CELPIP Speaking Task 3: Describing a Scene

CELPIP Speaking Task 3 Sample Answer: Sunlit Path Through Tall Trees

This picture shows five hikers walking away along a sunlit dirt trail through a forest of very tall trees. The tricky part is that the hikers are small and seen from behind, so the light, shadows and setting must carry much of your description.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

60 seconds

Picture

A detailed illustration

The question

CELPIP Speaking Task 3 practice picture: Sunlit Path Through Tall Trees

Describe some things that are happening in the picture below as well as you can. The person with whom you are speaking cannot see the picture.

How to plan your answer

What they want

Describe a wide dirt path through a forest of very tall, straight trees, with sunlight shining between the trunks and a small group of five hikers walking away from us.

Plan (60 sec)

Overview: "This is a forest trail on a sunny day, with huge trees on both sides."
Light: the sun is shining through a gap in the trees, so there are long shadows across the path.
Hikers: five people walking away from us; one in a dark top with a backpack, one in a peach top and shorts.
Further ahead: two more hikers, one in a pink top; on the right, another hiker with a black backpack.
Sides: ferns and green plants on the slopes; reddish-brown trunks.
Background: a hazy mountain in the distance.

Useful vocabulary

trail, trunks, sunbeams, shadows
ferns, evergreens, hazy, heading up the trail

Phrases

"With their backs to us,..."
"The sunlight is coming through..."
"Off in the distance,..."

Avoid

Describing only the trees; include the hikers and what they're wearing.
Inventing faces; the hikers are seen from behind.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

What we're looking at is a wide, sandy dirt trail winding through a forest of enormous, straight-trunked trees. The sun is low and shining right through a gap in the trees, sending long, dark shadows stretching across the path toward us. A small group of five hikers is walking away from the camera. Closest to us, one person in a dark jacket with a backpack is walking beside a hiker in a peach top, shorts and dark boots. A little further up, two more people are heading along the trail, one of them in a pink top. Slightly apart on the right, another hiker with a black backpack is walking along the edge of the path. The slopes on either side are covered in ferns and low green bushes, and through the opening at the end of the trail, there's a hazy blue mountain in the distance. It looks like a peaceful early-morning or late-afternoon walk.

156 words

Why it scores high

Vocabulary: Vivid phrases like "winding through," "straight-trunked trees" and "long, dark shadows stretching across the path toward us" capture the light beautifully.
Content/Coherence: Every hiker is placed, from "Closest to us" to "Slightly apart on the right," and the ending offers a fair interpretation of the time of day.
Listenability: Smooth distance cues such as "A little further up" and "through the opening at the end of the trail" make the answer easy to follow.

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

This picture shows a wide dirt trail going through a forest of really tall trees. The sun is shining through a gap between the trees, so there are long shadows across the path. A group of five hikers is walking along the trail, away from us. The person on the left is wearing a dark top and a backpack, and next to them, someone in a peach-coloured top and shorts is walking too. Further up the path, there are two more people, and on the right side, another hiker has a black backpack. On both sides of the trail, there are ferns and green plants. In the distance, you can see a hazy mountain.

114 words

What works, and what's missing

Content/Coherence: Linking cause and effect, "The sun is shining through a gap... so there are long shadows," helps the listener picture the lighting.
Vocabulary: Accurate words such as "trail," "peach-coloured top," "ferns" and "hazy mountain" fit the scene well.
Task Fulfillment: The two hikers "further up the path" get no description; even one clothing detail would make every person in the group visible.

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

This picture is a forest with very tall trees. There is a dirt path in the middle. Five people is walking on the path, they are going away from me. One person have black backpack, one person wear pink shirt and short. The sun is shining between the trees and there is long shadow on the ground. On the sides there is green plants. Far away I can see a mountain. I think it is morning or evening because the sun is low.

83 words

What holds it back

Vocabulary: "Five people is walking," "one person have," "shirt and short" and "long shadow" show agreement and plural errors throughout.
Content/Coherence: Only two hikers are described, and the gap of light or where each hiker is on the path is never made clear.
Listenability: "they are going away from me" is joined to the previous sentence with a comma, and the answer relies on short, repetitive "There is" sentences.

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