CELPIP Speaking Task 3: Describing a Scene

CELPIP Speaking Task 3 Sample Answer: Cherry Blossom Park Family Photo Shoot

This prompt asks you to describe a crowded spring park to someone who cannot see it. The tricky part is choosing what to cover among dozens of small figures and guiding the listener with clear locations.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

60 seconds

Picture

A detailed illustration

The question

CELPIP Speaking Task 3 practice picture: Cherry Blossom Park Family Photo Shoot

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 sunny cherry blossom park, where a cyclist is riding toward a camera tripod while a photographer takes a family photo, to someone who cannot see it.

Plan (60 sec)

Big picture: a spring day; pink cherry trees in full bloom, petals falling, snowy mountains behind.
Centre: under a big tree, a grandmother, a mother in a yellow flowered dress holding a baby, and a father in a cap pose; a woman kneels behind a camera on a tripod.
Right: a boy in a green helmet and orange hoodie rides a bike along the path, right beside another tripod.
Left: two men have a picnic on a red checked blanket by a pond with ducks.
Background: a man blows giant bubbles, a painter works at an easel, and someone walks a black dog.

Useful vocabulary

cherry blossoms, in full bloom, petals, tripod
pose for a photo, picnic blanket, pond, easel

Phrases

"In the centre of the picture,..."
"On the right-hand side,..."
"In the background,..."

Avoid

Saying what the cyclist will hit; that is Part 4.
Listing people without saying what they're doing.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

This is a park in full cherry blossom season, with pink trees everywhere, petals drifting through the air, and snow-capped mountains in the distance. Right in the middle, a family is posing under the biggest cherry tree: a grandmother in a light blue jacket, a young mother in a yellow floral dress holding a baby, and a man in a white shirt and a grey cap gesturing toward the camera. A photographer in a black sweater is kneeling on the grass in front of them, looking through a camera on a tripod. Just beside her, on the curving path, a boy in an orange hoodie and a green helmet is pedalling a blue bike, and a second camera on a tall tripod is standing right in his way. Off to the left, two men are having a picnic on a red checkered blanket by a duck pond, and in the background, someone's blowing giant bubbles for a couple of kids while a gardener rakes up a pile of pink petals.

170 words

Why it scores high

Content/Coherence: It sets the scene with "snow-capped mountains in the distance," then zooms to the family, the photographer and finally the background activity.
Vocabulary: Vivid wording such as "petals drifting through the air," "pedalling a blue bike" and "a red checkered blanket" paints exact images for the listener.
Task Fulfillment: Noting the second tripod "standing right in his way" captures the key tension, while the duck pond, bubbles and gardener round out the scene.

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

This picture shows a park in the spring, with lots of pink cherry blossom trees and petals falling everywhere. In the middle, a family is posing for a photo under a big cherry tree. There's a grandmother, a woman in a yellow flowered dress holding a baby, and a man in a white shirt and a cap. In front of them, a woman in a black sweater is kneeling on the grass and taking their picture with a camera on a tripod. On the path beside her, a boy in an orange hoodie and a green helmet is riding a blue bike, and there's another camera on a tall tripod right in front of him. On the left, two men are having a picnic on a red blanket.

128 words

What works, and what's missing

Content/Coherence: Location phrases like "In the middle," "In front of them" and "On the path beside her" walk the listener logically across the picture.
Vocabulary: Specific details like "a yellow flowered dress," "a green helmet" and "a red blanket" help the listener picture each person clearly.
Task Fulfillment: Coverage stops at the foreground; adding the pond, the giant bubbles or the mountains would turn a solid description into a complete one.

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

This picture is in a park in spring. There is many pink cherry tree and the petals are falling. In the middle, a family stand under a big tree. A grandmother, a woman with yellow dress and baby, and a man with a cap. They are taking family photo. A woman with black sweater is kneeling and take the photo with camera. On the path, a boy in orange hoodie is riding a bike. In front of him there is another camera on a tripod. On the left, two men have a picnic.

93 words

What holds it back

Vocabulary: Agreement and verb-form slips like "There is many pink cherry tree," "a family stand" and "is kneeling and take the photo" appear in nearly every line.
Content/Coherence: The family is given as a fragment, "A grandmother, a woman with yellow dress and baby, and a man with a cap," so who is doing what stays unclear.
Task Fulfillment: Only the foreground is covered, while the duck pond, the bubble blower and the gardener raking petals are skipped, leaving the listener a thin picture.

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