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CELPIP® Writing samples with estimated levels

Here are six original CELPIP Writing answers, three emails and three survey responses, written by Prepiva at levels from about 5 to 10. Each one has its prompt, the full answer, an estimated level for each of the four rating dimensions and short notes on what would raise it. The levels are Prepiva’s practice estimates, not CELPIP results: use them to see what changes from one level to the next.

By the Prepiva team · Last reviewed · How we make and review our content

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How to use these samples

  1. Read the prompt and plan your own answer first, in 3 or 4 minutes, as you would on the test.
  2. Then read the sample and compare: which details, words and links does it use that you did not?
  3. Read the estimate and the notes, and choose one thing to change in your next answer.

Prepiva wrote every prompt and answer on this page and estimated their levels against the four CELPIP rating dimensions: Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Readability and Task Fulfillment. The overall level is the rounded average of the four, as Prepiva’s own rating computes it. These are practice estimates, not CELPIP results, and a CELPIP rater could see an answer a little differently. The CELPIP Writing guide explains what each dimension covers.

The six samples
SampleTaskReader or surveyAbout levelWords
Email 1Task 1: emailA friend (informal)5124
Email 2Task 1: emailA museum (formal)7159
Email 3Task 1: emailA manager (semi-formal)10168
Survey 1Task 2: surveyFresh Corner Customer Survey6158
Survey 2Task 2: surveyNorthside Recreation Centre Survey8174
Survey 3Task 2: surveyHarbour Days Festival Survey10184

Task 1 emails

Three emails for three kinds of reader: a friend, a museum and a manager. For a step-by-step method, see the Task 1 email guide.

Email 1: declining a birthday dinner (about level 5)

Your friend Marco has invited you to a dinner at his home next Saturday to celebrate his 40th birthday. You cannot go, because you have promised to drive your parents to the airport that evening for their flight home.

Write an email of about 150–200 words to Marco. In your email, do these three things:

  • Thank Marco for inviting you to the dinner.
  • Explain why you are not able to come.
  • Suggest another way the two of you could celebrate.

Sample email (124 words, under the 150–200 range)

Hi Marco,

Thank you very much for invite me to your birthday dinner. I am very happy that you invite me. Forty years is big birthday!

But I can’t come on Saturday. My parents go back to Halifax on Saturday night and I must drive them to the airport. Their flight is at nine o’clock, so we leave the house at six. I am very sorry about this.

Maybe we can meet other day. We can go to a restaurant on Sunday or next week. I know a good Italian restaurant near my house, the food is very good. I will pay for you because it is your birthday.

Please say me what day is good for you.

Happy birthday again!

Your friend,

Daniela

Prepiva’s estimate: Email 1
DimensionEstimated levelWhy
Content/Coherence5All three points are there, in order, but each has only one or two basic details.
Vocabulary5Very common words, with very four times and good three times.
Readability5Frequent errors with verb patterns (for invite me, you invite me, say me) and missing articles (is big birthday, meet other day), though the short paragraphs are easy to follow.
Task Fulfillment5A friendly tone that suits a friend, and all three points, but at 124 words it is well under the 150–200 range.
OverallAbout level 5The rounded average of the four, as Prepiva’s rating computes it

What would raise it:

  • Use the right patterns: thank you for inviting me, tell me which day suits you.
  • Add details to each point, such as the restaurant’s name and two dates that would work.
  • Replace very with more precise words: thrilled, disappointed, delicious.
  • Write at least 150 words; the extra details above would get you there.

Email 2: booking a museum visit for a walking club (about level 7)

You organize a monthly outing for a walking club of retired people in your city. The members would like to visit the Riverside Heritage Museum in March. You need to arrange the visit with the museum.

Write an email of about 150–200 words to the museum’s visitor services team. In your email, do these three things:

  • Describe your group and what interests its members.
  • Explain what help the group will need during the visit.
  • Ask which days and times would suit a group visit.

