About the CELPIP Speaking Section
The CELPIP General Speaking test is made up of eight tasks that simulate everyday and workplace conversations in Canada. Each task gives you a short prep timer followed by a response timer, and your speech is rated on the 1–12 CELPIP scale. The section takes about 15–20 minutes to complete.
The eight tasks
- Task 1 — Giving Advice: Recommend a solution to a friend's problem (30s prep / 90s response).
- Task 2 — Personal Experience: Describe something from your own life (30s / 60s).
- Task 3 — Describing a Scene: Talk about what you see in a picture (30s / 60s).
- Task 4 — Making Predictions: Say what will happen next in a scene (30s / 60s).
- Task 5 — Comparing & Persuading: Convince someone of a choice (60s / 60s).
- Task 6 — Difficult Situation: Handle a problem with tact (60s / 60s).
- Task 7 — Expressing Opinions: Give your view on an issue (30s / 90s).
- Task 8 — Unusual Situation: React to a hypothetical scenario (30s / 60s).
Speaking tips for a higher CELPIP score
- Use the prep time to jot two or three points — a simple structure beats hesitation.
- Speak for the full response time; short answers score lower than developed ones.
- Connect ideas with linking words (first, however, as a result) to show organization.
- Keep your tone appropriate to the task — friendly for friends, formal for workplace scenes.
What the Speaking Test Asks You to Do
Each of the eight tasks places you in a spoken situation rather than asking for a formal presentation. You might advise a friend who has a problem, describe something you have experienced, talk through a picture, predict what happens next, persuade someone between two options, handle an awkward moment politely, state a view on a current issue, or react to an unexpected scenario. The preparation timer is for planning; the response timer is the only time your answer exists, so the section rewards quick, organised speech.
What each task is asking for
- Advice and opinion tasks: give a clear recommendation and the reasons behind it.
- Personal and scene tasks: produce a connected description rather than a list of nouns.
- Prediction tasks: extend a scene forward with plausible consequences.
- Persuasion and difficult-situation tasks: balance your goal with a respectful tone.
- Unusual-situation tasks: respond sensibly to a scenario you have not rehearsed.
Where speaking marks are lost
- Starting to speak before deciding on a structure, so the answer wanders and stalls.
- Stopping well before the response timer ends, which leaves the answer underdeveloped.
- Using the same flat register for a chat with a friend and a formal workplace exchange.
- Filling pauses with long hesitation sounds instead of a short linking phrase to bridge ideas.
How to practise speaking
Record one task, listen back, then record it again with a tighter plan worked out in the preparation timer. Every task in the practice tool is followed by an explanation of what a strong response contains, which shows where your answer missed a required element. You can retake any test freely, so repeating the same prompt a day later is a practical way to measure whether your fluency has actually improved. Spend the first few seconds of every response stating your main point, so a listener who misses a detail still hears a complete answer.