Speaking Task 1: Giving Advice

Neat and well organized.

“Please keep the shared space tidy.”

Often used: tidy up · keep tidy

CELPIP tip: Informal; great for scene descriptions—say 'the room looks tidy' or 'tidy up' as a natural verb collocation.

To officially join a course or school.

“She decided to enrol in an evening class.”

Often used: enrol in a course · enrol students

CELPIP tip: Formal register; use 'enrol in a program' (not 'join') when advising someone or writing institutional emails.

Absolutely necessary; extremely important.

“Good communication is essential for teamwork.”

Often used: absolutely essential · essential for

CELPIP tip: Formal; use 'it is essential that...' to sound authoritative when giving strong recommendations or opinions.

The state of being physically healthy.

“Swimming improves overall fitness.”

Often used: physical fitness · fitness level

CELPIP tip: Collocate strongly: 'physical fitness,' 'fitness routine,' or 'fitness goals' to sound natural in opinions.

A series of steps to do something.

“The application process takes six weeks.”

Often used: lengthy process · speed up the process

CELPIP tip: Strong collocation: 'streamline the process.' As a verb, sounds more sophisticated than 'do the steps.'

To reply or react.

“Please respond by Friday.”

Often used: respond quickly · respond to

CELPIP tip: Neutral; upgrade to 'address' or 'reply promptly' in formal emails for a stronger professional tone.

Treatment to help a physical or mental problem.

“Physical therapy restored her mobility.”

Often used: undergo therapy · physical therapy

CELPIP tip: Neutral; specify type for precision: 'physical therapy' or 'cognitive behavioural therapy' when giving health advice.

To make something clearer or easier to understand.

“Could you clarify what you mean?”

Often used: clarify a point · clarify the situation

CELPIP tip: Use 'I would like to clarify' in formal emails or difficult situations; more sophisticated than 'explain.'

Thinking about other people's feelings.

“It was considerate of her to call ahead.”

Often used: considerate of · very considerate

CELPIP tip: Neutral; in difficult situation tasks say 'I'd encourage you to be more considerate of others' feelings' for tactful tone.

Full of substances that keep you healthy.

“A nutritious lunch keeps me focused.”

Often used: nutritious meal

CELPIP tip: Upgrade 'healthy food' to 'nutritious meal' in advice and opinion tasks for a more precise, higher-scoring word.

To find and fix problems in a system.

“The technician helped me troubleshoot the issue.”

CELPIP tip: Formal-neutral; use when giving tech advice — 'troubleshoot the issue' scores higher than 'fix the problem.'

Extreme tiredness.

“Chronic fatigue can affect daily life.”

Often used: mental fatigue · suffer from fatigue

CELPIP tip: Formal upgrade from 'tiredness'; collocates with 'chronic fatigue' or 'combat fatigue' for stronger health advice.

To repair and improve a building.

“They renovated the old kitchen.”

Often used: renovate a house · fully renovate

CELPIP tip: Formal upgrade from 'fix up'; pair with 'extensively renovate' to signal higher vocabulary range.

To continue.

“Please carry on with your work.”

Often used: carry on working

CELPIP tip: Neutral; useful in advice/difficult-situation tasks. Formal synonym: 'continue' or 'proceed' for emails.

To think of an idea or plan.

“She came up with a clever solution.”

Often used: come up with an idea · come up with a plan

CELPIP tip: Neutral; versatile for advice and problem-solving tasks. 'Come up with a solution' sounds natural and fluent.

deal with and respond to customer or staff dissatisfaction

“The manager was trained to handle complaints professionally and efficiently.”

CELPIP tip: Neutral and practical; use in advice or difficult-situation tasks — collocates well with 'effectively.'

finish something by the required time

“The entire team worked overtime to meet the deadline for the product launch.”

CELPIP tip: Use when advising on time management; pair with 'consistently' to sound more professional.

prepare and write a formal document

“The finance team was asked to draw up a report on quarterly expenditures.”

CELPIP tip: Formal phrasing for workplace writing tasks; more precise than 'write a report' — use confidently.

formally present a plan for consideration

“Our department submitted a proposal for expanding the customer service team.”

CELPIP tip: Use in formal emails suggesting a plan; signals professional tone better than 'send an idea.'

increase the amount or quality of work output

“Flexible work hours have been shown to boost productivity among office employees.”

CELPIP tip: Neutral and widely applicable; pair with 'significantly' to strengthen claims in opinion tasks.

encourage and build a supportive workplace culture

“Leadership training helps managers foster a positive work environment for their teams.”

CELPIP tip: Strong in opinion and advice tasks; 'foster' alone elevates your score — avoid overusing 'create.'

Used to introduce the first point.

“Firstly, let me explain the background.”

Often used: sequence

CELPIP tip: Always pair with 'secondly/finally' for structured arguments; signals clear organization to raters.

Said in a simpler or clearer way.

“It failed; in other words, we start over.”

Often used: clarification

CELPIP tip: Use to restate a complex point simply—shows clarity of thought. Strong collocation: 'In other words, the risk outweighs the benefit.'

To watch carefully.

“Could you keep an eye on my bag?”

CELPIP tip: Neutral-informal; perfect for advice tasks—'keep an eye on your budget/deadline' sounds practical and fluent.

To make people feel relaxed in a social situation.

“A small joke helped break the ice.”

CELPIP tip: Informal; strong for social advice or difficult-situation tasks. Collocate: 'break the ice with colleagues.'

To learn how to do something.

“It's tricky at first, but you'll get the hang of it.”

CELPIP tip: Informal; ideal for personal experience stories. Use: 'It took time, but I finally got the hang of it.'

To study hard.

“I need to hit the books before the test.”

CELPIP tip: Informal; use when advising students or sharing study experiences. Avoid in formal email writing.