CELPIP Speaking Task 8 Template: Describing an Unusual Situation

Task 8 puts a picture of something strange or unfamiliar on your screen, usually an unusual object, and gives you 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. The set-up is a phone call: you are describing the object to someone on the other end who cannot see it.

That one fact changes everything. You cannot point, you cannot say "this thing here," and you cannot assume any shared reference. Every detail has to arrive through words alone, in an order your listener can build a picture from.

Use this as a shape to fill, not a script to memorize. Raters score Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Listenability, and Task Fulfillment; a memorized answer that ignores the actual picture scores badly on all four.

The six-part structure

That totals 60 seconds. The order is deliberate and it never changes — which is precisely why it stops you stalling. When the picture is confusing, you don't have to decide what to say next; you only have to answer the next question on the list.

Step 1 — Frame it for a listener who cannot see

Open the way a real phone call opens: greet the person, then name the situation out loud. It costs five seconds and it makes the whole response coherent.

Hi [name], it's me. I'm looking at [the thing] right now, and honestly I'm not sure what it is — let me try to describe it to you.

Saying "I'm not sure what it is" is not a weakness here. Task 8 pictures are unusual on purpose, and admitting uncertainty gives you permission to speculate later.

Step 2 — Anchor with a comparison

Before any measurement, give your listener something familiar to hang the image on. Comparison is the single most useful tool in this task, because unfamiliar objects have no name your listener already knows.

It looks a bit like [a familiar object], except [the difference].

It's roughly the size of [a familiar object].

It's similar to [a familiar object], but [what's changed].

Applied:

It looks a bit like a watering can, except the spout comes out of the top instead of the side.

Notice the pattern: familiar object first, then the twist. Your listener builds the ordinary version in their head, then you modify it. That is far faster than describing an unknown shape from nothing.

Step 3 — Size, then shape

Give a size your listener can feel, not a number they have to convert.

It's about as tall as [a water bottle / a chair / a person], and it would fit [in one hand / on a desk / in a car].

Then shape, in plain geometric words: round, flat, curved, tapered, boxy, cone-shaped, tube-shaped.

The main part is [shape], and there's a [smaller part] attached to [where].

Step 4 — Material and colour

Hedge honestly. You are describing an image, so "looks like" and "seems to be" are accurate, not vague.

It looks like it's made of [metal / plastic / wood / fabric], and it's [colour] with [pattern or marking].

The surface seems [shiny / rough / worn / brand new].

Step 5 — Position and setting

Place the object in its surroundings. Prepositions carry this whole step, and using them precisely is straightforward Vocabulary evidence.

It's sitting [on / under / next to / in front of / mounted on] [what], and around it there's [context].

Step 6 — Speculate about purpose, then end the call

Save the guess for the end. It's the most interesting thing you'll say, it fills the final seconds naturally, and it demonstrates the reasoning that Content/Coherence rewards.

My best guess is that it's used for [purpose], because [the visual clue that suggests it].

It might be [guess], although it could just as easily be [alternative].

Then end the call, so the answer finishes like a conversation instead of trailing off:

Anyway, I'll send you a photo later. Talk soon!

Worked walkthrough

Here is the whole process on one prompt, from a blank screen to a finished answer.

Prompt: You are in a furniture store and have found an unusual object. Call your friend and describe it to her. She cannot see it. (The picture: a bright orange chair moulded into the shape of a giant cupped human hand, displayed on its own against a white wall.)

1. Read it for who, what, and the ask.
Your friend can't see the chair, so every detail has to arrive through words alone — in the fixed six-part order that builds the object up piece by piece.

2. Plan — notes only.
In your 30 seconds of prep, run the object through the six parts in order — comparison first, then the facts.

3. Turn each note into a line.

Frame it:

Hi Dana, it's me. I'm at the furniture store, and I've found the strangest chair, so let me describe it to you.

First impression:

It looks like a giant human hand, palm facing up, except it's meant to be a piece of furniture.

Size and shape:

It's about the size of an armchair, and the fingers curl upward to form the back and the two armrests, with the palm as the seat.

Material and colour:

It seems to be moulded out of one piece of hard plastic, and it's a glossy, bright orange you'd notice from across the room.

Position and setting:

It's sitting on its own on a concrete floor, next to a potted plant, with a plain white wall behind it.

