CELPIP Reading Part 2: How to Read the Diagram

What CELPIP Reading Part 2 looks like

Part 2, Reading to Apply a Diagram, has 8 questions and about 9 minutes. You see a diagram, such as a schedule, price list or floor plan, along with an email that refers to it.

• First you complete gaps in the email using information from the diagram, usually with drop-down menus.
• Then you answer questions that combine information from both texts.
• The diagram itself is usually simple. The difficulty is in the conditions hidden in the email.

Step 1: read the email for conditions

Before you study the diagram, read the email and pick out every requirement the writer has. Conditions can be stated directly ("under $50") or indirectly ("I don't drive" means the option must be reachable without a car).

• Money: a budget, a discount, a price per person or per family.
• Time: days, start times, how long something lasts, deadlines.
• People: ages, number of people, beginners or experienced.
• Place and access: location, parking, transit, accessibility.
• Preferences: things the writer likes, dislikes or has already tried.

Jot a short list on your scrap paper, such as "weekday evening, after 6, age 8, under $60, not swimming". This list becomes your checklist for every gap.

Step 2: scan the diagram with your checklist

Now look at the diagram and test each option against the whole checklist, one condition at a time. Do not stop at the first option that fits one condition. Read headings, column labels and any small print: footnotes such as "weekends only" or "price includes equipment" are often what separates two options.

Here is an original CELPass example of the kind of diagram you might see, a community centre's fall program list:

*Materials fee of $15 charged on the first day.

Worked example: applying every condition

The email says: "My son Leo just turned 8. I'd like to sign him up for something on a weekday, but I don't finish work until 5:30, so it can't start before 6. We've already done swimming all summer, and I'd like to keep the total cost under $65."

1. Age 8 fits all four programs, so age alone decides nothing here. Keep it on the list anyway: in many tasks it is the deciding condition.
2. Weekday rules out Junior Swim (Saturday), which he has also already done.
3. Not before 6 pm rules out Mini Soccer (5:00 pm).
4. That leaves Clay and Paint ($55) and Coding Club ($60). Clay and Paint looks cheaper, but the footnote adds a $15 materials fee: $70 in total, over the $65 limit.
5. Coding Club, at $60 on Wednesday at 6:00 pm, is the only program that meets every condition.

A test taker who stops at the fee column chooses Clay and Paint, the cheaper-looking option, and gets the question wrong. Footnotes, extra fees and conditions stated only in the email are exactly where Part 2 hides its difficulty.

Questions that combine both texts

After the gaps, some questions ask you to connect the email and the diagram, for example why the writer rejects an option, what they would pay, or which detail they might have misunderstood. These questions need two steps: find the fact in the email, then confirm it in the diagram.

• Do any arithmetic on your scrap paper. Small calculations, such as two tickets plus a booking fee, are easy to get wrong in your head under time pressure.
• Look for mismatches between what the writer believes and what the diagram shows. A question may hinge on the writer having the wrong day or price.
• If an option is true according to the diagram but irrelevant to the writer's needs, it is probably a distractor.

Common Part 2 mistakes

• Picking the option that fits one condition but breaks another. This is the most common Part 2 mistake.
• Missing footnotes, asterisks or labels such as "members only" and "per person".
• Reading a time range as a start time, or a price per week as a price per course.
• Overlooking indirect conditions, such as "I don't have a car" or "she's never done this before".
• Spending so long on the diagram that the combined questions at the end are rushed.

How to practise Part 2

Everyday Canadian documents are great free practice: transit timetables, recreation centre program guides, utility rate tables and store flyers. Set yourself a scenario ("two adults, Sunday afternoon, under $40") and find the best match against the clock.

For test-style practice, use Paragon's official free practice tests, then drill Part 2 on its own in the CELPass question bank until checking every condition becomes automatic.

• CELPIP Reading Part 2: Reading to Apply a Diagram
• How to Avoid Trap Answers in CELPIP Reading
• Practise Part 2 in the question bank

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• How to Read Faster in CELPIP Reading (and Why Your Score Stays Low)
• CELPIP Reading Tips for Every Part
• CELPIP Reading Time Management: How to Finish Every Part
• CELPIP Reading Part 4: Reading for Viewpoints