CELPIP speaking: tips for every task, from Task 1 to Task 8

The CELPIP Speaking Test has eight tasks, takes about 15 minutes on Paragon's format page (its IRCC page says 15-20 minutes) and is answered on a computer with no human examiner. Paragon's advice is to answer the question you were given, give complete answers with details, use your own life experience, speak clearly at a natural pace and not to worry about your accent. Below are Paragon's strategies for every task, test-day habits from a Paragon expert and our own plans.

• 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.

Paragon's format page says 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.

Paragon says the test is delivered by computer, and that you will get a chance to test the recording device before you begin:

• Remember that the Speaking Test is delivered through a computer so there is no human examiner.
• Before you begin the CELPIP Test, you will be given an opportunity to test the recording device and hear how your voice sounds.
• A headset and microphone for the Listening and Speaking components of the test are provided by the test centre.

Our reading: because the screen moves on by itself, the clock sets your pace. The tasks below are written to that clock. Learn the preparation and speaking times by heart, because you will practise with them.

The Speaking Pro study pack lists a description and key strategies for each of the eight tasks. They are quoted below in order. Paragon's lines for Task 5 are split into Part 1, where you choose and do not speak, and Part 2, where you persuade. After each list is a short tip of our own.

Task 1: Giving Advice

Paragon's description: Help someone to either make a decision or prepare for something.

• Speak directly to the person.
• Provide at least three suggestions.
• Give a practical example or reason for each suggestion.
• Signal each new suggestion with a transition word or phrase such as: “If I were you,…” “Another thing you could do is…” “One final thing is…”
• Use a helpful and thoughtful tone.

Our tip: Treat each suggestion as a short story with a reason inside it. After you name an idea, finish the thought with “because” or “for example”. Paragon says to provide at least three suggestions, so keep each one short enough that three fit into the 90 seconds.

Task 2: Talking about a Personal Experience

Paragon's description: Tell a story about a past experience.

• Quickly decide what story you will tell.
• If you can't think of a real experience from your life, make one up.
• Use past tenses.
• Include descriptive details.
• Try to get your listener to feel how you felt.

Our tip: Keep four or five real stories in mind: a trip, a mistake, a kindness, a time you learned something, a surprise. Do not memorise the wording. Tell the story fresh each time and change the details to fit the prompt, because Paragon warns that responses that are not original and/or spontaneous may result in score cancellation. Spend your first seconds on where and when, then move to what happened, then finish on how it felt.

Task 3: Describing a Scene

Paragon's description: Look at an illustration and describe what is happening.

• Start with a general statement.
• Then focus on some details. You don't need to describe everything.
• Build a picture.
• Use descriptive words and phrases.
• Describe the people's appearance, actions, and feelings.

Our tip: Move your eyes in a fixed order, such as foreground to background or left to right, and describe in that order. It stops you jumping around and gives the listener a map. Say what the people are doing, not only what they look like.

Task 4: Making Predictions

Paragon's description: Look at the same illustration from Task 3 and describe what you think will happen next.

• Use your imagination, but be realistic. Your predictions should be related to what you see the people doing.
• Ask yourself: What actions might the people do next, and what feelings might they experience as a result?
• Consider the surrounding people and objects in the picture to help you think of ideas.

Our tip: Use “will” and “probably” on purpose, and tie every prediction to a clue in the picture: “because the sky is grey”, “since she is holding a map”. A prediction with no clue sounds like a guess. Add a feeling to each one.

Task 5: Comparing and Persuading

Paragon's description: In Part 1, select an option from two choices. You will not speak in Part 1.

• Part 1: Read and understand the situation.
• Part 1: Compare the information provided for the two options.
• Part 1: Quickly choose which one you prefer to talk about.
• Part 2: Read the information about the new option.
• Part 2: Think of details and reasons to explain why your choice is better.
• Part 2: Use specific language to explain your choice, and expand on the information included with the picture.

Our tip: Part 1 is silent, so choose the option you can say the most about, not the one you like most. In Part 2, show that you heard the other idea before you argue against it. Then give two reasons with a detail each.

Task 6: Dealing with a Difficult Situation

Paragon's description: Explain a decision to a friend, family member, acquaintance, or customer.

• Speak directly to the person.
• Be considerate but firm.
• Speak in a respectful way.
• Clearly outline the problem.
• Explain your decision.
• Provide effective reasons to support your decision.

Our tip: Practise the sentence that says no kindly: “I understand why you're asking, but I can't…”. Then spend most of your time on the reasons and on what you can offer instead. Firm does not mean cold, and kind does not mean saying yes.

Task 7: Expressing Opinions

Paragon's description: Answer a “Do you think…?” question with your opinion.

• Read the question carefully; be sure your response is on topic.
• Quickly decide whether you will answer yes or no.
• Give about three reasons to support your position.
• Support each reason with specific details.
• Present your ideas logically, and use transitions to signal new ideas.

Our tip: Pick the side you can explain best, not the side you believe in most. The task is about giving reasons in English. Say your answer in your first sentence, and give each reason its own detail.

Task 8: Describing an Unusual Situation

Paragon's description: Describe a picture of an unusual item or situation to someone who can't see what you're looking at.

• Start by setting up the role-play scenario (“Hi, Jill…”)
• Describe the unique aspects of the picture.
• Focus on the things that you can describe well.
• If you can't think of accurate and specific vocabulary, create phrases using common words to express your meaning.
• End by finishing the phone call.

Our tip: If you do not know the word for something, describe what it looks like or what it is for: “a thing like a small boat with wheels”. Say who you are talking to in your first line, and close the call in your last.

In a 2022 episode, a Paragon expert shared tips for the day. They are older than the study packs, so treat them as advice that still fits the format, and check Paragon's current pages for anything about rules.

1. Open in one sentence that answers the prompt or speaks to the person. Do not repeat the question.
2. Develop with the number of points the task suggests. Give each point a reason or a detail, and a transition to introduce it.
3. Close in one sentence, with a wish, a summary or the end of the call. Stop when the time is almost up.

The task-by-task versions of this structure, with sample questions and phrases, are in our CELPIP speaking samples page. Paragon is clear that responses should be original and spontaneous, so the structure is a plan for the order of your ideas, not a script.

1. Practise with the real clock. Use the preparation and speaking times from the table at the top. Most tasks give 30 seconds to prepare, so practise writing three or four words, not sentences.
2. Record every session. Your ear is more honest than your memory. Listen once for volume, pace and pauses, and once for ideas.
3. Speak to a listener, even an imaginary one. Tasks 1, 6 and 8 are addressed to a person, so name them in your first line.
4. Use your own life. Keep a short list of real stories, places, people and opinions that you can adapt. It is easier to speak about what you know.
5. Give every point a detail. After each idea, ask yourself who, what, where or why, and answer one of them.
6. Use transitions out loud: first, another thing, finally, on the other hand. They tell the listener where you are.
7. Keep going after a slip. Fix it in a few words if you can and move on. A pause to apologise costs more than the slip.
8. Vary your words. If the prompt says “buy”, you can say “purchase” later. Do not repeat the prompt's words for the whole answer.
9. Practise in a place with some background noise. A radio on low volume is enough. The test room is not silent.
10. Finish before the timer. End with a clean last sentence instead of being cut off mid-word.

For free practice material, see our CELPIP speaking practice test page, and for prompts to record, CELPIP speaking topics.

One week

Four weeks

Paragon's study pack suggests one more exercise for strong practice: make a transcript of a recorded response and spend 20-30 minutes editing it to make it stronger. It adds that you will not be able to revise like this on test day, but that it is a way to build your skills beforehand.

Common questions