CELPIP Speaking Task 2 · Talking About a Personal Experience · question 5 of 20
Someone You Misjudged at First
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 your first impression of someone turned out to be wrong. Describe what happened and what changed your mind.
- Read the task, prepare during the preparation time, then speak aloud for the speaking time.
- Preparation
- 30 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Question
- 5 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
130 words · no sign-upA couple of years ago I joined a volunteer team at a food bank in Surrey, and the team leader, Priya, seemed really cold at first. She hardly smiled, she corrected everyone, and I remember thinking she didn't like me. Then one evening the delivery van broke down, and we had about two hundred food boxes that needed to go out. Priya didn't panic at all. She called three people with cars, organized the routes in ten minutes, and stayed until every box was delivered. Afterwards she sat with us and admitted she was strict because families depended on us. After that, I saw her completely differently. She wasn't unfriendly; she just took the work seriously. Now we're actually good friends, and I try not to judge people so quickly.
Why this answer works
- States the first impression clearly, then a turning point, then the new view: a simple, strong structure.
- Reports what the person said (admitted she was strict because...) without needing quotation.
- Uses the contrast 'she wasn't unfriendly; she just...' to express a nuanced idea concisely.
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