TELPAS speaking prompts and practice for 4th and 5th grade
Speaking prompts with the rubric and a sample answer. Record yourself and play it back, with optional AI practice feedback from the live transcript. Not scored here: on the real test, speaking is scored with a rubric.
Record your answer and play it back—no typing needed. Where supported, turn on automatic transcription to get AI practice feedback on what you said. The feedback reads only the transcript, so it does not judge pronunciation or pace, and it is not an official TELPAS score — on the real test, speaking is scored against a rubric.
Prompt 1 of 6 — Provide and Summarize Information — suggested time about 2 minutes
Listen to the story. On the real test, you would watch a short video. You may listen again before you speak.
The Garage Sale
Press play to listen. You can pause, rewind, and replay as often as you like.
Show transcript
On Saturday morning, Ana and her little brother Beto set up a table in front of their house for a garage sale. Their mom said they could keep the money from selling their old toys.
Beto wanted to sell his old red fire truck. But every time someone picked it up, he grabbed it back. "It still has a working siren," he said. "I don’t think I’m ready to sell it."
By lunchtime, Ana had sold her puzzles and some of her books, and she had eight dollars. Beto had not sold anything.
Then a little boy walked by with his grandmother. When he saw the fire truck, his eyes got big. He pushed the button, and the siren wailed. The boy laughed so hard that his grandmother started laughing too.
Beto watched him for a long moment. Then he said, "You can have it for one dollar."
After they left, Ana asked Beto why he sold the truck for so little. Beto shrugged and smiled. "He likes it more than I do now," he said.
When you are ready to speak, tell as much as you can.
Retell this story, using your own words.
Answer the prompt aloud. After recording, listen back or try another take.
View the practice scoring rubric
| Level | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| 4 — Addresses the task completely |
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| 3 — Addresses the task somewhat successfully |
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| 2 — Addresses the task in a limited way |
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| 1 — Does not yet address the task |
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Show a strong sample response
So, the story is about a brother and sister, Ana and Beto, and they had a garage sale on a Saturday. Their mom said they could keep the money from their old toys. Beto was going to sell his red fire truck, but every time somebody picked it up he took it back, because he wasn’t ready to sell it yet. Ana sold her puzzles and books and she made eight dollars, but Beto didn’t sell anything. Then a little boy came with his grandma, and he pushed the button on the fire truck and the siren went off, and he was laughing really hard. And Beto saw that and he decided to sell it to him for only one dollar. Later, Ana asked him why he sold it so cheap, and he said that the boy likes it more than he does now. So I think he was being really nice.
This retelling covers the beginning, middle and end in the right order, uses the characters’ names, and keeps to the past tense with correct irregular forms (sold, took, made, went). Connecting words (but, because, then, later, so) link the events naturally. It sounds like a fluent fourth or fifth grader talking, not a written summary, and the short opinion at the end goes a little beyond the story.
What to look for
- Listen for the whole story: the problem (Beto will not sell the truck), the turning point (the little boy), and the ending (he sells it for a dollar and says why). Missing the ending is the most common gap.
- Past tense is the main grammar target in a retelling. Note irregular verbs such as sold, took and said.
- Names and specific details (eight dollars, the siren) show the student understood, not just remembered a few words.
- If the student retells only the first half, ask "and then what happened?" once, and note that a prompt was needed.
- Have the student listen to the story twice before speaking, as the real test allows the video to be watched again.
Read next
- TELPAS Speaking Test: Rubric, Prompts and Examples: On the TELPAS speaking test, students in grades 2–12 record spoken answers on a computer, and each answer is scored against the TELPAS speaking rubric. Here is what the speaking prompts ask for, what the scoring looks at, some examples, and how to practice.
- TELPAS Listening and Speaking Test: What to Expect and How to Practice: The TELPAS listening and speaking test is one of the two online TELPAS tests for grades 2–12. Students watch and listen to short videos and answer questions, and record spoken answers, with the two kinds of item mixed through the test. Here is how the test is built, how it is scored, and how to practice for it.
- How to Prepare for TELPAS: Practice and Tips by Domain: TELPAS measures English that a student builds over months and years, so there is no shortcut to a higher rating. What preparation can do is make sure the test itself is familiar, so a student's real English shows. Here is what is worth doing, domain by domain.
This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Texas Education Agency or the official TELPAS program. All questions here are original practice material written to match the published test design.