Speaking Task 8 is called Describing an Unusual Situation. You get 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. This guide gives you a simple plan, a short worked example and the mistakes to avoid.
1.What the task is
In this task you describe an unusual situation. You prepare for 30 seconds. Then you speak for 60 seconds. Your goal is to make the situation clear to a listener who was not there.
2.How it is scored
Your answer is scored on four things:
- Content and Coherence. Your ideas make sense and follow a clear order.
- Vocabulary. You use words that fit the situation and you choose them with care.
- Listenability. This covers rhythm, pronunciation, intonation, pauses and self correction.
- Task Fulfillment. You do what the task asks.
Accent is not scored. Levels 4 to 12 map one to one to CLB 4 to 12.
3.A plan that fits most tasks
Use the 30 seconds to write key words only. Do not write full sentences. Then follow this order:
- Set the scene. Say where you are, when it happens and who is there.
- Say what is unusual. Name the strange thing early so the listener knows why you are telling the story.
- Add details. Describe what you see, hear or notice. Use colours, sizes, sounds and actions.
- Say what happens. Explain how people react and what happens next.
- Finish. End with how you feel or what you think about it.
Speak until the time is over. If you make a small mistake, fix it quickly and keep going. Use short pauses to think, and use linking words such as first, then, after that and in the end.
4.A worked example
Task (written for this guide): Describe an unusual situation you saw in your apartment building.
Model answer (written for this guide):
"I want to describe something strange I saw last week. I walked into the lobby of my apartment building, and a large white goat was standing next to the mailboxes. It was chewing on a flyer. A man in a yellow raincoat stood beside it and looked very embarrassed. He told me the goat belonged to his cousin, who lives on the top floor. It had escaped from a small truck outside. At first, I was shocked. Then I started to laugh. Together we led the goat back to the truck. Everyone in the building talked about it all day. It was the strangest morning I have ever had."
5.Why this example works
- It names the unusual thing right away, then adds the place and the people.
- The details are specific: a white goat, a yellow raincoat, a chewed flyer.
- The order is clear. It moves from the scene to the problem to the ending.
- Linking words such as "at first" and "then" help the listener follow.
- The last sentence gives a personal comment and closes the story.
6.Common mistakes
- Writing full sentences in the preparation time and then reading them in a flat voice.
- Starting with a long background story before saying what is unusual.
- Listing facts with no details, so the listener cannot picture the scene.
- Telling events in a mixed order.
- Stopping early and leaving the rest of the time empty.
- Going silent after a mistake instead of fixing it and moving on.
- Worrying about your accent. It is not scored, so focus on clear rhythm and steady pauses.
- Repeating basic words such as "good" and "big" when a more exact word is available.
7.Next step
Practise with a timer for preparation and speaking: Try a free Describing an Unusual Situation set. Record yourself, listen again and check the four scoring areas one by one.