CELPIP Speaking Task 6: Dealing with a Difficult Situation

CELPIP Speaking Task 6 Sample Answer: Pet Shop Return Policy

By David

You bought a pet item that doesn’t work as expected and would like to return it.

Preparation

60 seconds

Speaking

60 seconds

Choice

Speak to person A or person B

The question

You bought a pet item that doesn’t work as expected and would like to return it.

Choose ONE: EITHER Talk to the pet shop staff and explain that the item doesn’t work and ask if you can return or exchange it. OR Talk to a friend and explain why you think the store should reconsider their return policy for such items.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

I’m disappointed that the pet item I purchased isn’t working as expected. I’ll reach out to the pet shop staff and explain the issue in detail, asking if they can offer a return or exchange. If their return policy doesn’t cover this type of issue, I’ll ask if there’s any flexibility. I’m confident they’ll either accept the return or offer an alternative, given that the item didn’t meet my needs.

70 words

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

The pet item I bought isn’t working as I expected, so I’ll talk to the staff and explain the situation. I’ll ask if I can either return it or exchange it for something that works better. I hope they’ll understand and help me out.

44 words

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

I’m going to talk to the pet shop staff and tell them the item doesn’t work. I’ll ask if I can return it and get something else or get a refund. Hopefully, they’ll accept the return.

36 words

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