CELPIP Speaking Test: Format, Scoring, Tips and 72 Sample Questions for All 8 Tasks

The CELPIP Speaking test has eight tasks and takes about 15 minutes. You speak into a microphone at a computer, not to an examiner: each task gives you 30 to 60 seconds to prepare and 60 or 90 seconds to answer, and three to five trained raters score the recordings later. This page covers the format, how Speaking is scored, a response plan for every task and 72 original practice questions to answer against a timer. On PrepEx you can answer any task on the real timer and get a free AI grade with a practice level estimate, no account needed (one free grade a day across Writing and Speaking).

Try a Speaking task free See the eight tasks

We checked the task timings, the rating process and the test-day rules against CELPIP's test format, test results and test-day pages, its Speaking Pro Target 9 Study Pack (revised May 2026) and its 2024 test data report on 12 November 2026. CELPIP can change these details, so check its site before your test. Every practice question on this page was written by PrepEx; none is a real test question.

CELPIP Speaking test format

Speaking is the last of the four sections in CELPIP-General, after Listening, Reading and Writing. It's also one of the two sections in CELPIP-General LS, the shorter test used for citizenship.

Add up the clocks and you get 15 minutes of choosing, preparing and speaking, plus the instructions on screen. Tasks 1 and 7 are the long ones. Tasks 5 and 6 give you a full minute to prepare, and Task 5 runs in two stages: a silent minute to pick an option, then a minute to prepare and a minute to speak.

There's no examiner. You wear headphones, a countdown runs during preparation and speaking, and the recording stops when the speaking time runs out. Everyone in the room takes the test at the same time, and CELPIP warns that you may hear other test takers speaking. Do some of your practice with a radio or conversation in the background so the noise isn't new on the day. The test centre gives you a pen and notepaper, which you can use for a few words during preparation.

How CELPIP Speaking is scored

You get one Speaking level from 0 to 12. For levels 3 to 12 it's the same number as the CLB level, so Speaking 8 is CLB 8. CELPIP treats your answers to all eight tasks as one Speaking performance. Three to five trained raters score it independently, and if they disagree, a benchmark rater assesses it. Raters don't see your scores in the other sections or the score you're hoping for.

Raters judge four dimensions:

• Content/Coherence: how many ideas you give, how good they are and how well they're organized, with examples and supporting detail.
• Vocabulary: the range and precision of your words and phrases, and how well you combine them to say exactly what you mean.
• Listenability: how easy you are to follow. That covers rhythm, pronunciation and intonation, hesitations and self-corrections, and grammar and sentence variety.
• Task Fulfillment: whether you did everything the task asked, in a tone that suits the person you're talking to, and spoke long enough.

Accent isn't on the list. Listenability asks whether a listener can follow you without effort, not whether you sound Canadian.

In CELPIP's 2024 data report, the average CELPIP-General Speaking level was 7.76. About 72.6% of results were level 7 or higher, but only 32.6% reached 9 or higher, and 8 was the most common single level (22.5%). Test takers whose first language is English averaged 9.33, so fluency alone doesn't guarantee a 10.

Don't memorize answers. CELPIP's test-day rules count memorizing test answers as cheating, and a former CELPIP rater said on CELPIP's official podcast that raters recognize memorized template sentences that could fit any prompt. The plans below are planning patterns. Learn the shape, then build every answer from the details of the task in front of you.

Find out which of the four dimensions is holding your Speaking back. Practise Speaking free

How to use 60 and 90 seconds

• Plan, don't script. Thirty seconds is enough to note three or four words: your answer and the points you'll make. Reading full sentences aloud sounds flat, and you won't have time to write them anyway.
• Say the main point first. Give your advice, choice or opinion in the first ten seconds. If the timer cuts you off later, the important part is already recorded.
• Split 90 seconds into blocks. For Tasks 1 and 7, try a short opening, about 25 seconds for each of three points, and one closing sentence.
• In 60 seconds, develop two points properly. Two points with a reason or example each beat four points listed quickly.
• Keep talking until near the end. Finishing 20 seconds early leaves raters less language to judge. If you run out of points, add an example or a consequence. If time is about to run out, finish the sentence you're on.
• Practise with a real countdown. The free CELPIP speaking timer runs each task's preparation and speaking times. Record yourself and listen back at least once per session.

Task 1: Giving Advice

30 seconds to prepare, 90 seconds to speak. Someone you know (a friend, coworker, neighbour or relative) has a problem, and you give them advice. Talk directly to that person. CELPIP's own preparation material suggests at least three suggestions, each backed by a practical reason or example, in a helpful tone.

