CELPIP Speaking Task 7: Expressing Opinions

CELPIP Speaking Task 7 Sample Answer: Fines for Not Clearing Sidewalks

This prompt asks whether homeowners should be fined for not clearing the sidewalk in front of their homes. The tricky part is supporting fines without seeming unfair to seniors or people who physically cannot shovel.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

90 seconds

Structure

Opinion, reasons, conclusion

The question

Answer the following question.

Question: Do you think homeowners should be fined if they do not clear the snow from the sidewalk in front of their homes? Explain your reasons.

How to plan your answer

What they want

Give your opinion: should homeowners be fined if they don't clear the snow from the sidewalk in front of their homes? Explain why.

Plan (90 sec)

State your side clearly, e.g. "Yes, I think homeowners should be fined."
Reason 1: safety; icy sidewalks cause slips and falls, especially for seniors.
Reason 2: accessibility; people in wheelchairs or with strollers can't get through.
Reason 3: without fines, some people simply ignore it, so the whole street suffers.
Brief nod to the other side: seniors or people with disabilities may not be able to shovel, so cities should offer help programs first.
Close by restating your opinion.

Useful vocabulary

shovel, snow removal, icy sidewalk, slip and fall
fine, bylaw, accessibility, exemption

Phrases

"In my opinion,..."
"The main reason I feel this way is..."
"For example, last winter on my street,..."
"Some people might argue..., but..."

Avoid

Sitting on the fence; pick one side and stay with it.
Only general statements; give a realistic example.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

I believe homeowners should be fined if they don't clear their sidewalks, but only as part of a system that also supports people who physically can't do it. The core issue is safety. An unshovelled sidewalk quickly gets packed down and turns to ice, and every winter, emergency rooms see seniors with broken wrists and hips from falls that could easily have been prevented. It's also a matter of accessibility. A single uncleared stretch can trap someone in a wheelchair or force a parent with a stroller out onto the road, right next to traffic. Most people shovel without being told, but in my experience, a fine is what motivates the few who don't, like landlords who don't live on the property. That said, it would be unfair to fine an eighty-year-old widow or someone recovering from surgery. So I'd pair the fines with a city program that offers free snow clearing for seniors and people with disabilities. That way, the rule is about safety, not punishment.

167 words

Why it scores high

Content/Coherence: The opening frames fines as "part of a system," and the closing "about safety, not punishment" returns to that frame neatly.
Vocabulary: Precise terms like "packed down," "accessibility" and "broken wrists and hips" show detailed, sophisticated range on the topic.
Task Fulfillment: Pinpointing who fines would target, "landlords who don't live on the property," and who should be exempt makes the position thoughtful and well supported.

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

In my opinion, homeowners should be fined if they don't clear the snow from their sidewalks, but there should be some exceptions. First, it's about safety. When the snow isn't cleared, it turns into ice, and people can slip and get seriously hurt. Seniors and people in wheelchairs or with strollers have an especially hard time. Second, a sidewalk is only useful if the whole street is clear. If one house doesn't shovel, everyone has to walk on the road, which is dangerous. In my city, there's a fine, and most people clear their sidewalks within a day. However, some people are elderly or have health problems. For them, the city should offer a free or cheap snow removal service instead of a fine.

124 words

What works, and what's missing

Content/Coherence: "a sidewalk is only useful if the whole street is clear" adds a strong second reason that goes beyond individual safety.
Vocabulary: Phrases like "seriously hurt" and "a free or cheap snow removal service" are clear and relevant, though word choice stays mostly everyday.
Task Fulfillment: Saying most people in the speaker's city shovel "within a day" helps, but the exceptions stay general compared with a top answer.

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

Yes, I think homeowner should get fine if they don't clear the snow. First, it is very dangerous. Old people and kids can fall on the ice and break their leg. Last winter my neighbour fall on the sidewalk and she go to hospital. Second, people with wheelchair or stroller cannot walk on deep snow. But some people are old or sick and they cannot shovel. The city should help them. So I agree, but the fine should not be too big.

82 words

What holds it back

Vocabulary: "my neighbour fall on the sidewalk and she go to hospital" uses present verbs for a past event, weakening the best example.
Content/Coherence: Safety and wheelchair access are clear reasons, but the turn to people who "cannot shovel" comes abruptly, with no transition.
Task Fulfillment: "the fine should not be too big" adds a condition that is never explained, so the conclusion feels less thought-out than the reasons.

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