CELPIP Speaking Task 1: Giving Advice

CELPIP Speaking Task 1 Sample Answer: Speaking Up in Team Meetings

This prompt asks you to coach a skilled but quiet co-worker on speaking up in meetings so he can earn a promotion. The tricky part is giving practical, step-by-step tactics while sounding encouraging rather than critical of him.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

90 seconds

Listener

Someone you know well

The question

Your co-worker, Hyun-woo, has worked at your company for a year and is very good at his job, but he almost never speaks during team meetings. His manager has told him that he needs to share his ideas more often if he wants to be promoted. Advise Hyun-woo on how he can become more confident speaking up in meetings.

How to plan your answer

What they want

Advise your co-worker Hyun-woo, who is great at his job but rarely speaks in meetings, on how to become more confident speaking up, since it matters for his promotion.

Plan (90 sec)

Open kindly: "Hyun-woo, your work is excellent, so people want to hear your ideas."
Prepare: read the agenda first and write down one or two points to share.
Speak early: say something in the first ten minutes, before nerves build up.
Start small: ask a question or build on a colleague's idea.
Practise: rehearse with me, or join a group like Toastmasters.
Follow up: email the manager your ideas after the meeting, so they see your thinking.
Close: "It gets easier every time; I'll back you up."

Useful vocabulary

speak up, agenda, contribute, build on
confidence, rehearse, point of view, follow up

Phrases

"One thing that really helped me was..."
"Before each meeting, try to..."
"You could also..."

Avoid

Telling him to "just be confident"; give practical steps.
Forgetting why it matters: the promotion.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

Hyun-woo, first of all, the fact that your manager wants to hear more from you is actually a compliment. It means she values your work and thinks you have more to offer. The biggest thing that helps me is preparation. Before each meeting, look at the agenda and jot down two or three points you could contribute, even just a question. Walking in with notes takes a lot of the pressure off. Then, try to say something early. The longer you stay quiet, the harder it gets to jump in, so aim to speak within the first ten minutes, even if it's just building on what someone else said, like "That's a good point, and we saw something similar on the Ridgeway project." It can also help to give your manager a heads-up beforehand, so she can turn to you and say, "Hyun-woo, what do you think?" And if you'd like, we could do a quick practice run before the next meeting. After a few weeks, I think you'll be surprised how natural it feels.

175 words

Why it scores high

Content/Coherence: Reframing the manager's comment as "actually a compliment" addresses Hyun-woo's feelings before any tips, giving the advice a thoughtful arc.
Vocabulary: Idiomatic choices like "jot down," "jump in," "a heads-up beforehand" and "a quick practice run" sound effortlessly natural for a chat between co-workers.
Task Fulfillment: A model line, "That's a good point, and we saw something similar on the Ridgeway project," shows Hyun-woo exactly what to say, not just what to do.

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

Hi Hyun-woo, I know speaking up in meetings can be stressful, but you have great ideas, and people should hear them. First, prepare before every meeting. Look at the agenda and write down two or three points you want to share. That way, you won't have to think of something on the spot. Second, try to speak in the first ten or fifteen minutes. The longer you wait, the more nervous you'll get. You can also start small, like asking a question or adding to someone else's idea. Another idea is to talk to your manager before the meeting and tell her what you plan to say, so she can invite you to speak. Finally, if you want, we can practise together over coffee. I'm sure you'll feel more confident after a few meetings.

134 words

What works, and what's missing

Content/Coherence: Each tip comes with a reason, such as "That way, you won't have to think of something on the spot," so the advice feels considered.
Vocabulary: Natural expressions like "on the spot" and "adding to someone else's idea" fit the workplace context and sound conversational rather than memorized.
Task Fulfillment: The manager tip says she can "invite you to speak" but stays general; a sample line Hyun-woo could actually say would lift the advice from sensible to vivid.

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

Hi Hyun-woo, I know you are very good worker, so don't worry too much. First, before the meeting, you can read the agenda and write some idea on paper. Then you are ready to talk. Second, try to speak early in the meeting, maybe in first ten minutes. If you wait long time, it become more hard. Also you can start small. Ask one question or say "I agree" and give one reason. Maybe you can practise with me before. I am happy to help you. I think you will get promotion!

92 words

What holds it back

Task Fulfillment: The core tips are there (read the agenda, speak early, start small), but each gets one short line, so "write some idea on paper" never explains how it helps.
Vocabulary: "you are very good worker" and "you will get promotion" drop articles, and "it become more hard" uses a double comparative instead of 'harder'.
Listenability: Nearly every sentence opens with "First," "Second," "Also" or "Maybe," giving a list-like rhythm with few linking words between the ideas.

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