CELPIP Speaking Task 8: Describing an Unusual Situation

CELPIP Speaking Task 8 Sample Answer: Unusual Animal at the Zoo

You are at the zoo and see an animal you have never seen before. Describe the animal to your friend and explain what makes it unique.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking

60 seconds

Picture

An unusual object or situation

The question

You are at the zoo and see an animal you have never seen before. Describe the animal to your friend and explain what makes it unique.

Excellent answer (transcript): around CLB 11–12

Hi, I’m at the zoo, and I just encountered an animal I’ve never seen before. It’s a large, feline-like creature, with a thick mane of fur around its neck, but what makes it so unique is that it has no tail. Its face is quite round, with big, expressive eyes, and it seems really calm as it sits there. I’m not sure what it is, but it looks like a cross between a big cat and something else. It’s definitely caught my attention. Have you ever seen anything like this at a zoo?

93 words

Good answer (transcript): around CLB 7–8

Hey, I’m at the zoo, and I just saw this really unique animal. It looks like a big cat, but it doesn’t have a tail. It has this thick, long fur, and its face is kind of round. I’ve never seen anything like it before, and I’m really curious about what kind of animal it is. Have you ever seen something like this?

63 words

Basic answer (transcript): around CLB 4–5

Hi! I’m at the zoo, and I see strange animal. It’s very big, like a big cat. It has long fur, but no tail. It’s sitting and looks funny. I never see this before. Have you seen it?

38 words

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