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CELPIP Speaking · free template

CELPIP Speaking Task 6: Dealing with a Difficult Situation

CELPIP Speaking Task 6 puts you in an awkward spot between two people - you promised your neighbour help on the day of your friend’s wedding, you must return a gift a relative loves. You choose who to speak to, then talk to that person directly. You get 60 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.

The task measures tactful, functional English: explaining a problem, apologizing without grovelling, proposing an alternative. The framework below is that conversation - context, the difficult message, the softener, and the proposed fix.

Preparation
60 seconds
Speaking time
60 seconds
Format
Speak to one person about an awkward choice you have made

The template

  1. Decide

    Choose within the first ten seconds and say so.

    “I would return the wallet to the front desk rather than chase him myself.”

  2. Justify

    Defend the decision to the person it disappoints.

    “I know that is slower, but it leaves a record neither of us can dispute.”

  3. Soften

    Acknowledge the cost of your own choice.

    “I realise that is not what you were hoping to hear.”

A real prompt, with model answers

This is a free exercise from the Speaking Task 6 question bank, shown with its scored model answers - the same responses learners compare against after submitting. Read the prompt, try answering with the template above, then see how the three levels differ.

Speaking Task 6 prompt

Scratching a Borrowed Car

A friend lent you her car for the weekend so that you could move a few boxes. While reversing out of a narrow parking space at a shopping centre, you scraped the rear bumper against a concrete post. The scratch is about twenty centimetres long and has gone through the paint, though nothing is dented and the car drives normally. Your friend is careful with the car and has told you before that she is saving to keep it in good condition.

You must decide who to speak to:

  • Option 1: Speak to your friend. Tell her what happened before she notices it herself, explain the circumstances, and offer a way to put things right.
  • Option 2: Speak to a body shop. Describe the damage to the manager, ask what the repair would involve and what it would cost, and explain why you need it done quickly and discreetly.

Choose one option and speak to that person.

Choose one of the two options and speak to that person. Explain what happened, give the details they need to know, and say clearly what you would like to do next.

You have 60 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.

BASIC responseestimated CELPIP level 5

Hi, listen, I must tell you something and I am really sorry.

Yesterday I take your car to the shopping centre for my boxes. The parking place is very narrow, and when I go back, I touch a concrete post with the back of the car. There is a scratch, maybe twenty centimetres, and you can see the metal a little because the paint is gone.

I want to tell you first, before you see it yourself. It is my fault, I don't look enough in the mirror.

The car is okay, no problem for driving, no big damage, only the scratch. But I know you take care of your car very much.

So please, I want to pay everything. Tomorrow I call a body shop and I ask the price, and I pay, one hundred percent. You choose the garage, not me.

Again, I am very sorry. Please tell me if you are angry.

What works: The situation is explained honestly and the offer to pay is clear and immediate.

What holds it back: Present-tense narration and short simple sentences limit the range and accuracy of the language.

GOOD responseestimated CELPIP level 8

Hey, can I talk to you for a minute? I need to tell you something about the car, and I'd rather you heard it from me.

I scratched it yesterday. I was reversing out of a space at the shopping centre, the spot was narrower than it looked, and I caught the rear bumper on a concrete post. It's about twenty centimetres long and it's gone through the paint.

The good news, as far as there is any, is that nothing's dented and it drives completely normally. I checked underneath as well and everything looks fine.

It was entirely my fault. I misjudged the gap and I wasn't paying enough attention.

I've already looked up two body shops nearby, and I'll cover the full cost of whichever one you'd prefer. If you want to choose the garage yourself, that's completely fine with me.

I know how much care you take with it, and I'm genuinely sorry.

What works: Clear, honest disclosure with useful detail, full acceptance of responsibility and a concrete remedy.

What holds it back: The apology arrives only at the very end, and the delivery stays fairly measured throughout.

EXCELLENT responseestimated CELPIP level 11

Can I catch you before you go out to the car? I'd rather tell you than have you find it.

I scratched the rear bumper. I was backing out of a space at the shopping centre, the gap was tighter than I'd judged, and I caught a concrete post. It's roughly twenty centimetres and it's gone through the paint, so it'll need proper work rather than polishing out.

Nothing else is affected. No dent, nothing bent, and it drove home perfectly. I looked underneath as well, just to be sure.

I'm not going to dress this up. I misjudged it, and I know exactly how carefully you look after that car.

So here's what I'd like to do. I'll pay the full repair at whichever shop you trust, not whichever one I find cheapest. If it's easier, take it in yourself and send me the bill.

I'm sorry. I'd have felt awful about any car, and worse about yours.

What works: Confident, natural delivery with full accountability, precise detail and a remedy that respects the friend's judgement.

What holds it back: The offer would land even better with a specific timeframe for getting the repair done.

Put the template to work

Reading a structure is the easy half. Rehearse Speaking Task 6 against the real clock with exam-style prompts and instant feedback.

Practice Speaking Task 6

Speaking Task 6 - common questions

Does it matter which person I choose to talk to?
No - both choices are scorable. Pick the conversation you can carry further: usually the one where you can offer a concrete alternative ("I can’t help you move on Saturday, but I’m free all of Sunday"). The alternative is what stretches the answer past 40 seconds.
Am I talking about the person or to them?
To them, in direct speech, as a roleplay: "Hi Maria, I need to talk to you about Saturday…". Describing the situation in the third person is the most common way candidates go off-task here, and it costs coherence marks.
What phrases help with the awkward message?
Softeners and repair language: "I’m really sorry, but…", "I feel terrible about this", "Is there any way we could…", "I hope you understand". This functional politeness register is exactly what the task was designed to sample.