CELPIP Writing Task 2: Responding to Survey Questions

CELPIP Writing Task 2 Sample Answer: Store rewards program survey

Hardware store customers choose between a points-and-coupon rewards program and lower prices on 100 popular items. The challenge is explaining why your option helps the store attract customers, not only why it suits your own shopping.

Time

26 minutes

Length

150–200 words

Structure

Choose Option A or B and support it

The question

Customer Rewards Survey

Your local hardware store wants to attract more customers. One option is to start a rewards program, where customers collect points with every purchase and receive a $10 coupon for every $200 they spend. The other option is to lower prices on 100 popular items for everyone. The store is asking customers to complete a short 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 a rewards program with points and coupons.

Option B: I would prefer lower prices on popular items for everyone.

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

How to plan your answer

What they want

Choose between a rewards program with a $10 coupon per $200 (A) or lower prices on 100 popular items for everyone (B) at the hardware store.

Plan (26 min)

State your choice. Option B is easier to argue: everyone saves right away, with no cards or apps.
Reason 1: a $10 coupon per $200 is only 5%; occasional shoppers may never reach $200. Example: you buy light bulbs or tape a few times a year.
Reason 2: lower prices attract new customers who compare stores, which is the store's actual goal.
Optional nod: rewards suit contractors who buy a lot, but most customers shop rarely.
Conclusion: restate your choice and main benefit.

Useful vocabulary

rewards program, loyalty points, coupon, discount
everyday low prices, occasional shoppers, attract customers, competitors

Phrases

I would prefer lower prices because...
With a rewards program, customers would have to...
Although points can be useful for frequent shoppers, ...

Avoid

Choosing both options.
Forgetting to link your choice to attracting more customers.

Excellent answer: around CLB 11–12

I would prefer Option A, a rewards program that offers a $10 coupon for every $200 spent. As someone who shops at this store almost every week, I believe loyalty should be recognized. Since buying an older house last year, I've spent well over $2,000 on lumber, paint and plumbing supplies, which would have earned me more than $100 in coupons. A program like this would give me a concrete reason to keep choosing a local business over the big-box chains on the edge of town. Rewards also apply across the entire store. Discounting 100 popular items sounds appealing, but those items might have little to do with my projects. With points, every purchase counts, whether I'm buying a single box of screws or a new lawnmower. To be fair, lower prices would benefit occasional shoppers who might never reach the $200 mark, and I understand why some customers would prefer them. However, the store's goal is to attract customers who return regularly, and a rewards program is designed to do exactly that. For these reasons, I believe a rewards program would serve both customers and the store best.

189 words

Why it scores high

Vocabulary: 'loyalty should be recognized', 'big-box chains' and 'every purchase counts' make the argument precise and persuasive.
Content/Coherence: the contrast 'a single box of screws or a new lawnmower' clearly shows that rewards apply across the whole store.
Task Fulfillment: 'the store's goal is to attract customers who return regularly' connects the choice directly to the purpose of the survey.

Good answer: around CLB 7–8

I would prefer Option A, a rewards program with points and coupons. My main reason is that I am a regular customer. I live just a few blocks from the store and shop there two or three times a month for tools, paint and garden supplies. This year, I am also renovating my bathroom, so I have already spent over $1,000 there. With the rewards program, I would have earned $50 in coupons. It feels good to be rewarded for staying loyal to a local business. Another reason is that points apply to everything I buy, not just certain products. If the store lowers prices on 100 popular items, those might not be the items I actually need for my projects. I understand that lower prices would help everyone, including people who only visit the store once in a while. However, I think the rewards program would encourage people to keep coming back instead of driving to the big chain stores, which would help the store stay in business. For these reasons, I believe a rewards program is the better choice.

181 words

What works, and what's missing

Content/Coherence: spending 'over $1,000' and earning '$50 in coupons' turns the rewards idea into a clear calculation.
Task Fulfillment: the response recognizes that lower prices help people who visit 'once in a while' before linking rewards to the store's survival.
Vocabulary: 'staying loyal to a local business' is effective, but some phrases, like 'It feels good', remain quite simple.

Basic answer: around CLB 4–5

I prefer Option A, the rewards program with points and coupons. I go to this hardware store very often, maybe two or three times every month. I am renovating my basement now, so I spend a lot of money there. If I get $10 coupon for every $200, I can save good money. Last month I spend almost $500, so I can get two coupon. Also, rewards program make customer come back again and again. When I have points, I want to use them, so I don't go to the big store. Lower prices for everybody is nice, but only for 100 items. Maybe I don't need these items. With points, I get reward for everything I buy. I think rewards program is good for the customer like me and also good for the store business.

136 words

What holds it back

Readability: 'Last month I spend almost $500', 'I can get two coupon' and 'rewards program make customer come back' contain several grammar errors.
Vocabulary: 'I can save good money' and 'good for the store business' are unnatural expressions for clear ideas.
Content/Coherence: the basement renovation is a useful example, but 'Maybe I don't need these items' only briefly explains the weakness of Option B.

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