Shadowing Practice: CELPIP Speaking Task 5 - TIPS! - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Ooh, this guy is going to take the CELPIP exam.
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And he's studying for task five.
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of the speaking test.
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Task five is compare and persuade.
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Do you know how to answer this question?
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Well, in this lesson, I'm going to teach you exactly how you should answer this question.
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Hey, I wrote a book called "CELPIP Speaking Practice" to help
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you practice all the tasks on the speaking part of the test.
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So if you want to buy a copy of my book you can just buy a PDF on my website, metv .cool.
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Okay, so this question is actually the longest question on the speaking part of the test.
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It has three parts: 60 seconds to choose, 60 seconds to prepare, and 60 seconds to speak.
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Now, a lot of people are a little bit confused with this question when they first see it.
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Because here, You're given two options that you have to choose one of the options, okay?
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A lot of people think they have to somehow compare
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both of those options but that's that's not the case okay you just you look at the options
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and you pick one that you like.
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Okay, that's it.
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That's all you're doing in this 60 seconds.
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Okay, then after you pick one that you like, Then, You're gonna get another one.
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random something else is going to appear and then you have to compare that new one with your selection.
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and then you have 60 seconds to prepare for that and then after The preparation time is done,
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it'll say "Start speaking now" and then you have 60 seconds to speak.
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Okay, so here's one of the questions from my book:
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"You and your spouse have decided to renovate one room of the house this summer."
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Which room do you think it should be?
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Persuade your spouse that your choice is better.
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Okay, so you have to renovate one of the rooms in your house.
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So here is the choice.
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Now remember You have 60 seconds.
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to pick one that you like and then you're gonna forget about it okay
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so let's look at our options the first one is bedroom cost $4 ,000.
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New paint and carpets.
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length of project, one month, and you do it yourself.
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Okay, this one is the living room costs 7 ,000 new windows and floor, Length of project: two weeks.
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And you hire professionals.
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Okay, well, personally, I don't know how to fix a house myself or how to renovate a room in the house myself.
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So I think this one is going to be better for me.
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Hire professionals.
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So I'm going to choose This one.
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Okay, then after this, I mean, I'm never going to see that information again.
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That information is gone forever.
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Now I'm just going to compare the living room with the next one that pops up.
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So this is the next part of the question.
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It says your spouse is recommending the kitchen.
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Here we have the kitchen.
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10 ,000 dollars, new cupboards and counters, Length of project: 1 week Your uncles will help.
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Hmm.
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Okay, so you're going to see these side by side.
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Okay, now here you have 60 seconds to prepare your answer.
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Okay, so I mean let's take a look at these.
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Now, should you take notes?
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Well, you could take notes.
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Some people might find it helpful, but actually I mean, you have information here Um...
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And I think it's more important that you understand the information than that you take notes.
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Okay so make sure you you understand what you know what is better about each one.
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What are the good things about that one?
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Well it's a bit cheaper.
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Right?
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Um...
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Professionals might do a better job than your uncles and yourself.
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This one's a bit more expensive.
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Ooh, this one's shorter.
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Look, only one week.
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That one is two weeks.
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Okay, so we need to familiarize ourselves with with this information and prepare our argument.
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Remember, we're comparing and persuading.
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Okay, so like I said, we're going to use comparison words in our answer.
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Like this: cheaper, faster, better, So try to think of different words you can use to compare them.
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And then you're going to try to persuade.
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You're going to try to persuade the person in this case your spouse, by using comparison words and reasons.
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Okay, so we use reasons to persuade people of something, right?
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For example, you could say this: "Renovating the living room would be better because Why?
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What are your reasons?
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You should have a few reasons.
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Don't just spend all your time talking about one thing.
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Try to have a few reasons.
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Now one.
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key to this question, if you want to get a good mark on this question, you should know how to handle objections.
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How to handle objections.
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What does that mean?
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Well, every sales person in the world knows what this means, how to handle objections.
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Let's say you're a salesman selling I don't know.
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selling something like vacuum cleaners Okay, let's say I come to your house, knock on your door, and say,
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"Hi, I'm selling vacuum cleaners in the community.
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Would you like to buy a vacuum cleaner?" What are you going to say?
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"Uh, no. No thanks." I say, "Well, these are great vacuum cleaners.
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You know, you'll probably.. they have like a five -year warranty.
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You should have.. you should definitely have a good vacuum cleaner in your house." And then you say, "No, we don't need one.
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We already have one.
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How am I going to handle that objection?
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Then I need to persuade you
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that my vacuum cleaner is better than the one you have in your house." in your house.
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Those are objections.
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So your wife or your husband, in this case, whatever, your spouse is recommending renovating the kitchen.
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Okay, so I mean, what are you going to say?
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There may be some things in that argument or that option that are better than your option.
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Okay, so let's take a look at them here.
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So like I said, that was the living room is cheaper, so that's better.
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Okay, but this one is shorter.
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Okay, so you're gonna spend less time renovating, you know, less time of having people in your house and like coming and going,
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having materials in your house.
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I mean, the kitchen is an important room.
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in your house and so if it's under renovation for a week that's a bit annoying.
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Right.
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But hey, it's less time than that.
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Okay, so I mean, you have to be able to handle If your wife says, "Well, this one is shorter," what are you going to say?
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Okay, so we need to handle the good parts of this argument because That one was our selection.
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right so we need to sell that one we need to persuade our spouse
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that that's the right one and this one is you know maybe we can do this a different time okay so
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Here's how you handle objections.
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You could say...
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I would recommend one of two options.
