CELPIP Speaking Task 6 — Dealing with a Difficult Situation
Task 6 gives you a promise made to two people who now want different things, and asks you to speak to one of them. Choosing whom to call is part of the task.
- 60 seconds to prepare, 60 seconds to speak. No pausing, no second take.
- Two named people, one conflict. Address one of them out loud.
- A minute to prepare, a minute to speak.
The prompts
All 24 of them, the same pool the app draws from.
1 You promised to look after your sister’s children on Saturday. Your manager has just asked you to cover a shift that day, and you have already turned down two shifts this month. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your sister, or your manager.
Speaking to: your sister or your manager — choose one
2 You told your roommate the apartment would be quiet this weekend so she can study for an exam. Then your cousin called: he is arriving from out of town on Friday and has nowhere else to stay. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your roommate, or your cousin.
Speaking to: your roommate or your cousin — choose one
3 You drive a co-worker to work every morning. Your car now needs a repair you cannot pay for this month, and you have also been asked to start an hour earlier. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your co-worker, or your supervisor.
Speaking to: your co-worker or your supervisor — choose one
4 You booked the community hall for your friend’s birthday, which you promised to host. The hall manager has now told you that a children’s program needs the same room that evening. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your friend, or the hall manager.
Speaking to: your friend or the hall manager — choose one
5 You told your team you would finish an important report by Friday. Your child’s teacher has just reminded you that you agreed to help on a two-day school trip on Thursday and Friday. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your manager, or the teacher.
Speaking to: your manager or the teacher — choose one
6 A dog next door barks most of the night. You promised the neighbour on the other side that you would complain to the landlord with her. Yesterday the dog’s owner spent two hours helping you fix your car. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: the dog’s owner, or the neighbour who is waiting for you.
Speaking to: the dog’s owner or your other neighbour — choose one
7 You promised to drive your friend to the airport at five in the morning on Thursday. Your team leader has just asked you to open the office and present the weekly numbers at seven that same morning. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your friend, or your team leader.
Speaking to: your friend or your team leader — choose one
8 You agreed to lend your car to your brother for the whole weekend. Your partner’s parents have now booked a flight and arrive on Saturday morning, and there is no other way to collect them. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your brother, or your partner.
Speaking to: your brother or your partner — choose one
9 You signed up to coach your daughter’s soccer team on Saturday mornings for the season. You have now been accepted onto a course you waited a year for, and it meets on Saturday mornings. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your daughter, or the parent who organises the team.
Speaking to: your daughter or the team organiser — choose one
10 You told your landlord you would be home on Tuesday morning for a plumber who has already cancelled once. A client has now asked you to come to their site at the same hour to settle a problem that is holding up their work. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your landlord, or your client.
Speaking to: your landlord or your client — choose one
11 You promised a classmate you would study with her every evening before the exam. Your mother has just asked you to help her finish an application that must be sent this week, and it will take every evening you have. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your classmate, or your mother.
Speaking to: your classmate or your mother — choose one
12 You agreed to sublet your room to a co-worker from the first of June and he has already given notice on his own place. Your sister has now been offered a job in this city starting the same week and has nowhere to live. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your co-worker, or your sister.
Speaking to: your co-worker or your sister — choose one
13 A specialist appointment you waited five months for is on Wednesday afternoon. Your manager has just put the yearly equipment inspection on the same afternoon, and you are the only person trained to run it. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your manager, or the clinic’s scheduling office.
Speaking to: your manager or the clinic’s scheduling office — choose one
14 You promised to take your neighbour to her eye surgery on Friday morning; she cannot go alone and cannot travel home by herself afterwards. Your daughter’s school has just called to say she is ill and must be collected at the same hour. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your neighbour, or the school office.
Speaking to: your neighbour or the school office — choose one
15 Your immigration appointment has been set for Monday morning and was already moved once at your request. Months ago you promised your sister you would look after her baby that morning, which is her first day back at work. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your sister, or the officer at the immigration office.
Speaking to: your sister or the immigration officer — choose one
16 You agreed to interpret at a settlement centre workshop this Saturday and your name is on the printed program. Your husband’s family has now arranged a memorial for his father on the same day, three hours away. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: the workshop coordinator, or your husband.
Speaking to: the workshop coordinator or your husband — choose one
17 The only parent-teacher interview left for your son is on Thursday at four. The shift schedule is already posted and you are down to start at three that day. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your son’s teacher, or your supervisor.
Speaking to: your son’s teacher or your supervisor — choose one
18 You have paid for a flight to visit your mother next week and she has told the whole family you are coming. Your wife’s father has now been taken into hospital here, and she is asking you not to go. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your mother, or your wife.
Speaking to: your mother or your wife — choose one
19 The employment centre has booked you a job interview on Wednesday at eleven. The school has put the meeting about your son’s learning support at the same hour, and both were moved once already. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your employment counsellor, or the teacher who arranged the school meeting.
Speaking to: your employment counsellor or the teacher — choose one
20 You told your landlord you would hand back the keys and walk through the empty apartment with him on Friday at noon. Your new employer has just confirmed that your first day is that Friday and the orientation runs from nine until five. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your landlord, or your new employer.
Speaking to: your landlord or your new employer — choose one
21 You signed up to drive the community meal delivery route every Sunday until the spring, and the coordinator has no other driver. The store where you work part time has now made Sunday the only day for the training you must finish to keep the job. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: the volunteer coordinator, or your store manager.
Speaking to: the volunteer coordinator or your store manager — choose one
22 Your mother’s hospital appointment is on Tuesday afternoon and she has asked you to come and interpret for her. Your daughter’s swimming course ends the same afternoon and you promised weeks ago to be there for her last lesson. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your mother, or your daughter.
Speaking to: your mother or your daughter — choose one
23 You agreed to speak for the tenants at the building meeting on Thursday evening and the others are counting on you. Your brother-in-law has now asked you to help him empty his apartment that same evening, because his lease ends at midnight. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: the chair of the tenants’ association, or your brother-in-law.
Speaking to: the association chair or your brother-in-law — choose one
24 You swapped shifts with a co-worker so that she could go to her son’s graduation on Saturday. The clinic has now offered you a cancellation for a procedure you have waited eight months for, on that same Saturday morning. Choose ONE of these people and speak to them: your co-worker, or the clinic’s booking office.
Speaking to: your co-worker or the clinic’s booking office — choose one
The app’s estimate is an estimate, and it is weakest at the top of the scale. The measured accuracy, both halves of it, is on the home page.
A prompt you have read is not a task you have answered. The app sets one, runs the real clock on it, and hands back a scored report in about five seconds.