CELPIP Speaking Practice Test 6 — All 8 Tasks With Prompts & Sample Answers

Your friend wants to start a whale-watching tour business. Give them advice on how to be successful.

If a friend were moving to Vancouver, I would recommend a combination of cycling and the SkyTrain for getting around. Vancouver has invested heavily in bike infrastructure over the past decade, and you can now ride from Kitsilano to the convention centre almost entirely on separated lanes. I would tell my friend to buy a good rain jacket and fenders for their bike because from October to April, they will definitely need them. The Compass Card system is straightforward, and I would suggest loading it with stored value rather than a monthly pass unless they commute daily. One thing I have learned from experience is that the bus is actually the most underrated option. In neighbourhoods like Kerrisdale or Dunbar where the SkyTrain does not reach, the buses are frequent and reliable. I would also warn them about the Main Street-Science World station during rush hour, which gets extremely crowded. A useful tip is to check the TransLink Twitter account for service alerts, because the Expo Line occasionally has track issues that cause frustrating delays. Overall, Vancouver is one of the easiest Canadian cities to navigate without a car if you plan ahead.

Talk about a time you changed one of your daily habits or routines. What did you change, why did you decide to change it, and how did it affect your life?

About eighteen months ago, I decided to stop driving to work and start cycling instead. I live in Kitsilano and work downtown, so the distance is only about seven kilometres. What pushed me to change was a particularly frustrating morning when I spent forty-five minutes stuck in traffic on the Burrard Bridge, watching cyclists whiz past me in the bike lane. I bought a used hybrid bike that weekend. The first few weeks were tough — my legs ached, I arrived at the office sweaty, and I had to figure out where to shower and change. Gradually, though, I started to love it. My commute became the best part of my day rather than the worst. I arrived at work energized, saved over a hundred dollars a month on parking, and even lost a few pounds. The unexpected bonus was discovering how much more connected I felt to the city. I noticed cafes and shops I had driven past for years without seeing. Now I cycle year-round, even in the rain. It is the single best lifestyle change I have ever made.

Describe a scene you might see at Butchart Gardens during the summer.

It is a golden late-afternoon in early autumn at Kitsilano Beach, and the scene is pure Vancouver. The water of English Bay is calm and reflects the mountains on the North Shore, which are already dusted with a light layer of snow. A group of friends has set up a volleyball net near the logs, and their laughter carries across the sand. Further along the shore, a father teaches his young daughter to skip stones, patiently showing her the wrist motion. The seawall path is busy with cyclists and joggers, including an elderly couple on a tandem bike who wave at everyone they pass. At the Boathouse patio, patrons sip local craft beer and watch the seaplanes land in Coal Harbour. A painter has set up an easel near the water's edge, capturing the way the sunset turns the sky pink and orange above the mountains. A small dog chases seagulls near the shoreline, making children giggle. It is one of those moments where you understand why people pay so much to live in this city. Everything feels peaceful and impossibly beautiful.

Predict how tourism in Victoria will change in the next ten years.

I predict that the bike lane expansion on West 10th Avenue will lead to a significant increase in cycling within the first year, particularly among students commuting to UBC. Currently, many students avoid this route because they feel unsafe sharing a narrow lane with buses and delivery trucks. Once a protected lane is in place, I believe cycling numbers could double, especially during the fair-weather months from April through October. However, I do have one concern. The construction phase itself will likely cause traffic disruption for at least six months, and some businesses along the corridor may see a temporary drop in customers if parking becomes harder to access. The city needs to communicate clearly with those business owners and offer support, such as temporary signage directing drivers to nearby side-street parking. In the long term, I believe the benefits will outweigh the costs. More cyclists means fewer cars competing for parking downtown, and residents in Kitsilano will have a safer, quieter street to walk and cycle along.

Compare staying at a bed and breakfast versus a hotel. Persuade a visitor to choose a B&B.

I have lived in both a condo in Yaletown and a house in Kitsilano, and for raising a family, Kitsilano is the clear winner. In Yaletown, we were surrounded by fantastic restaurants and the seawall was a two-minute walk from our door, but our thousand-square-foot condo felt cramped the moment we had a second child. In Kitsilano, we have a small backyard where the kids can play, and there are at least four excellent elementary schools within walking distance. The neighbourhood also feels like a community. We know our neighbours by name, there is a block party every summer, and parents share childcare and carpooling responsibilities. Yaletown has a more transient population, and we rarely saw the same faces twice. I will admit that Yaletown wins on convenience. You can walk to work, the shops are closer, and you do not need a car. But for my family, space, community, and access to good schools matter far more than having a sushi restaurant downstairs. Kitsilano gives us the best of both worlds: a quiet residential feel with the city just a short bike ride away.

A guest at your B&B complains about noise from a nearby construction project. Explain how you would handle the situation.

The first thing I would do is remain calm and acknowledge the guest's frustration without being defensive. I have learned that saying something like 'I completely understand why you are upset, and I am going to do everything I can to make this right' can defuse a tense situation quickly. Once they feel heard, I would offer a concrete solution. If they had to wait twenty minutes for their table, I would offer a complimentary appetizer or dessert and personally ensure their server prioritizes them. If the issue was a mix-up with their reservation date, I would check if we have space at another table, even if it means rearranging our floor plan. I would also note the incident in our logbook and mention it to the manager so we can prevent similar problems. One thing I have found is that guests usually just want to feel valued. If they leave satisfied with how I handled the issue, they often return and even mention my name in positive reviews. Turning a complaint into a positive experience is one of the most rewarding parts of working in hospitality.

Do you think the city should build more bike lanes? Express your opinion and support it with reasons.

I believe street art and murals have enormous value for cities, and I support Vancouver's continued investment in public art programs. When I walk along Main Street and see the large-scale murals that cover entire building walls, they make the neighbourhood feel alive and creative. Murals deter graffiti tagging because taggers tend to respect finished artwork. They also give emerging artists a public platform to showcase their work, which can launch their careers. During the Vancouver Mural Festival, thousands of visitors tour these artworks and spend money at nearby cafes and shops, so there is a clear economic benefit too. However, I do believe the process matters. Artists should be selected through a transparent, community-involved process, not quietly approved by a single property developer. The content should also reflect the diversity of the neighbourhood. In Mount Pleasant, for example, I would love to see more murals honouring the area's Indigenous history alongside contemporary designs. Public art should tell the true story of a community, not just prettify its walls.

Describe an unusual experience you had while working as a deckhand on a BC Ferries vessel.

Last July, I was walking through VanDusen Botanical Garden during one of their summer concert evenings when I noticed a barred owl sitting on a low branch of a Douglas fir tree, right next to the main path. The bird was completely unbothered by the crowd of about forty people who had gathered nearby, all of us whispering and taking photos. What made this so unusual is that owls are typically active only at night, and seeing one so close in broad daylight, in the middle of a city event, felt almost like a dream. A staff member came over and told us the owl had nested in that tree for three years and had become so accustomed to garden visitors that she would sometimes hunt for mice right in front of people. For about ten minutes, we all stood silently, watching her rotate her head and blink slowly at the crowd. A young girl behind me whispered to her mother that the owl must be the guardian of the garden. It was a magical, unexpected moment that reminded me how much wildlife exists in Vancouver even within the city limits.