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Okay?
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Even though the kitchen project would be faster, Even though the kitchen project would be faster, Um...
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I don't think we're really concerned about time this summer.
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This summer we have lots of time.
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So, I mean, the length of the project doesn't really matter to us.
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That would be one way.
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Or you could say, "I know the kitchen project would be faster, but really, we have lots of time this summer, so it doesn't really matter how long it takes.
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Two, three, four weeks.
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We have lots of time." So this is how you should handle the the things that are better
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in the other person's selection.
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Okay, so how should you start your answer?
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Well, If you're talking to your friends or your family, I would recommend starting with "Hey guys".
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"Hey guys, I know you're recommending going to the hockey game, but I think the football game would be better." Now if you're talking to one person
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like let's say your brother
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then you should use a name like "Hey Tom" or "Hey Bill" If you're talking to your mom or your dad
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You can say, "Hey, Mom.
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Hey, Dad.
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Hey, Grandma." You know, those things.
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If it's to someone who's not a family member or friend, if it's like a more professional person,
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then it might be better to say hi.
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you know, "Hi Dr. Smith, hi Miss
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Smith whatever okay so but if it's it's probably going to be a casual
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setting then you should just say hey guys or the person's name.
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Okay?
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Now how should you end this Answer.
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Well...
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I would start with the word anyway.
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Very often native English speakers Say words like "alright" or "anyway" to trigger
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the end of what we're saying to sort of give a conclusion Okay, so like this.
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Anyway, that's why I think we should renovate the living room instead of the kitchen.
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Anyway, I hope I've convinced you that renovating the living room would be better than renovating the kitchen.
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You're going to say something like that as just a short conclusion to your answer.
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Okay, so here's my answer from my book.
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Okay, let's take a look.
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"Hey Gina, I know you're recommending that we renovate the kitchen.
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but I think it would be better to renovate the living room instead.
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The thing is that our summers always go by so fast
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and I don't want to waste time on a project like this.
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If we hire professionals to renovate the living room for us, We'll have time to go camping together.
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We can just ask your cousin Mandy to house -sit for us while we're gone.
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She can let the workers in and out of the house every day.
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I know the kitchen project would go faster with the help of Uncle Tom and Uncle Jerry, but if we go camping for two weeks,
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it won't really matter how long the project took.
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- Okay.
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The other thing is that we're trying to save up for a new vehicle next year.
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I know the kitchen would only be $3000 more than the living room, but That money could pay for a big chunk of the new car.
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Anyway, those are the reasons why I think we should renovate the living room instead of the kitchen.
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I didn't say that, but you could say that.
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You could add that piece on the end.
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And then just you could close like this.
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Maybe we can tackle the kitchen next summer.
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Okay?
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You can just have a short thing like this, "Hey, maybe we can go to the soccer game." next weekend.
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Maybe we can tackle the kitchen.
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next summer.
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Maybe we can go camping, next week.
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Okay, so that would probably be a nice thing because then you're sort of,
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you're making them happy by acknowledging that you value their choice.
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You don't want to be rude in this question.
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You don't want to say "Guys, this is the best," or "We need to do this," but you need to be a little bit sensitive.
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when you're handling this situation because you don't want to make your friends mad.
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You don't want to make your spouse mad.
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So try to be a little bit accommodating.
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Okay.
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So, let's do some homework.
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Okay, your friends...
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are.. well, you and your friends are going to sporting event this weekend,
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or you want to go to a sporting event this weekend, okay?
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Now, you need to choose one, and convince your friends that your option is better.
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So if you pick this one, We'll just assume that your friends picked that one.
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If you pick that one then your friends pick this one.
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So you need to pick one that you like and then compare it with the other one.
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Okay?
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So let me know your answers down there in the comments
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and I'll see you over in the next episode of Mad English TV.
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Take care.
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Bye.
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you you you you Thank you.
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice effective techniques for tackling Task 5 of the CELPIP Speaking Test, which focuses on comparing and persuading. This task requires you to choose between two options and present a persuasive argument for your choice. You'll learn how to manage your time efficiently during the 60 seconds allotted for both preparation and speaking. Emphasizing clarity and persuasion, this practice will ultimately enhance your speaking skills in preparation for the CELPIP exam and provide essential strategies that can also be applied for IELTS speaking practice.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Renovate: To improve or restore a room or space.
- Persuade: To convince someone to agree with your point of view.
- Project length: The duration required to complete a task.
- Cost: The amount of money needed for a task or project.
- Do it yourself: To undertake a task without professional help.
- Hire professionals: To employ experts to complete a task.
- Compare: To examine the similarities and differences between two options.
Practice Tips
To effectively prepare for Task 5 of the CELPIP Speaking Test, consider using the shadowing technique. As you practice, try to shadow speech from model answers related to persuasive speaking. Focus on the tone, speed, and clarity of the delivery.
Since the speed and tone of the speaking task may vary, practice with a shadowing app or recordings that replicate the pacing you will encounter on the exam. Start by repeating short phrases, gradually moving to longer sentences as your confidence builds. This will help you develop your speaking fluency and accuracy.
During your 60 seconds of preparation, jot down key points that will support your arguments. Use phrases like “I prefer the living room because...” or “The kitchen is a better choice since...” to structure your thoughts effectively. Remember, you have only 60 seconds to prepare and then 60 seconds to speak, so practice concise and persuasive arguments frequently, similar to formats used in the IELTS speaking practice.
Incorporating these strategies will not only help you excel in the CELPIP test but also sharpen your overall communication skills for any speaking engagements.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.