CELPIP Speaking Task 5: Choose Faster, Persuade Better

The teaching examples on this page are original and not officially scored. Written responses illustrate content and structure; an official Speaking level also depends on the recorded delivery and the full performance.

CELPIP Speaking Task 5 feels harder than it is because it looks like a comparison question when it is really a persuasion task with a comparison inside it.

If you spend too long hunting for the perfect option, you lose the part that scores: making a clear choice, explaining the tradeoff, and convincing the listener inside 60 seconds.

What Task 5 is actually testing

Task 5 has two stages. First, you have 60 seconds to compare two options and choose one without speaking. Then a new alternative appears: you have another 60 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to persuade the listener that your chosen option is more suitable. See the official Task 5 study material.

That means your response has three jobs:

1. Choose one option clearly.
2. Compare the two options without describing every detail.
3. Persuade the listener that your choice is better for the situation.

Most weak answers fail because they treat those jobs equally. They spend 40 seconds explaining both options, then rush the actual argument at the end.

The stronger move is to decide fast and use the comparison only as evidence.

The mistake: comparing for too long

Here is the common Task 5 trap:

"Option A is good because it is cheaper and close to downtown. Option B is also good because it has more space and better parking. Option A looks modern, but Option B is more comfortable. I think both are useful, but maybe Option B is better..."

That sounds balanced, but balance is not the goal. The listener still does not know what you want them to do.

You do not get extra points for sounding undecided. You get points for task fulfillment, content and coherence, vocabulary, and listenability. A response that wanders between both options usually hurts all four:

• Task fulfillment: You did not persuade clearly.
• Content and coherence: Your points feel scattered.
• Vocabulary: You repeat safe words like "good," "better," and "nice."
• Listenability: You sound rushed because the argument starts too late.

What fixes this is a sharper decision, not more vocabulary.

Use a 10-40-10 structure

For a 60-second Task 5 response, use this structure:

1. 10 seconds: choose and name the decisive criterion
2. 40 seconds: compare only the two strongest tradeoffs
3. 10 seconds: close with a direct persuasive push

That gives the answer a clear shape without making it sound memorized.

First 10 seconds: choose immediately

Start with the choice and the reason category:

"I would choose Option B because it gives us more long-term value, especially for families."

That opening does two things. It tells the listener where you stand, and it tells them what lens you are using to judge the options.

Do not start with:

"There are two options and both have advantages and disadvantages."

That sentence is true, but it wastes time. The prompt already tells the listener there are two options.

Middle 40 seconds: compare decisive tradeoffs

Pick two comparison points that actually matter. Usually they fall into one of these categories:

• cost
• convenience
• safety
• comfort
• long-term usefulness
• who benefits most
• risk or downside

The key is to compare across the options, not describe them separately.

Weak:

"Option A is cheaper. Option B is bigger."

Stronger:

"Option A is cheaper upfront, but Option B gives us more space and would still work as our needs change. So even though it costs more now, it is less likely to become a problem later."

That is persuasion: explaining why one fact matters more than another rather than just naming both.

Final 10 seconds: ask for agreement

End by speaking to the person you are persuading:

"So I really think we should go with Option B. It solves the bigger problem, and we will not have to rethink the decision in a few months."

The close should not introduce a new reason. It should make the listener feel that the decision is settled.

A model Task 5 response

This original exercise includes both stages. Choose before opening the second stage; the response below is an unscored teaching example.

Stage 1: choose a weekend program

Your community centre is choosing a weekend program. Compare these options and choose one. Give yourself 60 seconds; do not speak yet.

Stage 2: compare your choice with the new option

Your friend suggests Option C: community gardening instead. It runs outdoors on Saturday mornings, costs $4 per person, welcomes adults and children, and has 16 spaces. Sessions depend on the weather. Prepare for 60 seconds, then persuade your friend for 60 seconds that your original choice is more suitable.

Example choosing family fitness:

I would still choose the family fitness class. Gardening is a useful idea, and it is a dollar cheaper, but the fitness program has space for eight more people. That matters because the centre wants something parents and children can attend together. It also runs indoors, so families can plan around the Saturday session without worrying that rain will cancel it. I can see gardening being enjoyable in good weather, and people would learn a practical skill. For a regular weekend activity, though, I think the extra spaces and reliable indoor setting are worth the slightly higher fee. Let's support the fitness class and suggest gardening as an occasional outdoor event.

The model compares the chosen option with the new alternative. If you chose cooking, keep that choice and build a different argument from its actual details.

Notice the pattern:

• clear choice in the first sentence
• one fair acknowledgment of the other option
• two decisive reasons
• direct persuasive close

It argues rather than listing every detail.

What to do during prep time

Task 5 gives you more preparation time than most speaking tasks, but that can backfire. More prep time makes people over-plan.

Use the first scan to answer one question:

Which option is easier to defend?

Note that this is a different question from which option is objectively better.

On test day, you are not making a real-life decision. You are producing a clear spoken argument under time pressure. Pick the side that gives you cleaner reasons.

During prep, write down only three bullets:

• Choice: Option A or Option B
• Reason 1: the strongest practical advantage
• Reason 2: the strongest contrast against the other option

If you write more than that, you will probably try to say too much.

The comparison phrases that help most

Task 5 needs comparison language that makes your reasoning easy to follow, not fancy vocabulary.

Use phrases like:

• "The main advantage of Option A is..."
• "The downside is..."
• "Compared with Option B..."
• "Even though Option A is cheaper..."
• "Option B makes more sense because..."
• "For this specific situation..."
• "That matters more than..."

The last phrase is especially useful. Task 5 is really about priority. One option may be cheaper, but the other may be safer. One may be convenient, but the other may help more people. Your job is to explain which benefit matters more.

How Task 5 differs from Task 7

Task 5 and Task 7 both ask you to argue, but they do not feel the same.

In Task 7, you defend an opinion on a broad topic for 90 seconds. You need more development, examples, and sometimes a counterargument.

In Task 5, the evidence is already on the screen. Your job is faster: choose, compare, persuade. A practical recommendation does more here than a broad philosophical argument.

Choose during the silent selection stage. Then use the 60-second speaking window to develop a few relevant comparisons between your chosen option and the new alternative.

Quick practice drill

For a simplified comparison drill, take an everyday two-option decision:

• apartment A vs. apartment B
• online course vs. in-person class
• gym membership vs. home workout equipment
• weekend trip vs. saving money

Give yourself 60 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. For a full Task 5 rehearsal, also include the first 60-second silent selection stage and introduce a new competing option afterward. After recording, check three things:

1. Did you choose in the first sentence?
2. Did you compare the options directly?
3. Did your final sentence sound persuasive, not neutral?

If the answer to any of those is no, do the same prompt again before moving to a new topic. Repeating the same prompt is how you train the structure.

Task 5 rewards the person who can make a clean choice and make that choice sound reasonable, not the person who notices every detail.

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For related depth, read the complete CELPIP speaking practice guide and the Task 7 questions with answers guide. Together, they cover the difference between practical persuasion and longer opinion development.

Use CELPIP Practice to record Task 5 responses with real timers, then review whether your choice, comparison, and persuasive close are clear enough to score.