CELPIP Speaking Task 7: Expressing Opinions in 90 Seconds

CELPIP Speaking Task 7 hands you a yes-or-no question and ninety seconds to defend your answer. Thirty seconds of prep, ninety seconds of speaking, and one big trap: giving one reason three ways instead of three distinct reasons.

Task 7 is the longest single recording in the Speaking section. Most candidates either freeze at the prep window or pad one idea until the timer runs out.

Ninety seconds is a lot of unsupported space to fill, and the format is built to expose answers that don't have enough material.

The four rubric dimensions are the same as every Speaking task: Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Listenability, and Task Fulfilment, as set out in the official CELPIP test materials. Task 7 leans heaviest on Content/Coherence. The examiner is counting distinct reasons. One reason rephrased three ways still counts as one.

The prompt

Do you think children should be allowed to use smartphones before age 13? Explain your reasons.

Model answer (about 175 words, CLB 9)

I don't think children should be allowed to use smartphones before age 13. There are three reasons that matter to me.

First, brain development. The parts of the brain that handle impulse control aren't fully formed until the late teens. Putting a smartphone in the hands of a ten-year-old is asking them to manage something that grown adults still struggle with.

Second, the social cost. When my niece got a phone at eleven, she stopped playing outside almost overnight. Her whole friend group moved indoors and onto screens within a couple of months. The convenience didn't feel worth that trade.

Third, sleep. Canadian paediatric research keeps showing that kids with phones in their bedrooms sleep less and worse. And sleep is the one thing growing kids cannot skimp on.

So overall, I'd say no, not before 13. Maybe a basic phone for emergencies, but not a smartphone.

Why this scores CLB 9

• Three distinct reasons (developmental, social, physical) with specific examples.

• Precise word choices (impulse control, paediatric, skimp on).

• Clear discourse markers (First, Second, Third, So overall).

• Stance stated upfront, defended for 90 seconds, closed with a qualifier.

Use the 30-second prep to pick your side and jot three single-word reason anchors. Don't try to draft full sentences.

Move 1. Position (10 to 15 sec)

State your stance in one sentence. I don't think children should use smartphones before age 13. Add a one-sentence preview if you like. Don't hedge. Don't restate the question.

Move 2. Reasons (60 to 65 sec)

Three distinct reasons in roughly equal chunks. Each one: name the reason, give an example, move on. Use plain transitions (First, Second, Third). Pull each reason from a different part of life (developmental, social, physical, financial, educational) so they don't bleed into each other.

Move 3. Close (10 to 15 sec)

One-line restatement plus a qualifier. So overall, I'd say no, not before 13. Maybe a basic phone for emergencies, but not a smartphone. Don't open a fourth reason in the last fifteen seconds. You'll run out of time mid-sentence and the rubric punishes incomplete ideas.

1. One reason rephrased three ways

It's bad for kids. It hurts development. Their brain growth gets affected. Three sentences, one reason. Build three distinct reasons by pulling from different parts of life. The rubric counts ideas, not sentences.

2. Reasons without examples

A reason on its own is half an answer. Smartphones cause health problems needs like the screen-related neck pain Canadian physiotherapists keep seeing behind it. Examples can be personal, statistical, or hypothetical.

3. Running out of time mid-sentence

Build the close at the 75-second mark, not the 88-second mark. If time's left over, fill with a brief qualifier rather than half a fourth reason that gets cut off.

4. Sitting on the fence

Both sides have a point or it really depends reads as task non-fulfilment. Even if your honest view is 51 / 49, the test wants the 51. Pick a side in the prep window and don't revisit it.

The official CELPIP LIVE coaching series has a Task 7 session that runs through Expressing Opinions in real time. Useful as a second perspective on what evaluators reward.

Thirty seconds to pick a side, ninety to defend it. Three distinct reasons, three examples, one tidy close. Task 7 stops being the freeze-prone task the moment you trust the framework.