CELPIP Speaking Task 2 · Talking About a Personal Experience · question 16 of 20
Giving Someone Honest Feedback
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 had to tell someone something they did not want to hear. Describe the situation and how you handled it.
- Read the task, prepare during the preparation time, then speak aloud for the speaking time.
- Preparation
- 30 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Question
- 16 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
143 words · no sign-upA few years ago my close friend asked me to read the business plan for a bakery she wanted to open in Saskatoon. She was really excited, and I could tell she was expecting me to say it was perfect. But when I looked at the numbers, I noticed she hadn't included rent increases or the cost of hiring staff. I was worried she would be hurt, so I thought carefully about how to say it. I started by telling her what I liked, like her menu and the location, and then I showed her the costs she'd missed. She was quiet for a moment and a bit disappointed, but then she thanked me. She revised the plan, got advice from a small business centre and opened the bakery a year later. It's still running today, and she says that conversation saved her.
Why this answer works
- Explains why the message was difficult before saying how it was delivered, which shows clear reasoning.
- Describes a specific strategy (start with the positives), showing the speaker can explain a process.
- Positive outcome told briefly, keeping the answer within the 60-second time.
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