CELPIP speaking practice test: the eight tasks and a mini set to record
The CELPIP Speaking Test has eight tasks and takes about 15 minutes on Paragon's format page (its IRCC page says 15-20 minutes). You answer on a computer with no human examiner in the room, and each task has its own preparation time and speaking time. Paragon says two free practice tests are on its website. Below is a mini speaking set of our own that you record yourself, with a checklist in place of an answer key.
A speaking practice test is different from a reading or listening one, because there is no answer key. What you need is the real timing, a recording of your own voice, and a fair way to judge it. This page gives you the first, shows you where Paragon keeps its free material, and supplies a mini set and a checklist for the rest. It is study help, not immigration advice, and Paragon's pages decide what the test is.
The Speaking Test at a glance
Eight tasks, one preparation time and one speaking time for each.
Paragon's Speaking Pro study packs give the preparation time and the speaking time for every task. Paragon's format page says the test as a whole takes 15 minutes, and its Speaking Pro study pack says about 15 minutes. Its IRCC page says 15-20 minutes. Our reading: the IRCC page is the weaker source, because it also carries placeholder text, but plan for the longer figure to be safe.
| Task | Preparation time | Speaking time |
|---|---|---|
| Task 1: Giving Advice | 30 seconds | 90 seconds |
| Task 2: Talking about a Personal Experience | 30 seconds | 60 seconds |
| Task 3: Describing a Scene | 30 seconds | 60 seconds |
| Task 4: Making Predictions | 30 seconds | 60 seconds |
| Task 5: Comparing and Persuading | Part 1: 60 seconds. Part 2: 60 seconds | Part 1: none. Part 2: 60 seconds |
| Task 6: Dealing with a Difficult Situation | 60 seconds | 60 seconds |
| Task 7: Expressing Opinions | 30 seconds | 90 seconds |
| Task 8: Describing an Unusual Situation | 30 seconds | 60 seconds |
- The Speaking Test takes about 15 minutes to complete.
- Speaking is the last part of the CELPIP Test.
- For each task, when the preparation time is up, the screen will automatically move forward. You will hear a prompt (“Start speaking now”) and recording will automatically begin.
- Speak at your normal volume. Avoid speaking too loudly or too softly, as this can have a negative impact on various factors of Listenability.
What the room and the screen are like
| Question | What Paragon says |
|---|---|
| Do I need to bring my own headset and microphone? | No. A headset and microphone for the Listening and Speaking components of the test are provided by the test centre. |
| Do I have to read anything in the Listening and Speaking components? | Yes, test takers will be required to read answer choices in the Listening component and questions in the Speaking component. |
| Will the room be quiet? | You may be able to hear other test takers speaking or typing. The sound of other test takers submitting their responses is a standard test room condition. |
The first two rows come from the FAQ section of Paragon's Contact CELPIP page, and the third comes from its test day page. Our reading: practise in a room with a little background noise, so the test room does not surprise you.
The Speaking Test is part of the CELPIP General test and of the CELPIP General LS test. Paragon says: “The CELPIP Test assesses all four skills, while the CELPIP LS Test only assesses Listening and Speaking.” There is no speaking-only test.
Free speaking practice from Paragon
Practice tests, webinars with study packs, and Paragon's Scoring Levels page.
Paragon says two free practice tests are on its website.
"Two free CELPIP practice tests are available on our website here."
In a podcast episode dated March 30, 2022, a Paragon expert said the free tests are the best way to get a feel for the format, speaking tasks included:
"there are two full practice tests that are free, and these are the best way to get a sense of the format and the features of the test, including the speaking tasks, of course."
Two more free things are worth knowing about. The first is the Speaking Pro webinars. Paragon says everyone is welcome, and that people who attend get a study pack.
- Everyone at all language levels is welcome at all of our webinars!
- Writing Pro and Speaking Pro attendees receive a free Study Pack that includes the sample responses, analysis, and strategies discussed during the webinar.
The second is Paragon's Scoring Levels page. Under Speaking it has tabs headed Level Descriptors, Sample Responses and Response Analysis, for the top levels only. Our CELPIP speaking samples page explains it and gives model answers of our own. The Target 5 study pack also lists a set of “Bonus Practice Questions: Tasks 1 – 8”.
Paragon also sells practice test sets. Its store page lists General sets with two complete practice tests each, plus Speaking responses at three CELPIP levels for one test, on a 6-month subscription, at CAD 35.00 when we checked. Confirm the price on the store page before you buy.
Our mini speaking set
Six original prompts. Record each one, then check it against the list.
This set is our own. It copies no question from any test owner. Use the timing in the table above for each matching task: 30 seconds of preparation and 90 seconds of speaking for the advice and opinion prompts, 30 and 60 for the experience and picture prompts, and 60 and 60 for the difficult situation. Record on your phone. Do not write more than a few words in your notes.
- Giving advice. Your friend Amir is moving into his first apartment next month. He has never lived alone and asks what he should think about before he signs the lease and moves in. Give him advice.
