Full transcript
0:00On January 14th, 2026, I opened my
0:03CELPIP results and couldn't believe it.
0:06Like many of you, I only had 2 weeks to
0:09prepare and I felt incredibly stressed
0:12at first. But when I saw the results, I
0:15was genuinely surprised. I scored a 12
0:17in writing, speaking, and the average
0:19score, and then 11 in everything else.
0:23Today, I'm giving you the exact
0:25templates and strategies I used to make
0:28that happen. If you are looking for a
0:30CELPIP results at 9 or above, these are
0:33the shortcuts that actually work.
0:36>> [music]
0:41>> I'm Carson, your CELPIP 9 plus coach.
0:43Welcome to C1 ICC.
0:48The big picture for listening is this.
0:50There are six parts and the audio plays
0:53only once. The materials range from a
0:56quick 30-second chats to several minutes
0:59of heavy information. The most important
1:01thing to remember is you cannot and
1:04should not rely only on your memory.
1:07Because this is exactly where your
1:09note-taking paper plays a crucial role.
1:12Although you are given only one piece of
1:15note-taking paper at the check-in, the
1:17supply is actually unlimited. I
1:20recommend you get at least five more
1:21pieces of note-taking paper as long as
1:23you log in and begin the test with the
1:25PIN number they provide you. You can
1:27raise your hand and ask the invigilator
1:30for three to five more paper. Trust me,
1:33you are going to need them. The most
1:35important templates for listening are
1:37your note-taking layouts. You shouldn't
1:39just scribble. You need to organize your
1:42notes as you hear them. In task one,
1:45task two, and task three, you want to
1:47use the two-column T-charts. Put speaker
1:49A, the person seeking help, on the left
1:51and speaker B, the helper or the expert,
1:54on the right. It helps you track the
1:56problem versus the solution in real
1:59time. For tasks four and six, use a
2:02simple vertical split. It ensures that
2:05your notes are short and effective, and
2:08you can also draw a horizontal line
2:10every time a new perspective is
2:12mentioned.
2:13Well, for task four, news item, focus on
2:16the change between six W's to capture
2:19those changes in the story. And then for
2:22task six, viewpoints, you're going to
2:24focus on different stakeholders'
2:26viewpoints for sure. And also be sure to
2:29note down names, just the pronunciation,
2:32not the spelling though, because part
2:33six has many questions asking
2:36specifically what a named person thought
2:39about the issue. For task five, video,
2:43you need to use a three-column layout.
2:45Identify the three people immediately by
2:48their names, their clothing, and most
2:51importantly, match their position on the
2:54screen with the column arrangement of
2:56yours before the conversation begins. In
2:59that way, you don't mix up who's at
3:01what. For you to write fast enough, you
3:04need a system of symbols. Don't write
3:07full words whenever possible. Use an up
3:09or down arrow for increase or decrease,
3:11w/ for with, and b/c for because.
3:16Here is the template of the most common
3:18ones I use. Screen capture this and
3:21start building your own system. Last but
3:23not least, remember your notes don't
3:25need to be pretty at all. They just need
3:27to be readable. If you put speaker A's
3:30point in a speaker B's column, just
3:32don't panic. Just draw an arrow to the
3:34right place and keep moving on. Mistakes
3:37happen. Focus on capturing the next
3:39piece of information rather than fixing
3:42the last one. Here is a summary of
3:44everything we discussed regarding the
3:46listening part.
3:56>> For reading, there are four parts,
3:58ranging from 8 to 13 minutes each. Now,
4:01most people would tell you don't read
4:03the whole text, just jump between the
4:06questions and the passage.
4:08I don't fully agree.
4:10Why? Because the questions are full of
4:13blanks and distractors designed to
4:16confuse you.
4:17If you keep jumping back and forth, you
4:19are chopping your attention into smaller
4:22pieces and never actually understand the
4:25whole context. So, the strategy that
4:27works best for me is to read the text
4:29first for roughly 1 to 3 minutes, but do
4:33it actively.
4:34Active reading means understanding the
4:37theme and making predictions. If the
4:40text is, for example, a letter from a
4:43grandfather to a grandson, you can use
4:45your life experience and predict that he
4:47might be giving some advice to the
4:49grandson, talking about his graduation,
4:52or send him an invitation for a short
4:54trip together. Passive reading is like a
4:57ship without a compass.
4:58>> Oh dear, where am I?
5:03That hurt.
5:05>> Active reading gives you a map.
5:15You aren't just reading words, you're
5:17reading to confirm or disconfirm your
5:20predictions. As you read, assign each
5:22paragraph a paragraph goal. Label it
5:25with one to three-word phrase.
5:27For example, if this is an article about
5:29penguins, if paragraph A mentions
5:33melting ice, you can label it as
5:35environment. Paragraph B mentions
5:38research prices, you can label it costs.
5:42When the question asks about financial
5:43obstacles, your map sends you straight
5:46to paragraph B. No more guessing is
5:48required. It can makes you a lot faster
5:51and it is also the exact skill you need
5:53for task three. Finally, remember
5:56synonyms are everything. If the question
5:58ask about cost, don't just look for word
6:01cost. Look for expenditure or budgetary
6:05constraints. Here is a checklist of the
6:07common synonyms that I believe you need
6:09to know. And here is the summary for the
6:11reading part.
