CELPIP Speaking Task 5: Compare and Persuade Clearly

Speaking Task 5 becomes difficult when you try to describe every detail on the screen. You compare price, location, colour, size, features, and appearance—then the recording starts before you have decided what your argument actually is.

You do not need every detail. You need a clear choice, two useful comparison points, and a persuasive explanation that sounds like you are speaking to a real person.

What happens in Task 5

The official task is called Comparing and Persuading. Official study material describes two stages: first you compare two choices and select one; then you see another option and persuade someone that your original choice is better. Check the current format on the official CELPIP site.

This means your preparation has two jobs:

1. choose a defensible option quickly;
2. reorganize your reasons when the competing option appears.

The second job is where many responses lose focus. Learners repeat their choice instead of directly comparing it with the new option.

The CORE framework

Use CORE as a planning checklist:

• C — Choice: state your recommendation immediately.
• O — Outcome: explain the main benefit for the listener.
• R — Reasons: develop two comparisons with specific details.
• E — End: summarize the decision and invite agreement.

This is a framework, not a script. The words should change with the situation.

An original example

Imagine you and a friend are choosing a weekend rental.

Your selected option: Lakeside Cabin

• $210 per night
• sleeps four
• 15 minutes from hiking trails
• kitchen included
• free parking

New option: Downtown Hotel

• $175 per night
• sleeps two
• close to restaurants
• breakfast included
• paid parking

You chose the cabin. Your friend prefers the hotel because it is cheaper and closer to restaurants.

Do not list all ten facts. Choose the comparison points that matter to this listener.

Possible plan:

• Choice: cabin.
• Outcome: more comfortable and practical for four people.
• Reason 1: capacity; hotel would require two rooms.
• Reason 2: kitchen/free parking reduce extra costs.
• Acknowledge: hotel rate looks cheaper at first.
• End: cabin gives better total value and access to planned hiking.

A flexible response shape

Here is one possible response—not a script to memorize:

I still think the Lakeside Cabin is the better choice for our weekend. The hotel looks cheaper at first, but it only sleeps two people, so our group would probably need a second room. That could make the total much higher. The cabin also has a kitchen and free parking, which would help us control meal and transportation costs. More importantly, we planned this trip for hiking, and the trails are only fifteen minutes away. The hotel is convenient for restaurants, but that is not our main goal. For our group, the cabin gives us more space, a better location, and stronger overall value. I think we should book it before it is taken.

Notice what the answer does:

• opens with the choice;
• acknowledges the friend's strongest point;
• compares total cost, not only advertised price;
• connects location to the purpose of the trip;
• closes with a clear recommendation.

How to choose quickly in the first stage

Use three filters:

1. Which option has two strong advantages?

You need enough material for development. If one choice has only one attractive detail, the other may be easier to defend.

2. Which option fits the listener's likely needs?

Think about the situation:

• family → safety, space, convenience;
• student → cost, schedule, learning value;
• colleague → reliability, efficiency, professional impact;
• friend → shared interests, comfort, experience.

3. Which vocabulary can you use confidently?

An argument with clear everyday language is stronger than one filled with uncertain words. Choose the option you can explain naturally.

Build comparison points, not separate descriptions

Weak planning:

• “The cabin has a kitchen.”
• “The hotel has breakfast.”

Stronger comparison:

• “Breakfast is included at the hotel, but the cabin's kitchen lets four people prepare several meals, so it may save more over the full weekend.”

The stronger version shows a relationship. It also explains why the detail matters.

Use comparison language such as:

• although;
• while;
• compared with;
• unlike;
• on the other hand;
• at first glance;
• in the long run;
• more suitable for;
• the bigger advantage is.

Do not force a connector into every sentence. One clear contrast is enough to establish comparison.

Develop each reason with “detail → effect”

A reason becomes persuasive when you explain its consequence.

Turn one row into two or three sentences:

The cabin sleeps all four of us. If we choose the hotel, we may need two rooms, which could remove the apparent price advantage. Staying together will also make the weekend easier to organize.

