CELPIP Writing Task 2: Responding to Survey Questions

CELPIP Writing Task 2 Sample Answer: Community hall rental fee survey

Community association members choose between cutting the hall rental fee in half and keeping it to renovate the old kitchen. The challenge is connecting the kitchen's condition to benefits for the whole community, not just one party.

Time

26 minutes

Length

150–200 words

Structure

Choose Option A or B and support it

The question

Community Hall Survey

Your community association owns a hall that local groups and families rent for meetings and parties. Right now, it costs $200 to rent the hall for an evening. The association could lower the fee to $100 for local groups. Or, it could keep the fee the same and use the money to renovate the hall’s old kitchen. The association is asking members to complete a survey.

Choose the option that you prefer. Why do you prefer your choice? Explain the reasons for your choice. Write about 150-200 words.

Option A: I would prefer lower rental fees for local groups.

Option B: I would prefer to keep the fee and renovate the kitchen.

Explain the reasons for your choice. Write about 150-200 words.

How to plan your answer

What they want

Choose between lowering the hall rental fee to $100 for local groups (A) or keeping $200 and renovating the old kitchen (B).

Plan (26 min)

State your choice. Option B is easier to argue: a better kitchen improves the hall for every user for years.
Reason 1: most parties and fundraisers need food; an old kitchen with broken appliances makes events hard. Example: a family birthday where the oven didn't work.
Reason 2: a modern kitchen attracts more bookings, so the hall earns more and stays in good condition.
Optional nod: lower fees help small groups, but they gain little if the hall is run-down.
Conclusion: restate your choice and main benefit.

Useful vocabulary

rental fee, community hall, renovate, commercial kitchen
fundraiser, appliances, bookings, long-term investment

Phrases

I would prefer to keep the current fee because...
A renovated kitchen would allow...
Although lower fees would help local groups, ...

Avoid

Choosing both options.
Forgetting to explain who benefits from your choice.

Excellent answer: around CLB 11–12

I would prefer Option B: keeping the rental fee at $200 and using the revenue to renovate the hall's kitchen. Anyone who has hosted an event in our hall knows the kitchen is long overdue for an upgrade. When I rented it for my daughter's graduation party in June, only two burners worked, the oven heated unevenly, and the small fridge couldn't hold even half of our platters. Since almost every gathering there involves food, from potlucks to birthday parties, a functional kitchen would improve nearly every booking. A renovation would also strengthen the association's finances. A hall with a modern kitchen is far more appealing, so more families and organizations would choose it over a restaurant banquet room. That steady demand could eventually allow the association to offer discounts without risking its budget. I do sympathize with local groups for whom $200 is a stretch, and I understand why lower fees appeal to them. Still, for an entire evening, that price is reasonable, particularly when it is shared among members. Cutting the fee in half would only leave the hall in its current state for years to come. For these reasons, the renovation is the wiser long-term investment.

199 words

Why it scores high

Vocabulary: 'long overdue for an upgrade', 'heated unevenly' and 'a stretch' are natural, precise expressions that strengthen the argument.
Content/Coherence: noting that families might choose the hall 'over a restaurant banquet room' gives the financial reason a realistic basis.
Task Fulfillment: 'Cutting the fee in half would only leave the hall in its current state for years' shows the real cost of Option A convincingly.

Good answer: around CLB 7–8

I would prefer Option B, keeping the rental fee at $200 and using the money to renovate the hall's old kitchen. The main reason is that the kitchen is in very poor condition. When my family rented the hall for my parents' anniversary last spring, the oven took almost an hour to heat up, two of the burners did not work, and the fridge was too small for our food. Many events in the hall involve food, so a modern kitchen would make every party and meeting much easier and more enjoyable. Secondly, a renovated kitchen would make the hall more attractive to renters. If more families and groups book the hall, the association will earn more money in the long term, which could help keep the fee stable in the future. I understand that $200 can be a lot for small local groups, and lowering the fee would help them. However, I think $200 for a whole evening is still reasonable, especially when the cost is shared among members. For these reasons, I believe renovating the kitchen is the better investment for our community.

185 words

What works, and what's missing

Content/Coherence: 'the oven took almost an hour to heat up, two of the burners did not work' gives clear, believable evidence from personal experience.
Task Fulfillment: the response links more bookings to the association earning money that 'could help keep the fee stable', which answers Option A cleverly.
Vocabulary: phrases such as 'very poor condition' and 'much easier and more enjoyable' are correct but rather general.

Basic answer: around CLB 4–5

I prefer Option B. I think the association should keep the fee $200 and renovate the kitchen. The kitchen in the hall is very old. Last year my family rent the hall for my son birthday party. The oven was not working good and only one burner on the stove was working. The fridge is also too small and it make a loud noise. We have to bring food from home and it was cold. If the kitchen is new, people can cook in the hall and have better party. Also more people will want to rent the hall, so the association get more money. $200 is not cheap, but for a whole evening I think it is okay. If many people share the cost, it is not too much. Lower fee is good for groups, but old kitchen is a bigger problem. So I choose Option B.

148 words

What holds it back

Readability: 'my family rent the hall for my son birthday party' and 'it make a loud noise' show tense, possessive and agreement errors.
Vocabulary: 'The oven was not working good' and 'have better party' use incorrect or very basic expressions for important points.
Content/Coherence: the broken burner and noisy fridge are good evidence, but 'the association get more money' is stated without explanation.

These are original CELPass examples written at each level. The CLBs are our estimates, not official CELPIP scores. How we estimate CLB