CELPIP Speaking Task 3 · Describing a Scene · question 7 of 20
The Arrivals Area at an Airport
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 the arrivals area of an airport 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 late at night in the arrivals area of a large Canadian airport. Through the big windows, it is dark outside and light snow is falling. On the left, sliding glass doors are open and a young man with a backpack and a large suitcase is walking out. An older woman is rushing toward him with her arms open. In the centre, a man in a dark suit is holding a white sign with a name written on it in black marker. Next to him, a girl is holding a bunch of balloons and a handmade poster with hearts on it, and she is standing on her toes to see over the crowd. On the right, a family is checking a large screen that shows flight arrival times. The father is looking at his phone. In the background, a worker is pushing a long line of luggage carts, and a coffee kiosk with a red awning is closing its shutters.
- Preparation
- 30 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Question
- 7 of 20
A simple way to build your answer
- Mention the time and the snow outside the windows to set the mood.
- Contrast the people waiting with the people arriving.
- Use 'it seems' or 'probably' when you guess who the people are meeting.
Model answer · CLB 9
162 words · no sign-upThis is the arrivals area of a big airport, and it's late at night. Outside the windows, a bit of snow is coming down. On the left, the sliding doors are open and a young guy is coming through with a backpack and a big suitcase. An older woman is hurrying toward him with her arms wide open, so she's probably his mother. In the centre, a man in a dark suit is holding up a white sign with someone's name on it, maybe he's a driver. Right beside him, a girl is holding balloons and a homemade poster with hearts, and she's up on her tiptoes trying to see over everybody. On the right, a family is studying the screen with the arrival times, and the dad is checking his phone. At the very back, a worker is pushing a long row of luggage carts, and a coffee kiosk with a red awning is pulling down its shutters for the night.
Why this answer works
- Contrasts arriving travellers with waiting people, which gives the answer a clear focus.
- Makes two short, hedged guesses about relationships and roles without stating them as facts.
- Ends with background details that reinforce the late-night setting.
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