CELPIP Speaking Task 7: Expressing Opinions

CELPIP Speaking Task 7 Sample Answer: Government Surveillance for National Security

Should the government use surveillance, like monitoring communications, to protect national security? Explain your opinion, thinking about how it could help keep people safe and how it might affect personal privacy.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

90 seconds

Structure

Opinion, reasons, conclusion

The question

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

I maintain that while government surveillance is an important tool for ensuring national security, it must be implemented with robust safeguards to protect civil liberties. A carefully regulated surveillance framework can prevent criminal activities without infringing on the fundamental right to privacy.

42 words

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

I believe that some level of government surveillance is necessary for national security. It can help prevent crimes and terrorism; however, it must be balanced with strict regulations to protect individual privacy rights.

33 words

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

I think government surveillance can be good for security. It helps to keep people safe, but it might also invade privacy sometimes.

22 words

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