Open by speaking to them directly, matching the relationship.
CELPIP wiki
CELPIP Speaking Task 6 Difficult Situation Guide
Task 6 is stronger when you commit to one option quickly and talk directly to the person named in the prompt, instead of describing the dilemma to nobody in particular.
Quick answer
Choose one option, then deliver the decision to the person, not about them.
Short answer: CELPIP Speaking Task 6 gives you a difficult situation with two options: choose one, then speak directly to the person named in the prompt — greet them, explain the situation and your decision, give one or two practical reasons, and acknowledge the inconvenience politely. Answers weaken most when they describe the dilemma instead of talking to the listener.
This is a communication task, not an essay. The rater is listening for whether a real person on the other end would understand the decision and stay on good terms with you.
Structure
A practical Task 6 structure protects clarity under timing
Summarize the situation in a line and commit to your choice.
Offer one or two reasons that fit this person's situation.
Acknowledge the impact, offer an alternative if natural, and close politely.
Tone and scoring
Tone that fits the relationship is half of this task
The same decision sounds different delivered to a boss, a neighbour, or a close friend. Raters hear tone control: softeners like I am really sorry, I know this is short notice, and would it work if signal exactly the register this task is testing.
Scoring relevance
Task fulfillment depends on actually delivering the decision to the listener; listenability improves when the tone matches the relationship in the prompt.
What to review after recording
Did the answer greet the person? Was the decision stated early and kept? Would the listener still feel respected afterwards?
Common mistakes
Task 6 answers usually weaken in the same three ways
No addressee
The answer explains the dilemma in the third person and never actually speaks to anyone.
Refusing to choose
The answer weighs both options to the end, so no decision is ever communicated.
Tone mismatch
The delivery is blunt with a friend or overly casual with a manager, so the softening work never happens.
What to do next
Use one recording to check the structure, then fix one thing
Need better speaking support?
Open the speaking target-9 page if the structure is clear but the delivery still sounds thin or hesitant.
Open target 9+Need wider speaking diagnosis?
Use the speaking score guide if Task 6 is part of a broader task-fit or structure problem.
Open speaking score guideFAQ
Task 6 questions
Do I have to pick one of the two options?
Yes. Commit early. The task is scored on how you communicate a decision, and an answer with no decision leaves the task unfinished.
Should the answer be formal or casual?
Match the relationship in the prompt: warmer and softer with friends and family, more measured with a manager or stranger, polite in every case.
What if both options seem bad?
That is the design of the task. Pick the option you can justify more easily and spend the time on reasons and tone instead of on the dilemma.