Start both conversations
Say the first sentence to each person in your head. One keeps going. The other stops after five words. That's already most of your answer.
CELPIP GymSpeaking courseLesson 6 · Speaking Task 6, a difficult situation
Choose, then talk to the person
Neither person in this task is the wrong one, so stop looking for the right one. Take the one you can actually explain to, then stop reporting and start talking.
5 minutes to read
I would tell them…Jordan, I…
1
Pick the one that's easier to explain
There's no separate time to choose. It comes out of your sixty seconds of preparation, so spend the first twenty starting each conversation in your head. Take the person you can keep talking to, with real reasons and a fix, even if the other one feels more correct. Scroll to see one choice made.
Why it scores. Neither person is a wrong answer, so the better choice is the one that gives you more to say and more ways to say it.
Content/CoherenceTask Fulfillment
Count what you've got
For each person, count real reasons and a fix. Jordan's list fills up. Renée's has one item on it, and it doesn't help you.
Choose, and stop looking back
Take Jordan and put Renée out of your mind. You lose nothing by taking the easier one, and you gain a minute you can fill.
Turn the sentence around
The plan in your head still says "I would tell them that…" Nobody talks to a friend like that. Say the name first, and the rest of the sentence turns with it.
Talk to Jordan
You're in the car now. Name, feeling, reason, fix. A minute goes by much faster when it's a conversation.
Speaking, 1:00
JordanSay the drives have to change
- three late mornings
- the warning
- leave at 7:40
RenéeAsk for a later start
- a friend who's slow
You've been driving your friend Jordan to work for a year. Jordan often comes out late, and you've now been late three times this month. Your supervisor, Renée, says one more and you lose your morning shift. Talk to one of them.
IwouldtellthemthatJordan,I feel awful bringing this up.
Out loudJordan, I feel awful bringing this up, but I've been late three times this month, and one more could cost me my shift. So from Monday I need to leave at 7:40. If you're at the curb, I'd love to keep driving you.
2
Speak to them, not about them
"I would tell them that I feel bad" is a report to whoever's marking you. Say the name once, use "you", and put it in the present: "Jordan, I feel awful about this." If you hear yourself say "I would tell", you've left the room.
Why it scores. The task is to speak to this person, so talking to them directly is what it asks for, and it's what lets your tone sound real.
Task FulfillmentListenability
I would tell them I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry, Jordan.
I would explain that I keep being late.
I keep being late, and it's starting to cost me.
I would suggest that they be ready by 7:40.
Could you be at the curb by 7:40?
3
Feeling, reason, fix
Three beats, in this order. How you feel about saying this. The one reason that makes it necessary. And what you'll do so they aren't left with a problem. End on the fix, and the hard news arrives with its answer attached.
Why it scores. The beats give your minute a shape a listener can follow, and the fix shows you're solving the problem, not just announcing it.
Content/CoherenceTask Fulfillment
- FeelingJordan, I feel awful bringing this up, because I love our drives.
- ReasonI've been late three times, and one more could cost me my shift.
- FixSo I'm leaving at 7:40 from Monday. If you're at the curb, the ride's yours.
4
Softeners that keep it kind
A hard sentence needs a soft edge: "I've noticed", "would it be all right if", "I'm afraid", "I completely understand". Soften how you say it, never what you've decided. "I might possibly not" leaves Jordan guessing.
Why it scores. Tone is part of task fulfillment here, and polite forms are the vocabulary of a hard conversation. They show you can be firm and kind in one sentence.
VocabularyTask Fulfillment
You're always late.
I've noticed you've been running a bit behind lately.
You have to be ready.
Would it be all right if we said 7:40 at the curb?
I won't wait any more.
I'm afraid I can't wait past 7:40 any more.
"I might possibly not be able to, maybe."Soft edge, firm decision
The usual trap: ending on the bad news
If the problem is the last thing Jordan hears, that's the feeling they're left with. Keep the last few seconds for something warm: "Let's talk tonight and work out the mornings."
The clock, spent well
60 seconds to prepare, 60 to speakAbout 20 secondsPreparing: start both conversations in your head, and choose.
About 40 secondsPreparing: feeling, reason, fix, a word each.
About 10 secondsTheir name, and how you feel about saying this.
About 40 secondsThe reason, then the fix.
The last 10Something warm for the two of you.
Quick hacks for Task 6
Smaller than a move, and just as easy to forget on the day.
- VoiceThe slowest minute of your eight
Hard news said fast sounds careless. Let this task run a little slower than the others.
- WordsDon't tell them what they already know
They're in the situation with you. One clause of background, then your feeling.
- WordsOffer two fixes, and let them pick
"I could do Thursday instead, or I could ask Sam to cover." A choice sounds kinder than a plan, and it fills ten seconds.
- If it slipsCame out too hard? Add one soft line
"I'm sorry to spring this on you" repairs a blunt sentence. Don't go back and say the blunt one again.
Take this into the test
- 1In the sixty seconds, start both conversations. Take the one that keeps going.
- 2Say the name. Say you. Never "I would tell them".
- 3Feeling, reason, fix, and a warm last line.