CELPIP® Writing: both tasks and how they are rated

Writing is the third section of the CELPIP-General test. You type two texts: an email in 27 minutes and a response to a survey in 26 minutes, each in about 150 to 200 words. This guide explains both tasks, the four dimensions raters use, a time plan, why word count and tone matter, and how Prepiva rates your Writing for practice. For full prompts and rated answers, see the task guides and the Writing samples.

By the Prepiva team · Last reviewed October 30, 2026 · How we make and review our content

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CELPIP Writing at a glance

Two tasks, 53 minutes: Task 1, Writing an Email (27 minutes), then Task 2, Responding to Survey Questions (26 minutes).
Length: about 150 to 200 words for each task.
On the screen: you type your answer in a box. The screen counts your words as you type, and a spelling checker marks words it does not recognize.
Separate clocks: each task has its own time, and when it runs out the test moves on.
Rated by people: several trained raters rate your two responses on four dimensions, and your Writing level comes from their ratings.

The two Writing tasks
Task	Time	Length	What you do
1. Writing an Email	27 min	About 150–200 words	Read a short situation and write an email to a named reader that does the three things the prompt lists.
2. Responding to Survey Questions	26 min	About 150–200 words	Read a survey with two options, choose one and explain why.

For all four sections of the test, see the CELPIP test format.

Task 1: Writing an Email

The prompt describes an everyday situation in a few sentences, names the person you write to and lists three things your email must do, such as describe a problem, explain why it matters and suggest a solution. The reader decides the tone: informal for a friend, polite and semi-formal for a neighbour, coworker or manager, and formal for a company or an organization.

What strong emails do: they say why they are writing at the start, give each of the three points its own short paragraph in the prompt’s order, support every point with a specific detail, such as a date, a place, a number or a reason, and close in a way that suits the reader.

The Task 1 email guide has a 27-minute plan, a tone table, a sample prompt and a rated sample email.

Task 2: Responding to Survey Questions

The prompt is a short survey: a title, a situation and two options, A and B, each with a sentence or two of description. You choose one option and explain why. Neither option is better than the other; what counts is how clearly you choose and how well you support your choice.

What strong responses do: they name the choice in the first sentence, develop two reasons with specific examples and, when there is room, explain briefly why the other option is weaker.

The Task 2 survey guide has a structure, a 26-minute plan and two rated answers to the same prompt.

The four rating dimensions in plain words

CELPIP raters judge every Writing response on the same four dimensions. Here is what each one covers, and the question it really asks:

The four Writing rating dimensions
Dimension	What raters look at	The question in plain words
Content/Coherence	How many ideas you have and how good they are, how you organize them, and your examples and supporting details	Do you have enough good ideas, in a clear order, with specific support?
Vocabulary	Word choice, using words and phrases suitably, range, and precision and accuracy	Do you use the right words, and enough different ones, naturally?
Readability	Format and paragraphs, connecting words and transitions, grammar and sentence structure, spelling and punctuation	Is your text easy to read and follow?
Task Fulfillment	Relevance, completeness, tone and word count	Did you do what the prompt asked, for this reader, at the right length?

One point, two levels (new, written for this page)

Both versions answer the same point of an email to a building manager: describe a problem with your bedroom window. The levels are Prepiva’s estimates of where answers written like this usually sit.

Typical of answers around level 5

The window in my bedroom is broken. It is very cold. Please fix it soon.

Typical of answers around level 9

Since the storm last Tuesday, my bedroom window no longer closes completely, so cold air comes in all night. Could someone repair it before the weekend, when the temperature is expected to drop to minus fifteen?

What changed:

Content/Coherence: specific details (since when, what exactly is wrong, what it causes) instead of a general complaint.
Vocabulary: precise words (closes completely, repair, expected to drop) instead of broken and very cold.
Readability: ideas linked with since, so and when, instead of three short separate sentences.
Task Fulfillment: a polite request with a reason for the timing, which suits a building manager.

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A time plan for both tasks

A suggested time plan for CELPIP Writing
Step	Task 1: email (27 min)	Task 2: survey (26 min)
Read and plan	4 min: the reader, the tone and one or two details for each point	4 min: choose an option and note two reasons, each with an example
Write	18 min: a greeting, your purpose, one paragraph per point, a closing	17 min: your choice, a paragraph for each reason, a short closing
Check	5 min: all three points, the tone, 150–200 words, verb forms and spelling	5 min: a clear choice, linking words, 150–200 words, verb forms and spelling

Keep the five minutes for checking. The word counter and the spelling checker help, but they cannot tell you that a point is missing or that a verb is in the wrong tense.

Why word count and tone matter

Word count is one of the factors raters consider under Task Fulfillment, and the prompts ask for about 150 to 200 words. A much shorter answer usually leaves the points thin; a much longer one eats into your checking time and adds chances for errors. Watch the counter on the screen and aim for the middle of the range.

Tone is part of Task Fulfillment too. In Task 1, the reader sets it:

A friend or relative: warm and informal, with contractions, but still in complete sentences.
A neighbour, coworker or manager: polite and friendly, with clear requests such as “Would it be possible to…?”
A company, a landlord’s office or a city department: formal, with no slang and your purpose in the first sentence.

In Task 2 you are answering a survey from an organization, so a polite, neutral tone works best.

How Prepiva rates your Writing

Prepiva’s free CELPIP mock test ends its Writing section with both tasks, timed as on the test, and the Writing practice test runs them on their own. With a free account, an AI language model rates each response of your first full mock test and of your first Writing practice on the same four dimensions, giving each one a level from 0 to 12 with a reason, plus one strength and one next step.

Your Writing level is the average of the eight dimension levels across both tasks, rounded, with a tie rounded down.
Length counts: 150 to 200 words is right; a little under or over (130 to 149, or 201 to 230) is a small weakness; under 130 or over 230 lowers Task Fulfillment clearly.
Every point counts: leaving out one of the email’s three points lowers Task Fulfillment clearly, and so does a survey response without a clear choice.

Its limits: the result is a practice estimate, not a CELPIP result. One AI model is not a panel of trained raters, and it can misjudge an answer. Use it to find what to work on, not to predict your exact level.

Samples and task guides

Read six rated CELPIP Writing samples, three emails and three survey responses from about level 5 to level 10, then work through the Task 1 email guide and the Task 2 survey guide. When you are ready, try both tasks under time in the free CELPIP Writing practice test, and see the Speaking guide for the last section of the test.

Get a free Writing rating

No account or card to start. Free account to see your report.

Read rated Writing samples

FAQ

How long is the CELPIP Writing test?

53 minutes: 27 minutes for the email in Task 1 and 26 minutes for the survey response in Task 2.

How many words should I write for CELPIP Writing?

About 150 to 200 words for each task, as the prompts ask. The screen counts your words as you type.

What are the CELPIP Writing rating dimensions?

Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Readability and Task Fulfillment. Task Fulfillment covers relevance, completeness, tone and word count.

Is there a spell checker on the CELPIP Writing test?

Yes. The Writing screen has a spelling checker and a word counter. The checker can offer more than one word, so you still need to know the right spelling.

Does it matter which option I choose in Task 2?

No. Neither option is better than the other. What counts is a clear choice and specific, well-developed reasons.

Can I get my CELPIP Writing rated for free?

Yes. With a free account, Prepiva rates both Writing tasks of your first Writing practice and of your first full CELPIP mock test on the four dimensions. The rating is a practice estimate, not a CELPIP result.