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CELPIP Speaking Task 1: Giving Advice

Turn advice into a practical plan

Give advice that fits the person’s problem, and explain how each suggestion would help.

Task at a glance: 30 seconds to prepare and 90 seconds to speak.

Guide 1 of 8 in the Speaking path · Reviewed

Know the task

In Giving Advice, speak to the person named in the prompt and help them with their decision or situation. During preparation, choose actions that fit their problem and think of a reason for each. Explain how your suggestions would help instead of relying on a memorized opening.

See the official CELPIP test format

A useful approach

  1. 1

    Start with your friend’s problem

    Speak directly to your friend. Briefly show that you understand the difficulty: they need to study while working full time. Your advice needs to fit around that work schedule.

  2. 2

    Suggest actions they can try

    Give a clear action, such as planning short study sessions around shifts or dividing an assignment into smaller jobs. Explain how each action would help. “Get organized” is too general on its own.

  3. 3

    Plan for a busy week

    Include something your friend can do if work gets busier, such as asking their tutor which reading is most important. Offer suggestions in a friendly way, as you would in a real conversation.

  4. 4

    Practise your advice aloud

    Speak from short notes and use the task timer during practice. Check that you explained each suggestion and finished without rushing. If you have too much to say, keep your most useful suggestions and explain them clearly.

Sample question and answer

Sample question: Your friend has started an evening course while working full time. They feel they have too much to do and ask how to manage their study time. Give advice that fits their work schedule and helps them keep up with the course.

Sample speaking response · Select a passage to see its explanation.

Show you understand

The speaker briefly recognizes the friend’s difficulty before giving advice.

Read the full sample answer

It makes sense that you’re feeling stretched with work and classes happening at once. I’d start by choosing two short study sessions that fit around your shifts, and putting them in your calendar. Pick times when you usually have some energy, rather than assuming you’ll study late every night. That way, you’ll know what you can realistically finish instead of trying to catch up on everything at the weekend.

I’d also break your next assignment into smaller jobs. You could read the instructions one evening, collect your examples the next, and write a first draft after that. Finishing one clear step will give you a better sense of progress than staring at a whole project. Keep the list somewhere you’ll see it, and cross things off as you finish them.

If your workload suddenly increases, speak to your tutor early. Ask which reading is essential that week so you can prioritize properly; don’t wait until an assignment is overdue. And leave some time to rest. A plan you can repeat is more useful than an exhausting schedule you abandon after two days. Try it for a week, then adjust whatever doesn’t fit your routine.

Check your understanding

Which suggestion best fits this friend’s stated difficulty?

A common mistake

Giving general advice without explaining what to do.

Less useful: Make a plan, work harder, and be organized.

More specific: Choose two short study sessions that fit around your shifts, so you can finish a manageable amount each week.

The clearer sentence gives an action and explains how it helps. The friend knows when to study and why shorter sessions could work.

Useful language in context

feel stretched

Feel that you have more to do than you have time or energy for.

You may feel stretched when work and assignment deadlines overlap.

fit around your shifts

Happen at times that work with your work schedule.

Choose study sessions that fit around your shifts.

break it into manageable steps

Divide a large job into smaller actions you can complete.

Break the assignment into manageable steps before you start writing.

Try it yourself

  1. Imagine that a friend wants to cook at home but often gets home tired after work.
  2. Say two suggestions aloud. Explain how each would make cooking easier for your friend.
  3. Check each suggestion: what should your friend do, and how would it help when they are tired? Say the advice again with any missing detail.
Practise this task free