CELPIP Speaking Task 3 · Describing a Scene · question 14 of 20
A Ski Hill on a Bright Morning
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 ski hill 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 bright, cold morning at a ski hill in the Rocky Mountains. The sky is clear blue and the snow is sparkling in the sun. On the left, a chairlift is carrying pairs of skiers up the mountain, and one skier in a purple jacket is waving down at someone. At the bottom of the lift, a ski instructor in a red jacket is showing a group of five small children how to make a wedge shape with their skis. In the centre, a snowboarder in a green jacket is sitting in the snow, adjusting the straps on her board. On the right, a man has fallen over on the beginner slope, and his friend is laughing and holding out a ski pole to pull him up. In the background, there is a wooden lodge with a big deck where people are sitting at tables in the sun, and tall, snow-covered peaks rise behind it.
- Preparation
- 30 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Question
- 14 of 20
A simple way to build your answer
- Describe the weather and the sparkle on the snow to set a clear mood.
- Use ski vocabulary you are sure of: chairlift, slope, lodge, instructor, poles.
- Notice the friendly moment on the right and describe the man's friend's reaction.
Model answer · CLB 9
159 words · no sign-upSo this is a ski hill in the Rockies on a bright, freezing morning. The snow is sparkling in the sunshine. On the left, a chairlift is taking people up the mountain in pairs, and one skier in a purple jacket is waving down at somebody below. Down at the bottom of the lift, an instructor in a red jacket is teaching five little kids how to point their skis into a wedge, which is how you learn to slow down. In the centre, a snowboarder in a green jacket is sitting in the snow and fixing the straps on her board. Over on the right, on the beginner slope, a guy has fallen over, and his friend is laughing at him but also holding out a ski pole to help him get up. In the background, there's a wooden lodge with a big deck, and people are sitting at tables in the sun, with huge snowy peaks behind.
Why this answer works
- Adds a brief, accurate explanation ('which is how you learn to slow down') that shows knowledge without inventing scene details.
- Captures a small human moment on the right with contrasting actions (laughing but helping).
- Keeps a clear left-centre-right-background order throughout.
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