CELPIP Speaking Task 1 Template (Giving Advice)

Goal

Help a friend or colleague solve a problem while demonstrating high-level vocabulary and grammar.

What the Examiner Looks For (Assessment Criteria)

• Structure (Coherence): They want to hear clear transitions (First, Another thing, Finally) to ensure your logic is easy to follow.
• Grammar (Range): They are listening for complex sentence structures. You need Modals (must, ought to) and Conditionals (If I were you) to get a high score.
• Detail (Task Fulfillment): They check if your ideas are fully developed. You must explain why your advice works using the formula: Reason + Consequence.

Step 1: The Opening

Goal: Greet the person, establish context, and validate your expertise (explain why you are the right person to ask).

Grammar Booster: Present Perfect Tense

To prove you are qualified to give advice, use the Present Perfect structure. This shows your experience started in the past and continues to be relevant now.

• Formula: Subject + Have + Past Participle
• Keywords: have learned, have experienced, have done

Structure

1. Greeting: Hi [Name].
2. Context: Acknowledge the situation (Congrats, thanks, etc.).
3. Validation: Explain your experience.

Example: "Hi Sarah! It’s so exciting to hear that you are finally posting your first video. I can definitely give you some advice on getting more views because I have actually grown my own channel to 10k followers and I have learned exactly how the algorithm works."

Step 2: The Main Advice (The "3-Point Strategy")

Goal: Give 3 distinct pieces of advice using different grammar structures for variety.

⚠️ Grammar: The Hierarchy of Modals

You must show a "range of intensity." Do not use "should" three times. Use the table below to select your vocabulary.

Advice #1: The Strongest Point

Use this for your most urgent advice.

Grammar: 1st Conditional + Strong Modal

• Rule: If + Present Tense (Action) ... Subject + Must (Result)

Structure:

• The Advice: "If you want to stop people from scrolling past you, you must focus on the first three seconds."
• Support 1 (Reason): "This is known as the 'hook' and it is the only time you have to grab their attention."
• Support 2 (Consequence): "Since people scroll very fast, if you don't catch them immediately, they will just swipe away."

Advice #2: The Practical Point

Use this for standard, helpful advice.

Grammar: Medium Modals

• Rule: Subject + Ought to + Base Verb (Use Ought to instead of "Should" to score higher).

Structure:

• The Advice: "Another thing you could do is check your lighting. You ought to film facing a window."
• Support 1 (Detail): "You should always prioritize natural daylight over artificial lamps."
• Support 2 (Benefit): "This is important because dark videos often get ignored by viewers, regardless of how good the content is."

Advice #3: The Hypothetical Point

Use this to offer a suggestion by putting yourself in their shoes.

Grammar: 2nd Conditional + Modal

• Rule: If I were you ... I would + Base Verb
• Note: Always use "were", never "was".

Structure:

• The Advice: "One final thing is, If I were you, I would use trending music in the background."
• Support 1 (Context): "Algorithms often push videos that use popular songs significantly more than others."
• Support 2 (Outcome): "This implies that simply adding a song could get your video in front of thousands of new people."

Step 3: The Closing

Goal: A quick, friendly sign-off.

Structure

• Rule: Keep it short. Do not summarize the advice.
• Example: "I can't wait to see what you create. Good luck with your first post!"

CELPIP Speaking Part 1: Model Answer (Score 9+)

Topic: Your friend wants to post a video on social media for the first time. Advise them on how to get more views.

Start of Response:

Hi Sarah! It’s so exciting to hear that you are finally posting your first video. Greeting & Acknowledging the situation I can definitely give you some advice on getting more views because I have actually grown my own channel to 10,000 followers and I have learned exactly how the algorithm works. Validation using Present Perfect

If you want to stop people from scrolling past you, you must focus on the first three seconds of your video. Advice 1: 1st Conditional + Strong Modal This is known as the 'hook' and it is the only time you have to grab their attention. Support 1: Reason Since people scroll very fast, if you don't catch them immediately, they will just swipe away. Support 2: Negative Consequence

Another thing you could do is check your lighting. You ought to film facing a window. Advice 2: Transition + Medium Modal You should always prioritize natural daylight over artificial lamps. Support 1: Practical Detail This is important because dark or grainy videos often get ignored by viewers, regardless of how good the content is. Support 2: Benefit

One final thing is, If I were you, I would use trending music in the background. Advice 3: 2nd Conditional (Hypothetical) The social media algorithms often push videos that use popular songs significantly more than others. Support 1: Context This implies that simply adding a song could be an easy way to get your video in front of thousands of new people. Support 2: Positive Outcome

I can't wait to see what you create. Good luck with your first post! Closing

Universal Templates

Step 1: The Opening (Build Your Intro)

Combine A + B + C to create your opening.

A. The Greeting

• "Hi [Name],"

B. The Context (Choose One)

• Good News: "Congratulations on the [News]! It is so exciting to hear that..."
• Bad News: "I was so sorry to hear about your [Problem]. That sounds really stressful..."
• Decision: "Thanks for asking for my opinion. It is definitely a tough decision..."

C. The Validation / Experience (The "Why Me" Sentence)

• Success: "I can definitely give you some advice because I have actually successfully [Activity] myself recently."
• Failure: "I can certainly help you avoid mistakes because I have gone through this before and I learned a hard lesson."
• Expertise: "I am happy to guide you because I have been working as a [Job Title] for over five years."

Step 2: The Main Advice (Mix & Match)

Select one template from each level to ensure variety.

Level 1: Strong Advice (Must / Have to)

• "First and foremost, if you want to fix this, you absolutely must [Action]."
• "To start with, you have to ensure that you [Action]. This is critical."
• "The first thing you must do is [Action]. If you don't, you might fail."

Level 2: Practical Advice (Ought to / Should)

• "Another step you ought to take is to [Action]."
• "It is generally a good idea to [Action]."
• "Moving on, you should also make sure that you [Action]."

Level 3: Hypothetical Advice (If I were you)

• "One final thing is, if I were in your shoes, I would definitely [Action]."
• "Finally, if I were in your position, I might consider [Action]."
• "Lastly, a suggestion I would make is that if I were you, I would [Action]."

Support Connectors (Use these to explain WHY)

• Reason: "The main reason I suggest this is that..."
• Consequence: "This implies that if you do this, you will..."
• Warning: "If you don't do this, you might risk..."

Step 3: The Closing

Keep it short and friendly.

• "I know you will make the right choice. Good luck!"
• "I hope this helps. Call me if you need anything else!"
• "I can't wait to see how it turns out. Have fun!"