CELPIP Speaking Task 6: Dealing with a Difficult Situation

Choose and justify a response to a dilemma.

~3 min each

0 of 28 sets done

Practice sets

1 Lending Your Car to a Friend FREE 2 Field Trip Versus Hockey Tickets 3 Customer Refund Without a Receipt 4 Rooftop Garden Open or Locked 5 Helping a Move or Anniversary Trip 6 Breaking a Lease for a Job 7 Birthday Party in the Shared Yard 8 Roommate's Late Rent Payments 9 Saving the Play After Lost Funding 10 Driving a Neighbour or Covering a Shift 11 Roommate's Long-Term Couch Guest 12 Roommate's Late-Night Noise 13 Car Breakdown Before the Cabin Trip 14 Weeknight Noise and a Possible Fine 15 Bringing the Dog on the Trip 16 Job Offer Versus Finishing a Diploma 17 Confronting a Parking-Spot Neighbour 18 Keep or Sell the Family Cottage 19 Refund for a Faulty Blender 20 Paying Out the Rest of a Lease 21 Cabin Trip Versus a Work Shift 22 Reporting a Loud Roommate to the Landlord 23 Landlord Repairs on Dinner Day 24 Smaller Cabin Now or Wait a Week 25 Confront a Loud Roommate Now or Wait 26 Teen Camping Trip Without Adults 27 Dropping Out for a Full-Time Job 28 Hosting Your Sister Over a Roommate

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Guide

Task 6 drops you into an awkward situation and asks you to explain a decision that the other person will not enjoy hearing. It is the one task built almost entirely around tone, and Paragon gives you the target in three words: considerate but firm.

What is CELPIP Speaking Task 6?

Paragon's description: "Explain a decision to a friend, family member, acquaintance, or customer." You get 60 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. It is one of only two tasks with a full minute of prep, and there is a reason: you also have to choose your audience.

The official example gives you a mover who quoted $150 and then demanded $250, and then this instruction: "Choose ONE: EITHER Talk to the movers... OR Call the company owner..." The two audiences call for visibly different registers, and the choice is part of the task.

How CELPIP Speaking Task 6 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.

On this task, tone is the axis, and tone is a named factor under Task Fulfillment. Paragon's strategy list mentions it twice: "be considerate but firm" and "speak in a respectful way." Both failure directions cost you: bulldozing the other person, and apologizing your way out of your own decision.

Content/Coherence follows the officially prescribed shape: outline the problem, state the decision, give reasons. Skipping the first step leaves the rater without a setup.

CELPIP Speaking Task 6 strategies

Pick one audience and commit. The prompt says "Choose ONE." Half-addressed to the movers and half to the owner is a fulfilment error.
Speak directly to the person you chose, and match your register to them. A face-to-face word with a worker is not a phone call to a business owner.
Clearly outline the problem before your decision. Officially named, routinely skipped.
Be considerate but firm. Acknowledge their side once, then hold your ground.
Back the decision with real reasons, and if you have 10 seconds spare, propose a fair next step.

Common CELPIP Speaking Task 6 mistakes

Tone at either extreme. "You people are cheating me" fails, and so does "I'm so sorry, maybe I could pay half?" The target is considerate but firm.
Jumping straight to the decision without laying out the problem, which leaves the listener with no context.
Blending the two options instead of choosing one, so the register never settles.

Useful phrases for CELPIP Speaking Task 6

Open by naming the problem: "Hi, is this the owner? I'm calling about a problem with my move today."
State the facts neutrally: "When I booked, I was quoted $150. Now I'm being told it's $250, nearly double what we agreed."
The firm-but-polite core: "I completely understand the job took longer than expected. However, I'm not in a position to pay an amount I never agreed to."
Offer a way out: "What I'd suggest is that we settle the original $150 today, and if you send me a breakdown, I'm happy to look at it."
Close cooperatively: "I'd really appreciate you working with me on this. Does that sound reasonable?"

Tip: "Considerate but firm" has a reliable sentence shape: acknowledge, pivot, hold. "I understand that [their side]. However, [your decision], because [your reason]." Rehearse that frame and you can drop any scenario into it.

CELPIP Speaking Task 6: frequently asked questions

What tone should I use in CELPIP Speaking Task 6?

Paragon's exact wording is "considerate but firm", plus "speak in a respectful way". You want to complain or refuse effectively without being rude, and hold your position without apologizing it away.

Which option should I choose, EITHER or OR?

Whichever you can argue more comfortably. Neither is correct, but you must pick one and keep the entire response consistent with that audience.

Should I apologize in CELPIP Speaking Task 6?

You can acknowledge the other side ("I understand the job took longer"), but do not concede the point. The task is to explain and defend a decision, not to back down from it.

Is CELPIP Speaking Task 6 always a complaint?

No. The official description is broader: explain a decision to "a friend, family member, acquaintance, or customer". It can be declining a request, delivering bad news, or turning someone down.

How long is CELPIP Speaking Task 6?

60 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. The extra preparation time exists because you also have to choose which of two people to address.

Do I need to solve the problem?

You need to outline the problem, state your decision, and support it with reasons. Proposing a fair next step is a strong way to spend your final 10 to 15 seconds, but it is not required.