CELPIP Speaking Task 2: Talking about a Personal Experience

CELPIP Speaking Task 2 Sample Answer: Spending a Night Alone in a Cabin During a Thunderstorm

Talk about your experience spending a night alone in a cabin during a thunderstorm. What happened, and how did you feel?

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

60 seconds

Tense

Mostly past tense

The question

Talk about your experience spending a night alone in a cabin during a thunderstorm. What happened, and how did you feel?

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

During a solo trip in the mountains, I spent a night alone in a remote cabin when a severe thunderstorm hit. The rain pounded on the roof, and lightning lit up the sky. Although I was nervous at first, I focused on deep breathing and tried to distract myself by journaling. By morning, the storm had passed, and I felt a real sense of accomplishment for facing my fears. The experience taught me that I’m stronger and braver than I thought.

81 words

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

Last year, I spent a night alone in a small cabin. Suddenly, a thunderstorm began. The wind was strong and the thunder was very loud. I felt a bit frightened, but I made tea and listened to music to distract myself. By the next morning, the storm was gone, and I felt proud that I managed to stay calm and safe.

61 words

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

Once, I stayed alone in a cabin, and there was a big storm outside. The thunder was loud, and I felt scared at first. I tried to stay calm by reading a book. The storm stopped in the morning, and I felt brave after that.

45 words

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