CELPIP Speaking Task 1: Giving Advice

CELPIP Speaking Task 1 Sample Answer: First Weekend Camping in Algonquin

This prompt asks you to prepare a friend for his first camping trip, covering gear, wildlife safety and cooking outdoors. The tricky part is answering all three worries in a calm, organized way without turning your answer into a long packing list.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

90 seconds

Listener

Someone you know well

The question

Your friend Jonah has booked a campsite in Algonquin Park for a weekend in August. It will be his first time camping, and he has no idea what gear to bring. He is also worried about wild animals and isn't sure how he will cook meals without a kitchen. Advise Jonah on how to prepare for his trip.

How to plan your answer

What they want

Advise your friend Jonah, going camping for the first time in Algonquin Park, on what to pack, how to stay safe around animals, and how to cook at the campsite.

Plan (90 sec)

Open: "Jonah, Algonquin is beautiful; you're going to love it."
Gear: tent (practise setting it up at home), sleeping bag and pad, rain jacket, headlamp, layers for cold nights.
Safety: never keep food in the tent; store it in the car or a bear barrel; carry bug spray and a first aid kit.
Cooking: rent or borrow a small camp stove; plan simple meals (pasta, wraps, oatmeal); prep at home.
Clean up: wash dishes away from the tent; pack out garbage.
Close: offer to lend gear or check his list.

Useful vocabulary

campsite, gear, camp stove, cooler
bear-proof, headlamp, layers, first aid kit

Phrases

"The most important thing is..."
"Make sure you never..."
"To make cooking easier,..."

Avoid

Just listing items; answer his safety and food worries.
Scary stories about bears; keep it calm and practical.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

Jonah, Algonquin for your first trip? Great choice. Let me give you a few tips so the weekend goes smoothly. Gear first. You'll need a tent, a sleeping bag and a foam pad, because the ground gets cold, even in August. Pack layers and a rain jacket, since the weather there can change in an hour. And please set up the tent in your living room before you go. Figuring it out in the dark is no fun. As for animals, they're really not a big problem if you're careful. The golden rule is: no food in the tent, not even a granola bar. Lock everything, including your toothpaste, in the car at night. For cooking, I'd borrow a two-burner camp stove. You can actually have mine. Keep the menu simple: oatmeal, wraps, maybe chili you make at home and freeze, which also keeps your cooler cold. Oh, and bring lots of bug spray. The mosquitoes there are legendary.

159 words

Why it scores high

Content/Coherence: Short topic openers like "Gear first," "As for animals" and "For cooking" give a lot of detail a clear, easy-to-follow shape.
Task Fulfillment: Tips like freezing chili, "which also keeps your cooler cold," and lending his own stove show thoughtful, practical help.
Vocabulary: Lively phrases such as "The golden rule is," "no fun" and "The mosquitoes there are legendary" make the advice sound natural and friendly.

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

Hi Jonah, I'm so excited for you! Algonquin is one of my favourite places, and August is a great time to go. For gear, the basics are a tent, a sleeping bag, a sleeping pad and a good rain jacket. Bring a warm sweater too, because nights get chilly. And definitely practise setting up the tent in your backyard first. About animals, the main rule is to never keep food or anything that smells, like toothpaste, in your tent. Lock it in your car overnight. For meals, a small camping stove is easiest. Plan simple things like pasta or breakfast wraps, and chop everything at home so you only have to heat it up. Don't forget bug spray and a headlamp. You're going to have a great time.

128 words

What works, and what's missing

Content/Coherence: The answer moves clearly from gear to animals to meals, and each part opens with a signal like "About animals, the main rule is."
Vocabulary: Useful expressions such as "nights get chilly" and "anything that smells, like toothpaste" are accurate and natural.
Task Fulfillment: All three worries are handled, but the safety tip is brief; a word about storing garbage or what to do if he sees an animal would round it out.

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

Hey Jonah, Algonquin is very beautiful place, you will like it. For packing, you need tent, sleeping bag, and warm clothes because night is cold, even in August. Bring rain jacket too. About animals, don't put food inside your tent. Keep it in the car, it's more safe. And bring bug spray, there is a lot of mosquito. For cooking, you can borrow small gas stove. Make easy food like hot dog or pasta. You can cut vegetable at home before. If you need something, I can give you my camping chair. Have a good trip!

96 words

What holds it back

Vocabulary: Missing articles in "very beautiful place" and "need tent," plus "more safe" and "a lot of mosquito," make the grammar noticeably weak.
Task Fulfillment: Gear, animals and cooking each get a line, but the safety advice stops at "Keep it in the car" without explaining why.
Content/Coherence: The closing offer of a "camping chair" feels random after advice about stoves and safety, so the ending doesn't tie the tips together.

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