CELPIP Speaking Task 2: Talking about a Personal Experience

CELPIP Speaking Task 2 Sample Answer: Keeping a Promise

The speaker talks about a promise, whether it was hard to keep, and how it ended. The tricky part is showing a real difficulty, so the ending feels earned instead of simply stated.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

60 seconds

Tense

Mostly past tense

The question

Talk about a time when you made a promise to someone. Maybe you can talk about a promise to a family member, a friend, or a co-worker. What did you promise, was it easy or difficult to keep, and what happened in the end?

How to plan your answer

What they want

Talk about a time you made a promise to a family member, a friend or a co-worker.
Answer three things: what you promised, whether it was easy or difficult to keep, and what happened in the end.

Plan (60 sec)

Set the scene: "Two years ago, I promised my little brother I'd come to his graduation."
The promise: what you said and why it mattered to him.
Difficult part: a work trip came up the same week, and your boss wasn't flexible.
What you did: you rearranged your schedule, took a night flight, and arrived just in time.
The end: he was thrilled, and you felt proud you kept your word.
Close: "I learned never to make a promise I can't keep."

Useful vocabulary

keep a promise, break a promise, keep my word, count on
rearrange, make sacrifices, let down, reliable

Phrases

"I promised that I would..."
"It wasn't easy because..."
"In the end,..."

Avoid

Skipping easy or difficult; it is one of the three questions.
Mixing tenses; tell the story in the past tense.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

A promise I'll never forget is one I made to my grandfather when I was about fifteen. He'd been teaching me to play chess every Sunday, and when he moved into a care home, I promised I'd still come and play with him every week. At first it was easy, but it got harder. I had a part-time job, exams and friends, and honestly, some Sundays I didn't feel like taking two buses across the city. But I knew how much he looked forward to it, so I kept going, even if it was only for an hour. I kept that up for almost three years. Near the end, he wasn't strong enough to move the pieces himself, so I moved them for him. After he passed away, the nurses told me he used to tell everyone his grandson never missed a Sunday, and that's something I'm really proud of.

150 words

Why it scores high

Content/Coherence: the promise to keep playing chess "every week" spans almost three years, so the story shows how the commitment grew harder over time.
Vocabulary: "some Sundays I didn't feel like taking two buses across the city" is honest and specific, and makes the difficulty believable.
Task Fulfillment: the ending, "his grandson never missed a Sunday", answers what happened with real emotion and explains why the speaker is proud.

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

A few years ago, I made a promise to my best friend, Ana. She was moving to a new apartment, and I promised to help her move on a Saturday. A few days before, my manager asked me to work an extra shift that day, and he offered me double pay. It was difficult, because I really needed the money. But Ana had helped me so many times before. So I told my manager I couldn't come, and I spent the whole day carrying boxes up three floors. In the end, Ana bought me dinner, and she told me she couldn't have done it without me. I lost the extra money, but I kept my word.

116 words

What works, and what's missing

Content/Coherence: the story is clear, from the promise to help Ana move to the choice between "double pay" and keeping the promise.
Task Fulfillment: the difficulty is real because the speaker "really needed the money", and the ending shows a cost, "I lost the extra money".
Vocabulary: "I kept my word" is a good ending phrase, but "carrying boxes up three floors" is the only vivid detail in the story.

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

One time I promise my little sister to come to her graduation. She finish high school and she was very excited. But my boss ask me to work that day. It was difficult. I need the money and I don't want my boss angry. But I talk to my co-worker and she change shift with me. So I go to the graduation and I give her flower. She cry and hug me. I was very happy I keep my promise.

80 words

What holds it back

Listenability: "I promise my little sister", "She finish high school" and "I go to the graduation" use present forms for past events throughout.
Task Fulfillment: the difficulty is clear, "I need the money and I don't want my boss angry", but the solution comes too quickly to build tension.
Vocabulary: "She cry and hug me" and "I was very happy" are simple; the emotion of the moment is not fully expressed.

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