CELPIP Speaking Task 5, Comparing and Persuading: how the three stages work

Task 5 is the only CELPIP Speaking task with three stages, and it is the one where preparation matters most. You choose, you plan, and only then do you speak. Candidates who treat it like another opinion task end up describing both options instead of arguing for one.

What does CELPIP Speaking Task 5 ask you to do?

In CELPIP's Speaking Pro study pack, the task works in two parts, the second with its own preparation. First you choose one of two options for 60 seconds. You do not speak. Next you get 60 seconds to prepare. Then you record for 60 seconds, persuading another person that your choice is better than the option they are suggesting.

Speaking has eight tasks in about 15 minutes, all recorded replies to on-screen prompts with no examiner. On the official test the screen moves on when the clock ends.

Timings checked 16 October 2026 against the Speaking Pro study pack. The eight-task, 15-minute format is in the CELPIP Guidebook for Test Takers, July 2026.

What do raters look for in a persuasion answer?

CELPIP's performance standards use the same four dimensions for every Speaking task. This is our reading of how they apply to persuasion, not CELPIP's wording.

• Content/Coherence. The number and quality of ideas, organisation, and supporting details. Matched comparisons, each with a reason, are the ideas.
• Vocabulary. Range and precision. Comparison language such as "whereas", "on the other hand", "unlike" and "by contrast" helps you be exact.
• Listenability. Rhythm, pronunciation and intonation; pauses, interjections and self-correction; grammar and sentence structure. Comparatives are the grammar to check: "cheaper than", "more convenient than", "the least expensive".
• Task Fulfillment. Relevance, completeness, tone and length. Completeness means you chose, compared and tried to persuade. Tone means you speak to the named person in a way that fits.

The full criteria are on the CELPIP-General scoring page.

How do you use the 60 seconds to choose and the 60 seconds to prepare?

Treat these as one planning block with a decision in the middle.

Choosing, 60 seconds.

1. Read both options for their facts, not their pictures. The details, such as price, size, distance, capacity and risk, are your raw material.
2. Choose the option you can argue for, not the one you prefer. If one option has more concrete advantages, take it.
3. Decide within about 20 seconds. Use the rest to note the strongest facts of your option.

Preparing, 60 seconds.

1. Read who you are persuading and what they prefer. The task introduces a third option, which the other person favours.
2. Note three matched comparisons. Write your option's strength and the other option's weakness side by side: "seats four" against "seats three".
3. Pick one concession. Choose a real advantage of the other option that you will acknowledge and answer.
4. Write your opening and closing lines. The opening addresses the person and states your choice. The closing makes a request.

Keep notes to single words or numbers. In 60 seconds of speaking you cannot read paragraphs.

How do you structure a 60-second persuasion?

This is ScoreFluent's own technique, with approximate timings. Compare, concede, close.

• Opening, about 8 seconds. Address the person and state your choice. "Hi, I know you've been thinking about the small sailboat, but I'd really like us to take the pedal boat on Saturday."
• Three matched comparisons, about 30 seconds. Each is one sentence for your option's strength and one for the other option's weakness, linked with "while", "whereas" or "but".
• Concession and answer, about 12 seconds. "I understand why the sailboat appeals, but…".
• Close with a request, about 10 seconds. "So please let's choose the pedal boat."

Use the facts given. Inventing a new advantage invites contradiction, and the standards list relevance under Task Fulfillment.

Worked example

This example is built from the facts of bank item 2 below. Your selected option is the pedal boat, and you are persuading your cousin to choose it over the small sailboat.

Hi, I know you've been thinking about the small sailboat, but I'd really like us to take the pedal boat on Saturday. Let me explain why. First, the pedal boat seats four, so we can bring friends along, while the sailboat only seats three. Second, it doesn't need any special skill. The sailboat needs sailing experience, and I'd rather spend the afternoon enjoying the lake than worrying about the wind. Third, the pedal boat has a shade roof, which makes a big difference on a hot afternoon. I do understand why the sailboat appeals to you. It's exciting, and it's quick when it's windy. But a fast boat isn't much fun if we're nervous the whole time, and the pedal boat is slow in a relaxing way. So please let's take the pedal boat, and if you still want to try sailing, we can book a lesson another weekend.

This sample was written by ScoreFluent for this guide. It is not an official CELPIP model answer and has not been scored. Every comparison uses a fact from the item. The concession names the rival's real strengths, then turns one of them into a weakness. The closing is a clear request with a fair compromise.

What mistakes make persuasion answers weaker?

