A co-worker afraid to ask for a raise — CELPIP Speaking Task 1
One of the 24 questions in the Task 1 pool — 30 seconds to prepare, 90 seconds to speak, no second take. What the section is: the CELPIP test format.
4 A co-worker, Tom, wants to ask your manager for a raise, but he is afraid of the answer. Tell him how you think he should handle it, and why.
Speaking to: Tom, a co-worker
What the question is asking for
Not whether Tom deserves more money — whether he should ask, and how he should go about it. The question is about handling a conversation he is afraid of.
What to settle in the 30 seconds
Settle two things: does he ask at all, and what does he do first. A decision and a first step fill 90 seconds without padding.
Where this one goes wrong
Reassurance instead of advice. “Don’t worry, you can do it” is warm, and it answers none of what the task asked for.
Before this one: A cousin tired from too much phone time · After this one: A brother choosing a car over tuition · All 24 Task 1 questions
Written for this simulator to the published CELPIP format, not taken from a real test form. Reading a prompt is not practising it.
The app sets this task with the real clock on it and returns a scored report in about five seconds.