I understand why our family prefers the HORIZON 7. It has an impressive 600-kilometre driving range, very fast charging, and enough space for seven people. However, I believe that Choice 2, the NOVA 5, would be a better choice for our family. First, the NOVA 5 is significantly more affordable. It costs $48,000, while the HORIZON 7 costs $58,000. We could save $10,000, which is a considerable amount of money. Second, the NOVA 5 still has an excellent driving range of 520 kilometres, which should be more than enough for our daily needs and most long trips. It also charges to 80% in only 25 minutes, so we would not have to wait very long during road trips. I agree that the HORIZON 7 has more space and seven seats. However, since our family does not necessarily need seven seats every day, I do not think it is worth paying an extra $10,000. For these reasons, I strongly recommend the NOVA 5. It offers a long driving range, fast charging, modern technology, and excellent value for money while saving us a significant amount of money.
Speaking Task 5: Comparing and Persuading
Speaking Task 5: Comparing and Persuading belongs to the Speaking component of CELPIP. The task gives you 60 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. Responses are rated on 4 areas: Content / Coherence, Vocabulary, Listenability, Task Fulfillment.
- Preparation
- 60 seconds
- Speaking time
- 60 seconds
- Prompts here
- 23 published
Decide, lead, contrast
Our method for this task — study advice, not an official rule.
- 1
State your choice straight away
You are trying to win someone over, and that starts with telling them what you recommend. Thinking aloud about both options spends the time you need for reasons.
- 2
Open with your best argument and label it
"The main reason is…" tells the listener which point to weigh most. Weaker answers give reasons in the order they occur to the speaker, with the strongest buried at the end.
- 3
Point to a real drawback of the other option
Use a detail from the option you were shown — its price, its size, its timing. Criticism the listener can check persuades; criticism you made up does not.
Put your strongest reason first, and call it that.
Signposting tells the listener how to rank your points.
This list collects the words and frames you need to set two options side by side and then talk a listener round to your choice. Each entry shows how to weigh prices, features and long-term value in plain spoken English.
Pick four or five entries and build a mini script around them: one comparison linker, one value phrase and one persuasive opener. Say the script aloud with different products or plans until the words come without effort. Swap in fresh entries each week so your range keeps growing.
- Name the family's choice and grant it something true — the longest range, the fastest charging, seven seats — before arguing against it.
- Two or three features said in terms of your family's week, not read off the list.
- Meet the price difference head on. Ten thousand dollars is the family's strongest card and needs an answer, not a detour.
- Seats are the argument the specification hides: ask how many days a year you actually need seven.
- 1Listing both options' features side by side and never recommending one.
- 2Spending more time attacking the other choice than defending your own.
- 3Forgetting there is a real person on the other side who has to decide.
- Content / Coherence
- How relevant, developed and well organised your ideas are.
- Vocabulary
- How varied and precise your words are while you speak in real time.
- Listenability
- How easily a listener can follow you: sentence control, flow, pace, and how often you pause or fill silence.
- Task Fulfillment
- Whether you answered what the prompt actually asked, and all of it.
One strong response to this prompt, written for our own question bank to show a way through it. It is not a Paragon answer and not an official benchmark; a real response is judged on the four areas listed above.
Try one yourself, under the clock
Reading a good answer is not the same as producing one. Write or record your own answer and get an estimated CLB level on each rating area, with the lines that decided it.
Start with a free account
Practise on questions built like the real test, have your Writing and Speaking marked by AI, and see how far you are from the CLB you need.
Create your free account →- What is Speaking Task 5 called, and where does it sit in the test?
- Paragon names it Comparing and Persuading, and it is the fifth of eight speaking tasks in a Speaking test of about 15 minutes. The test is computer-delivered, so you speak to a microphone rather than to an examiner in the room.
- How should I use these words without sounding like I memorized a list?
- Attach each word to a concrete detail about the options, such as a price, a size or a feature. A phrase like cost savings sounds natural when it is followed by a real reason. Paragon also advises paraphrasing instead of repeating the prompt, and these entries give you the synonyms to do that.
- What do the CLB levels on each word mean?
- They are {brand}'s own estimates of the level at which a learner can usually use the item accurately in speech. They are not official Paragon labels. Use them to spot easy wins and stretch items, not as a promise of any result.
- ·Choosing a Weekend Getaway
- ·Choosing an English Course
- ·Choosing a Training Workshop
- ·Choosing an After-School Activity
- ·Renovating the Kitchen
- ·Buying a Camera
- ·Choosing New Flooring
- ·Choosing a Barbecue for the Backyard
- ·Choosing an Electric Bicycle
- ·Choosing a Concert to Attend
- ·Choosing a new cell phone
- ·Choosing a sofa set
- ·Choosing a scooter for your son
- ·Hiring a landscaper
- ·Choosing a recreation centre
- ·Choosing a family vacation
- ·Choosing an apartment to buy
- ·Choosing a new office printer
- ·Choosing a home security system
- ·Choosing a backyard renovation
- ·Choosing a new family vehicle
- ·Choosing a summer vacation rental