Task 5 — Comparing and Persuading

What you'll learn: how Task 5's two-step format works, how to use the 60 seconds you get to choose, and how to persuade a family member that your choice is better than the different option they prefer, rather than just listing pros and cons.

What Task 5 actually tests

Task 5 comes in two steps, and knowing that in advance changes how you use each one.

1. Choose. Two options appear on screen, such as two apartments, two used cars, or two vacation packages, each with a picture and a few details. You have 60 seconds to choose one. You don't speak during this step.
2. Persuade. A new picture then shows a different option, and you're told that a family member prefers it. You get 60 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to persuade them that the option you chose is better than theirs.

The comparison you speak about is always your choice against their new option. The option you rejected in step 1 is gone; nobody needs to hear why you didn't pick it. Task Fulfillment requires a real comparison of those two options and actual persuasion aimed at the family member, not a neutral summary of differences.

Step 1: Choose quickly, and remember why

You don't know yet what the family member will prefer, so don't overthink the choice. Pick the option with one or two clear strengths, and fix those strengths in your head. They are the start of your argument in step 2.

Step 2: The two-column method for prep time

When the new option appears, use your 60 seconds of prep to jot two or three comparison points as short fragments, your choice on the left and theirs on the right:

My choice (A)       Their choice (C)
+ $400 cheaper      + 10-min walk
+ quiet street      - above restaurants
- 40-min bus        - $400 more

Then find the point that matters most to the family member named in the prompt. That becomes your main persuasive angle. Also spot the one real advantage their option has over yours, because you'll need to answer it.

The response structure

1. Name both options and state your choice in the first sentence, so the listener knows exactly what you're comparing.
2. Give your strongest comparative reason, contrasting your choice directly with theirs on the factor that matters most to them.
3. Admit their option's real advantage, then answer it.
4. Speak directly to the family member, tying your points to what they care about.
5. Close by restating your recommendation.

Worked example

Step 1 prompt: You and your brother are looking for an apartment to share. Choose the one you prefer.

You choose Apartment A: it's affordable, and the street is quiet.

Step 2 prompt: Your brother prefers a different apartment. Persuade him that the apartment you chose is better.

I know you love Apartment C, and I can see why, but I really think we should go with Apartment A. The biggest difference is money. A is fourteen hundred a month, whereas C is eighteen hundred, so we'd save almost five thousand dollars a year. That's basically our flights home next summer. I'll admit C's location is better, and a ten-minute walk beats a forty-minute bus ride. But you already read on the bus most mornings, so that ride isn't really wasted time for you. On top of that, A is on a quiet residential street, while C is right above a row of restaurants. You're the one who can't sleep with any noise at all, so just picture Friday nights in that place. So even though C looks more stylish in the photos, A is the apartment we'd actually be happier living in.

Notice that this compares only the two options that matter now: the brother's choice (C) and yours (A). It speaks to him directly ("you," "we"), admits the one real advantage of C (the walk), answers it with something true about him, and ends with a clear restated recommendation. At about 150 words, it fills the 60 seconds at a calm pace.

Timing plan (after 60s to choose and 60s to prepare)

• 0–10s: Name both options and state your choice
• 10–30s: Strongest comparative reason
• 30–50s: Their option's advantage, answered, plus a point aimed at them
• 50–60s: Persuasive closing line

Common mistakes

• Arguing against the option you rejected in step 1. That comparison is finished; the family member is asking about their option, so compare yours with theirs.
• Listing pros and cons of both options neutrally without ever committing to yours. This misses Task Fulfillment's persuasion requirement.
• Forgetting the family member and speaking in the abstract ("some people might prefer...") instead of "you."
• Pretending their option has no advantages. A persuasive answer admits one and deals with it.
• Agonizing over the step 1 choice. Either option can be defended; what costs you is having no clear reasons ready when the new option appears.

Recap

Task 5 has two steps: choose one of two options in 60 seconds, then persuade a family member that your choice beats the new option they prefer. Choose quickly and remember why, use the prep time for a two-column comparison of your choice against theirs, and build your answer around a clear choice, a direct comparison, an honest answer to their best point, and a persuasive close.