CELPIP Speaking Task 2: Talking About a Personal Experience
Task 2 tests your ability to tell a story clearly and naturally. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to describe a personal experience related to a given topic.
Practice Task 2 FreeTask 2 Overview
Preparation Time
30 seconds
Speaking Time
60 seconds
In Task 2, you describe a personal experience related to a topic. The key is to tell your story in a clear, chronological order. Include what happened, how you felt, and what you learned or how the experience ended. You can use a real experience or create one.
Task 2 Response Template
- 1Opening: Introduce the experience and when/where it happened.
- 2Details: Describe what happened step by step.
- 3Feelings: Explain how you felt during the experience.
- 4Lesson/Outcome: Share what you learned or how it ended.
Sample Prompts and Answers
Prompt:
Talk about a time you helped someone who was in difficulty.
Sample Answer:
I would like to tell you about a time I helped a stranger at a grocery store about two years ago. I was shopping on a Saturday afternoon when I noticed an elderly woman struggling to reach something on the top shelf. I walked over and asked if she needed help. She smiled and said she was trying to get a bag of flour but could not reach it. I grabbed it for her and placed it in her cart. She then mentioned that she also had trouble carrying heavy bags to her car, so I offered to help with that as well. After loading her groceries, she thanked me warmly and said that small acts of kindness like that reminded her of her late husband, who always helped others. I felt genuinely moved by her words. That experience taught me that helping others does not require grand gestures. Even a few minutes of your time can make a real difference in someone's day, and honestly, it made my day better too.
Prompt:
Talk about a time you learned something new.
Sample Answer:
Last year, I decided to learn how to cook because I was spending too much money eating out. I started by watching cooking videos online and trying simple recipes at home. The first thing I made was pasta with tomato sauce. It was not very good because I cooked the noodles too long and the sauce was too salty. But I kept trying different recipes every week. After about two months, I got much better. I could make several dishes like stir-fry, soup, and even some baked chicken. My friends tried my food and said it was quite good. I felt really proud of myself for learning something practical. It taught me that anyone can learn a new skill if they practice regularly.
Task 2 Tips
- 1
Tell your story in chronological order
Start from the beginning and move forward in time. This makes your story easy to follow and scores well on coherence.
- 2
Include how you felt
Feelings add depth. Saying "I felt proud" or "I was nervous at first" shows vocabulary range and makes your story more engaging.
- 3
End with a lesson or outcome
Wrapping up with what you learned signals a complete, well-structured response and uses the full 60 seconds effectively.
- 4
It is fine to invent or embellish
Raters score your English, not your honesty. If a real story does not fit the prompt well, adapt it or create one that lets you use better vocabulary.
Related CELPIP Resources
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