1. Use the person's name and show in one sentence that you understand the problem.
2. Give three different suggestions. Signal each one ("First…", "Another thing you could try…") and say why it would help.
3. Close with encouragement or a next step.

PrepEx practice questions (original):

1. Your coworker Priya has to train two new hires next week while finishing her own monthly reports. Give her advice on handling both.
2. Your neighbour has just moved from a warm country and is about to face his first Canadian winter. Give him advice on getting ready.
3. Your cousin wants a part-time job that fits around his evening college classes. Advise him on how to find one.
4. A friend adopted a young dog, and her downstairs neighbours say it barks all day while she's at work. Give her advice.
5. Your sister is hosting the family holiday dinner for the first time and feels stressed. Give her advice.
6. A colleague has to give a short talk at next week's staff meeting and is nervous about speaking in front of the group. Give him advice.
7. Your friend wants to cycle to work this spring but worries about traffic and arriving sweaty. Give her advice.
8. A new member of your community garden is losing her vegetables to rabbits and weeds. Give her advice on looking after her plot.
9. Your roommate spends every evening scrolling on his phone and wants to use his free time better. Give him advice.
10. A friend has volunteered to organize a neighbourhood clean-up day and is worried nobody will come. Give him advice.

Sample outline for question 1. This shows the content a level 9–10 answer might cover; the level still depends on how well it's delivered.

• 0–10 seconds: "Priya, training two people while finishing your reports sounds like a lot, but you can manage it."
• 10–35 seconds: Do your reports in the mornings and train in the afternoons, so neither one gets squeezed. Block those times in the shared calendar.
• 35–60 seconds: Give the new hires a written checklist for their first week, so they don't need you for every small question.
• 60–80 seconds: Talk to your manager today about whether one report can wait a few days, before it turns into a problem.
• 80–90 seconds: "Tell me how the first day goes."

Tip: Make the three suggestions genuinely different. "Stay calm", "relax" and "don't worry" count as one idea. Practise on the Task 1 practice page.

Task 2: Talking about a Personal Experience

30 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak. You tell a story about something that happened to you. CELPIP's guidance asks for past tenses, descriptive details and how the experience made you feel, and it says the story can be invented if you can't think of a real one.

1. Set the scene in one sentence: when, where and who.
2. Tell what happened in order, including the moment things changed and one or two concrete details.
3. Say how it ended and how you felt or what you learned.

PrepEx practice questions (original):

1. Talk about a time you had to learn something new quickly for a job, a course or a volunteer role.
2. Talk about a time a plan with friends or family didn't go the way you expected.
3. Talk about a time a stranger helped you, or you helped a stranger.
4. Talk about a time you changed your opinion of someone after getting to know them.
5. Talk about a time someone gave you feedback that was hard to hear. How did you respond?
6. Talk about something you made, fixed or built yourself that you were proud of.
7. Talk about a time you got lost or took a wrong turn. What did you do?
8. Talk about an event or celebration you helped organize. What was your role, and how did it go?
9. Talk about a time you had to make a decision quickly without all the information you wanted.
10. Talk about a time bad weather changed your plans.

Tip: Get to the event within about 15 seconds. Long background uses up the minute before anything happens. Practise on the Task 2 practice page.

Task 3: Describing a Scene

30 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak. You see a picture of a busy everyday place and describe it: the setting, the people, what they're doing and the objects around them. In a full test, Task 4 uses the same picture, so notice what looks about to happen while you describe it.

1. Name the place and the overall situation in one sentence.
2. Move through the picture in a fixed order, such as front to back or left to right, describing people and actions with position words ("in the foreground", "next to the counter").
3. Finish with one detail you haven't mentioned or the general mood.

PrepEx practice questions (original). There are no pictures here, so each scene is described in words. Picture it, then describe it for 60 seconds as if you were looking at it. For practice with real pictures, use the Task 3 practice page.

