Working to a Tight Team Deadline

The task

Talk about a time when you worked with a team to finish something under a tight deadline. Describe what happened.

• Read the task, prepare during the preparation time, then speak aloud for the speaking time.
• This is an original practice question written in a CELPIP-style format. It is not a real test question.
• The CLB level of each model answer was reviewed by a TESOL-certified instructor. It is not an official CELPIP score. This practice material is not affiliated with or endorsed by Paragon Testing Enterprises.
• CELPIP is a registered trademark of Paragon Testing Enterprises. This site is not affiliated with Paragon Testing Enterprises.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking time

60 seconds

Question

27 of 30

When I worked in a small restaurant, one day the manager say we have a big catering order for a wedding, a hundred people, in only two days. Normally we need one week for this. So everybody worked together. The chef made the plan, I was cutting vegetables and making salads, and two other guys did the meat. We stayed late both nights. On the second day the chicken delivery was late, so we was very worried. But it came at noon and we finish just in time. The customer was very happy. I learned teamwork is really important.

Why this answer works

• Covers the task, the time pressure, who did what, a problem and the result.
• Plain vocabulary with slips ("the manager say", "we was very worried", "we finish just in time") typical of a CLB 7.
• The lesson at the end is stated very generally.

Two years ago, I was working at a small marketing agency in Kitchener when a client suddenly moved their product launch forward by a week. That meant our team of five had only four days to finish a campaign we'd planned to do in two weeks. Instead of panicking, our manager split the work according to everyone's strengths. I was in charge of the social media posts, while others handled the video and the website. We kept a shared checklist and had a quick check-in every morning, which kept us on track. At one point the video file got corrupted, so we had to redo part of it. Still, we delivered everything on time, and the client was thrilled.

Why this answer works

• Sets up the pressure with numbers ("only four days to finish a campaign we'd planned to do in two weeks").
• Workplace vocabulary used naturally: launch, check-in, on track, delivered.
• Includes a setback (a corrupted file) and the recovery.

Last year I was working at a family health clinic in Kelowna, and about three weeks before our accreditation visit, it hit us that half our policy binders were badly out of date. There were six of us, all still seeing patients full-time, so we couldn't just drop everything. Our office manager mapped out every document on a whiteboard, and we each took the sections closest to our own work. Mine was infection control, which wasn't exactly light reading. We'd meet for fifteen minutes before opening each morning, so nobody could quietly fall behind. The real crunch came in the final week, when two people caught the flu and the rest of us had to absorb their share. We finished with a day to spare, and the surveyors actually singled out our documents for praise.

Why this answer works

• Explains why the deadline was hard ("all still seeing patients full-time") as well as how the team organised itself.
• Precise workplace language: "accreditation visit", "mapped out", "The real crunch", "absorb their share".
• Teamwork stays at the centre, and the result is specific and satisfying.