CELPIP Writing Sample Answers: Email and Survey

How to use these sample answers

Both CELPIP Writing tasks ask for 150–200 words. Task 1 is an email written in 27 minutes; Task 2 is a survey response written in 26 minutes. Every sample below fits that range, so you can see how much detail a complete answer holds.

1. Read the prompt first and plan your own answer for three minutes before you look at the sample.
2. Compare your plan with the sample: did you cover every bullet point? Did you add concrete details?
3. Note two or three phrases you could reuse in other answers, then close the sample.
4. Write your own answer to the same prompt with a real timer. Do not copy the sample; memorised text that does not fit a new prompt hurts Task Fulfillment.

After each answer you will find a short note on why it works, organised by the four CELPIP Writing dimensions: Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Readability and Task Fulfillment.

Task 1 sample: a formal email (original CELPass example)

Prompt: You signed up for a ten-week evening pottery class at your local community centre. After three weeks, the centre moved the class to a morning time slot. Write an email to the centre's program coordinator (150–200 words). In your email: describe the class and the change; explain how the change affects you; say what you would like the centre to do.

Dear Program Coordinator,

I am registered in the Tuesday evening pottery class (Beginner Level 1) at Lakeview Community Centre, which started on September 9 and runs for ten weeks. Last Friday I received a message saying that, from next week, the class will take place on Tuesday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon instead of 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Unfortunately, this change makes it impossible for me to continue. I work full time as a dental assistant, and my shifts run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. I chose this class specifically because it was in the evening, and I paid the full fee of $240 when I registered.

I would be grateful if you could refund the seven classes I will miss. Alternatively, if another evening pottery group has space, I would be happy to transfer to it for the rest of the term. Could you please let me know which option is possible by the end of this week?

Thank you for your understanding. Sincerely, Marco Rossi

About 170 words. Estimated level: CLB 9–10.

• Task Fulfillment: each of the three bullet points has its own paragraph, and the request at the end is specific, with a fallback option and a deadline.
• Content/Coherence: dates, times, the fee and the writer's work hours make the problem concrete and easy to act on.
• Vocabulary: precise, natural phrases such as "time slot", "transfer to it for the rest of the term" and "I would be grateful if" suit a formal request.
• Readability: a formal tone throughout, no contractions, and linking words (Unfortunately, Alternatively) that show how the ideas connect.

Task 1 sample: an informal email (original CELPass example)

Prompt: A friend helped you move into a new apartment last weekend. Write an email to your friend (150–200 words). In your email: thank your friend for their help; describe your new apartment; invite your friend to visit and suggest a plan.

Hi Sofia,

I just wanted to say a huge thank you for last Saturday. I honestly don't know how I would have managed without you. You carried boxes up three flights of stairs for hours and still found the energy to help me put the bed together. You're a true friend!

The apartment is finally starting to feel like home. The living room gets sunlight all afternoon, so I've put my plants by the big window and they already look happier. The kitchen is small, but it has a gas stove, which I've wanted for years. Best of all, there's a little bakery on the corner that opens at seven, so my mornings have improved a lot.

I'd love to have you over for dinner to celebrate. How about next Friday around seven? I'll cook that mushroom risotto you liked, and afterwards we could walk down to the waterfront if the weather is nice. If Friday doesn't work, just tell me a day that suits you.

Thanks again for everything! Talk soon, Hana

About 170 words. Estimated level: CLB 9–10.

• Task Fulfillment: the thanks, the description and the invitation each get a full paragraph, and the plan includes a day, a time and an activity.
• Content/Coherence: the thanks mentions exactly what the friend did, and the description picks three specific features instead of a general "it's nice".
• Vocabulary: everyday expressions ("I don't know how I would have managed", "have you over", "a day that suits you") sound natural to a friend.
• Readability: contractions and one exclamation mark set a warm tone, but the grammar and spelling stay careful. There is no slang or text-message spelling.

Compare the two emails. The structure is almost identical: a short opening, one paragraph per bullet, a short closing. What changes is the tone, which follows the reader. For more on choosing tone, see the Task 1 email guide linked below.

