CELPIP Speaking Task 3: Describing a Scene
Describe a picture clearly in 60 seconds: a route through the scene, an adaptable template, useful language and an original sample answer.
Independent review record
The framework was reviewed on October 9, 2026 by a separate AI reviewer. The cafe image and revised sample below were added afterward and checked against the supplied picture. This was not an official CELPIP assessment.
Conclusion: compatible with the published 2026 task format. The sample describes the supplied image; no recording or timed unseen-prompt performance was assessed, and no band score is assigned.
These are original teaching materials, not official answers. A reusable structure can help you organize a response, but it has no score of its own. Replace the content for every prompt. The examples have not been rated by CELPIP.
Preparation :30s
Recording :60s
Task and timing
Preparation: 30 seconds. Speaking: 60 seconds. Describe what is happening in the illustration for a listener who cannot see it. Use the audience or relationship specified in the prompt; do not merely list things for yourself. See the official 2026 Speaking Pro pack, pages 5 and 15.
Response plan
Choose an easy route through the picture: near to far, left to right, or one activity group at a time. For each selected area, identify who, what they are doing, and where.
- 10–7 secondsEstablish the setting and overall activity.
- 27–25 secondsDescribe a useful foreground detail.
- 325–42 secondsDescribe a second group and its location.
- 442–57 secondsAdd another activity or background detail.
- 557–60 secondsOptional brief overall impression.
This is a practice plan. You do not need to mention every object or force a conclusion.
Adaptable template
- 1
The scene shows place, where complete clause describing the overall activity.
- 2
In the foreground, complete clause identifying a person and a visible action. Beside that person or object, another visible detail in a complete clause.
- 3
To the left or right, complete clause describing another activity, while complete clause describing a simultaneous action.
- 4
Farther back, complete clause describing an activity near landmark. Optional additional visible detail.
- 5
Overall, the place looks impression supported by the picture.
Use “a woman is carrying…” but “two volunteers are carrying…”. Do not leave an “is” in the template and then insert a plural subject.
Useful language
| Function | Examples |
|---|---|
| Location | in the foreground; near the entrance; beside the counter |
| Identification | a child in a striped shirt; the woman carrying a backpack |
| Action | reaching for; leaning over; pointing at; lining up |
| Connection | while; next to them; on the opposite side |
| Uncertainty | appears to be; seems to be; a container of some kind |
If you do not know an object's name, describe it simply. “A small cart with two wheels” is more useful than a long pause. Do not confidently invent relationships, occupations, or hidden emotions.
Shared practice image
Use this same user-supplied picture for Speaking Tasks 3 and 4. The following prompt and response are original practice material, not an official CELPIP test item.
Original practice prompt
Describe what is happening in this picture to someone who cannot see it. Focus on the setting, the people, and their activities.
Original sample response
Preparation :30s
Recording :60s
The picture shows a busy cafe, with customers at the counter and others sitting at tables. In the foreground, a man in a red sweater is looking at the pastries in a glass display case.
A little farther along the counter, a smiling employee is handing a takeaway cup to a man in a yellow sweater, who is holding some cash. Behind her, another employee is using the espresso machine, while a man in a blue shirt is wiping the counter.
On the right, a worker stands beside a trolley loaded with cups and plates. Near the front window, one customer is reading a newspaper, and a woman in pink is using a laptop. Large menu boards hang above the coffee equipment.
What the sample demonstrates
The description moves from the pastry display along the counter, then toward the seating area. Clothing and location distinguish the people. It describes visible actions without inventing customers' relationships, conversations, or reasons for visiting.
High-score relevance and limits
The sample demonstrates spatial organization and descriptive language grounded in the supplied picture. Fluency, pronunciation, and live delivery have not been assessed. It should not be labelled a scored high-band Speaking response.
For stronger practice, use an unfamiliar image and make the relationships between people, actions, and objects clear. Avoid padding the answer with “beautiful,” “wonderful,” or unsupported guesses.
Try the template on a real question
A template feels natural only after you use it under time pressure. Pick a question and set a timer.
Practice Speaking Task 3