CELPIP Speaking
Task 2 of 8
Talking about a Personal Experience
You describe an experience from your own life on a given theme. There's no right answer — the marks are in how clearly and naturally you tell it.
- to prepare
- 30 s
- to speak
- 60 s
- criteria scored
- 4
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What a Task 2 prompt looks like
An example written by Celpip Plus in the same shape as the real speaking task, with notes on how to read it.
Talk about a time when you helped a neighbour, or a neighbour helped you, with something difficultnote 1. Describe what happenednote 2, and explain why you still remember itnote 3.
- 1 The theme: a neighbour and a difficulty. Tell one story that fits; don't list several.
- 2 What happened: the set-up, the problem and how it was solved, in that order.
- 3 The second question: why it stayed with you. Save the last 15 seconds for it.
How to prepare for Talking about a Personal Experience
- Choose one specific past experience that fits the theme, since a single detailed story beats several vague mentions for Content.
- Tell it in a clear order — what happened, then how it unfolded — so your response stays coherent under time pressure.
- Use past tense consistently and include sensory or emotional detail to bring the experience to life and stretch your Vocabulary.
What raters listen for in Task 2
- Content/CoherenceOne story told in order, with a clear start, the turning point and how it ended, linked by time markers like "a few minutes later".
- VocabularySpecific nouns and feelings ("the pipe burst", "I was so relieved") instead of "it was bad".
- ListenabilityPast tenses used accurately and consistently, clear pronunciation, and few long pauses as the story unfolds.
- Task FulfillmentAnswers both parts of the prompt, what happened and why you remember it, within 60 seconds.
For how the four criteria turn into a CELPIP level from 1 to 12, read How CELPIP Speaking is scored.
Keep going with Speaking Task 2
Practise on the real interface
The same screen, timer and controls as test day — rebuilt so nothing on the exam is a surprise.
Talking about a Personal Experience: frequently asked questions
Mainly past tenses, since you are describing something that already happened; consistent past-tense narration supports both clarity and Task Fulfillment.
Yes, the story does not have to be true; it only needs to fit the theme and be told clearly, since you are assessed on your speaking, not your honesty.
You get 30 seconds to prepare, then 60 seconds to speak in CELPIP Speaking Task 2.
Detailed enough to fill the response time with a coherent story; adding specifics about what happened and how you felt gives you richer Content.
The rest of the Speaking test
- Giving Advice, 30 s to prepare, 90 s to speak
- Talking about a Personal Experience, 30 s to prepare, 60 s to speak
- Describing a Scene, 30 s to prepare, 60 s to speak
- Making Predictions, 30 s to prepare, 60 s to speak
- Comparing and Persuading, 60 s to choose, 60 s to prepare, 60 s to speak
- Dealing with a Difficult Situation, 60 s to prepare, 60 s to speak
- Expressing Opinions, 30 s to prepare, 90 s to speak
- Describing an Unusual Situation, 30 s to prepare, 60 s to speak