CELPIP Speaking Task 2: Talking about a Personal Experience, with sample answers
Task 2 asks you to talk about something that happened to you, in answer to a prompt with a few questions. You get 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.
The task at a glance
Time to prepare
30 seconds
Time to speak
60 seconds
Picture
No
A structure that works
Set the scene: when it happened, where, and who was there.
Tell what happened in order, with linking words like "first", "then" and "in the end".
Say how you felt and what you learned from it.
Finish with a sentence that answers the question you were asked.
Sample tasks with model answers
Original practice tasks in the test's format. Start the timer and answer out loud, then read the model answer.
Task
Talk about a time when you helped a neighbour, a coworker or a stranger who was in a difficult situation. What was the situation, and what did you do? How did the other person react, and how did you feel about it afterwards?
Answer out loud while the timer runs. This page does not record or score you.
Model answer, written by MapleMock
A couple of winters ago, I was walking home from the bus stop when I saw an older man standing next to his car in a grocery store parking lot. It was about minus twenty, and his car wouldn't start. He'd been trying to call his son, but his phone was dead. So I lent him my phone, and when his son didn't answer, I offered to stay with him until a tow truck came. We waited in the store's entrance for almost forty minutes, and he told me about his years as a teacher in Manitoba. When the truck finally arrived, he tried to give me twenty dollars, which I refused. A week later, he left a box of homemade cookies with the store manager, with a note for me. I still think about it. It was such a small thing, but it reminded me that people really notice when someone stops to help.
Task
Talk about a time when you received some very good news. What was the news, and how did you find out? Where were you when you heard it, and who did you share it with first? Why was it so important to you?
Answer out loud while the timer runs. This page does not record or score you.
Model answer, written by MapleMock
The best news I ever got was the email saying I'd been accepted into the nursing program at my local college. I'd applied twice before and been put on the waiting list both times, so this time I really didn't expect much. I was actually at work, stacking shelves at the pharmacy, when my phone buzzed. I almost didn't look, but I saw the college's name and read it right there in the aisle. I think I read it about five times to be sure. The first person I called was my mother, because she'd been the one telling me not to give up after the second rejection. She started crying, and then I started crying, in the middle of the vitamins section. It was important because it meant I could finally start a career I'd wanted since high school, and it showed me that trying again was worth it.
Common mistakes
Describing a habit or a general opinion instead of one event.
Jumping back and forth in time, so the story is hard to follow.
Switching between past and present tense.
Practise it on the clock
Speaking practice is coming soon. The free Listening & Reading mock is open now.