CELPIP Speaking Practice Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: How the CELPIP Speaking test works

CELPIP-General tests Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking in one sitting of about 2 hours and 50 minutes, and Speaking comes last. CELPIP-General LS (for the citizenship language requirement) tests only Listening and Speaking in about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Both have the same Speaking test: 8 tasks in about 15 minutes. Always check the Government of Canada's requirements for your own application.

The eight tasks

Most tasks give 30 seconds to prepare; Task 6 gives 60 seconds, and Task 5 has two screens of 60 seconds. Only Tasks 1 and 7 give 90 seconds to speak; the rest give 60 seconds.

On the screen

• Tasks 3, 4 and 8 ask you to talk about a picture. Tasks 3 and 4 use the same picture. In Task 5, each option comes with a picture and some information.
• When preparation time ends, the screen moves on automatically, you hear "Start speaking now" and recording starts.
• A blue progress bar shows the time left. Time is up when it is fully blue.
• A grey bar beside the microphone moves as you speak. If it stays too low, you may not be heard clearly. Speak at a normal volume: too loud or too soft can lower your Listenability score.
• Your answers are recorded and rated later.

How Speaking is scored

Raters score every response in four dimensions. Each dimension has five performance levels.

• Each Speaking performance is rated by three to five raters working independently. If their ratings do not agree, a benchmark rater is automatically assigned to rate it.
• Your Speaking score comes from these ratings and is turned into a CELPIP level. Your level is a product of your scores on all 8 tasks, so every task counts.
• CELPIP levels line up with Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels. CELPIP 3 to 12 match CLB 3 to 12, and CELPIP 2 matches CLB 1 and 2.

专题测验1：How the Speaking test works

Lesson 2: Task 1 Giving Advice and Task 2 Personal Experience

Task 1: Giving Advice (30 seconds to prepare, 90 seconds to speak)

Someone needs help making a decision or getting ready for something. Speak directly to that person. Give at least three suggestions, each with a practical example or reason, in a helpful and thoughtful tone.

A simple frame: a friendly opening → suggestion 1 with a reason → suggestion 2 with an example → suggestion 3 with a reason → an encouraging closing.

Task 2: Talking about a Personal Experience (30 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak)

Choose a story quickly. If you can't remember a real experience, you may make one up. Use past tenses and descriptive details, and share your feelings so the listener can feel them too.

A simple frame: when and where → what happened, in order → how you felt → how it ended or what you learned.

• Setting the scene: "It happened about two years ago, when I…"
• Moving the story forward: "First…", "Once we arrived…", "And then…", "From there…", "In the end…"
• Feelings: "I felt so relieved." / "I was really nervous." / "I was proud of myself."
• Ending: "Looking back, I learned that…"

专题测验2：Tasks 1–2: Advice and personal experience

Lesson 3: Tasks 3, 4 and 8 — Pictures and predictions

Each picture task gives 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. Tasks 3 and 4 use the same picture.

Task 3: Describing a Scene

• Imagine the listener cannot see the picture.
• Start with an overview: one general sentence about the whole scene, such as where it is and what is going on.
• Then choose some details. You don't need to describe everything. Pick the things you can describe well.
• Describe people's appearance, actions and feelings with strong, descriptive words.
• End with a short closing sentence.

An official level 8 sample had accurate descriptions and clear pronunciation, but it did not speak to the listener, had no overview and needed richer vocabulary and a closing.

Task 4: Making Predictions

Look at the same picture and say what will probably happen next. Good predictions are realistic and based on what people are doing. Use the people and objects around them as clues. Useful forms: "is going to…", "will probably…", "might…", "I expect that…". Order your predictions with "first", "then" and "after that".

Task 8: Describing an Unusual Situation

You see a picture of an unusual item or situation and describe it to someone who can't see it, as if you were on the phone.

1. Set up the call: greet the listener by name and say why you're calling.
2. Describe the unusual features: size, shape, colour, material and what it is used for. Focus on the parts you can describe well.
3. If you don't know the exact word, build a phrase from common words, such as "a tool for opening cans".
4. End the call politely.

专题测验3：Tasks 3, 4 and 8: Pictures and predictions

Lesson 4: Task 5 Comparing and Persuading and Task 6 Difficult Situations

Task 5: Comparing and Persuading

Read the instructions for Task 5 especially closely, because it has two screens.

• Screen 1 (60 seconds, no speaking): read the situation, compare two options and choose one. Choose quickly: pick the option you would rather talk about, the one you can support with the most reasons.
• Screen 2 (60 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak): another person suggests a different option. Persuade that person that your choice is better than theirs.

Give specific reasons that build on the information on the screen, such as price, distance or features, and compare the two options directly.

Task 6: Dealing with a Difficult Situation (60 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak)

You explain a decision to a friend, family member, acquaintance or customer. The situation usually gives you two choices. Speak directly to the person and be considerate but firm: state the problem clearly, explain your decision and give your reasons.

A simple frame: greeting → the problem → your decision → your reasons → an offer or next step → a polite closing.

• "I'm afraid I have to…"
• "I know this isn't what you were hoping to hear, but…"
• "The main reason is…"
• "What I can do instead is…"
• "I hope you understand."

专题测验4：Tasks 5–6: Persuading and difficult situations

Lesson 5: Task 7 Expressing Opinions

Task 7 asks a "Do you think…?" question about an issue. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 90 seconds to speak. You decide whether to answer yes or no. None of the four rating dimensions is about which side you pick: raters look at your ideas and support, your vocabulary, your listenability and how well you complete the task.

• Decide quickly during preparation whether you agree, and commit to yes or no. Changing your mind halfway makes your answer unclear.
• Give about three reasons, and support each one with something specific: an example, a result or a personal experience.
• Stay on topic. Every sentence should help answer the question.
• Use transitions between ideas, and finish with a sentence that restates your position.

专题测验5：Task 7: Expressing opinions

Lesson 6: Fluency, vocabulary and checking your answers

Speak clearly and keep going

• Speak at a natural pace. Very fast speech is harder to follow.
• Use the whole speaking time. Long pauses make your answer less complete.
• Frequent filler words ("um", "uh") and long pauses hurt your rhythm and flow, which are part of Listenability.
• If you make a mistake, correct it once and move on. Correcting yourself again and again also hurts Listenability.
• Watch the progress bar and finish your last sentence before time runs out.
• Don't worry about your accent. The official tips say to focus on grammar, vocabulary and a full answer, unless your accent stops people from understanding you.

Show your range of words and sentences

Try not to repeat words. Use synonyms and paraphrase to show your range. Choose precise words instead of very general ones.

Mix short and long sentences. Join ideas with words like "because", "although", "if", "while" and "which". For example, "I like the park. It is quiet. It is near my home." becomes "I like the park because it's quiet and close to my home."

A practice routine

1. Record yourself answering a task with a timer, just like the real test.
2. Listen and rate it in the four dimensions.
3. Write out what you said and spend 20–30 minutes editing it: grammar, transitions, word choice and sentence variety.
4. Record again and compare.
5. Start with more than 30 seconds of preparation, then slowly shorten it to the real time.

专题测验6：Fluency, vocabulary and self-checking