CELPIP Speaking Task 3 · Describing a Scene · question 17 of 20
A School Bake Sale in the Front Hallway
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 school bake sale 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 lunchtime on a school day, and a bake sale is taking place in the front hallway of an elementary school. A paper banner on the wall says Grade 6 Bake Sale, Help Us Go to Camp. On the left, two folding tables are covered with plates of cookies, cupcakes with pink icing and squares wrapped in plastic. A girl in a purple sweater is putting a price tag on a plate of brownies. In the centre, a boy is counting coins into a metal cash box, and a teacher with glasses is standing beside him, smiling. A line of younger students is waiting in front of the table, and one small boy is holding a toonie up high. On the right, a parent volunteer is cutting a large chocolate cake into squares on a cutting board. In the background, a glass trophy case stands against the wall, and two students are carrying a cooler of juice boxes down the hallway.
- Preparation
- 30 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Question
- 17 of 20
A simple way to build your answer
- Read the banner aloud in your answer; it tells you why the sale is happening.
- Name the baked goods specifically: cookies, cupcakes, brownies, squares.
- Mention the toonie; Canadian details make the description natural.
Model answer · CLB 9
164 words · no sign-upThis is a bake sale at an elementary school, and it's happening in the front hallway at lunchtime. There's a paper banner on the wall that says Grade 6 Bake Sale, Help Us Go to Camp, so it's for a class trip. On the left, there are two folding tables covered with cookies, cupcakes with pink icing, and squares wrapped in plastic. A girl in a purple sweater is sticking a price tag on a plate of brownies. In the centre, a boy is counting coins into a metal cash box, and a teacher with glasses is standing beside him, smiling. There's a line of younger kids waiting in front of the table, and one little boy is holding a toonie way up in the air, like he can't wait. On the right, a parent volunteer is cutting a big chocolate cake into squares. At the back, two students are carrying a cooler of juice boxes down the hall, past a glass trophy case.
Why this answer works
- Uses the banner text to explain the purpose of the event, a strong way to give context early.
- Includes a natural Canadian detail (a toonie) taken directly from the scene.
- Uses a simile ('like he can't wait') to describe a visible gesture.
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