- A personal experience. Tell a friend about a time you had to learn something new quickly, at work, at school or at home. What was it, and how did it go?
- Describing a scene. Pick a photo on your phone of a busy place, such as a market, a bus stop or a waiting room. Describe what is happening as if you were showing it to someone who cannot see it.
- Making predictions. Using the same photo, say what you think will happen next, and how the people in it might feel.
- A difficult situation. You run a small café. A regular customer asks you to keep a table for her every morning, but you cannot, because tables are first come, first served. Explain your decision to her politely but firmly.
- An opinion. Do you think people should be allowed to work from home two days a week? Give your opinion and your reasons.
What a strong response includes
| Prompt | What a strong response includes | What to listen for |
|---|---|---|
| Advice | Talks to Amir directly. Gives at least three suggestions, each with a reason or a small example. Signals each new one. Ends warmly. | Did you sound like a helpful friend? Did you stop early? |
| Experience | Picks one story fast. Past tenses. Says where, who with and how it felt. Has a beginning, a middle and an end. | Did the tenses stay in the past? Could a listener feel it? |
| Describing a scene | Starts with one general sentence. Then picks a few details and builds a picture: people, actions, feelings. Does not try to list everything. | Did you give a general picture before details? Did you repeat “there is” too often? |
| Predictions | Links each prediction to something in the photo. Says what will happen and why. Includes feelings. | Was every prediction tied to something you described? |
| Difficult situation | Speaks to the customer. Names the problem, states the decision, gives reasons. Considerate but firm. | Did you apologise too much? Did you actually say no? |
| Opinion | Says yes or no in the first sentence. Gives about three reasons, each with a detail. Uses transitions. | Did you give reasons or only repeat the opinion? |
Check yourself against the four dimensions
Paragon suggests reviewing a response “in each dimension (Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Listenability, Task Fulfillment)”. Use these four headings as your checklist. Listen to each recording once for sound and pace, then again for ideas.
- Content and coherence: Did you give enough ideas, in an order a listener can follow, with an example or a detail for each?
- Vocabulary: Did you use a range of words, or the same four? Did you use the word that fits, not just a word close to it?
- Listenability: Was your volume steady? Did you pause or restart often? Did your sentences vary?
- Task fulfilment: Did you answer the question you were asked, speak to the right person, use a fitting tone and use the full time?
How to run the practice
Record it, play it back, write it down, redo it.
The Speaking Pro study pack gives several ways to practise. These four fit the set above.
- Record your own response to each of the practice questions covered in the webinar.
- Make a transcript of a recorded response and spend 20-30 minutes editing it to make it stronger.
- Practice giving yourself longer than the 30-60 seconds of prep time to come up with main ideas and details before recording a response. Gradually shorten the amount of time you give yourself to prepare.
- For Speaking tasks that offer a choice (Tasks 5, 6, and 7), try recording a response for each choice.
A Paragon expert adds two ideas in the 2022 podcast. The first is to practise where there is a little noise. The second is to mix timed and untimed practice.
- my second tip is to do some of your speaking practice in a place where there's a bit of background noise.
- my fourth tip, which is to do timed and also untimed speaking practice.
A session plan, our way
| Minutes | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0-5 | Choose two prompts from the set. Read each, then sit quietly for a moment. |
| 5-15 | Record the first prompt with the real timing. Do not stop, even if you stumble. |
| 15-20 | Listen once. Only note what you hear: volume, pace, long pauses, repeated words. |
| 20-35 | Type out a few lines of your answer. Fix one grammar habit and one weak word, then record the prompt again. |
| 35-45 | Record the second prompt cold. Compare your two recordings of the first prompt the next day, not today. |
Two cautions. Do not memorise your finished answer for a prompt, because the test will give you a different one. And do not judge yourself after a single recording. Compare a recording from today with one from a week ago. For more on strategies by task, see our CELPIP speaking tips, and for ideas to practise with, CELPIP speaking topics.
Common questions
Paragon says two free practice tests are available on its website. In a March 2022 podcast episode a Paragon expert said they are the best way to get a sense of the format, including the speaking tasks. Paragon's free Speaking Pro webinars also give attendees a study pack.
About 15 minutes. Paragon's format page says: “Time allotted: 15 minutes”. Its IRCC page says 15-20 minutes, and that page is the weaker source because it also carries placeholder text. The tasks have a preparation time of 30 or 60 seconds, and a speaking time of 60 or 90 seconds.
No examiner is in the room. Paragon says: “the Speaking Test is delivered through a computer so there is no human examiner.” You speak to the screen and your answers are recorded. Paragon's results page says each Speaking performance is then rated by three to five speaking raters.
Yes. Record yourself with a phone, use the real timing for each task and review the recording. Paragon says to practise speaking into a recording device. Our mini set above gives you six prompts.
No. Paragon says a headset and microphone for the Listening and Speaking components are provided by the test centre.
Yes. Paragon says test takers will be required to read questions in the Speaking component.
Only as part of a test. The CELPIP General test has all four skills, and the CELPIP General LS test has Listening and Speaking. There is no speaking-only test.