1. A farmers' market in a town square on a Saturday morning. In front, a vendor weighs apples for a woman with a cloth bag. Behind them, a child holds a balloon beside a flower stall, and a man plays guitar next to a fountain.
2. A public library on a weekday afternoon. Two teenagers share a laptop at a long table, a librarian pushes a cart of returned books, and an older man reads a newspaper in an armchair by a tall window.
3. Moving day outside an apartment building. A small truck has its ramp down, two people carry a sofa through the front door while a woman holds it open, boxes are stacked on the sidewalk, and a cat watches from a ground-floor window.
4. An indoor rink at a community centre. Children in helmets skate around orange cones while a coach blows a whistle, parents with coffee cups sit in the stands, and a boy is tying his skates on a bench.
5. An office kitchen at lunchtime. A woman waits by the microwave with two coworkers in line behind her, someone washes mugs at the sink, and a note on the fridge says "Please label your food."
6. A sandy beach on a lake in summer. A lifeguard sits on a tall white chair, a family is opening a large umbrella, two kayakers paddle toward shore and a dog chases a ball at the water's edge.
7. A bus shelter in the rain at rush hour. Commuters stand close together under the roof, one checking a phone and one holding a folded umbrella. A cyclist in a rain jacket rides past, and a bus with its lights on is approaching.
8. A hardware store aisle. An employee in an apron stands on a ladder reaching for paint cans, a couple compares two colour cards, and their cart holds a roller, brushes and a roll of tape.

Tip: Describe what's there. Guesses about what happens next belong in Task 4.

Task 4: Making Predictions

30 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak. Looking at the Task 3 picture again, you say what will probably happen next and why. You can also practise this task on the Task 3 scenes above.

1. Pick the two or three people or things most likely to change.
2. For each one, make a prediction and tie it to something visible: "The clouds are getting darker, so they'll probably move under the shelter."
3. Vary how sure you sound ("will probably", "might", "could") and end with the most likely outcome.

PrepEx practice questions (original). For each scene: what will probably happen next, and why?

1. A family has just spread out a picnic in a park. Dark clouds are building behind the trees, the father is looking up at the sky, and an empty picnic shelter stands nearby.
2. Children are playing soccer in a schoolyard. The ball is flying toward a classroom window, two children have their hands on their heads, and a teacher is stepping out of a side door.
3. At a grocery checkout, a woman is searching through her bag while the cashier holds out the card machine. The line behind her is long, and the man directly behind her is taking out his wallet.
4. In a shared kitchen, a pot is boiling over on the stove. A roommate wearing headphones sits at the table with her back to it, and there's a smoke alarm on the ceiling.
5. A driver has parked in a loading zone and is walking out of a café with two coffees. A parking officer is heading toward the car, and a delivery van waits behind it with its signal on.
6. At a school concert, a girl stands at a microphone on stage. Her music stand is starting to tip over, a teacher is moving toward her from the side, and her mother in the front row is filming with a phone.
7. At a ferry terminal, a man with a suitcase is running toward the gate. A worker has started closing it, and the clock above shows one minute to departure.
8. In a backyard, a woman on a ladder is picking apples. The ladder stands on uneven ground and leans slightly, a friend holds a basket below, and a neighbour is walking over from next door.

Tip: Every prediction needs a reason you can point to in the picture. A list of future-tense sentences with no reasons won't answer the "why". Practise on the Task 4 practice page.

Record all eight tasks on the real timer and get feedback on the four rating dimensions. Start free CELPIP practice

Task 5: Comparing and Persuading

60 seconds to choose, 60 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak. First you see two options and have a minute to choose one without speaking. Then a third option appears: the choice of another person, such as a family member or coworker. You then persuade that person that your option is better than theirs.

1. Choose quickly. Pick the option you can argue for most easily, not the one you'd personally prefer.
2. After the new option appears, compare yours with it on two or three points that matter to the other person: time, location, comfort, who it suits.
3. Admit one good thing about their option, explain why yours still fits better and finish with a clear recommendation.

PrepEx practice questions (original). Choose one of the first two options in silence, then read the other person's choice and persuade them.

1. Summer weekend. Your family is planning a weekend away. Choose: a lakeside cabin two hours' drive away, with a canoe and no internet; or a downtown hotel in a nearby city, with a pool and museums within walking distance. Then: your brother wants to camp in a provincial park with hiking trails and evening programs for kids.
2. Team lunch. Your office is picking its end-of-year lunch. Choose: an Italian restaurant next door with a private room; or a catered lunch in the boardroom followed by board games. Then: your manager suggests a cooking class across town where the team makes its own lunch.
3. New apartment. You and your partner are choosing an apartment. Choose: a one-bedroom near a subway station, with a small kitchen and no balcony; or a two-bedroom in a quiet area with a big balcony and a long bus ride to work. Then: your partner prefers a townhouse with a backyard and parking, but you'd both have to drive to work.
4. Community event. Your community association can run one summer event. Choose: an outdoor movie night in the park; or a street food festival on the main road. Then: another board member wants a family sports day at the high school field.
5. Birthday gift. Your family is buying a gift for your grandmother's 80th birthday. Choose: a tablet set up for video calls with relatives; or a printed album of family photos going back fifty years. Then: your aunt wants to give her a weekend at a spa hotel.
6. Office upgrade. Your team can add one thing to the office. Choose: a standing-desk area by the windows; or two quiet booths for phone calls. Then: a coworker wants a large screen for video meetings in the main room.
7. Winter activity. Your friends want a weekly winter activity. Choose: a recreational volleyball league at the community centre; or a cooking club that meets at a different home each week. Then: one friend suggests a pottery class at an art studio.
8. Long weekend. Your family is planning a long weekend at home. Choose: repainting and redecorating the living room; or building raised garden beds in the backyard. Then: your spouse wants a road trip to visit relatives in another province.