That is development. Repeating “The cabin is bigger and better” is not.

Address the other person's best point

Persuasion sounds more natural when you show that you heard the other side.

Use this three-part move:

1. acknowledge the benefit;
2. limit its importance;
3. return to your stronger reason.

Example:

I agree that the hotel is closer to restaurants. However, we are planning to spend most of Saturday on the trails, and the cabin puts us much closer to that activity.

Avoid pretending the other option has no advantages. That makes the response sound less credible.

A 60-second planning grid

When practising, divide your notes into four tiny boxes:

Add one word for the counterpoint: restaurants.

That is enough. Full sentences in your notes consume time and encourage reading instead of speaking.

Timing your response

A practical speaking arc is:

• Opening: choice and listener benefit.
• Middle 1: first comparison with effect.
• Middle 2: second comparison with effect.
• Counterpoint: acknowledge and answer the competing benefit.
• Close: concise recommendation.

Do not chase an exact sentence count. Practise finishing the argument cleanly before the timer ends.

Common problems and repairs

Problem 1: describing instead of persuading

Symptom: you list features without explaining which option is better.

Repair: after every feature, add “which means…” or “so…”.

Problem 2: changing your choice halfway through

Symptom: the new option has one attractive feature and you abandon your original plan.

Repair: your job is to defend the selected choice. Acknowledge the feature, then compare total fit.

Problem 3: using three weak reasons

Symptom: each reason gets one short sentence.

Repair: use two reasons and develop each with a consequence or example.

Problem 4: repeating “better”

Symptom: “It is better because the price is better and the location is better.”

Repair: name the value precisely: more affordable, more practical, closer, roomier, quieter, safer, more flexible.

Problem 5: sounding memorized

Symptom: the response uses a polished opening that does not match the situation.

Repair: practise the framework across unrelated choices. Keep the logic; change the language.

Problem 6: forgetting the listener

Symptom: your reasons reflect only your preference.

Repair: use “for us,” “for your schedule,” or “because you mentioned…” when appropriate.

Useful language by function

State the choice

• “I think we should go with…”
• “For our situation, … is the stronger option.”
• “I would still recommend…”

Compare

• “Although …, … gives us…”
• “Compared with …, this option…”
• “The main difference is…”

Explain impact

• “That means we would…”
• “This would make it easier to…”
• “In the long run, that could…”

Acknowledge

• “I understand why you prefer…”
• “You are right that…”
• “That is a real advantage, but…”

Close

• “Overall, it fits our needs more closely.”
• “For those reasons, I think we should choose…”
• “Let's book it while it is still available.”

Choose phrases you can pronounce comfortably. Natural control matters more than collecting a long list.

A four-round practice drill

Round 1 — structure only

Look at two options and speak for 30 seconds: choice + two reasons.

Round 2 — add effects

Repeat, adding one consequence to each reason.

Round 3 — add the competing option

Introduce a third option and acknowledge its best feature before defending your choice.

Round 4 — new topic, same framework

Switch from accommodation to a course, gift, vehicle, event, or community project. If the structure still works, you learned a transferable method.

Record every round. Listen for:

• direct opening;
• two developed comparisons;
• listener relevance;
• repeated words;
• unfinished final sentence.

Self-review checklist

• Did I state my choice early?
• Did I compare instead of list?
• Did I develop two reasons?
• Did I explain why each reason matters?
• Did I address the other option's strongest point?
• Did I speak to the listener's needs?
• Did I finish with a clear recommendation?
• Did my wording sound flexible rather than memorized?

Practise next

Open the Speaking practice path and record Task 5 twice. On the second attempt, keep your choice but replace one reason. That tests whether you own the framework rather than a script.

For more screen-speaking practice, read how to sound natural when speaking to a screen.

FreeCELPIPTest is an independent preparation resource. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Paragon Testing Enterprises, and its feedback is not an official score.