Part 1 practice course: Reading Correspondence

• Look at who writes to whom: friends, neighbours, a customer and a company.
• Glance at the first few questions so you know what to look for.
• Expect one main request or piece of news, plus details around it.

• Read the message once from start to end, at a steady pace.
• Note where each topic is: the news, the problem, the request, the offer.
• For each question, go back to that part and read the full sentence.

• For each blank, read the reply sentence with your choice in it.
• Check that your answer has a line in the message behind it.
• Never leave a blank empty: a guess can still score.

How does CELPIP Reading Part 1 work?

You read a message, usually an email or letter, and answer 6 questions about it. Then you fill 5 blanks in the reply, and each blank is answered by something in the first message. Main purpose: Skip the friendly opening lines.; Find the request or the news: "I'm writing because...", "Now for the favour".; Pick the option that covers the whole message, not one paragraph.. A detail or a reason: Find the key noun from the question in the message.; Read the whole sentence around it, especially after "because" or "since".; Choose the option that says the same thing in different words.. A blank in the reply: Read the whole reply sentence, not just the words before the blank.; Ask: what in the first message is the writer answering here?; Find that line and match its meaning, not its words..

How should I use my time in CELPIP Reading Part 1?

Before you read: Look at who writes to whom: friends, neighbours, a customer and a company. Glance at the first few questions so you know what to look for. Expect one main request or piece of news, plus details around it. While you read: Read the message once from start to end, at a steady pace. Note where each topic is: the news, the problem, the request, the offer. For each question, go back to that part and read the full sentence. After you answer: For each blank, read the reply sentence with your choice in it. Check that your answer has a line in the message behind it. Never leave a blank empty: a guess can still score.

What traps does CELPIP Reading Part 1 set?

Choosing an option because it uses words from the message. Wrong options often repeat a name, a place or a number from the text, so they feel familiar. Instead: Read the sentence around those words and check it really answers the question. Choosing an option that sounds likely but is never said. Some options fit the story well, like a promotion or a cancelled party, but the message never mentions them. Instead: If you can't point to a line that says it, don't pick it. Mixing up who did what. Messages name several people: a cousin, a house-sitter, a staff member. Options swap them. Instead: Check the person in the question and the person in the line you found are the same.

Is this Part 1 course free?

Yes. Every step is free and needs no account, and nothing you do leaves your browser. With a free CELPass account, your wrong answers are saved with the trap they fell for and turned into daily drills.