CELPIP Speaking Task 2 · Talking About a Personal Experience · question 3 of 20
Getting to Know a Neighbour
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 you got to know one of your neighbours. Describe how you met and 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
- 3 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
139 words · no sign-upWhen my husband and I moved into a townhouse in Halifax, we didn't know anyone on our street. A few days after we arrived, a big parcel for us was delivered to the wrong door, and an older woman named Doreen brought it over. She ended up staying for coffee, and we talked for almost an hour. She told us which grocery store had the best prices, where to take our recycling, and even which neighbours played loud music. Over the next few months we started helping each other. I drove her to a medical appointment once when her car broke down, and she looked after our cat when we went to visit family. Now she's like a grandmother to our kids. It taught me that one small conversation can completely change how you feel about a new place.
Why this answer works
- The story has a clear trigger (the wrong-door parcel) that makes it easy to follow.
- Shows development over time with phrases like 'over the next few months' and 'now'.
- Natural, conversational vocabulary (ended up, looked after, broke down) is exactly what raters reward for this task.
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