CELPIP Speaking Task 8: Describing an Unusual Situation

CELPIP Speaking Task 8 Sample Answer: House Decorated Like a Giant Gingerbread House

The speaker calls the organizer of a holiday lights tour to describe a house decorated like a gingerbread house. The tricky part is describing both the decorations and the people outside, then asking about the tour.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

60 seconds

Picture

An unusual object or situation

The question

CELPIP Speaking Task 8 practice picture: House Decorated Like a Giant Gingerbread House

You are driving through a neighbourhood one evening in December when you see a very unusual house. Your friend, Wendell, is in charge of the holiday lights tour for your community association this year. Call Wendell, describe the house and what people are doing in front of it in detail, and ask him whether it should be added to the tour.

How to plan your answer

What they want

Call your friend Wendell, who runs the holiday lights tour, describe the unusual gingerbread-style house and what people are doing in front of it, and ask whether it should be added to the tour.

Plan (60 sec)

Greet: "Hi Wendell, I just found a house for the lights tour!"
Shape: a real house that looks like a giant gingerbread house: brown walls and a roof of white icing that drips over the edges.
Details: colourful gumdrops everywhere, big red-and-white peppermint swirls, candy canes at the corners and door, and glowing windows framed with candy.
Extras: a life-size gingerbread man stands by the front door.
People: a woman in a red coat points, a boy holds a candy cane, and a grandfather takes a photo with his phone.
Ask: "Do you think we should add it to the tour?"

Useful vocabulary

gingerbread house, icing, gumdrops, peppermint candy
candy cane, drip, glow, chimney

Phrases

"It looks just like..., except..."
"Around every window,..."
"Do you think we should..."

Avoid

Forgetting to ask Wendell the question at the end.
Vague words like "thing"; give colours, shapes and positions.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

Wendell, I think I've found the star of this year's lights tour. Someone has turned their entire house into a life-sized gingerbread house. The walls are painted a warm gingerbread brown, and the snow on the roof looks exactly like thick white icing, dripping over the edges, with big coloured gumdrops lining the roofline. There are giant striped candy canes at every corner and framing the front door, oversized peppermints on the front, and every glowing window is outlined in candies. And standing by the door is a gingerbread man, about the size of a child, waving. There's a family out front right now. The grandfather's taking photos, the mom's pointing out details, and the little boy is clutching a candy cane. So, what do you think? Should we add it to the route?

134 words

Why it scores high

Vocabulary: "a life-sized gingerbread house", "a warm gingerbread brown" and "every glowing window is outlined in candies" give a rich, vivid picture.
Content/Coherence: "the star of this year's lights tour" frames the call, and each part flows from walls to roof to door to the family.
Task Fulfillment: the family is described in detail, with "the mom's pointing out details" and the boy "clutching a candy cane", before a clear tour question.

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

Hi Wendell, it's me. I'm driving home, and I just found a house that has to be on the holiday lights tour. The whole house is decorated to look like a giant gingerbread house. The walls are brown, and the snowy roof looks like white icing dripping over the edges, with colourful gumdrops all along it. There are big red and white candy canes on the corners and beside the front door, and huge peppermint candies on the wall. There's even a big gingerbread man standing by the door. Right now, a family is standing in front. The grandfather is taking pictures, and the kids look amazed. Do you think we should add it to the tour?

117 words

What works, and what's missing

Vocabulary: "white icing dripping over the edges", "colourful gumdrops" and "huge peppermint candies" make the house easy to picture.
Content/Coherence: the speaker opens with "has to be on the holiday lights tour", then moves through the house details and the family in a clear order.
Task Fulfillment: the family is described, but "the kids look amazed" is general, and there is no reason given why the house would make the tour better.

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

Hi Wendell, I am driving in the neighbourhood and I see a very special house. The house look like a big gingerbread house. The wall is brown, and the roof is white like icing, with many colour candy on the edge. There is big candy cane beside the door and on the corners. Next to the door there is big gingerbread man. A family is standing in front. The grandpa take photo and the mother is pointing. You can add it to the tour?

84 words

What holds it back

Content/Coherence: the description moves from the walls to the roof, candy canes and gingerbread man, then the family, which is a clear order.
Listenability: "The house look like", "The wall is brown" and "The grandpa take photo" contain errors, and "You can add it to the tour?" sounds unnatural.
Vocabulary: "many colour candy on the edge" and "white like icing" are understandable but less exact than words like gumdrops or dripping icing.

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