CELPIP Speaking Task 2 · Talking About a Personal Experience · question 10 of 20
An Appointment That Went Wrong
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 an important appointment or meeting did not go as planned. Describe what happened.
- Read the task, prepare during the preparation time, then speak aloud for the speaking time.
- Preparation
- 30 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Question
- 10 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
135 words · no sign-upLast year I had an appointment at Service Canada to renew my passport, and it was a bit of a disaster. I'd booked the earliest slot, at eight thirty, because I had to be at work by ten. That morning the bus I usually take was cancelled, so I took a taxi, and it got stuck in construction traffic. I arrived ten minutes late, and the receptionist told me my spot had been given to someone else. I was really frustrated, but I stayed polite and asked if there was any other option. She told me to wait, and after about an hour, another person didn't show up, so I got their spot. I was late for work, but at least the passport was done. Now I always leave home much earlier for important appointments.
Why this answer works
- Builds the problem step by step (bus cancelled, taxi stuck, arrived late), which keeps the listener interested.
- Shows how the speaker handled the situation, not just what went wrong.
- Accurate use of passive forms (had been given, was cancelled) adds grammatical range.
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