Talking About a Personal Experience That Didn’t Go as Planned

CELPIP Speaking Talking About a Personal Experience That Didn’t Go as Planned

CELPIP Speaking Task 2 Personal Experience

CELPIP Speaking Task 2 often asks you to share a personal experience that highlights your storytelling skills. In this task, you’re expected to describe something that didn’t go as planned-whether during a project, event, or personal goal-and explain how you handled the situation. This type of question allows examiners to evaluate your ability to express yourself clearly, stay organized, and reflect on your experiences naturally. Let’s walk through how to answer this with confidence and clarity.

CELPIP Speaking Talking About a Personal Experience

Talk about a time when something did not happen the way you first expected. Maybe you can talk about something that did not happen according to plan when you were working on a project, or when you were trying to accomplish something. At first, how did you expect things to happen, how did they actually happen, and what was your response?

Tips:

• Choose a simple but relatable situation-like a school project, a group trip, or preparing for a presentation.
• Use transition phrases like: “Initially…”, “However…”, “In the end…” to keep the flow natural.
• Focus on how you responded to the unexpected situation. This shows problem-solving and emotional maturity.
• Keep it conversational, as if you’re telling the story to a friend.

Vocabulary

• Unexpected outcome
• Miscommunication
• Off track / derailed
• Last-minute changes
• Adjustments / improvisation
• Lesson learned / valuable takeaway
• At first I thought… / I expected…

CELPIP Speaking Personal Experience – Talking About a Personal Experience That Didn’t Go as Planned

Sure! I’d like to talk about a group project I worked on in college that didn’t go according to plan. At first, I expected everything to run smoothly-we had a clear topic, divided the tasks evenly, and set deadlines. I was confident that we’d do a great job.

However, a few days before the submission, one of our group members informed us that he couldn’t finish his part due to a family emergency. That really caught us off guard and disrupted our entire schedule. We had to rearrange tasks, work extra hours, and basically redo a large part of the project. It was very stressful.

Although things didn’t go the way I originally expected, we managed to submit the project on time. It wasn’t perfect, but I learned the importance of teamwork, staying flexible, and being prepared for unexpected challenges. In the end, it turned out to be a good learning experience.

Unexpected situations are a part of life, and CELPIP examiners want to see how you handle them and express your thoughts. Sharing a personal story with clear structure and calm reflection is a great way to show your English speaking ability naturally.

Also Check: CELPIP Speaking Comparing Winter Activity