Purpose and close:

My best guess is that it's a showpiece for a hotel lobby rather than a chair for your living room, because it's set apart with so much space around it. Then again, it could just be a sculpture. Anyway, I'll send you a photo. Talk soon!

4. Read it back.

Hi Dana, it's me. I'm at the furniture store, and I've found the strangest chair, so let me describe it to you. It looks like a giant human hand, palm facing up, except it's meant to be a piece of furniture. It's about the size of an armchair, and the fingers curl upward to form the back and the two armrests, with the palm as the seat. It seems to be moulded out of one piece of hard plastic, and it's a glossy, bright orange you'd notice from across the room. It's sitting on its own on a concrete floor, next to a potted plant, with a plain white wall behind it. My best guess is that it's a showpiece for a hotel lobby rather than a chair for your living room, because it's set apart with so much space around it. Then again, it could just be a sculpture. Anyway, I'll send you a photo. Talk soon!

5. Check before you stop speaking.

• The opening sounds like a real phone call and tells the listener straight away what they're about to hear described.
• The familiar-object comparison (a giant hand) lands in the first ten seconds, before any measurement.
• The description moves through the six parts in order without doubling back, with size given in relatable terms and precise prepositions placing it — on, next to, behind.
• The final stretch guesses at purpose with a reason, then ends the call, filling the full 60 seconds.

Full model answer

Prompt: You are at a neighbour's garage sale and have found an unusual object. Call your brother and describe it to him. He cannot see it. (The picture: a red bicycle with no pedals, fitted instead with a low sliding seat and a long pull bar, like a rowing machine on wheels, leaning against a garage door.)

Hi Sam, it's me. I'm at the garage sale down the street, and I've found something you won't believe, so let me describe it. It looks a bit like a normal road bike, but the strange part is that it has no pedals. It's about as long as a regular bike, just much lower, and in the middle there's a sliding seat, like the one on a rowing machine, with a long bar in front that has handles at the end. The frame seems to be metal, painted bright red, and the seat is black and worn. It's leaning against the garage door, next to a box of old records. My best guess is that you sit down, push back with your legs and pull the bar, as if you were rowing a boat along the road. It could also be someone's homemade invention. Anyway, it's only forty dollars, so let me know if you want it. Talk soon!

Timing check: ≈150 words ≈ 60 seconds at a calm pace, and this answer is about 160.

Why this scores well: it opens and closes like a real phone call, so Sam knows from the first line what he's about to hear. The familiar comparison (a normal road bike) lands in the first ten seconds and is immediately followed by what makes it unusual (no pedals), said out loud. The description then moves through size and shape, material and colour, and setting without doubling back, with a second comparison (a rowing machine) doing the work of a name the listener doesn't have. The guess at purpose comes from what the parts suggest, an alternative is offered in one line, and the sign-off ends the call instead of letting the answer trail off.

Model answer at two levels

Before you speak

• You know the six parts in order and can name them without thinking
• Your first sentence tells the listener they cannot see what you see
• A comparison to a familiar object arrives in the first ten seconds
• Size is given in relatable terms, not measurements
• Material and colour use "looks like" or "seems to be"
• At least three precise prepositions place the object in its setting
• The final fifteen seconds guess at purpose and give a reason
• You have a sign-off ready so the call ends instead of trailing off

Common mistakes

• Describing as if the listener can see. "This bit here," "that part," and "you know the one" all assume shared reference that doesn't exist. Every reference has to be built from scratch.
• Naming the object with false confidence. Calling it a blender and then describing something that clearly isn't a blender costs more than admitting uncertainty. Hedge and keep going.
• Skipping the comparison. Without a familiar anchor, your listener is assembling an abstract shape from adjectives, and Content/Coherence suffers even when every word is accurate.
• Jumping around the object. Size, then back to colour, then size again reads as disorganised. The fixed order exists so you never revisit a step.
• Running out of material at 40 seconds. If you describe fast, the purpose guess is your reserve — extend it with a second possibility and the clue that argues against it.
• Reusing one adjective. If "weird" appears five times, your Vocabulary score reflects it. Vary with unusual, odd, unfamiliar, strange, unexpected.

For five more Task 8 prompts to practise with, each with a short answer plan, see CELPIP Speaking practice questions.

For describing unfamiliar objects and guessing their purpose, the technology and digital life and problem solving and opinions pages of the Collocations Kit have useful collocations, and the natural spoken phrases for CELPIP Speaking help you speculate naturally.