Sample outline for question 1, if you chose the cabin. It shows the content a level 9–10 answer might cover:

• 0–10 seconds: "I know camping sounds fun, Marco, but I still think the cabin is the better weekend for all of us."
• 10–30 seconds: The cabin has beds and a kitchen, so one rainy night doesn't ruin the trip. In a tent, one storm and the kids are cold and miserable.
• 30–45 seconds: There's no tent to put up or pack away, so we get two full days on the water, and the canoe keeps the kids as active as the trails would.
• 45–60 seconds: "The evening programs are a nice idea, and we can still have a campfire at the cabin. Let's book it."

Tip: Compare your option with the new one. The option you didn't pick doesn't come up again. Practise the two stages on the Task 5 practice page.

Task 6: Dealing with a Difficult Situation

60 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak. You've made a decision someone won't like, and you explain it to them: a friend, family member, acquaintance or customer. CELPIP's guidance asks you to speak directly to the person, outline the problem, explain your decision and give reasons, staying respectful but firm.

1. Name the person and the problem in one or two sentences.
2. State your decision plainly and give two reasons.
3. Acknowledge how they might feel and offer an alternative or a next step.

PrepEx practice questions (original):

1. You promised to help a friend move this Saturday, but your manager asked you to cover an important shift and you agreed. Call your friend and explain.
2. Your neighbour wants to borrow your car for a week while his is being repaired. You've decided to say no. Explain your decision to him.
3. You run a small café that doesn't allow pets inside. A regular customer asks to bring her dog in because it's cold. Explain why you can't allow it.
4. Your teenage son wants to go on an overnight trip with friends during his exam week. You've decided he can't go. Explain your decision to him.
5. A coworker keeps asking you to check her reports before she sends them, and your own work is falling behind. You've decided to stop. Talk to her.
6. You agreed to host the family holiday dinner, but your kitchen is now being renovated. You've decided to ask your sister to host this year. Talk to her.
7. Your close friend asked you to be the main organizer of her wedding, but you start a new job that month. You've decided to say no, though you still want to help. Talk to your friend.
8. Your roommate is planning a big party at your apartment the night before your professional certification exam. You've decided to ask him to change the date. Talk to him.
9. You coach a children's soccer team. A parent asks you to give his daughter more playing time in the final game, but you've decided every player gets equal time. Explain your decision.
10. You coordinate volunteers at a food bank. A long-time volunteer wants her usual Saturday shift back, but you've given it to a new volunteer who can only come on Saturdays. Explain your decision to her.

Tip: Apologize once, then explain. Repeated apologies can leave the listener unsure what you've decided. Practise on the Task 6 practice page.

Task 7: Expressing Opinions

30 seconds to prepare, 90 seconds to speak. You get a question about an everyday issue in a city, workplace or community and give your opinion with reasons.

1. State your opinion in the first sentence.
2. Give two or three reasons, each with an example from daily life, work or your own experience.
3. Mention the other side briefly, say why your view still holds and restate it.

PrepEx practice questions (original). For each one, give your opinion and explain it.

1. Should public transit in your city be free on weekends?
2. Should employers let staff work four longer days instead of five shorter ones?
3. Should every elementary school student have to take swimming lessons?
4. Should grocery stores stop giving out plastic bags completely?
5. Is it better to live in a large city or a small town when you're new to an area?
6. Should every neighbourhood park have a fenced off-leash area for dogs?
7. Should high school students have to complete volunteer hours before they graduate?
8. Should restaurants have to show the calories for every item on their menus?
9. Do self-checkout machines make shopping better or worse for customers?
10. Should people whose jobs can be done remotely have the right to work from home?

