CELPIP Speaking Task 5: Comparing and Persuading

Compare options and persuade a listener.

~3 min each

0 of 28 sets done

Practice sets

1 Adopting a Pet From the Shelter FREE 2 Choosing a Food Bank Fundraiser Format 3 Picking a One-Week Day Camp 4 Choosing the Office Holiday Party Venue 5 Buying New Tablets for the Front Desk 6 Choosing a New Program for Teens 7 What to Build on the Centre's Grounds 8 Choosing a Weekend Main-Hall Program 9 Choosing a Small Office to Lease 10 A Thank-You Gift for the Retiring Manager 11 Buying One Item for the Staff Lounge 12 Choosing a Winter Sport to Take Up 13 Adding a Feature to the Courtyard 14 Planning a One-Day Outing for Teens 15 Choosing the Volunteer Appreciation Event 16 Adding a New Feature to the Park 17 Spending the Park Grant on One Feature 18 Blocking Road Noise and Headlights 19 Booking the Town Anniversary Venue 20 Finding a Warm Drink Spot Downtown 21 Choosing a Family Pet With My Sister 22 Buying One Bicycle to Share 23 Picking a Winter Family Day Out 24 Choosing a Winter Community Program 25 Organizing a Neighbourhood Get-Together 26 Picking a Tablet for a New User 27 Choosing a Winter Weekend Getaway 28 Choosing a Weekly After-Work Fitness Class

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Guide

Task 5 is the one most candidates get structurally wrong, and it is not because their English fails them. It runs across two screens, you do not speak at all on the first one, and the option you have to argue against in Part 2 is one you have never seen before.

What is CELPIP Speaking Task 5?

Paragon's description: "In Part 1, select an option from two choices. You will not speak in Part 1. In Part 2, persuade someone that your chosen option is better than the one they are proposing."

	Preparation	Speaking
Part 1 (choose)	60 seconds	None
Part 2 (persuade)	60 seconds	60 seconds

Many prep sites publish "30 seconds prep, 60 seconds speaking" for this task, or omit Part 1 altogether. The official timing table is above, and it is the only task split across two screens.

The Task 5 trap: a third option you have never seen

Here is the fact that decides this task. In Part 1 you choose between two options shown side by side with three bullet points each. In Part 2, a co-worker proposes a completely different, third option, and you must persuade them that your Part 1 choice beats that.

In the official sample, Part 1 offers a "Prince Edward Gift Basket" at $120 against "The Royal Collection" at $140. The co-worker in Part 2 then suggests "Finest Sausage" at $30/kg, an item that never appeared on the first screen.

Candidates who prepare to re-argue against the option they rejected in Part 1 are preparing for a task that does not exist, and comparing against the wrong thing is a serious relevance error.

How CELPIP Speaking Task 5 is scored

Every CELPIP Speaking response is rated by trained human raters (Paragon says each performance is seen by three to five of them, working independently) on the same four dimensions: Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Listenability and Task Fulfillment. Your Speaking level is a product of your scores across all eight tasks, so no single task can sink you, and no single task can carry you.

Paragon does not publish a per-task weighting, and you should be sceptical of any site that claims one. What the official rater commentary does show is which dimension tends to get flagged on which task, and that is what the notes below describe.

Task Fulfillment is the decisive dimension here, and it is structural: did you actually compare your option against the co-worker's new option, and did you actually persuade? Paragon's Level 12 rater note credits establishing "a friendly but persuasive tone."

Content/Coherence is the second lever. The official strategy tells you to expand on the information included with the picture. Reading the three bullets aloud is the low-scoring answer; inventing benefits, use cases and objections is the high-scoring one.

CELPIP Speaking Task 5 strategies

In Part 1, just choose, fast. You have 60 silent seconds. Pick the option you can talk about most fluently, not the one you would buy.
Always click something. The official prompt warns: "If you do not choose an option, the computer will choose one for you."
Read the new option carefully at the top of Part 2. It is the thing you are arguing against.
Concede, then commit. "I see why you'd like the sausage, it's a great price. That said..." Acknowledging the other option is persuasion, not weakness.
Go beyond the bullets. Invent benefits and use cases. This is an explicit official instruction.

Common CELPIP Speaking Task 5 mistakes

Arguing against the option you rejected in Part 1. The most common Task 5 failure, and it is a relevance error, not a language one.
Being ambushed by the silent Part 1, wasting the 60 seconds, or failing to click at all and having the computer choose for you.
Reading the bullet points aloud with nothing added: no reasons, no benefits, no appeal to the listener.

Useful phrases for CELPIP Speaking Task 5

Acknowledge first: "I see why you'd go for that, and honestly the price is hard to argue with. That said..."
Comparatives with margin: "It's only $20 more, but it's far more suitable for a boss." / "It's nowhere near as personal as..."
Concede and pivot: "Granted, it's a bit more expensive, but split across the whole team it's a few dollars each."
Appeal: "Think about it from her point of view..." / "The last thing we want is for the gift to look like an afterthought."
Close with a push: "So what do you say we go with the basket? I'm confident she'll love it."

Tip: Use the silent 60 seconds of Part 1 to prepare arguments, not just a choice. You will not know what you are arguing against yet, so build the case for your option: who it is for, why it suits the occasion, what it says about the giver. Those points work against any rival.

CELPIP Speaking Task 5: frequently asked questions

Do I speak in Part 1 of CELPIP Speaking Task 5?

No. Part 1 is silent: you get 60 seconds to read the two options and click one. Paragon's own materials tell candidates to read this task's instructions "especially closely" for exactly this reason.

Do I compare my choice against the option I rejected?

No, and this is the single most common Task 5 error. In Part 2 your co-worker proposes a different, third option that was not on the Part 1 screen, and you must persuade them that your choice beats that one.

What happens if I do not choose an option?

The official prompt states that the computer will choose one for you. You could then find yourself persuading on the option you had no ideas about, so always click.

How long is CELPIP Speaking Task 5?

Part 1: 60 seconds to choose, with no speaking. Part 2: 60 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. Prep sites that list "30 seconds prep, 60 seconds speaking" are describing the other tasks.

Which option should I pick?

Neither is correct. Paragon's official strategy is simply to "quickly choose which one you prefer to talk about". Pick the one you can argue about most fluently in English.

Can I invent details that are not on screen?

Yes, and you should. The official strategy explicitly tells you to "expand on the information included with the picture" by adding benefits, reasons and use cases beyond the three bullets.