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CELPIP Speaking Task 6: Dealing with a Difficult Situation

CELPIP Speaking Task 6 Sample Answer: Interrupting a Coworker's Meeting

By David

During a team meeting, you accidentally interrupted your coworker while they were presenting important ideas, causing them to lose their train of thought. They seemed annoyed afterward. You need to apologize to rebuild…

Preparation
60 seconds
Speaking
60 seconds
Choice
Speak to person A or person B

The question

During a team meeting, you accidentally interrupted your coworker while they were presenting important ideas, causing them to lose their train of thought. They seemed annoyed afterward. You need to apologize to rebuild rapport.

Choice:

Talk to your coworker and explain the interruption was unintentional, apologizing and praising their presentation.

OR

Talk to your coworker and explain why your point was urgent, but acknowledge the poor timing and apologize.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

I feel compelled to address what happened in the meeting earlier—my interruption during your presentation was entirely inadvertent, stemming from an impulsive reaction to build on your idea, but I now see how it derailed your momentum and came across as disrespectful. Please accept my heartfelt apology; your analysis was thorough and compelling, and you deserved uninterrupted time to shine. In hindsight, I should have noted my thoughts for the discussion phase, and I'll prioritize that approach moving forward to support a more inclusive team environment. Your forgiveness would mean a lot, as I truly admire your work and aim to enhance our professional synergy.

105 words

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

I wanted to pull you aside to apologize for interrupting during your presentation in the meeting—it was unintentional, as I got carried away with a related thought, but I realize it disrupted your flow. Your points were insightful and well-prepared, and I'm sorry if it threw you off. To make sure it doesn't recur, I'll hold my comments until the end next time. I value your contributions and hope this doesn't affect our collaboration

74 words

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

Hey, sorry for interrupting your meeting today. I didn't mean to do that. Your ideas were good, and I feel bad. It won't happen again. Let's work well together.

29 words

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

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