CELPIP Speaking Task 3 · Describing a Scene · question 4 of 20
A Lakeside Campground in the Evening
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 at a lakeside campground 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 early evening at a campground beside a calm lake in Northern Ontario. The sun is low and the sky is orange and pink over the water. On the left, a man is hammering a tent peg into the ground beside a half-built green tent, and a girl is holding one corner of the tent so it does not blow away. In the centre, there is a stone fire pit with a small fire burning. A grandmother is sitting in a folding chair beside it, roasting a marshmallow on a long stick, and a boy next to her is opening a bag of chips. On the right, a woman is washing dishes in a plastic tub on a wooden picnic table. A brown dog is lying under the table. In the background, a canoe is resting upside down on the shore, and two people in yellow life jackets are paddling a kayak across the lake.
- Preparation
- 30 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Question
- 4 of 20
A simple way to build your answer
- Describe the colours of the sky early; they set the evening mood.
- Use the fire pit as the centre point and describe people around it.
- Mention the lake in the background last to give your answer a clear ending.
Model answer · CLB 9
161 words · no sign-upOkay, so this is a campground right beside a lake, and it's early evening. The sun is going down and the sky over the water is orange and pink. On the left side, a man is hammering a tent peg into the ground, and the tent is green and only half put up. A girl is holding one corner of it, I guess so the wind doesn't take it. In the centre, there's a stone fire pit with a small fire going. A grandmother is sitting in a folding chair next to it, roasting a marshmallow on a long stick, and a boy beside her is opening a bag of chips. On the right, a woman is washing dishes in a plastic tub on a picnic table, and there's a brown dog lying underneath. In the background, a canoe is lying upside down on the shore, and out on the lake, two people in yellow life jackets are paddling a kayak.
Why this answer works
- Uses a natural spoken opener and keeps the tone relaxed, like a real conversation.
- Offers one hedged inference ('I guess so the wind doesn't take it') that fits the scene.
- Moves from left to centre to right and then out to the lake, so the background comes last and the answer ends cleanly.
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