Task 2 prompt: one survey, two options

Prompt: Your city wants to reduce traffic in the downtown area and has enough money for one project. Which project should it choose? Explain your choice in 150–200 words. Option A: make public transit free on weekends. Option B: build a network of protected bike lanes downtown.

Either option can score the top level. Raters judge how well you support your choice, not which choice you make. To show this, the next two sections answer the same prompt once for each option.

Task 2 sample: choosing Option A (original CELPass example)

I think the city should choose Option A and make public transit free on weekends.

First, free transit would change people's habits quickly. Many residents drive downtown on Saturdays for shopping, restaurants and events because parking feels easier than paying several fares for a whole family. If buses and trains cost nothing, a family of four could save money and avoid the stress of finding a parking spot. Once people try transit and see that it works, some will keep using it during the week as well.

Second, this option helps everyone, whatever their age or fitness. Seniors, parents with strollers and people with disabilities cannot always cycle, especially in winter. Free transit would be useful to them all year round.

Finally, it could start almost immediately, since the buses and routes already exist, while new bike lanes would take years to plan and build.

Bike lanes are a good long-term idea, and I would support them in the future. However, free weekend transit would reduce traffic sooner and serve far more residents, so I believe it is the better choice.

About 180 words. Estimated level: CLB 9.

• Task Fulfillment: the choice is clear in the first sentence and never changes, and the answer stays within the word range.
• Content/Coherence: three reasons (habits, accessibility, speed), the first developed with an example of a family of four.
• Vocabulary: accurate everyday words ("fares", "strollers", "long-term") and natural phrases such as "whatever their age or fitness".
• Readability: one idea per paragraph, signposted with First, Second, Finally and However.

Task 2 sample: choosing Option B (original CELPass example)

In my opinion, the city should invest in Option B, a network of protected bike lanes downtown.

The main reason is that bike lanes are a permanent solution. Free weekend transit would only cover two days a week, and the city would have to keep paying for it every year. Bike lanes, once built, would serve commuters every day for decades at a low maintenance cost.

Secondly, many people would cycle if they felt safe. At the moment, I see very few cyclists on Main Street because riders have to share the road with trucks and buses. A physical barrier between cars and bikes would encourage students, office workers and even parents with children to leave their cars at home for short trips.

In addition, cycling has health benefits. Residents who ride to work get regular exercise without needing extra time for the gym, which could reduce pressure on our health system over time.

I realise that cycling is harder in winter and that not everyone can ride. Even so, I believe bike lanes are the more lasting and cost-effective way to reduce downtown traffic.

About 185 words. Estimated level: CLB 9–10.

• Task Fulfillment: a clear choice, kept to the end, with a fair answer to the strongest argument against it (winter and accessibility).
• Content/Coherence: the first reason compares the two options directly, which shows the writer considered both before choosing.
• Vocabulary: "permanent solution", "physical barrier", "cost-effective" and "reduce pressure on" are precise without sounding forced.
• Readability: varied linking words (The main reason, Secondly, In addition, Even so) instead of repeating the same ones.

What all four answers have in common

None of these answers uses rare words or long, complicated sentences. They score well because they are complete, specific, organised and accurate. That is a realistic target for most test takers aiming at CLB 9.

To see how your own answers compare, you can write the same prompts in CELPass: the question bank has Writing tasks with the real timers, and each answer is scored on the four CELPIP dimensions with an estimated CLB.

• How to write the CELPIP email (Task 1)
• How to answer the survey question (Task 2)
• Useful phrases and linking words for CELPIP Writing
• Common CELPIP Writing topics to practise
• How to go from CLB 8 to CLB 9 in Writing
• Practise Writing tasks in the question bank

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• Can ChatGPT Score Your CELPIP Writing? What It Gets Right and Wrong
• CELPIP Writing Templates for Task 1 and Task 2: Structures That Reach CLB 9
• How to Get CELPIP Writing Level 10 or Higher
• How to Write a CELPIP Email (Writing Task 1): Formal vs Informal Tone