Start with what's already moving
Something in the picture has already begun, so you can be nearly certain. "Is about to" says the action has started and only needs a second to finish.
CELPIP GymSpeaking courseLesson 4 · Speaking Task 4, making predictions
Say what happens next, and why
Most people describe the picture a second time and add one "will" at the end. Run it forward instead: sure about the next few seconds, careful about tonight, with a clue behind every guess.
5 minutes to read
1
A range of certainty, from will to might
Don't say "will" eight times. Rank your guesses: "is about to" for what's already moving, "will" for what can't be stopped, then "will probably", "may well" and "might" as you look further ahead. In the thirty seconds of preparation, find three things that are halfway through happening. Scroll to run one picture forward.
Why it scores. Predicting is the whole task, so the language of the future is what the raters get to hear. Five ways of saying it give them more than one word repeated, and matching each to how sure you are shows you control what it means.
VocabularyTask Fulfillment
Say will when nothing can stop it
A toboggan that's sliding can't change its mind. Keep "will" for guesses you'd bet on, and it keeps its force.
Drop to probably
Dogs have choices, so this one isn't certain. "Will probably" says so, and the clue after "since" says why you think it anyway.
Go softer as you go further
Minutes from now, more could change. "May well" is a step down from "probably", and it's a phrase few people think to use.
End on might
The furthest guess is the least sure. "Might" and "could" fit it, and the listener hears that you know the difference.
By dark
And as it gets dark, it might even start to snow, so the last few families could head home early.
2
A clue in the picture for each guess
A guess with no reason sounds made up. Tie each one to something the listener could point at, with a joining word: since, because, judging by, given that. Put the clue in the present tense and the guess in the future, and one sentence does both jobs.
Why it scores. A reason turns a list of guesses into an answer that holds together, and a joined sentence with two tenses shows more range than two short ones.
Content/CoherenceVocabulary
Since its leash is trailing on the snow, the dog will probably keep running.
Judging by the sign, they'll sell out before the line is gone.
Given that the sun's already low, the lamps will be on within the hour.
- since
- because
- judging by
- given that
- seeing as
3
Soon, then later
Order the minute by time, not by where things sit in the picture. Say the markers out loud: in the next few seconds, a bit later, within the hour, by the time it's dark. Finish on one "will have": by then, most families will have gone home.
Why it scores. Time markers tell the listener where you are in the answer, and "will have" is a harder form of the future that raters can hear you using.
Content/CoherenceListenability
- In the next few secondsthe toboggan will hit the snowman.
- A bit laterthe dog will probably be gone, carrot and all.
- Within the hourthe stand may well have sold out.
- By the time it's darkmost families will have gone home.
4
Don't describe it again
You described this picture in the last task. If a sentence ends in the present tense, it's describing. The present is allowed in one place only: inside a clue, after since or judging by. Every main verb points forward.
Why it scores. The task asks what happens next, so a sentence about what's already there doesn't answer it, and those seconds don't come back.
Task Fulfillment
What's thereWhat happens next
The man is building a snowman.
He's going to have to start all over again.
There's a sign on the stand.
Judging by the sign, they'll sell out soon.
The sun is low.
Since the sun is low, the lamps will come on soon.
The usual trap: one story, stretched
You say the toboggan will crash, and at forty seconds you're still on the toboggan. One story runs out fast. Leave the thirty seconds with three things that are moving, and change story the moment one runs dry.
The clock, spent well
30 seconds to prepare, 60 to speak30 secondsPreparing: three things that are already moving.
The first 20 secondsWhat's about to happen, and what will.
About 28 secondsFurther ahead and less sure: will probably, may well.
The last 12End on might, and one "will have".
Quick hacks for Task 4
Smaller than a move, and just as easy to forget on the day.
- ScreenSame picture, new job
You described it a minute ago, so you know where everything is. Spend the preparing time on what's moving, not on looking.
- MarksA prediction can't be marked wrong
It only has to be likely and have a clue behind it. Choose the guess you have the words for.
- WordsPeople first, weather last
People give you the most to predict: where they'll go, what they'll buy, who they'll run into. The sky is one sentence.
- Words"Is going to" counts
It sits between about to and will, and it's the future you use every day. Don't leave it out for sounding easy.
- If it slipsOut of predictions? Predict a reaction
Someone in the picture will notice what you just predicted. Say what they'll do about it.
Take this into the test
- 1In the thirty seconds: three things already moving.
- 2Near and sure, then far and careful: about to, will, probably, may well, might.
- 3Clue in the present, guess in the future.