Writing is the third component of the CELPIP-General test, after Listening and Reading. It has two tasks in 53 minutes: an email, then a response to a survey. Below is a sample prompt for each task with part of a model answer, followed by questions that check how well you know what raters look for.

The prompts and model answers here are original practice written in the official CELPIP format. They are not official CELPIP material.

The two Writing tasks

On the test screen, the background information is on the left and the instructions are on the right. The writing area has basic editing tools, an automatic word count and a spellchecker. Spellcheck doesn’t catch a wrong word that is spelled correctly, so proofread anyway.

How Writing is rated

The official performance standards rate each response on four categories:

• Content/Coherence: the number and quality of your ideas, how well they are organized, and your examples and supporting details.
• Vocabulary: word choice, suitable use of words and phrases, range, and precision.
• Readability: format and paragraphing, connectors and transitions, grammar and sentence structure, and spelling and punctuation.
• Task Fulfillment: relevance, completeness, tone and word count.

Using your time

The official Writing study pack suggests about 4 to 5 minutes planning each response and about 3 minutes checking it at the end. That leaves roughly 18 minutes of writing per task. A simple plan is enough: jot down ideas in point form, pick your main points, put them in order and add a detail for each.

Task 1 practice: an email

Prompt: You recently joined a gym near your home. Last week, the gym cancelled the evening yoga class you signed up for, without telling members in advance. Write an email to the gym’s manager in about 150 to 200 words. Your email should:

• explain why you joined the gym and chose this class;
• describe what happened when you arrived for the class;
• say what you would like the gym to do.

Model answer (opening):

Dear Ms. Harper,

I am writing about the Tuesday evening yoga class at your Bloor Street location. I joined your gym in September mainly because of this class. It starts at 7:30, which is the only time I can exercise after work, and the instructor came highly recommended by a friend.

Last Tuesday, however, I arrived to find the studio locked and a handwritten note on the door saying the class was cancelled. Six other members were waiting with me, and none of us had received an email or a text…

The rest of the answer covers the third point: a clear, polite request, such as a notice by text when a class is cancelled and a credit for the missed session. Notice the choices: one paragraph per point, specific details (the day, the time, the location, six members waiting), and a tone that is firm but polite. For a full model email and the tone rules, see the Writing Task 1 email guide.

Task 2 practice: a survey response

Prompt: Your town is deciding how to use a large empty lot downtown. Choose the option you prefer and explain why, in about 150 to 200 words.

• Option A: a public park with trees, walking paths and a playground
• Option B: a covered parking garage with 300 spaces

Model answer (opening):

I would choose Option A, a public park, because it would make downtown a place people want to stay, not just pass through.

First, our downtown has almost no green space. On summer weekends, families with young children have nowhere to sit outside except the patios of restaurants, which cost money…

The answer goes on with a second reason and an example, then compares the park with the parking garage: more parking would bring cars downtown, but people need a reason to visit, and a park gives them one. It ends by restating the choice. For the full structure, see the Writing Task 2 survey guide.

Free CELPIP Writing practice questions

Common ways to lose marks

• Skipping a point. A Task 1 email that covers two of three points is incomplete, however well written.
• Going off length. Stay within 150 to 200 words. Word count is part of Task Fulfillment, and the counter on screen makes this easy to check.
• The wrong tone. Think about who will read it. A complaint to a manager can be firm, but sarcasm and slang hurt the tone.
• Repeating the prompt. Copying whole phrases from the question adds words without adding ideas. Say it your own way.
• Lists in Task 2. Write full paragraphs. The survey response should read as connected reasons, not point form, and it doesn’t need email format.

Next steps

The practice button below opens our timed Writing tasks: the real 27-minute and 26-minute timers, a live word count and a model answer to compare with when you finish. Go deeper with the Task 1 email guide and the Task 2 survey guide, or try the Speaking practice test. For the whole test, see the CELPIP test guide.