CELPIP Speaking Task 1: Giving Advice

CELPIP Speaking Task 1 Sample Answer: Cutting Down on Grocery Waste

This prompt asks you to help a friend who wants to cut his garbage but feels overwhelmed in the grocery store. The tricky part is putting your tips in a clear order, so he knows exactly what to change first instead of hearing a long list.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

90 seconds

Listener

Someone you know well

The question

Your friend Mateo recently watched a documentary about plastic pollution, and now he wants to produce as little garbage as possible. However, when he goes grocery shopping in Halifax, he feels lost because almost everything is wrapped in plastic, and he isn't sure which products to switch to first. Advise Mateo on how he can begin reducing waste when he shops.

How to plan your answer

What they want

Advise your friend Mateo, who wants to cut his garbage after a documentary but feels lost at the grocery store, on how to start reducing waste when he shops.

Plan (90 sec)

Open: "Mateo, it's great that you want to change, but you don't have to do everything at once."
Bring your own: keep reusable bags and produce bags by the door or in the car.
Buy loose: choose unpackaged fruit and vegetables instead of plastic trays.
Bulk: refill jars with rice, oats and nuts at a bulk store.
Swap one item a week: bar soap, a refillable bottle.
Use what you have: finish old products before buying "eco" versions.
Close: "Small changes add up; let's go shopping together on Saturday."

Useful vocabulary

reusable, packaging, bulk section, refill
single-use plastic, compost, swap, step by step

Phrases

"The easiest place to start is..."
"Instead of buying..., try..."
"Once you get used to that, you could..."

Avoid

Telling him to buy lots of new "green" products; that creates waste too.
A long list with no order; tell him what to do first.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

Mateo, honestly, I think it's great that the documentary stuck with you, and the fact that you feel lost is completely normal. Nobody goes zero-waste in a week. My first tip is to forget about perfection and focus on the things you buy most often. For most people that's groceries, so start by keeping reusable bags and a couple of mesh produce bags right by your door. Once that becomes a habit, you'll stop taking plastic without even thinking about it. Then, check out the bulk store on Quinpool. You bring your own jars, weigh them at the counter, and fill up on oats, lentils, even peanut butter. It's often cheaper, too. One trap to avoid is running out and buying a whole cart of bamboo toothbrushes and fancy containers. Use up what you already have first, and replace things only when they're finished. If you want, we could do your next grocery run together on Saturday, and I'll show you what I do.

164 words

Why it scores high

Content/Coherence: Opening with "the fact that you feel lost is completely normal" and then "forget about perfection" answers Mateo's worry before giving any steps.
Vocabulary: Natural phrases such as "stuck with you," "fill up on" and "one trap to avoid" sound relaxed and precise, exactly right for advice between friends.
Task Fulfillment: Warning against "a whole cart of bamboo toothbrushes" and offering a "grocery run together on Saturday" go beyond tips to genuinely practical support.

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

Hey Mateo, I'm really glad that documentary inspired you. The good news is you don't have to change your whole life overnight. The easiest place to start is with bags. Keep a few reusable bags and some mesh produce bags by your front door, so you grab them every time you go out. Next, when you're in the produce section, pick loose apples and carrots instead of the ones in plastic trays. You could also try the bulk store on Quinpool Road. You just bring clean jars and fill them with rice, oats or coffee, and you pay by weight. After that, swap one item each week, like using bar soap instead of bottled body wash. Honestly, if you do these few things, your garbage will shrink a lot.

129 words

What works, and what's missing

Content/Coherence: The advice follows a clear order, from "The easiest place to start is with bags" to the bulk store and then weekly swaps.
Vocabulary: Specific terms like "mesh produce bags," "pay by weight" and "bottled body wash" make each tip concrete and easy to picture.
Task Fulfillment: Mateo's feeling of being lost is barely addressed; a warning against buying new "green" products he doesn't need would make the advice more complete.

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

Hi Mateo, I think it's good idea you want less garbage. Don't worry, you don't need change everything in one day. First, bring your own bags to the store. Keep them in your car so you don't forget. Also, buy vegetables and fruits without plastic, just put them in your bag. Second, you can go to Bulk Barn. They have rice, nuts and many things, and you can bring your jar. And maybe change your shampoo to the bar one, it don't have bottle. Step by step you will make less garbage. Good luck!

94 words

What holds it back

Vocabulary: Missing words in "you don't need change everything" and "it's good idea," plus "it don't have bottle," are basic grammar slips a listener notices right away.
Content/Coherence: The tips are sensible, but "Bulk Barn" and the jar idea get one line each, with no explanation of how refilling actually works.
Listenability: Ideas are joined only by "First," "Also," "Second" and "And maybe," so the advice sounds like a short list rather than a chat with a friend.

The CLBs are estimates of the level each sample was written at, not official CELPIP scores. How we estimate CLB