6:19Writing has two tasks with roughly 30
6:21minutes for each. You have the built-in
6:24spell check and word counter function.
6:27Just be sure to use them. My number one
6:29rule is very simple. Never write a giant
6:33wall of text. Use three to four
6:35paragraphs to keep your organization
6:37clear. Also, make sure you hit your word
6:39count without going over. It is 150 to
6:42200 words. A general rule that I keep in
6:45mind is to write minimum two sentences
6:48for every single point that the prompt
6:50ask you to cover. Now, let's talk about
6:52templates. For task one email, you need
6:55a dynamic framework that matches your
6:58specific goal. For a request, start with
7:01I am writing to formally request item in
7:04light of the reason.
7:06Close with I appreciate your
7:07consideration and look forward to your
7:10positive response. For a complaint,
7:12start with I am writing to express my
7:15dissatisfaction
7:16regarding the issue. Close firmly with I
7:18trust the matter will receive your
7:20immediate attention and look forward to
7:22a prompt resolution.
7:24And then for advice, start with I am
7:26reaching out to suggest a potential
7:28improvement for the process you want to
7:31improve.
7:32And close with I hope these suggestions
7:34prove useful and I'm happy to discuss
7:37them further at your convenience. For
7:39task two the survey, I believe it's is
7:41easier, because one power template works
7:44for almost any topic. Generally, I start
7:47strong. I would like to register my
7:49unequivocal support for option A or B,
7:51as I believe it would be substantially
7:53more beneficial to the community or to
7:56any stakeholders involved.
7:58Then you can use a clash conclusion to
8:00acknowledge the other side while staying
8:02firm on your own choice. While the
8:05alternative option certainly has its
8:07merits, the benefits of option A or B
8:11are simply too compelling to ignore.
8:13These nuances show the rater that you
8:16don't just know English, instead you
8:19understand professional communication,
8:21and that is exactly the difference
8:23between an okay score and a great score.
8:26Here is the summary for the writing
8:27session.
8:28>> [music]
8:42>> Number four, speaking. We finally made
8:44it. The last session is speaking.
8:47It is eight tasks long and it moves
8:50really fast. My biggest basic tip is
8:53keep talking because silence is the
8:56biggest score killer.
8:58It is natural to hesitate or stumble a
9:00little. If you use the wrong tense or
9:02say a wrong word, you can say, "Sorry, I
9:04mean." and then correct yourself and
9:06keep the momentum going. Just watch the
9:08clock and don't rush. Speak at a normal
9:11speed and try to wrap up right before
9:13the time hits zero.
9:15Here is the quick template for all the
9:17eight tasks.
9:19For task one, giving advice, start with,
9:21"I would love to offer some suggestions
9:23based on my experience." Stick to two or
9:27maximum three points. Don't go beyond.
9:30Task two, past experience, you can use
9:32the past tense. Start with, "I can never
9:34forget the time when I" describe the
9:37thing, and then use a reflection clause.
9:39Reflecting on it now, I realized that
9:41experience taught me the importance of
9:44and then talk about the value you want
9:45to talk about.
9:46For task three, description of a
9:47picture, use spatial connectors like in
9:50the bottom right corner or adjacent to
9:53the tree, so you can guide the reader's
9:55eyes.
9:56Task four, making prediction of the same
9:58picture in the previous task, you need
10:00to switch to the future tense. I believe
10:02it is likely that the man will or the
10:04man is going to
10:06Task five is going to be persuasion. You
10:08need to focus on comparison. You can use
10:10the while sentence again. While option B
10:12has a minor benefit, option A offers a
10:15major benefit, which I know is important
10:18for you.
10:19Task six, difficult situation, keep your
10:21tone empathetic. I'm sorry to inform
10:23you, but unfortunately
10:25mention why you're sorry.
10:27Task seven, opinions, give deep opinions
10:30with examples rather than a long list of
10:33shallow ideas. Aim for two and maximum
10:35three strong points.
10:37For task eight, unusual situation, you
10:40must describe the image and complete a
10:43side mission, like inviting a friend or
10:45asking for advice. My suggestion is to
10:47use your first and last sentence to
10:50complete that side mission. It ensures
10:53that you don't forget that while freeing
10:55up the middle part of your speech for
10:57describing the picture.
10:59Use those task three spatial connectors,
11:01too. They'll be useful in this task as
11:03well. Here is the summary.
11:09If you have made it this far, you are
11:11clearly serious about your success in
11:13CELPIP. Thank you so much for sticking
11:15around. To help you study, I have put
11:17together a CELPIP strategy PDF file that
11:21captures every template and [music]
11:23strategy that we discussed today, plus
11:26even more detailed examples to guide
11:28your practice. Use the link in the
11:30description to grab your copy. If this
11:33video helped you, please subscribe,
11:35like, and share it with someone else who
11:37is also preparing for their own CELPIP
11:38test.
11:39>> [music]
11:39>> I'm Carson from See Network ICC, and
11:41I'll see you in the next one.