CELPIP Speaking Task 3: Describing a Scene

CELPIP Speaking Task 3 Sample Answer: Community Pottery Class in Winter

The speaker describes a community pottery class where something has gone wrong at the wheel. The challenge is organizing the main event and the reactions around the room so the listener can picture it all.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

60 seconds

Picture

A detailed illustration

The question

CELPIP Speaking Task 3 practice picture: Community Pottery Class in Winter

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 community pottery class on a snowy day, where wet clay is flying off a man's pottery wheel, to someone who cannot see it.

Plan (60 sec)

Big picture: a bright studio with brick walls, tall arched windows, falling snow outside, and shelves of colourful bowls and vases.
Centre: a man in a grey apron looks shocked as his tall clay pot twists and flies off the spinning wheel, splashing wet clay.
Left: an older woman throws her hands up; an older man in glasses reaches out.
Right: a woman in a white sweater shapes a bowl; a girl paints a small clay dog.
Background: a woman films it on her phone, laughing; a man carries a tray of bowls; another works near a glowing kiln.

Useful vocabulary

pottery wheel, wet clay, apron, kiln
shape a bowl, spin, splash, vase, shelves

Phrases

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

Avoid

Saying where the clay will land; that is Part 4.
Listing people without saying what they're doing.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

This is a community pottery class in a bright studio with brick walls and three tall arched windows, and outside it's snowing heavily, with someone in a parka standing under a street lamp. Right in the centre, a man in a blue shirt and a clay-smeared grey apron is sitting at a pottery wheel, and things have clearly gone wrong. His clay has spun up into a tall, twisted tower that's leaning sharply, with wet slip spraying everywhere. Just behind him, an older bald man with glasses is reaching out to grab it, while on the left, a grey-haired woman in a red top and green apron is leaping back in alarm. The rest of the class is loving it. A couple of women are laughing and clapping, and another is filming it on her phone. At the back, a man is carrying a board of bowls toward a glowing kiln. And in the bottom right corner, a little girl with hair clips is carefully painting a clay puppy.

169 words

Why it scores high

Vocabulary: "clay-smeared grey apron", "wet slip spraying everywhere" and "leaping back in alarm" are exact, vivid word choices.
Content/Coherence: "things have clearly gone wrong" helps the listener understand the main event before hearing how others react.
Task Fulfillment: background details like "a man is carrying a board of bowls toward a glowing kiln" and the girl painting "a clay puppy" make the description complete.

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

This picture shows a pottery class in a room with brick walls and three tall arched windows. Outside, it's snowing, and you can see a person standing next to a street lamp. In the middle, a man in a blue shirt and a dirty grey apron is sitting at a pottery wheel. His clay has become a very tall, twisted tower. It's bending to the side, and wet clay is splashing everywhere. Behind him, an older man with glasses is reaching out his hands, and on the left, a woman with grey hair in a green apron looks shocked and is stepping back. Some students are laughing, and one woman is taking a photo. On the right, a little girl in a pink shirt is painting a small clay dog.

130 words

What works, and what's missing

Vocabulary: "brick walls and three tall arched windows" and "a very tall, twisted tower" are clear details that help the listener picture the room.
Content/Coherence: the speaker sets the scene first, then moves from the centre to behind, left and right in a logical order.
Task Fulfillment: the main action is well covered, but the man carrying bowls toward the kiln is missing, and "looks shocked" stays general.

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

This picture is a pottery class. Outside the window it is snowing and one person is standing outside. In the middle a man with grey apron is sitting at pottery wheel. His clay is very tall and it is bending, and water is flying. Behind him an old man with glasses put his hands out. On the left a woman with grey hair is very surprise and she is running away. Some people are laughing. One woman take a photo with her phone. On the right a little girl is painting a clay dog.

94 words

What holds it back

Content/Coherence: the description moves from the window to the wheel, the people behind and to the side, and the girl painting, a clear order.
Listenability: "an old man with glasses put his hands out" and "very surprise" contain errors, though the layout is still easy to follow.
Vocabulary: "His clay is very tall and it is bending" is understandable but basic, and "One woman take a photo" misses what is happening in the room.

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