CELPIP Speaking Task 7 · Expressing Opinions · question 8 of 10
Grocery Stores Donating Unsold Food
A CELPIP Speaking Task 7 practice question (Expressing Opinions), with a model answer below. No sign-up needed. Read the task, take 30 seconds to prepare, then speak for 90 seconds, out loud, as you would on the test.
The task
Do you think grocery stores should be required by law to donate unsold food instead of throwing it away?
- 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
- 8 of 10
How to structure it
- Open with your answer and say whether the law should apply to every store or only some.
- Give reasons with one concrete detail each, such as day-old bread, a full charity fridge or extra work for a small store.
- Mention what a fair law would need, such as help for small stores or for charities.
Model answer · CLB 7
114 words · no sign-upYes, it should be a law. Throwing away good food, for me it's a big waste, a big waste. If the food is still okay to eat, why it goes in the garbage? Somebody can eat it, somebody hungry. Many families have difficulty to buy food now, prices are very high. My neighbour has three kids and she is always looking for the cheaper things. And the stores don't lose anything, they will throw the food anyway, so for them it's almost free. Okay, maybe it is more work to organize, like who will pick it up. But the government can help them with this, with trucks or money. That's why I say yes.
Why this answer works
- Content/Coherence: two plain reasons (waste, families in need) with a brief local example; the ending is very short.
- Vocabulary: basic words; "difficulty to buy" and "the cheaper things" are common learner patterns.
- Listenability: no fillers, but question word order ("why it goes in the garbage?") and a topic placed first ("Throwing away good food, for me it's a big waste"); short, clear clauses.
- Task Fulfillment: answers the question; briefly mentions the extra work.
Model answer · CLB 9
147 words · no sign-upYes, I'd say it should be required. First, it's about waste. When I worked part-time at a supermarket during university, I'd see crates of slightly bruised apples and day-old bread go straight into the dumpster at closing, and it bothered me every night. Most of it looked fine to me; I'd have eaten it myself. Second, it would connect stores with their neighbourhoods. A local charity or community kitchen could pick up from the same store every week, and that kind of relationship is good for everyone. And third, a law makes it fair between stores. In my experience, some stores donate and some don't, and the ones that do take on extra work their competitors avoid. I understand that small grocers might worry about the time and cost, so the law should include some help for them. But overall, I'm clearly in favour of a law.
Why this answer works
- Content/Coherence: three reasons, a specific example (the supermarket job) and a short counterpoint about small stores.
- Vocabulary: "bruised", "dumpster" and "competitors" are accurate.
- Listenability: the supermarket memory ("crates of slightly bruised apples and day-old bread") gives a concrete picture, and the signposts keep the three reasons apart.
- Task Fulfillment: a clear yes linked to the idea of a law.
Model answer · CLB 11
164 words · no sign-upOnly partly: I'd aim a law at large chains rather than every corner store, and I'd require them to offer the food, not to guarantee it gets picked up. What worries me about a strict rule is logistics. Donated food only helps if someone can collect it, store it and hand it out safely, and a lot of charities run on volunteers. They can't always send someone at nine at night to a loading dock. My sister volunteers at a community kitchen, and last spring they had to turn down a pallet of yogurt because their fridge was full; it went in the bin anyway, just a day later. So forcing every store to donate wouldn't fix that. It would just move the waste from one bin to another. What a law can do is make donation the normal choice for big stores, and pair it with funding for charities' fridges and vans. That way, the food actually reaches the people who need it.
Why this answer works
- Content/Coherence: narrows the claim, weighs the logistics argument with a precise example and ends with a balanced proposal.
- Vocabulary: "logistics", "turn down a pallet" and "pair it with funding" are precise.
- Listenability: the yogurt story ends on a short, vivid detail ("it went in the bin anyway, just a day later"), and the next sentence draws the lesson at once.
- Task Fulfillment: a qualified yes that deals with the legal requirement directly.
Level reviewed by a TESOL-certified instructor. Not an official CELPIP score.
The most common mistake
Forgetting the words "required by law"; an answer that only says donating is nice does not address whether it should be compulsory.
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