CELPIP Speaking Task 2 · Talking About a Personal Experience · question 17 of 20
A Time Technology Let You Down
A CELPIP Speaking Task 2 practice question (Talking About a Personal Experience), with a model answer below. No sign-up needed. Read the task, take 30 seconds to prepare, then speak for 60 seconds, out loud, as you would on the test.
The task
Talk about a time when a piece of technology, such as a phone, computer or app, stopped working at an important moment. Describe what happened and what you did.
- Read the task, prepare during the preparation time, then speak aloud for the speaking time.
- Preparation
- 30 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Question
- 17 of 20
A simple way to build your answer
- Set the scene briefly: when, where and who.
- Tell the events in order, in the past tense.
- Finish with how you felt or what you learned.
Model answer · CLB 9
133 words · no sign-upThe worst timing I've ever had with technology was during a job interview last year. It was a video interview for a project coordinator position with a company in Calgary, and about ten minutes in, my laptop froze completely. I couldn't hear anything and the screen was stuck on the interviewer's face. I panicked for a second, but then I grabbed my phone, joined the meeting from there and apologized. I explained what had happened, and the interviewer actually laughed and said it happens all the time. The rest of the interview went well, although I was holding my phone the whole time. A week later they offered me the job, and my manager told me later that the way I handled the problem calmly was one of the reasons they chose me.
Why this answer works
- Clear problem, quick reaction and outcome: a tight structure that fits 60 seconds.
- Uses reported speech well (said it happens all the time, told me later that...).
- The final detail links the small disaster to a positive result, giving the story a point.
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