowl's folded shape.
It's a handle for a leash, and it looks like a big flashlight. — Vocabulary: The flashlight comparison gives Moana a useful starting picture. However, 'big' offers limited precision; the higher-level answers describe the handle's proportions and size more specifically.
A thin red cord come out from the front, with a silver clip for the collar. — Listenability: The sentence is easy to follow, but 'cord come out' creates a grammatical bump. Similar agreement errors elsewhere reduce smoothness; the higher-level answers maintain more consistent grammar while describing the same parts.
I have $60 credit and it's $72, so I pay $12 more. — Task Fulfillment: The answer clearly explains the extra cost, helping Moana understand the purchase decision. However, it omits the Sunday expiry, which the higher-level answers include to explain why the speaker is considering buying now.

Level 9 sample answer

171 words

Hi Moana, it's your neighbour. I need some inside information about your dad. He kept our front walk clear all winter, and I'd like to thank him with something for the dog. I'm at a home-goods store, and I've found a leash handle that's a bit odd. It's shaped like a chunky flashlight, about twenty centimetres long, covered in bright yellow rubber with finger grooves underneath, so it'd be easy to grip with mittens on. A thin red cord pulls out of the front and ends in a silver clip, and there's a white button on the side, probably to lock the cord. On top there's a grey silicone disc that pops up into a water bowl, folded like an accordion, and hanging underneath is a small black container with a lid, which I assume is for dog-waste bags. It's seventy-two dollars, and my store credit, which expires Sunday, covers sixty. But I know he swears by that old leash of his. Do you think he'd actually use it? Thanks, Moana.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer builds a clearer picture through precise materials, spatial details, and a practical explanation of the grip. Its conversational organization is stronger than the level 7 answer, while the level 11 answer makes the extra cost and final decision more immediately pointed.

He kept our front walk clear all winter, and I'd like to thank him with something for the dog. — Content/Coherence: This connects Wyatt's help directly to the gift idea before introducing the gadget. The level 11 answer develops the decision more fully by bringing the expiring credit into the setup and returning to the extra cost later.
a grey silicone disc that pops up into a water bowl, folded like an accordion — Vocabulary: The material, starting shape, and accordion comparison describe the mechanism much more precisely than the level 7 wording. The level 11 answer adds 'collapsible' and 'pleated,' making the bowl's construction even more explicit.
But I know he swears by that old leash of his. — Listenability: This short, conversational sentence provides a natural pause after the detailed description and shifts attention back to Wyatt. The level 11 ending adds a vivid possible outcome, giving the closing question more expressive force.
It's seventy-two dollars, and my store credit, which expires Sunday, covers sixty. — Task Fulfillment: Including the price, credit, and deadline makes the shopping situation clear. Moana must still work out the additional payment; the level 11 answer states that amount directly, making the practical choice easier to assess.

Level 11 sample answer

183 words

Hi Moana, it's me from next door. I'm hoping you can be my secret adviser. Your dad shovelled our front walk all winter, and I'd like to thank him properly. I've got sixty dollars of store credit at a home-goods place that expires on Sunday, and I've spotted a dog-walking gadget that's either brilliant or ridiculous. The handle looks like an oversized flashlight, about twenty centimetres long, coated in bright yellow rubber with finger grooves along the underside. A thin red cord feeds out of a slot at the front and finishes in a silver clip, and there's a white button by your thumb, presumably to lock the cord. Perched on top is a grey silicone disc that pops up into a collapsible water bowl, pleated like an accordion, while a small black cylinder with a hinged lid dangles underneath, no doubt for bags. It's seventy-two dollars, so I'd only be topping up twelve. My hesitation is that he's so loyal to that old leash. So, would he actually use it, or would it end up gathering dust in a drawer? Thanks, Moana.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines a detailed visual description with a clear reason for calling and a focused purchase decision. Precise vocabulary, varied sentence patterns, and a personable closing make the gadget easy to imagine while keeping Wyatt's attachment to his leash central.

It's seventy-two dollars, so I'd only be topping up twelve. — Content/Coherence: This turns the earlier store-credit information into a clear practical consequence. After describing the gadget, the speaker brings the conversation back to the purchase decision before raising Wyatt's attachment to his leash.
a grey silicone disc that pops up into a collapsible water bowl, pleated like an accordion — Vocabulary: The wording captures material, shape, transformation, and folded construction in one connected description. 'Collapsible' and 'pleated' give Moana a particularly clear picture of how the bowl changes shape.
I've spotted a dog-walking gadget that's either brilliant or ridiculous. — Listenability: The playful contrast gives the call a personable voice and introduces the speaker's uncertainty naturally. It makes the detailed description feel motivated: Moana is being invited to help judge an unusual gift.
So, would he actually use it, or would it end up gathering dust in a drawer? — Task Fulfillment: The closing question directly asks for an honest assessment of actual use. The image of an unused gift makes the concern concrete and gives Moana a clear choice to consider in light of Wyatt's loyalty to his old leash.

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