CELPIP Speaking Task 3 · Describing a Scene · question 8 of 20
A Neighbourhood Pharmacy on a Weekday
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 a neighbourhood pharmacy 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 rainy weekday afternoon inside a small neighbourhood pharmacy. Wet umbrellas are standing in a bucket by the door. On the left, a woman in a beige raincoat is sitting in a chair beside a blood pressure machine, with the cuff around her arm. In the centre, behind a high white counter, a pharmacist in a white coat is explaining something to an older man and pointing to the label on a small paper bag. Behind the pharmacist, shelves full of medicine bottles go up to the ceiling. On the right, a young father is holding a baby in a carrier on his chest and comparing two boxes of children's cold medicine. Further right, a teenage employee is putting greeting cards onto a spinning rack. In the background, a sign above a small private room says Vaccinations, and a nurse is holding the door open for a woman in a wheelchair.
- Preparation
- 30 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Question
- 8 of 20
A simple way to build your answer
- Mention the rain through details you can see, like the wet umbrellas.
- Describe the pharmacist's gesture, pointing at the label, to show precise observation.
- Keep medical vocabulary simple and accurate: cuff, label, prescription, cold medicine.
Model answer · CLB 9
162 words · no sign-upThe scene takes place in a small neighbourhood pharmacy on a rainy afternoon. You can tell it's raining because there's a bucket by the door full of wet umbrellas. On the left, a woman in a beige raincoat is sitting next to a blood pressure machine, and she's got the cuff wrapped around her arm. In the centre, behind a tall white counter, the pharmacist in a white coat is talking to an older man and pointing at the label on a little paper bag, so it's probably about his medication. Behind the counter, shelves of medicine go right up to the ceiling. On the right, a young dad with a baby strapped to his chest is comparing two boxes of children's cold medicine. A bit further along, a teenage employee is stocking a spinning rack with greeting cards. And in the back, there's a small room marked Vaccinations, where a nurse is holding the door for a woman in a wheelchair.
Why this answer works
- Uses a visible clue to support a statement about the weather ('You can tell it's raining because...').
- Interprets the pharmacist's gesture with a reasonable, clearly signalled inference.
- Uses varied verbs (wrapped, strapped, comparing, stocking) instead of repeating 'is doing'.
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