CELPIP Speaking Pictures: 4 Practice Scenes with Answers

On the real CELPIP test, one picture does double duty: Task 3 asks you to describe the scene to someone who can't see it, and Task 4 asks you to predict what happens next in the same picture. So the practice unit that matters is a fresh scene you've never described before, not a memorised template.

The four pictures below are original Celpify scenes, drawn for this page and not used in our test bank. Burn them freely. Each comes with planning notes, a full Task 3 sample answer, and a Task 4 prediction sample, all at the level raters reward.

The real test gives you about 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak, for each task. Run that exact drill here:

1. Look at the picture for 30 seconds. Don't write sentences; grab anchors (who, where, what's mid-action).

2. Record yourself describing it for 60 seconds (Task 3).

3. Take 30 more seconds, then record 60 seconds of predictions (Task 4).

4. Only then read the sample answers and compare.

Why record yourself? Because the gap between how you sounded and how you think you sounded is where the marks are hiding.

The most common weakness we hear in recorded Celpify speaking attempts isn't vocabulary. It's describing objects and skipping actions: "there is a pool, there are some kids" instead of "a boy is sprinting along the pool deck while the lifeguard leans forward to stop him". Raters reward verbs. If your recording is a list of nouns, that's the first fix.

Strategy and sentence frames for both tasks live in our Task 3 guide and Task 4 guide; this page is where you apply them.

30-second plan: lifeguard + runner, swim class in shallow end, girl on diving board, dad with two boys and a dripping ice cream cone.

Sample Task 3 answer: describing the scene

"This picture shows a crowded outdoor pool on what looks like a hot summer afternoon. In the centre, a lifeguard in a red shirt is leaning forward on her raised chair, blowing her whistle at a boy who is sprinting along the wet pool deck. In the shallow end on the left, an instructor is holding a young swimmer's arms while a row of children in colourful caps wait at the edge for their turn. At the back, a girl is standing at the end of the diving board, looking down at the water before she jumps. In the front right corner, a father is kneeling between two little boys, holding a dripping ice cream cone at arm's length while the older boy watches it in alarm; a bottle of sunscreen is waiting on the towel beside them."

Sample Task 4 answer: making predictions

"I think the running boy is about to get stopped: the lifeguard will make him walk the rest of the way, and he'll probably look embarrassed about it. The girl on the diving board will most likely jump in after a few more seconds, because her friends are watching from the water below. As for the ice cream in the corner, that scoop is definitely landing on the deck any moment now, and I imagine the little boy will burst into tears until his dad promises another cone. Once the swim lesson wraps up, the kids waiting at the edge will finally get their turn in the water."

Notice the certainty ladder in the prediction: "definitely", "most likely", "probably", "I imagine". That range is a scored feature, not decoration.

30-second plan: bus approaching, woman running for it, shopkeeper shovelling, older man on icy patch, teenagers in the shelter, coffee cup on the bench.

Sample Task 3 answer: describing the scene

"This is a snowy street on a winter morning, and a city bus is pulling up to a crowded bus stop. On the right, a woman in a long coat is running toward the stop, waving one arm while her bag swings behind her. Inside the glass shelter, two teenagers are huddled over one phone, completely ignoring the bus. In front of the shop behind the stop, the owner is shovelling snow off the entrance, and he's already cleared about half the sidewalk. On the left, an older man is holding the shelter's railing carefully because the pavement around him looks icy. Someone has also left a takeaway coffee cup balanced on the edge of the bench, right where people are about to line up."

Sample Task 4 answer: making predictions

"The bus doors are about to open, so everyone at the stop will start boarding in the next few seconds. The running woman will probably just make it, though I think she'll have to squeeze in last. The two teenagers are so focused on their phone that they might miss the bus entirely, and they'll have to wait for the next one in the cold. The older man will most likely wait until the crowd clears before he moves, since the ground is slippery. And that coffee cup on the bench edge is almost certainly getting knocked over once people rush to line up; the shopkeeper will end up shovelling slush and coffee."

30-second plan: couch wedged in the doorway, two movers, leaning box stack on the truck ramp, dog escaping with a slipper, woman with a plant, neighbour with a drinks tray.

Sample Task 3 answer: describing the scene

"This picture shows a family moving into a townhouse, and things aren't going smoothly. In the middle, a grey couch is wedged at an angle in the front doorway. One mover is pushing it from the outside while his colleague stands back, scratching his head and gesturing to tilt it. Behind them, a moving truck is parked with its ramp down, and there's a stack of boxes on the ramp where the top one is leaning dangerously to one side. On the left, a small dog is trotting away across the lawn with a slipper in its mouth, and a woman carrying a potted plant has just noticed and turned around. Meanwhile, a neighbour is walking over from next door with a tray of cold drinks."

Sample Task 4 answer: making predictions

"I'm pretty sure the movers will have to back up and turn the couch on its side to get it through; that doorway clearly isn't wide enough the way they're holding it now. The leaning box on the ramp is going to slide off if nobody steadies it, so I expect one of the movers will rush over and catch it just in time. The woman will probably put her plant down and chase the dog before the slipper gets buried somewhere in the garden. And when the neighbour arrives with the drinks, I imagine everyone will take a break, which honestly looks overdue."

30-second plan: host at the smoking grill glancing up, dark clouds, wind lifting napkins, guest grabbing them, kids gathering toys, woman carrying the salad indoors, swaying string lights.

Sample Task 3 answer: describing the scene

"This is a backyard barbecue that's about to be interrupted. On the right, the host is flipping burgers on a smoking grill, but he's looking up at the sky instead of at the food, because dark storm clouds are rolling in over the fence. The wind has already started: paper napkins are flying off the picnic table, and one guest is lunging to grab them mid-air. In the middle of the yard, two kids are hurriedly collecting their toys off the grass. Closer to the house, a woman is carrying a large salad bowl toward the back door, and the string lights above the patio are swaying in the wind. Everyone's body language says the same thing: hurry."

Sample Task 4 answer: making predictions

"It's obviously going to pour within the next few minutes, so I think the party is about to move indoors. The woman with the salad is already heading that way, and the kids will follow as soon as they've rescued their toys. The host faces a tougher choice: he'll probably stay under the smoke for another minute to finish the burgers, then sprint inside with the tray just as the first drops fall. If the wind keeps picking up, those napkins are a lost cause, and somebody will have to run out later to rescue the string lights. My guess is the group ends up eating in the kitchen, watching the storm through the window."

When you've recorded all eight answers, the gap between your version and the samples is your study plan. More scenes with instant AI feedback are in the free CELPIP speaking practice test, and the full bank of model responses lives in CELPIP speaking samples.