Sample email (159 words, inside the 150–200 range)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am the organizer of the Westside Walking Club. We are twenty retired people who walk together every Tuesday morning, and once a month we visit a interesting place in our city. Many members are interested in local history, especially the old railway and the first farms in the area, so we would like to visit your museum in March.

During the visit, some of our members will need help. Three of them find stairs difficult, so we need to know if there is a elevator. Also, it would be very nice if a guide can explain the exhibits, because our members always have many questions.

Could you please tell me which days and times are possible for a group of twenty people? Tuesday morning is the best for us, but we can come another day if it is necessary.

Thank you for your help. I look forward to your answer.

Best regards,

Helen Barrett

Prepiva’s estimate: Email 2
DimensionEstimated levelWhy
Content/Coherence7A logical order and useful details: twenty members, Tuesday mornings, an interest in the old railway and early farms, the stairs.
Vocabulary7Adequate everyday words, but some phrases are not quite natural, such as it would be very nice if a guide can explain.
Readability7Clear paragraphs and mostly simple sentences, with article errors (a interesting place, a elevator) and can where could is needed (if a guide can explain).
Task Fulfillment8All three points, a polite, formal tone for a museum, and 159 words.
OverallAbout level 7The rounded average of the four, as Prepiva’s rating computes it

What would raise it:

  • Fix the articles: an interesting place, an elevator.
  • Use more precise words: a guided tour, step-free access.
  • Combine sentences to show how ideas connect: Because three members find stairs difficult, could you tell me whether …

Email 3: proposing a team volunteer day (about level 10)

Your team at work has had a very busy year, and you think a volunteer day together would be good for everyone. The city is looking for volunteers to plant trees along a local trail next month. Your manager, Ms. Okoye, decides how the team’s time is used.

Write an email of about 150–200 words to Ms. Okoye. In your email, do these three things:

  • Describe the volunteer event you have in mind.
  • Explain how the day would benefit your team.
  • Ask for permission to hold it on a workday.

Sample email (168 words, inside the 150–200 range)

Hi Ms. Okoye,

I’d like to propose a team volunteer day next month. The city is looking for groups to help plant 300 trees along the Riverside Trail on Friday, May 22, or Saturday, May 23. Volunteers work from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the city supplies the tools, gloves and lunch.

After the year we’ve had, I think a day outdoors would do the team a lot of good. Since we’ve been split across separate projects, some of us have barely spoken since January, and planting in small groups would give people a relaxed way to reconnect. It would also give the company newsletter the kind of community story it keeps asking for.

Would you be willing to let us count the Friday as a workday? Holding it on a weekday would mean that colleagues with family commitments on weekends could join in. If you agree, I’d be glad to handle the sign-up and coordinate with the city.

Thank you for considering it.

Best regards,

Jonah

Prepiva’s estimate: Email 3
DimensionEstimated levelWhy
Content/Coherence10Every point is developed with exact details (two dates, the hours, what the city supplies) and a persuasive reason tied to the team’s year.
Vocabulary10Precise and idiomatic: do the team a lot of good, barely spoken, reconnect, family commitments.
Readability10Smooth paragraphs and transitions, a wide range of sentence structures and no errors.
Task Fulfillment10All three points, a tone that is friendly but respectful toward a manager, and 168 words.
OverallAbout level 10The rounded average of the four, as Prepiva’s rating computes it

What would raise it:

  • For level 11 or 12: answer the manager’s likely concern before she raises it, for example how urgent work would be covered that Friday.

Task 2 survey responses

Three surveys, each answered by a different writer. For the structure behind them, see the Task 2 survey guide.

Survey 1: longer hours or home delivery (about level 6)

Fresh Corner Customer Survey

Fresh Corner, the grocery store in your neighbourhood, plans to add one new service next year. The store is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and has no delivery service at the moment. It has asked its regular customers which of two options they would prefer, and why.

Which option do you prefer? Choose one and explain why in about 150–200 words.

