CP

Study guide

CELPIP Speaking

Eight short tasks: advise, tell, describe, predict, persuade, handle, argue, explain.

  • 15 minutes
  • 8 tasks

Overview

The Speaking section takes about 15 minutes and has 8 tasks. Each task has its own preparation time (30–60 seconds) and speaking time (60–90 seconds), and the recording starts automatically.

Use the preparation time to choose your main idea and two supporting points. Only what you say before the time ends counts.

Task 1 Giving Advice

Practise this task →

Give advice to someone in a situation (90 seconds to speak).

How to approach it

  • Say your main advice in the first sentence, then give two reasons.
  • Use advice language: You should…, It might be a good idea to…, If I were you, I would…
  • Think about both sides of the person’s situation, then explain why your advice is the best balance.
  • Finish with a short encouraging sentence.

Task 2 Talking about a Personal Experience

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Talk about a personal experience (60 seconds).

How to approach it

  • Answer who, where, when, what happened and how you felt.
  • Use past tenses consistently and link events with first, then, after that, in the end.
  • One experience told with detail is better than three mentioned quickly.
  • A believable invented story is fine — it is a language test, not a memory test.

Task 3 Describing a Scene

Practise this task →

Describe a picture to someone who cannot see it (60 seconds).

How to approach it

  • Start with one sentence about the whole scene: where it is and what is happening.
  • Move around the picture in order — left to right, or front to back — so you do not repeat yourself.
  • Describe people with actions (-ing verbs) and use place words: in the foreground, next to, behind.
  • Mention small details that a listener could imagine: colours, signs, the weather.

Task 4 Making Predictions

Practise this task →

Look at the same picture and predict what will happen next (60 seconds).

How to approach it

  • Use future language: is going to, will probably, might, I expect that…
  • Make several predictions about different people in the picture.
  • Give a reason for each prediction based on what you can see.
  • Do not describe the picture again — the task is about what happens next.

Task 5 Comparing and Persuading

Practise this task →

Choose between two options and persuade someone who prefers the other one (60 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak).

How to approach it

  • Use the first part of the preparation time to choose; use the rest to plan reasons.
  • Compare directly: My option is cheaper/closer/more flexible than yours because…
  • Mention one advantage of the other option, then explain why yours is still better.
  • Speak to the person directly and end with a clear request: “So, shall we…?”

Task 6 Dealing with a Difficult Situation

Practise this task →

Deal with a difficult situation: choose who to speak to and explain politely (60 seconds).

How to approach it

  • Choose the option that lets you sound polite and give clear reasons.
  • Start by showing you understand the other person: “I know this is important to you…”
  • Explain your reason honestly, then offer a solution or a compromise.
  • Keep a friendly, respectful tone all the way through.

Task 7 Expressing Opinions

Practise this task →

Give your opinion on an issue and support it (90 seconds).

How to approach it

  • State your opinion in the first sentence. Do not wait until the end.
  • Give two or three reasons, each with an example from your life or society.
  • You can admit one point on the other side, then explain why you still hold your view.
  • Finish with one sentence that repeats your position in new words.

Task 8 Describing an Unusual Situation

Practise this task →

Describe an unusual object or situation in a picture to someone on the phone (60 seconds).

How to approach it

  • Begin with what the object is in general (“It looks like a bicycle, but…”).
  • Describe size, shape, colour, materials and where each part is.
  • Explain what makes it unusual and what it might be used for.
  • Use comparisons the listener can imagine: about as big as…, shaped like…

What raters look for

Each response is rated on these areas. Here is what they mean in practice and how to push your score up.

Content/Coherence

Enough relevant ideas, explained clearly and in an order the listener can follow, with examples.

To improve: Use the preparation time to note two or three points and one example for each.

Vocabulary

The range and precision of your words and phrases, including natural expressions.

To improve: Learn a few flexible phrases for each task (If I were you…, What I would suggest is…) and use them naturally.

Listenability

How easy you are to follow: pronunciation, rhythm and intonation, few long pauses or fillers, and controlled, varied sentences.

To improve: Record yourself and listen back. Aim for a steady pace; short pauses between ideas are fine, long silences and many “um”s are not.

Task Fulfillment

You do what the task asks, in a tone that suits the listener, and use the full speaking time.

To improve: Practise with a timer until you can speak for the full time without running out of ideas.

Common mistakes

  • Stopping early because you “finished” the idea.
  • Describing the picture again in Task 4 instead of predicting.
  • Giving an opinion with no reasons, or reasons with no examples.
  • Speaking very fast to sound fluent — it usually makes pronunciation less clear.
  • Starting over again and again after a small mistake. Correct it quickly and carry on.

A study routine that works

  • Every day, answer one task out loud with the real preparation and speaking times, and record it.
  • Describe a photo from the news or your phone for one minute, then predict what happens next.
  • Keep a list of stories from your life (a trip, a mistake, an achievement, a problem you solved) that fit many Task 2 questions.
  • Practise Tasks 5 and 6 with a friend playing the person who disagrees with you.

Model answers