Sample outline for question 3. It shows the content a level 9–10 answer might cover:

• 0–10 seconds: Yes, every elementary student should get swimming lessons through school.
• 10–35 seconds: It's a safety skill, like crossing the street. Kids spend summers at lakes, rivers and pools, and a child who can't swim is at risk every time.
• 35–60 seconds: Not every family can arrange lessons. Parents who work evenings, or live far from a pool, can't easily take their kids, so school makes it fair.
• 60–80 seconds: Schools would say they lack time and money. A short program in one grade at a community pool would keep it manageable.
• 80–90 seconds: Restate the opinion in one sentence.

Tip: There's no correct opinion, so pick the side you have more to say about. Practise on the Task 7 practice page.

Task 8: Describing an Unusual Situation

30 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak. You see a picture of something unusual: an object or a scene that isn't what you'd expect. You describe it so that someone who can't see it can picture it, and respond to whatever else the prompt asks.

1. Say what it is overall and where you are: "It's a bookshelf, but it's shaped like a staircase."
2. Describe shape, size, colour, material and position, comparing them to things the listener already knows.
3. Answer the rest of the prompt, such as whether you'd recommend it or what the other person should do.

PrepEx practice questions (original). Talk to the person named in each prompt, who can't see what you're seeing.

1. At a furniture store, you see a bookshelf shaped like a spiral staircase, with a shelf on each step. Your friend is looking for a bookshelf. Call her, describe it and say whether she should buy it.
2. Your neighbour has turned an old canoe into a vegetable garden. It rests on two wooden stands in her front yard, full of soil and tomato plants. Describe it to your partner, who wants a garden but has no room for beds.
3. At a community fair, a bicycle on a stand has a blender attached to the handlebars, and pedalling makes a smoothie. Describe it to a coworker who is planning a staff wellness day.
4. In a café, the coat rack is made from old hockey sticks joined in a star shape, with the blades as hooks. Describe it to your brother, who is redecorating his basement.
5. In the park, a man is pushing his old dog in a stroller with a small roof and mesh windows. Describe it to your friend, whose dog can no longer walk far.
6. In an office furniture showroom, you see a desk with a slow treadmill built underneath it. Describe it to your manager, who asked you to look at new desks.
7. In a shop, you see an umbrella with a clear dome that comes down to the shoulders and has a small light inside. Describe it to your mother, who walks to work in the dark in winter.
8. At an outdoor store, you see a backpack that unfolds into a small stool. Describe it to a friend who goes to outdoor concerts every summer.

Tip: If you don't know the word for a part, describe it: "the long handle you hold", "the flat piece at the bottom". Practise on the Task 8 practice page.

A weekly CELPIP Speaking practice routine

Short, frequent sessions work better than one long one. A routine that fits into 20 to 30 minutes a day:

• Answer two or three tasks a day with the real preparation and speaking times, rotating so you cover all eight each week.
• Record every answer. Listen once and note one thing per dimension: a missing reason, a vague word, a long pause, a part of the prompt you skipped.
• Answer the same question again straight away and fix that one thing.
• Once a week, compare your recordings with the CELPIP Speaking samples with audio for the same tasks.
• Before the test, do all eight tasks in a row at least twice, so 15 minutes of speaking doesn't feel long.

A free PrepEx account gets two graded CELPIP practice sessions a day. Speaking answers get a level estimate on the same four dimensions CELPIP raters use, with feedback on what to change. It's a practice estimate, and CELPIP's raters decide your real level.

Try the full test, Speaking included, before you book your date. Take a free CELPIP practice test

Sources we checked

• CELPIP: Test Format — the eight Speaking tasks and the order of the four sections.
• CELPIP Speaking Pro Target 9 Study Pack (revised May 2026) — preparation and speaking times, Task 5's choice stage, and CELPIP's guidance for Tasks 1, 2 and 6.
• CELPIP: Canadian Residency — Speaking has 8 tasks and takes about 15 minutes.
• CELPIP: Test Results — three to five independent raters, the benchmark rater, the four Speaking dimensions and the level descriptions.
• CELPIP: Test Day Information — pen and notepaper, hearing other test takers, and memorizing test answers counted as cheating.
• Official CELPIP Podcast #11: Interview with a CELPIP Rater — raters recognize memorized templates and don't see other scores or your target.
• CELPIP 2024 Data Report — 2024 Speaking average and level shares.
• CELPIP: Canadian Citizenship — CELPIP-General LS tests Listening and Speaking only.