Looking at the picture, I think several things are likely to happen next. First, the passengers whose trains are departing soon will probably gather their belongings and head toward the platforms. The man with the suitcase, for example, seems to be checking his information before leaving, while the woman pointing toward the station may be directing someone toward the correct departure area. I also expect some passengers travelling to Montreal to look for more information because their departure is currently delayed. They may approach the information desk or check the departure board again to find out when their train will actually leave. Meanwhile, passengers waiting for the other trains will probably continue preparing to board. Some may collect their luggage, while others will finish their coffee or put away their phones and newspapers. Overall, I think the station will become increasingly busy as passengers leave the waiting area and make their way to their respective platforms.
Speaking Task 4: Making Predictions
Speaking Task 4: Making Predictions is part of the Speaking section of the CELPIP test. You get 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. It is scored on Content / Coherence, Vocabulary, Listenability, Task Fulfillment.
- Preparation
- 30 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Prompts here
- 23 published
The three-move prediction
- 1
One line on the scene, then stop describing
Task 4 is not Task 3. Describing for thirty seconds costs you the part being scored.
- 2
Predict, with the clue that makes it likely
Our CLB 11 answer reads the crowd, not the weather: "the real subject of this picture isn't the rain, it's the waiting."
- 3
Hedge the least certain prediction
"Probably", "I imagine", "it looks as though" are not weakness here — they are the grammar the task is testing.
Every prediction needs the clue it came from.
An unsupported guess scores as description, not prediction.
Equip yourself with the future forms, modal verbs and probability language you need to predict what happens next in a picture for CELPIP Speaking Task 4.
Task 4 follows on from the scene in Task 3: you predict what will happen next. Lean on future modals (will, might, is going to) and probability adverbs (likely, probably) to show a range of certainty.
- Answer the question actually asked: what will happen NEXT, not what is happening now — one short sentence of setup is enough before you start predicting.
- Use a range of future forms and hedges: "will probably", "is likely to", "I expect", "they may", "might".
- Tie each prediction to something visible in the picture, then give the reason — "since their train is delayed, they will probably check the board again".
- Predict for two or three different people or areas rather than one, and close with a general prediction about how the whole scene will change.
- 1Spending most of the time on what the picture shows rather than what happens next.
- 2Making one prediction and then repeating it in different words.
- 3Using only "will", when the task rewards a range of future forms.
- Content / Coherence
- Whether your ideas are relevant, developed and logically ordered.
- Vocabulary
- The range and accuracy of your word choice under time pressure.
- Listenability
- How easy you are to follow as speech: grammar, flow, pacing, pauses and fillers.
- Task Fulfillment
- Whether you answered the actual question and covered what was asked.
These are the answers our scorer was calibrated against. Reading a CLB 5 beside a CLB 11 for the same prompt is the fastest way to see what a level actually means. CLB 9 is marked as the target because it is the level that earns maximum language points for Express Entry.
Now do it yourself and find out where you land
A model answer shows you the target. It cannot tell you whether your own response hits it — that is a CLB level for each criterion, with the sentences that earned it.
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Create your free account →- How certain should my predictions sound?
- Vary your certainty. Use strong forms ("will", "is going to") for obvious outcomes and hedged forms ("might", "could", "probably") for less certain ones — the range itself demonstrates control.
- What is the difference between Task 3 and Task 4 vocabulary?
- Task 3 describes the present scene; Task 4 projects into the future, so it relies on modal verbs and prediction phrases rather than location language.
- ·What Happens Next on the Christmas Street
- ·The Rest of the Family's Evening
- ·What Happens Next in the Thanksgiving Backyard
- ·What Happens Next in the Library
- ·What Happens Next in the Downtown Parade
- ·Finishing the Park Cleanup
- ·The Coffee Shop — What Happens Next
- ·After the Energy Lesson
- ·The Zoo — What Happens Next
- ·The Rest of the Day at Sea
- ·The Circus — What Happens Next
- ·After the Light Changes
- ·The Campus — What Happens Next
- ·The Afternoon in the Park
- ·The Falls — What Happens Next
- ·The Snow Keeps Falling
- ·The Hotel Lobby — What Happens Next
- ·Finishing the Workout
- ·The Clinic — What Happens Next
- ·After the Meeting
- ·The Market — What Happens Next
- ·Closing the Sale