Common CELPIP Writing Topics to Practise

By Rita · Writing · Published 2026-10-12 · 6 min read

Nobody outside Paragon knows the actual CELPIP Writing questions, and you should be wary of anyone who claims to. What you can know is the kind of situation each task uses: everyday life in Canada, at home, at work and in the community. This post groups those situations into themes worth practising and gives you original CELPass practice prompts for each, so you are never meeting a type of situation for the first time on test day.

Why practise by theme, not by memorised question

CELPIP prompts change, so memorising answers to specific questions does not work, and memorised text that does not match the prompt can cost you Task Fulfillment. Practising by theme works better for two reasons.

Vocabulary: each theme has its own set of useful words. A complaint about a rental needs "lease", "deposit" and "maintenance"; a request to a manager needs "schedule", "shift" and "approve". Learning them by theme means the words are ready when you need them.
Ideas: the hardest part of a timed answer is often thinking of reasons and details quickly. If you have already written about a similar situation, ideas come faster.

The themes below are based on the format described in the official test information: Task 1 is an email about an everyday situation with three points to cover, and Task 2 is a choice between two options in a survey. They are themes worth practising, not a list of real or leaked questions.

Task 1 email situations worth practising

Most email prompts fall into a handful of situation types. The reader changes the tone, so practise each type with both a formal and an informal reader where it makes sense.

Themes for practice, based on the published task format.
Situation type	Typical reader	Usual tone	What the bullets often ask
Complaint about a product or service	A company, a store, a service provider	Formal	What happened, the problem, what you want done
Housing problem	A landlord, building manager or neighbour	Formal or semi-formal	The issue, its effect on you, a request or suggestion
Request at work	A manager or colleague	Semi-formal	What you need, why, how you will handle your work
Community and volunteering	A community centre, club or organiser	Semi-formal	Your interest or experience, availability, a question
Invitation, thanks or apology	A friend, relative or neighbour	Informal or semi-formal	The reason, details, a plan or offer
Advice or recommendation	A friend or new colleague	Informal or semi-formal	Your recommendation, reasons, an offer to help

Practice email prompts (original CELPass examples)

Each prompt asks for 150–200 words in 27 minutes, as in the real task. Give each bullet its own paragraph.

Your internet service has been cutting out every evening for two weeks. Write to the provider: describe the problem; explain how it affects you; say what you want them to do.
The family in the apartment above yours often has loud gatherings late at night. Write to your building manager: describe the situation; explain how it affects you; suggest a solution.
You would like to change your work schedule to take an evening course. Write to your manager: explain what you want to change; give your reasons; explain how your work will still get done.
Your local library is looking for volunteers to help newcomers with computer skills. Write to the volunteer coordinator: introduce yourself; describe your relevant experience; ask about the schedule.
You forgot a friend's birthday dinner last week. Write to your friend: apologise; explain what happened; suggest a way to make it up to them.
A cousin is visiting your city for three days. Write to your cousin: recommend two places to visit; explain why they would enjoy them; offer to help with plans.
A colleague is retiring and you are organising a farewell lunch. Write to your team: give the details; ask for a contribution or help; suggest a gift idea.
You lost your bag on a city bus. Write to the transit lost-and-found office: describe the bag and its contents; say when and where you lost it; explain how they can contact you.

Task 2 survey themes worth practising

Survey prompts describe a decision that a city, employer, school or community group is making, and offer two options. The themes below come up naturally in Canadian everyday life and are useful to practise.

Theme	The kind of decision
City spending	Which public project to fund: parks, roads, recreation, libraries, transit
Workplace policy	Which benefit or rule an employer should adopt
Education and families	What a school or community program should offer
Environment	How a town should reduce waste, traffic or energy use
Technology	Whether a service should move online or stay in person
Community events	Which event or activity a neighbourhood should organise

Practice survey prompts (original CELPass examples)

Each prompt asks for 150–200 words in 26 minutes. Choose one option and support it with two or three developed reasons.

Your city can fund one improvement to winter life. Option A: more outdoor skating rinks in neighbourhood parks. Option B: faster snow clearing on sidewalks.
Your employer is updating the office. Option A: an open-plan workspace with shared desks. Option B: small private offices for each team.
Your child's school can add one program. Option A: a coding club after school. Option B: daily outdoor physical education.
Your town wants to reduce household waste. Option A: a weekly green-bin compost collection. Option B: a reward program for residents who recycle more.
Your bank is changing its services. Option A: close two local branches and improve its mobile app. Option B: keep the branches open but charge a small monthly fee.
Your neighbourhood association can hold one event this summer. Option A: a street festival with food and music. Option B: a series of free outdoor movie nights.
Your community centre has funding for one class. Option A: free English conversation groups. Option B: free first-aid and CPR training.
Your city is considering a new rule. Option A: ban cars from one downtown street on weekends. Option B: lower parking prices downtown to support local businesses.

How to practise with these prompts

Brainstorm before you choose. For survey prompts, spend two minutes listing reasons for both options, then pick the one with more and better reasons, even if it is not your personal preference.
Write against the clock: 27 minutes for an email, 26 for a survey answer. Stop when time is up.
Check against the prompt: does every bullet have its own paragraph? Is your choice clear in the first sentence?
Count your words and note where you fell outside 150–200.
Collect the vocabulary: after each answer, write down five useful words or phrases for that theme.

Two or three answers per theme is usually enough. After that, extra practice in the same theme gives less benefit than moving to a new one.

For full sample answers to prompts like these, with notes on why they work, see the sample answers post linked below.

Get feedback on your practice answers

Writing alone builds speed, but feedback shows you what to fix. If you have a teacher or study partner, ask them to check your answers against the four dimensions: Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Readability and Task Fulfillment. CELPass can also score Writing answers on those four dimensions and suggest what to improve; the free plan includes a few scored answers.

Frequently asked questions

Are these the real CELPIP Writing questions?

No. They are original practice prompts based on the published task format. Nobody can legitimately share actual test questions.

How many practice prompts should I write before the test?

There is no fixed number. Aim to cover every theme at least once with a timer, and keep writing until you finish both tasks comfortably within the time.

Keep reading

CELPass is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with Paragon Testing Enterprises. CELPIP is a trademark of Paragon Testing Enterprises. Check the official CELPIP website and IRCC for current test rules and requirements.