CELPIP Speaking Task 3 · Describing a Scene · question 12 of 20
An Indoor Community Pool
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 an indoor community pool 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 weekday evening at an indoor community pool in a recreation centre. Large windows show that it is dark outside, and the pool area is brightly lit. On the left, in the shallow end, a swimming instructor in a blue cap is standing in the water and holding a small girl who is kicking on a foam board. Three other children with orange armbands are sitting on the edge, waiting for their turn. In the centre, two adults are swimming laps in lanes separated by red and white ropes. On the right, a boy is climbing up the ladder to a diving board while a lifeguard in a red shirt watches from a tall chair. In the background, behind a glass wall, several parents are sitting on benches in the viewing area. One mother is waving at her son, and a man is looking at his tablet.
- Preparation
- 30 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Question
- 12 of 20
A simple way to build your answer
- Use pool vocabulary: shallow end, lanes, diving board, foam board, armbands.
- Describe the people behind the glass to show you noticed the background.
- Organize by the depth of the pool, from the shallow end to the diving board.
Model answer · CLB 9
156 words · no sign-upThis picture shows an indoor pool at a rec centre on a weekday evening. It's dark outside the big windows, but inside it's very bright. In the shallow end, on the left, a swimming instructor in a blue cap is holding a little girl who's kicking with a foam board, and it looks like a beginner lesson. Three more kids wearing orange armbands are sitting on the edge, waiting for their turn. In the middle of the pool, two adults are swimming laps in lanes divided by red and white ropes. Over to the right, a boy is climbing the ladder up to the diving board, while a lifeguard in a red shirt keeps an eye on him from a tall chair. Behind a glass wall at the back, there's a viewing area where a few parents are sitting on benches. One mom is waving at her son, and a man is busy with his tablet.
Why this answer works
- Uses topic-specific vocabulary (shallow end, laps, lanes, armbands) accurately and naturally.
- Follows the pool from shallow end to diving board, which makes the layout easy to imagine.
- Uses an idiomatic phrase ('keeps an eye on him') that suits a high-level speaker.
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