CELPIP Speaking Task 6, Dealing with a Difficult Situation: tone, structure and practice items

Task 6 is the task where being polite and being clear pull in different directions. You have a real problem and one minute to raise it. Say it too bluntly and the tone is wrong. Say it too softly and you never ask for anything.

What does CELPIP Speaking Task 6 ask you to do?

You read a situation involving other people, such as a disagreement with a roommate, a problem with a teammate or a neighbour issue. CELPIP's Speaking Pro study pack lists Task 6 among the tasks that offer a choice between two options, so expect to pick one. You get 60 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to record.

Sixty seconds of preparation is the longest preparation clock in Speaking, shared only with Task 5. Speaking has eight tasks in about 15 minutes. All are recorded replies to on-screen prompts, there is no examiner, and 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 difficult-situation answer?

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

• Content/Coherence. The number and quality of ideas, organisation, and supporting details. Your ideas are the problem, the request and the reason it helps the listener.
• Vocabulary. Range and precision. Tactful language matters: "I understand that…", "I was hoping we could…", "would it be possible to…".
• Listenability. Rhythm, pronunciation and intonation; pauses, interjections and self-correction; grammar and sentence structure. Intonation carries tone, so a polite request can sound rude if it is flat or clipped.
• Task Fulfillment. Relevance, completeness, tone and length. The prompt asks you to handle the situation tactfully, so tone is part of the task in the most direct way.

For the full criteria, see how CELPIP-General is scored.

How do you use the 60 seconds of preparation?

Sixty seconds is long enough to plan properly. Use it in four steps.

1. Seconds 0 to 10: read the situation and both options. Underline who is affected and what is at stake.
2. Seconds 10 to 18: choose one person. Take the option where you have a clear request and a clear reason. Do not weigh the options for long.
3. Seconds 18 to 45: build the answer in four notes. The problem in one phrase, the request, a reason that helps them, and a polite close. Add one fact from the situation to make the request specific.
4. Seconds 45 to 60: rehearse the opening. Say the first two sentences quietly. A calm, friendly start sets the tone for the rest.

Commit to your choice. Switching halfway wastes time and produces an answer addressed to two people.

How do you structure a 60-second answer?

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

• Greeting and purpose, about 8 seconds. Address the person, ask for a moment, and say why you are talking. "Hi Daniel, do you have a minute? I'd like to sort something out before the next deadline."
• The problem, neutral, about 12 seconds. Say what is happening and how it affects people, without blame. "Your part has come in late, and that leaves everyone waiting."
• The request, about 15 seconds. Say exactly what you want. "Can we agree on firm deadlines, say two days before each submission?"
• The reason it helps them, about 15 seconds. "That way nobody is stressed at the last minute, and the group's mark is safer."
• Polite close, about 10 seconds. A question or a thank-you. "Does that sound fair?"

Avoid "you always" and "you never". Describe the situation, not the person.

Worked example

This example is built from bank item 2 below. You choose to speak to the teammate privately about firm deadlines.

Hi Daniel, do you have a minute? I wanted to talk to you before the next deadline, because I think we can fix something together. For the last few weeks your part has come in late, and that has left everyone else waiting to put the assignment together. I know you're busy, and I'm not trying to blame you. But the instructor wants groups to sort this out themselves first, and I'd much rather do that than escalate it. So can we agree on firm deadlines, say two days before each submission, so there's time to merge everything? If something comes up, just tell me early and we'll share the work. That way nobody is stressed at the last minute, and the whole group's mark is safer. Does that sound fair?

This sample was written by ScoreFluent for this guide. It is not an official CELPIP model answer and has not been scored. The answer opens with a polite question, names the problem as a situation, makes one concrete request, gives a reason that benefits the listener, and ends with a question. The phrase "I'm not trying to blame you" protects the relationship, and the instructor detail comes from the situation.

What mistakes make Task 6 answers weaker?

• Blame language. "You never finish your work" damages the tone. Describe the effect on the group or the household.
• No concrete request. An answer that complains and never asks for anything is incomplete. Ask for a specific action.
• Speaking about the person, not to them. "The teammate has been late" is a report. Address the person as "you" and use their name.
• Trying to do both options. The prompt asks you to choose one. Mixing two listeners makes the answer confusing.
• A request with no reason. Tell the listener why your proposal is fair or helps them. That is what makes it persuasive.
• Too soft to notice. If you apologise three times and hint at the problem, the listener may not understand what you want.
• No closing. End with a question or a thank-you, not a trailing "so yeah".

What do Task 6 practice items look like?

These are practice items from the ScoreFluent bank. They are not real exam questions. They are listed from easier to harder on the bank's own difficulty rating.

Item 1. Your neighbour is building a fence that appears to be a few centimetres over the property line you share. The city office will send a surveyor for a small fee.

Task: Choose ONE approach. EITHER speak to your neighbour in a friendly way and ask to compare property documents, OR speak to the city office and ask what a survey would cost. Address the person you chose and handle the situation tactfully.

Item 2. A teammate on your group assignment keeps submitting his part late, which delays everyone else. The course instructor has said that groups should try to settle problems themselves first.

Task: Choose ONE approach. EITHER speak to your teammate privately and agree on firm deadlines, OR speak to the instructor and ask how to handle the late submissions. Address the person you chose and handle the situation tactfully.

Item 3. You discover that a colleague is leaving work early on Fridays and asking others to cover for her. Your team lead said recently that she wants honest communication.

Task: Choose ONE approach. EITHER speak to your colleague and explain that covering for her is unfair, OR speak to your team lead and describe what you have noticed. Address the person you chose and handle the situation tactfully.

Item 4. The condo board has approved a rule against hanging laundry on balconies, but your elderly neighbour has no dryer and has always dried her clothes outside. You were asked to pass on the notice.

Task: Choose ONE approach. EITHER speak to your neighbour kindly and help her find another option, OR speak to the board and ask if they can allow exceptions for people without dryers. Address the person you chose and handle the situation tactfully.

Item 5. A teammate wants credit for work you completed, but you must present together tomorrow.

Task: Choose ONE approach. EITHER speak privately to your teammate and propose a fair division of credit, OR speak to the project manager before the presentation and explain the problem. Address the person you chose and handle the situation tactfully.

The bank does not include model answers for these items. Try each twice, choosing the other listener the second time. The second try shows how the same facts support a different request and a different tone, for example a peer, a manager or an official body.

How do you practise Task 6?

1. Practise the neutral problem sentence. Take a complaint you might make and rewrite it so it describes the situation, not the person.
2. Rehearse request phrases. Write five ways to ask for something: "Could we…", "Would it be possible to…", "I was hoping we could…".
3. Vary the listener. Run the same problem twice, once to a peer and once to someone in authority, and listen for the difference in tone.
4. Record and listen for intonation. A polite request sounds polite only when your voice agrees with your words.

On ScoreFluent you can record Task 6 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 →

For advice to a friend rather than a negotiation, read Task 1, Giving Advice. For another task that ends on a request to a specific listener, see Task 8, Describing an Unusual Situation. 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 60-second preparation, 60-second recording, the choose-one format 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.