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CELPIP Speaking Task 5: Comparing and Persuading

CELPIP Speaking Task 5 Sample Answer: Bike Storage for the Apartment Building

By David

This prompt asks you to persuade the building manager that the basement bike room beats the secure lockers he prefers. The tricky part is turning the numbers, 16 lockers versus 40 spaces for 60 units, into a clear argument about the fire hazard.

Choosing time
60 seconds
Preparation
60 seconds
Speaking
60 seconds

The question

You are on the residents’ committee of a 60-unit apartment building in Halifax. More and more residents ride bicycles to work and school, and many of them now keep their bikes in the hallways, which the fire inspector has warned is not safe. The building owner has given the committee $8,000 to solve the problem. You found two suitable options. Using the pictures and information, choose the option that you prefer. In the next section, you will need to persuade the building manager, Mr. Fraser, that your choice is the better choice.

If you do not choose an option, the computer will choose one for you. You do not need to speak for this part.

Indoor Bike Room in the BasementIndoor Bike Room in the Basement
  • $7,500 to clear a storage room and install wall racks for 40 bikes
  • a locked door that opens with residents’ key fobs
  • bikes must be carried up and down a flight of stairs
Covered Bike Shelter in the Parking LotCovered Bike Shelter in the Parking Lot
  • $6,800 for a roofed shelter with racks for 30 bikes
  • easy to reach, right beside the main entrance
  • open on the sides, so bikes get wet and snowy in winter storms
Secure Bike LockersSecure Bike Lockers
  • $8,000 for 16 individual metal lockers that lock
  • each locker holds one bike and a helmet, fully protected from weather
  • only 16 residents can use them; others must wait for a free locker
Mr. Fraser suggests installing the secure bike lockers. Persuade Mr. Fraser that the option you chose is more suitable by comparing the two.

How to plan your answer

What they want

  • Pick a way to get bikes out of the hallways of a 60-unit Halifax building ($8,000 budget), then persuade Mr. Fraser it beats his idea: secure bike lockers for only 16 bikes.
  • The basement bike room ($7,500) is easier to argue: 40 bikes, locked and indoors.

Plan (60 sec)

  1. Acknowledge: "Mr. Fraser, lockers are very secure, I agree."
  2. Capacity: 40 bikes vs 16; with lockers, most bikes stay in the hallways, so the fire risk stays.
  3. Security: a locked door with residents' key fobs keeps thieves out.
  4. Weather: like lockers, it's indoors, so no snow or rust.
  5. Cost: $7,500 leaves $500 for lights or a sign.
  6. Close: "It solves the problem for everyone, not just 16 people."

Useful vocabulary

  • capacity, wall racks, key fob, fire hazard
  • secure, weatherproof, waiting list, residents

Phrases

  • "I see your point, but..."
  • "Compared to the lockers,..."
  • "Most importantly,..."

Avoid

  • Only describing your option; compare it with the lockers.
  • Ignoring your downside: carrying bikes up the stairs.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

Mr. Fraser, I can see why the lockers appeal to you. They're very secure and fully protected from the weather. But I think the basement bike room is the better use of our money. The main issue is capacity. The lockers would use up the entire $8,000 and still only serve 16 residents. In a 60-unit building where the hallways are already full of bikes, everyone else would be put on a waiting list, and the fire inspector's concerns wouldn't really go away. The bike room, on the other hand, holds 40 bikes for $7,500, and it's just as safe, with a locked door that only opens with residents' key fobs. It even leaves us $500 for a few extra racks. I'll admit carrying bikes down a flight of stairs isn't ideal, but compared with leaving most residents out, it's a small inconvenience.

143 words

Why it scores high

  • Content/Coherence: "The main issue is capacity" focuses the whole argument, and the fire inspector's concerns tie it back to why the money was given.
  • Vocabulary: Persuasive phrases like "the better use of our money," "put on a waiting list" and "a small inconvenience" frame each point convincingly.
  • Task Fulfillment: It notes the leftover "$500 for a few extra racks" and admits the stairs "isn't ideal," showing balanced, well-supported reasoning.

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

Mr. Fraser, I understand why you like the secure lockers, but I think the indoor bike room in the basement is a better solution. First, the lockers cost $8,000, and only 16 residents can use them. We have 60 units, and many people already keep their bikes in the hallways, so the problem won't be solved. The bike room costs $7,500 and holds 40 bikes. That's more than twice as many. It's also safe and dry. The door opens only with residents' key fobs. Yes, people need to carry their bikes down one flight of stairs, but I think most people won't mind.

103 words

What works, and what's missing

  • Content/Coherence: Tying capacity to the real issue, "many people already keep their bikes in the hallways, so the problem won't be solved," makes a strong central point.
  • Vocabulary: "More than twice as many" turns raw numbers into a clear comparison, and "a better solution" keeps a polite, persuasive tone.
  • Task Fulfillment: "I think most people won't mind" waves away the stairs without support; a stronger answer would weigh that inconvenience against the benefit.

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

Mr. Fraser, I think the bike room in basement is better than the lockers. The lockers is $8,000 and only 16 people can use it. We have 60 apartment and many people have bike. The bike room is $7,500 and it have space for 40 bikes. It's more. The door is locked with key fob, so it is safe. I know people must carry bike on the stairs, but it is only one floor.

74 words

What holds it back

  • Vocabulary: "The lockers is $8,000" and "it have space for 40 bikes" show agreement errors right in the key comparison.
  • Content/Coherence: "It's more" after the capacity figure leaves the listener to work out the point, and the link to bikes in the hallways is never made.
  • Task Fulfillment: The stairs drawback gets "it is only one floor," but the answer never acknowledges why Mr. Fraser likes the lockers before arguing against them.

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

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