Speaking Task 5: Comparing and Persuading

The area around where you live.

“It is a quiet, friendly neighbourhood.”

Often used: quiet neighbourhood · safe neighbourhood

CELPIP tip: Use 'vibrant neighbourhood' or 'safe neighbourhood' when describing scenes or comparing living areas.

A small job that has to be done regularly.

“We share the household chores equally.”

Often used: household chores · do the chores

CELPIP tip: Informal tone; avoid in formal writing. Use 'household chores' naturally in spoken personal stories.

A style of cooking from a place or culture.

“The city is famous for its diverse cuisine.”

Often used: local cuisine · fine cuisine

CELPIP tip: Say 'Japanese cuisine' instead of 'Japanese food' in comparisons—instantly sounds more polished and precise.

A disadvantage or negative feature.

“The main drawback of the plan is the cost.”

Often used: major drawback · main drawback · only drawback

CELPIP tip: Neutral and versatile; use 'one major drawback is...' to introduce counterarguments smoothly and naturally.

Traditions and culture passed down.

“The festival celebrates local heritage.”

Often used: cultural heritage · preserve heritage

CELPIP tip: Pair with 'cultural heritage' in formal opinions; stronger than 'traditions' and boosts your lexical score.

Free time for relaxation and fun.

“He reads in his leisure time.”

Often used: leisure time · leisure activities

CELPIP tip: Formal; collocate with 'leisure time' or 'leisure activities' in opinion essays for a polished tone.

Worth the time, money, or effort spent.

“The course was difficult but worthwhile.”

Often used: worthwhile investment · well worthwhile

CELPIP tip: Neutral; say 'it is worthwhile to invest in...' to justify recommendations—sounds natural and evaluative.

The ability to act and decide independently.

“She showed initiative by solving it herself.”

Often used: take the initiative · show initiative

CELPIP tip: Strong workplace collocation: 'take the initiative'; use in opinion tasks about leadership or productivity.

Not too much or too little; reasonable.

“Moderate exercise improves your mood.”

Often used: moderate exercise · in moderation

CELPIP tip: Use as adjective: 'moderate exercise' or 'a moderate approach'; signals balance, boosting argument credibility.

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.

Responsible and required to explain actions.

“Managers are accountable for their teams.”

Often used: hold accountable · accountable for

CELPIP tip: Formal; collocate: 'hold someone accountable for'; powerful in opinion tasks about workplace or government.

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.

present a convincing argument or justification

“She made a compelling case for hiring two additional staff members.”

CELPIP tip: Use when persuading or justifying in opinion tasks; signals confidence and advanced argumentation.

discuss and agree on the terms of a formal agreement

“The sales director spent three weeks negotiating a contract with the overseas supplier.”

CELPIP tip: Use in business opinion or persuasion tasks; collocates with 'successfully' for stronger impact.

come to an agreement that everyone accepts

“After two hours of discussion, the board finally reached a consensus on the budget.”

CELPIP tip: Formal alternative to 'agree'; signals sophistication in opinion tasks about group decisions.

generate or increase income for a business

“The marketing campaign was designed to drive revenue during the slow season.”

CELPIP tip: Formal business phrase; use in opinion writing to show economic reasoning — impresses at CLB 9+.

make business processes more efficient

“The new software helped the company streamline its operations and reduce costs.”

CELPIP tip: High-scoring phrase for business opinion tasks; pair with 'in order to' for strong sentence structure.

Used to introduce a contrasting idea.

“The plan is costly; however, it is effective.”

Often used: contrast

CELPIP tip: Formal contrast marker; place after a period or semicolon in writing: 'It is affordable. However, quality matters.'

Especially; specifically.

“I enjoy sports, in particular tennis.”

Often used: emphasis

CELPIP tip: Pinpoint your strongest supporting detail: 'In particular, the cost savings stand out.' Signals precision to raters.

For that reason; as a result.

“The data is incomplete; therefore, we must wait.”

Often used: result

CELPIP tip: Formal; signals logical conclusion — 'costs are rising; therefore, planning is essential.' Boosts argument cohesion.

Used to compare two contrasting facts.

“He likes tea, whereas she prefers coffee.”

Often used: contrast

CELPIP tip: Perfect for comparing two options in Task 5; pairs naturally with contrast collocations like 'whereas Option A offers...'

Simple to suggest but hard to do.

“Saving money is easier said than done.”

CELPIP tip: Informal; use to acknowledge complexity before giving a nuanced opinion—shows critical thinking.

Over a long period; eventually.

“Saving now pays off in the long run.”

CELPIP tip: Neutral; strengthens argument conclusions. Synonym: 'ultimately'—use both to show range.

The most important fact or point.

“The bottom line is that we need more time.”

CELPIP tip: Neutral; use to signal your strongest conclusion. 'The bottom line is…' adds persuasive impact.

To describe something exactly right.

“You hit the nail on the head with that idea.”

CELPIP tip: Informal; use when agreeing strongly in opinions. Avoid in formal writing tasks—use 'precisely' instead.