  • Option A: Longer Hours

    The store would stay open until midnight every day instead of closing at 9 p.m.

  • Option B: Home Delivery

    Customers could order by phone or online and get their groceries the same day for a small fee.

Sample survey response (158 words, inside the 150–200 range)

I think Option B, home delivery, is better for Fresh Corner customers.

My first reason is time. Many people are very busy with work and children. When they finish work they are tired and they don’t want to go shopping. With home delivery they can order on the phone in five minutes and the groceries come to the house. It is very easy.

My second reason is the winter. In winter the sidewalks have ice and snow and it is difficult to carry heavy bags. Especially for old people this is dangerous. My neighbour is seventy-five and she walks to the store with a small cart. Delivery is more safe for her.

Longer hours is not so useful, because not many people shop after nine o’clock at night. Maybe some students or night workers, but they are not many.

So I choose home delivery. I hope the store will choose it too and many customers will be happy.

Prepiva’s estimate: Survey 1
DimensionEstimated levelWhy
Content/Coherence6A clear choice, two relevant reasons and a short look at the other option; the neighbour helps, but most support stays general.
Vocabulary6Simple, repeated words (very, easy, many) and a wrong comparative: more safe.
Readability6Mostly short, simple sentences, with errors such as Longer hours is and they are not many.
Task Fulfillment7A clear choice, a polite closing and 158 words.
OverallAbout level 6The rounded average of the four, as Prepiva’s rating computes it

What would raise it:

  • Develop the neighbour example: what is hard for her now, and how delivery would change her week.
  • Use precise words: convenient, slippery, safer.
  • Join ideas with although, since and which instead of starting new short sentences.

Survey 2: a climbing wall or longer pool hours (about level 8)

Northside Recreation Centre Survey

Northside Recreation Centre has received money from the city for one improvement next year. It can build an indoor climbing wall or keep its swimming pool open longer each day, and it wants its members to choose.

Which option do you prefer? Choose one and explain why in about 150–200 words.

  • Option A: Climbing Wall

    A 10-metre climbing wall in the old squash court, with lessons for children and adults.

  • Option B: Longer Pool Hours

    The pool would open at 6 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. instead of 8 p.m.

Sample survey response (174 words, inside the 150–200 range)

In my opinion, the centre should use the money to keep the pool open longer.

The main reason is that the pool is already very popular, but its hours do not suit people who work. At the moment it opens at 8 a.m., when most adults are already on their way to work, and it closes at 8 p.m., which is often before parents have finished dinner and put their children in bed. Opening at 6 a.m. would allow people like me to swim before work, which is the only time I can exercise regularly.

Moreover, swimming is activity for every age. Seniors, toddlers and adults who have never climbed can all enjoy the pool, while a climbing wall would mostly attract younger and very fit members.

I admit that a climbing wall would be exciting and might bring in new members. However, I think it is better to improve something that hundreds of people use every week than to build something new for a smaller group.

Thank you for asking for our opinion.

Prepiva’s estimate: Survey 2
DimensionEstimated levelWhy
Content/Coherence8A clear position, a well-developed main reason with exact times and a personal example, and a fair look at the other option.
Vocabulary8Good, accurate everyday words (suit, regularly, attract), but few less common ones.
Readability8Well organized with Moreover and However; small errors (is activity, put their children in bed).
Task Fulfillment9A clear choice, a suitable tone and 174 words.
OverallAbout level 8The rounded average of the four, as Prepiva’s rating computes it

What would raise it:

  • Support the second reason with an example, as the first one has.
  • Fix the small errors: an activity, put their children to bed.
  • Add a few more precise expressions, such as off-peak hours or members of all ages.

Survey 3: fireworks or a concert series (about level 10)

Harbour Days Festival Survey

Harbour Days, your town’s summer festival, has money for one new event next year. The festival runs for four days in July and ends on a Sunday night. The organizing committee is asking residents which event they would prefer, and why.

Which option do you prefer? Choose one and explain why in about 150–200 words.