• Describing both options neutrally. "The canoe is quiet and the pedal boat seats four." That is a description. Persuasion needs a side and a reason.
• Comparing with no matching points. Praising your option without saying what is wrong with the other one is only half of a comparison.
• Ignoring the third option. The task is to persuade someone who prefers a different option, so it has to appear in your answer.
• Using the choosing stage to agonise. Sixty seconds is for choosing and noting facts. Decide within about 20 seconds, then spend the rest collecting the facts you will use.
• No tone or address. An answer that never speaks to the family member, organiser or manager misses the point of the situation. Tone is listed under Task Fulfillment.
• No request at the end. The last sentence should ask for something. Without it, the answer simply stops.
• Inventing facts. If you add an advantage that is not in the task, you may contradict the information on screen.

What do Task 5 practice items look like?

These are practice items from the ScoreFluent bank. They are not real exam questions. In ScoreFluent each option comes with a picture. Question images are not public files, so this page gives the bank's text for each option. They are listed from easier to harder on the bank's difficulty rating.

Item 1. Choose a spot for a children's birthday picnic.

Selection: Choose the riverside park or the hilltop lookout.

• Option A, Riverside park: Flat grass, a picnic shelter, washrooms nearby, busy on weekends
• Option B, Hilltop lookout: Beautiful view, windy, short steep walk, no shelter
• Option C, Beach: Sand play area, wide open, long drive away, no shade

Persuasion: Persuade the birthday child's parent to keep your selected picnic spot instead of the beach.

Item 2. Choose a boat for a Saturday afternoon on the lake.

Selection: Choose the canoe or the pedal boat.

• Option A, Canoe: Quiet, easy to carry, seats 2, needs paddling by hand all day
• Option B, Pedal boat: Seats 4, no paddling skill needed, has a shade roof, moves slowly
• Option C, Small sailboat: Exciting, quick when windy, seats 3, needs sailing experience

Persuasion: Persuade your cousin to keep your selected boat instead of the small sailboat.

Item 3. Choose a room for a monthly book club meeting.

Selection: Choose the sunroom or the basement rec room.

• Option A, Sunroom: Seats 8 comfortably, lots of daylight, quiet street, gets crowded if more people come
• Option B, Basement rec room: Seats 14, large sofa and extra chairs, private entrance, no windows
• Option C, Rooftop terrace: Great view, seats 10, open to the sky, no cover if it rains

Persuasion: Persuade the club organizer to keep your selected room instead of the rooftop terrace.

Item 4. Choose a place to keep bicycles at an apartment building.

Selection: Choose the wall rack or the locked shed.

• Option A, Wall rack: Takes little space, holds 3 bikes, lifting is awkward, outdoors
• Option B, Locked shed: Secure, covered, holds 8 bikes, far from the entrance
• Option C, Underground garage: Dry and secure, near the elevator, crowded with cars, tight corners

Persuasion: Persuade the building manager to keep your selected storage place instead of the underground garage.

The bank does not include model answers for these items. Try each one twice, choosing the other option the second time. Whichever one you chose, you should be able to find three matched comparisons against Option C. If the second choice is much harder, notice why.

How do you practise Task 5?

1. Practise comparing. For any pair of things, such as two phones or two commutes, write three matched strengths and weaknesses in 30 seconds.
2. Rehearse the concession. Say one sentence that starts "I understand why…" and turns the rival's strength into a weakness.
3. Time the three stages. Use 60 seconds to choose, 60 to prepare and 60 to speak. Choosing is the stage people overrun.
4. Record and listen for comparatives. Check "more than", "less than" and "the most" are used correctly.

On ScoreFluent you can record Task 5 against the real timings and get a practice estimate on the four published dimensions. That estimate is provisional: the CELPIP speaking grader has not been calibrated against human-rated CELPIP responses, so use it to see what to fix, not as a level you will receive. New accounts get 40 free credits, credits never expire, and there is no subscription. Start with 40 free credits →

Persuasion in a different register is covered in Task 6, Dealing with a Difficult Situation, and one-sided argument with reasons in Task 7, Expressing Opinions. The whole section is covered in CELPIP Speaking, and the exam overview is on the CELPIP-General hub.

Where do these timings and criteria come from?

The task name and the 15-minute, eight-task Speaking format come from the CELPIP Guidebook for Test Takers, July 2026. The three stages, the 60-second clocks and the move-on rule come from the Speaking Pro study pack. The four Speaking dimensions are from CELPIP's performance standards. Checked 16 October 2026. Exam details change, so confirm against the official pages before you rely on a number.

ScoreFluent is an independent practice platform. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Paragon Testing Enterprises or CELPIP.