Banning Gas-Powered Lawn Equipment

The task

Do you think cities should ban gas-powered lawn equipment, such as leaf blowers and lawn mowers?

• Decide yes or no and give your opinion.
• Explain your reasons.

Original CELPIP-style practice question, not an official CELPIP test item. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Paragon Testing Enterprises. The CLB level of each sample answer was reviewed by a TESOL-certified instructor. It is not an official CELPIP score.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking time

90 seconds

Question

1 of 10

Yes, I think cities should ban them. The main reason is the noise. In my street the leaf blowers start very early, even in the weekend, and you can't relax, you can't sleep. A lot of people works from home now too, so for them it's hard. The other reason is the smell. When I walk past the workers cutting the grass, there is smell like gas, and I think is not healthy, especially for the workers, they are breathing it all day, every day. I know, the electric machines cost more money. But people can change, step by step. So yes, ban is a good idea, I agree.

Why this answer works

• Content/Coherence: a clear yes with two plain reasons (noise, smell); the examples are general ("In my street") rather than specific.
• Vocabulary: everyday words; "there is smell like gas" and "step by step" show a limited range.
• Listenability: no fillers, but a preposition slip ("in the weekend"), an agreement error ("A lot of people works") and a missing subject ("I think is not healthy"); easy to follow.
• Task Fulfillment: answers the question and briefly notes the cost; the conclusion just repeats the answer.

I'd say yes, cities should ban them, but over a few years. My first reason is that noise in a neighbourhood is shared. One person's yard work decides what twenty households hear. Last July, the crew next door ran two blowers for forty minutes during my daughter's birthday party in our backyard, and we had to stop the games. The kids were covering their ears, and my mother just went inside. Second, it's about who's outside. Kids playing, seniors on their porches, people walking dogs; they're the ones breathing the exhaust. And third, a ban could actually help landscapers, because quieter tools would mean fewer complaints when they start early. Neighbours wouldn't mind them as much. Of course, small companies would have to buy new equipment, and that isn't cheap, which is why I'd give them a few years. But in the end, a quieter street benefits everyone.

Why this answer works

• Content/Coherence: three developed reasons, one specific example (the birthday party) and a short counterpoint about cost.
• Vocabulary: "households", "exhaust" and "complaints" are accurate; good range for everyday topics.
• Listenability: the three reasons are marked ("My first reason", "Second", "And third"), and the birthday party gives the listener a picture to hold on to.
• Task Fulfillment: a clear, qualified yes kept to the end, within the 90 seconds.

I'd support a ban, but more narrowly than the question suggests: leaf blowers, yes; lawn mowers, not yet. The best argument against a ban is that it hits small operators hardest. A friend of mine runs a two-person landscaping business, and she told me that switching to battery tools would cost her about what she earns in a good month. That's a real burden, and I don't think a city should pretend otherwise. If the rule came in overnight, some of these small businesses simply wouldn't survive it. But blowers are a special case. A mower cuts grass that has to be cut; a blower mostly moves leaves from one place to another, and a rake does the same job, just more slowly. So the trade-off is different. So I'd ban blowers now, with rebates for small businesses, and look at mowers again in a few years, when, hopefully, battery models are cheaper. That deals with the worst noise without putting people like my friend out of work.

Why this answer works

• Content/Coherence: weighs the strongest counterargument, qualifies the claim (blowers but not mowers) and supports it with a precise example.
• Vocabulary: "hits small operators hardest", "a real burden" and "a special case" are precise yet conversational.
• Listenability: a contrast sentence ("A mower cuts grass that has to be cut; a blower mostly moves leaves") is easy to hear and follow.
• Task Fulfillment: a nuanced but clear position with a practical conclusion.