CELPIP Speaking Task 1: Giving Advice

CELPIP Speaking Task 1 Sample Answer: Renovating a Kitchen on a Budget

Nikolai needs a plan to update an old kitchen with only $8,000 while still using it daily with a baby. The hard part is solving three problems, cabinets, floor and counter space, while keeping the kitchen usable.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

90 seconds

Listener

Someone you know well

The question

Your brother, Nikolai, and his wife have bought an older house, and the kitchen has old cabinets, a damaged floor and very little counter space. They have only $8,000 to spend, and they have a baby, so they need to keep using the kitchen while the work is being done. Advise Nikolai on how he can renovate the kitchen on a small budget.

How to plan your answer

What they want

Advise your brother Nikolai how to renovate an old kitchen (old cabinets, damaged floor, little counter space) for only $8,000, while still using it with a baby at home.

Plan (90 sec)

Open warmly: "Nikolai, you can do a lot with $8,000 if you plan carefully."
Cabinets: don't replace them; paint them and add new handles.
Counter space: add a kitchen island on wheels or a cart, and wall shelves.
Floor: put down vinyl plank flooring; it's cheap, waterproof and easy to install.
Save money: do the painting yourself, and buy from used or discount stores.
Baby: work in stages, one wall at a time; set up a temporary kitchen with a microwave and kettle; keep paint fumes away from the baby.
Close: "Get three quotes for anything you can't do yourself."

Useful vocabulary

renovate, on a budget, cabinet doors, countertop
vinyl flooring, DIY, in stages, quote

Phrases

"Instead of replacing..., you could..."
"To save money,..."
"Because of the baby,..."

Avoid

Ideas that blow the $8,000 budget.
Forgetting they must keep using the kitchen.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

Nikolai, congratulations again on the house! Eight thousand dollars isn't a lot for a kitchen, but if you put the money where it really shows, you can completely transform that room. First, leave the cabinet boxes where they are. As long as they're solid, a good primer, two coats of paint and some modern hardware will make them look brand new for a fraction of the cost of replacing them. For the floor, I'd go with luxury vinyl plank. It's waterproof, easy on your feet, and the two of you can click it together yourselves over a weekend. To solve the counter space problem, look for a second-hand butcher-block island on Marketplace, or add a fold-down counter on an empty wall. With the baby, I'd tackle one section at a time and set up a temporary kitchen in the dining room, with a microwave, a kettle and a bottle station, so feeding time never gets interrupted. And hold back about a thousand dollars, because older houses always hide a surprise or two.

172 words

Why it scores high

Vocabulary: "a good primer, two coats of paint and some modern hardware" and "luxury vinyl plank" show precise, practical word choice.
Task Fulfillment: tips are tailored, like a "second-hand butcher-block island on Marketplace" and a "bottle station" so "feeding time never gets interrupted".
Content/Coherence: the opening, "put the money where it really shows", sets a strategy that each tip follows, ending with a reasoned buffer for surprises.

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

Hi Nikolai, congratulations on the house! I know $8,000 doesn't sound like much for a kitchen, but you can make a big difference if you plan carefully. First, don't replace the cabinets. Paint them a light colour and put on new handles. It's cheap, and they'll look almost new. For the damaged floor, I'd recommend vinyl plank flooring. It's affordable, waterproof, and you can install it yourselves over a weekend. To get more counter space, you could buy a rolling kitchen island or add some open shelves on the wall. Since you have a baby, I'd do the work in small stages, so the kitchen is never completely out of use. You could also set up a mini kitchen in the dining room with a microwave, a kettle and a hot plate. And keep about ten percent for surprises.

139 words

What works, and what's missing

Content/Coherence: the advice moves clearly from cabinets to floor to counter space and finally the baby, with reasons for each choice.
Vocabulary: "rolling kitchen island", "open shelves" and "a mini kitchen in the dining room" are accurate and easy to understand.
Task Fulfillment: "keep about ten percent for surprises" is good advice, but it is added at the end with no reason why old houses need it.

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

Hi Nikolai, I know $8,000 is not big money for kitchen, but you can do a lot. First, don't buy new cabinet. It is very expensive. You can paint the old one and change the handle. It look like new. For the floor, you can put vinyl plank. It is cheap and you can do it yourself. For more counter space, buy a small kitchen island with wheel. Also, because you have baby, do one part at a time. And put microwave and kettle in other room, so you can still make food and milk for baby.

97 words

What holds it back

Task Fulfillment: the advice covers all three problems, painting cabinets, "vinyl plank" and an island "with wheel", plus a plan for the baby.
Listenability: "It look like new", "don't buy new cabinet" and "put microwave and kettle in other room" contain errors in nearly every line.
Vocabulary: "not big money for kitchen" and "change the handle" are understandable but less precise than terms like budget or hardware.

These are original CELPass examples written at each level. The CLBs are our estimates, not official CELPIP scores. How we estimate CLB