CELPIP Speaking · Task 1

Giving Advice

See the task format, read an original example and practise your own response.

What to practise

Respond to the situation on screen, organise your ideas and speak clearly within the task timer. The speaking section has eight tasks and takes approximately 15 minutes.

Original practice example: A Neighbour Wary of Online Banking

Your neighbour Lucien, a 78-year-old retiree in Sherbrooke, has always paid his bills in person at his bank branch. The branch has just cut its hours to three days a week, and his daughter in Calgary wants him to start banking on a smartphone so she can help him from a distance. Lucien worries about scams, finds small screens hard to read, and doesn't want to spend money on a new phone. Tell Lucien what you think he should do.

One possible response

This original model response illustrates an approach to the task. Its level label is a practice estimate.

Lucien, I've been thinking about what you told me, and honestly, I don't think you have to choose between the old way and the new way. Let me explain what I mean.
To start with, keep using the branch on the days it's open, at least for now. Paying your bills in person has worked for you for years, so there's no reason to drop it overnight. What I'd do is pick just one bill, maybe the hydro bill, and learn to pay that one online. Once you're comfortable, you can add another.
As for the phone, please don't rush out and spend five or six hundred dollars. When an older neighbour in my last building started banking online, he used a tablet instead, and he could make the text nice and large. You could probably find a basic one for much less than a new phone, or your daughter might have an old one lying around.
Now, the scams — that's a fair worry, and it shows good sense. The golden rule is simple: your bank will never text you asking for your password. If something feels off, hang up and call the number on the back of your card.
Finally, why not let your daughter walk you through it on a video call? That way she'll feel less worried, and you'll have someone patient to ask. And of course, you can always knock on my door.

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Official format reference

Format checked 22 October 2026 against CELPIP Test Format & Scoring. Questions and model responses here are independently created. Practice estimates are not official test results.