  • Option A: Fireworks Show

    A 20-minute fireworks show over the harbour on the festival’s last night.

  • Option B: Concert Series

    Free outdoor concerts by local bands in the park on three evenings during the festival.

Sample survey response (184 words, inside the 150–200 range)

I would encourage the committee to choose the concert series.

A fireworks show is spectacular, but it lasts twenty minutes, and then everyone heads home. Three evenings of free concerts, by contrast, would give residents a reason to return to the park again and again: to bring a picnic, catch up with neighbours and stay until the last song. That kind of relaxed, repeated contact is what turns a festival into a community tradition.

The series would also put money back into our own town. Local bands rarely get to play for a large audience, and the cafés and food trucks around the park would have three busy evenings instead of one. When a single band played at last year’s Canada Day picnic, the ice cream stand beside the bandstand sold out before seven o’clock.

Finally, concerts are easier on everyone’s nerves. Many dog owners dread fireworks night, and families with babies often leave before the show even begins.

For these reasons, the concert series seems to me the more lasting and welcoming choice. Thank you for asking residents to help shape Harbour Days.

Prepiva’s estimate: Survey 3
DimensionEstimated levelWhy
Content/Coherence10Three distinct reasons (community, the local economy, comfort), each supported, and a fair contrast with the fireworks.
Vocabulary10Wide, precise and idiomatic: spectacular, by contrast, easier on everyone’s nerves, dread.
Readability10Smooth transitions, varied and complex sentences and no errors.
Task Fulfillment10The choice in the first sentence, a persuasive but respectful tone and 184 words.
OverallAbout level 10The rounded average of the four, as Prepiva’s rating computes it

What would raise it:

  • For level 11 or 12: weigh the two options even more precisely, for example by comparing what each would cost the festival.
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What separates the levels

Across the six samples, the same differences come back on every dimension:

What separates the Writing levels
Around levelContent/CoherenceVocabularyReadabilityTask Fulfillment
5 to 6Main points present, support thin or generalCommon words, often repeatedMostly simple sentences; frequent errors, but the meaning is usually clearPoints covered but thin; the length may fall short
7 to 8A clear order; adequate but sometimes general detailEveryday words used accurately; a few unnatural phrasesClear paragraphs and common linking words; some errorsEvery point covered, in a suitable tone and length
9 to 10Every point developed with specific, relevant supportPrecise and natural, including idiomatic phrasesVaried, complex sentences and smooth transitions; rare errorsEvery point developed, in exactly the right tone for the reader

Get your own Writing rated

Prepiva’s free CELPIP mock test has both Writing tasks with the test’s timing, and with a free account the report on your first full mock test rates each of your answers on the four dimensions, with a strength and a next step. Read more about the free CELPIP practice test, or see how Speaking is rated in the CELPIP Speaking samples.

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Back to the CELPIP Writing guide

FAQ

Are these real CELPIP answers?

No. Prepiva wrote every prompt and answer on this page to show what typical answers look like at different levels. None of them comes from a CELPIP test or from Paragon’s materials.

Are the levels on this page CELPIP scores?

No. They are Prepiva’s practice estimates against the four rating dimensions. Only a CELPIP test gives you a CELPIP level.

What separates a level 7 answer from a level 9 answer?

Mostly specific support and range. Level 9 answers back every point with concrete details and use more precise words and varied sentences; level 7 answers cover the task with more general detail and some errors.

Is a shorter answer always a lower level?

Not always, but length is part of Task Fulfillment, and very short answers usually lack the details that Content/Coherence rewards. Email 1, at 124 words, shows both problems.

Can I memorize these answers?

It would not help much. A memorized answer rarely fits a new prompt, and relevance is part of Task Fulfillment. Borrow structures and phrases instead, and practise writing your own answers.

How can I get my own Writing rated?

Take Prepiva’s free CELPIP mock test. With a free account, the report on your first full mock test rates both Writing tasks on the four dimensions, as a practice estimate.

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