CELPIP Speaking Task 3 · Describing a Scene · question 6 of 20
A Hockey Arena Lobby Before a Game
A CELPIP Speaking Task 3 practice question (Describing a Scene), 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
Describe some things that are happening in this scene in the lobby of a hockey arena as well as you can. The person with whom you are speaking cannot see it.
- Read the scene, prepare during the preparation time, then speak aloud for the speaking time.
The scene
On the real test you see a picture. Here the scene is described in words, so describe it as if you were looking at it.
It is a Saturday evening in the lobby of a local hockey arena, about half an hour before a minor hockey game. The floor is grey rubber and the walls are covered in team photos and banners. On the left, a boy of about ten is dragging a large black hockey bag on wheels, and his mother is carrying his stick and a water bottle. In the centre, there is a snack counter where a teenage girl in a green cap is handing a hot dog to a customer. A line of four people is waiting behind him. On the right, two grandparents are sitting on a bench, wearing matching blue team jerseys and holding a homemade sign. In front of them, a little girl is pressing her face against the glass window that looks onto the ice. In the background, an ice resurfacing machine is driving slowly across the rink, leaving a shiny wet surface behind it.
- Preparation
- 30 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Question
- 6 of 20
A simple way to build your answer
- Say what event is about to happen; the hockey bags and jerseys are clues.
- Describe the snack counter line with numbers: four people, one customer.
- Finish with the machine on the ice behind the glass for a strong final image.
Model answer · CLB 9
157 words · no sign-upRight, so this is the lobby of a local hockey arena on a Saturday evening, and it looks like a kids' game is about to start soon. On the left, a boy, maybe ten years old, is pulling a huge black hockey bag on wheels, and his mom is carrying his stick and his water bottle for him. In the centre, there's a snack counter. A teenage girl in a green cap is handing a hot dog to a customer, and there are four more people lined up behind him. Over on the right, two grandparents are sitting on a bench in matching blue jerseys, and they're holding a homemade sign, so they're obviously there to cheer for someone. Right in front of them, a little girl has her face pressed up against the window. Through the glass you can see the ice, where a resurfacing machine is slowly driving across and leaving the ice all shiny.
Why this answer works
- Draws a reasonable conclusion from visible clues (jerseys, sign) and signals it as an inference.
- Uses precise numbers and ages to make the scene concrete.
- Moves from the lobby through the window to the ice, a natural way to reach the background.
Get your own answer scored by AI: free account, no card
The model answer shows the target. To find out where your own recording lands, answer this question in the practice runner and get a CLB level for each criterion. A free account includes 3 AI-scored answers every 30 days.