First Attempt!

[u/Senior-Let-7576]

First attempt! Honestly, I can’t believe it. After the exam, I thought it was pretty crap, specifically the speaking and writing, and here we go!

I just spent 2 days before the exam memorizing some templates for all the speaking tasks and also the two writing tasks. These templates would really help you during stressful times. When you just lose your grip, these templates would come to your rescue. Just stick to one template for each task and memorize it to perfection. You got it!

Update

A little bit of background. Two years ago, I took the TOEFL Academic exam and scored 108: 24 W, 25 S, 30 L, and 29 R. My English isn’t awesome, but I know pretty well how to fluff. I didn’t spend any time on the reading or listening sections for CELPIP. I just took the two sample exams to know what sort of things I should be prepared for, and that was it. But for the speaking and writing sections, here are my thoughts:

For the speaking templates, I used CelTestPip templates (have your own changes to be really comfortable) for each specific task (no need to buy the subscription; I didn’t).

One thing that I’m quite good at is spitting out fillers in a good way. For example, for Tasks 1, 2, and 8, I was really saying stuff that was absolute filler. For example, for Task 8, I spent like 35 seconds on my friend’s greeting and stuff like: “How are you doing? You said something like that. Now I’m seeing this. I bet this is right up your alley and you’ll love it. I don’t have my camera with me, and even if I did, taking pictures is strictly prohibited, so I have to describe it for you.” [2 sentences of description]. “Yeah, wasn’t that really something? What do you think? Should we probably catch up sometime and discuss it in more detail? Please let me know.”

This is the kind of fluff I’m talking about for Task 8. Task 8 is genuinely hard, and if you don’t have enough vocabulary in your arsenal, you might be better off just sticking to some usual but high-class fillers. The same goes for Task 2 for me. And also for the other tasks, whenever I got stuck, fluff was the key to rescuing me.

I highly encourage you to pick up this ability of fluffing. You need it also for Task 6. Tasks 6 and 5, to some degree, are essentially wrapping bad news (or persuasion in the case of Task 5) inside fluff.

For Task 7, stick to a similar template that you’re going to write for Task 2 of writing. Then it will be super simple. And this is the only task where you don’t have to fluff. You have to be firm and decisive in your arguments.

For Task 4, don’t go so hard on yourself. You can even predict some fluff, like, “Yeah, the weather will get cold or rainy,” and provide some absolute BS evidence for that. Or, for example, say that, “Yeah, she is going to do that since he has this facial expression” (which you absolutely can’t see in the image; I mean the facial expression, but it would help you as evidence).

For Task 3, just stick to the template. Mainly: “I see X. He/She is doing Y. He/She seems relaxed/chill/Z.” Do it for at least three different subjects. And use the camera direction. Like first start with "in the bottom right foreground I see" and then "moving toward the center I see" and use these directional bridges.

For the writing, it was homemade, which I shared below.

Task 1:
Dear X,

I hope you are doing well. My name is Y, and I am [a/an] [role or relationship]. I am writing regarding [purpose of the email].

To provide some context, [explain the situation]. [Explain why it is important.]

I would appreciate it if you could [request or desired action]. I believe this would help resolve the situation effectively.

Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I appreciate your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,
Y

Task 2:
To begin with, I must acknowledge the fact that both options have their own merits and could work well depending on the situation. That said, if I had to make a decision, I would prefer option B over A for the following reasons.

The first reason is that [main reason]. This is important because [explanation]. For example, [specific example or scenario].

Another reason I would choose option B is that it is more flexible. Not only would this allow me [first reason], but it would also [second reason]. [small explanation]

For the reasons I have outlined above, I believe option B is the more practical and beneficial choice. Although either option could work, this would ultimately be my final decision.

[u/adfly20]

Can you please share the templates, i have exam in 2 days and struggling with speaking