CELPIP® Writing Task 2: how to answer the survey

Task 2 of CELPIP Writing is a survey: you read a short situation and two options, choose one and explain why, in about 150 to 200 words and 26 minutes. This guide shows how to choose, a structure that works, a plan for the 26 minutes, and an original prompt with two answers at different levels, with what made the higher one stronger.

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

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What Task 2 asks

The survey: a title, a short situation and two options, A and B, each with a sentence or two of description.
Your job: choose one option and explain why, in about 150 to 200 words.
Time: 26 minutes, right after the 27-minute email task.
Rating: the same four dimensions as the email: Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Readability and Task Fulfillment. The CELPIP Writing guide explains each one.

Choosing an option

Either option is fine. The survey is not testing which option is better; it shows how well you can argue for one. So choose quickly, in a minute or two, and pick the option you can support with more specific reasons and examples, even if you slightly prefer the other one.

Choose one, clearly. Name your option in the first sentence. Choosing both, or neither, does not do what the survey asks.
Use the other option. A sentence on why the other choice is weaker makes your argument stronger.
Stay inside the survey’s situation. Reasons about the building, the town or the people in the prompt convince more than general opinions.

A structure that works

Your choice (1–2 sentences): name the option and give the main reason in a few words.
Reason 1 (3–4 sentences): your strongest reason, with a specific example or detail.
Reason 2 (3–4 sentences): a different kind of reason, with its own example.
The other option (1–2 sentences): what it offers, and why your choice still matters more.
Closing (1 sentence): your choice again, and thanks for asking.

Useful phrases for the survey response
To…	Try…
State your choice	I would choose Option B, … / In my view, the better choice is …
Add a reason	Another reason is that … / On top of that, …
Give an example	For example, last winter … / This happened to me when …
Compare	While Option A would …, Option B would … / …, whereas …
Close	For these reasons, … / That is why I believe …

A plan for the 26 minutes

Minutes 0 to 4: choose and plan. Pick an option and note two reasons, each with an example.
Minutes 4 to 21: write, following the structure above.
Minutes 21 to 26: check. Is the choice clear in the first sentence? Does each reason have an example? Is the count between 150 and 200? Then fix grammar and spelling.

Sample prompt

New, written for this page:

Maple Court Residents’ Survey

Your apartment building, Maple Court, has an empty storage room on the ground floor. The building committee can turn it into one of two spaces this year and is asking every resident which one they would prefer.

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

Option A: Parcel Room
Couriers would leave deliveries on lockable shelves, and each resident would get a code by text message to collect their parcels at any time.
Option B: Bike Room
The room would hold indoor racks for 40 bicycles and a small repair stand with a pump and basic tools.

Two sample answers at different levels

Both answers choose the parcel room, so the difference between them comes from how they argue, not from the choice; a well-argued case for the bike room would earn the same level. The levels are Prepiva’s practice estimates, not CELPIP results.

Answer 1: the parcel room, in general terms (about level 6)

Sample survey response (153 words, inside the 150–200 range)

I choose Option A, the parcel room.

First, many people in our building order things online. When the parcels come, nobody is at home because they are at work. So the courier leave the parcel in the lobby and sometimes it is lost. This is a big problem. The parcel room will fix this problem because the parcels will be safe.

Second, the parcel room is good for everybody. Not everybody has a bike, but everybody gets parcels. Old people also get parcels, for example groceries and gifts for their grandchildren. So more people can use it.

Also the bike room is good idea, but people can keep the bike on the balcony or in the apartment. It is not so big problem.

In conclusion, I think the parcel room is better for our building because the parcels will be safe and all people can use it. Thank you for asking residents opinion.

Prepiva’s estimate: Answer 1
Dimension	Estimated level	Why
Content/Coherence	6	A clear choice and two relevant reasons, but they stay general (many people, everybody), and the first one repeats itself.
Vocabulary	6	Basic words used again and again (problem, parcel, good), with few precise ones.
Readability	6	Short, simple sentences and noticeable errors (the courier leave, is good idea, not so big problem, residents opinion), though the meaning stays clear.
Task Fulfillment	7	A clear choice, a polite closing and 153 words, but the second reason and the look at the other option are thin.
Overall	About level 6	The rounded average of the four, as Prepiva’s rating computes it

What would raise it:

Replace general claims with one real example, as Answer 2 does.
Use more precise words than problem and good.
Fix the grammar: the courier leaves, a good idea, not such a big problem, residents’ opinions.
Join short sentences with because, while or which.

Answer 2: the parcel room, with evidence (about level 9)

Sample survey response (183 words, inside the 150–200 range)

I would choose Option A, the parcel room, because it would solve a problem that affects almost every resident of Maple Court.

At the moment, couriers leave packages on the lobby floor whenever no one answers the buzzer. Last month, a pair of winter boots I had ordered disappeared before I got home from work, and several neighbours have posted similar stories on the notice board. Lockable shelves with a personal code would put an end to these losses, and to the arguments they cause.

A parcel room would also serve far more people than a bike room. While perhaps forty residents would use the racks, nearly all of us receive deliveries, including older residents who order their groceries online during the winter.

I understand that cyclists need somewhere safe to keep their bikes. However, most units already have a balcony or a storage locker that can hold one, whereas a missing parcel has no easy solution.

For these reasons, I believe the parcel room would make the biggest difference to daily life in our building. Thank you for asking for our views.

Prepiva’s estimate: Answer 2
Dimension	Estimated level	Why
Content/Coherence	9	Two reasons, each backed by evidence (the missing boots, the notice board, forty users against nearly everyone), and a fair answer to the other option.
Vocabulary	9	Precise, natural words and phrases: buzzer, lockable, put an end to, whereas.
Readability	9	One idea per paragraph, varied linking (At the moment, While, However, For these reasons) and no errors.
Task Fulfillment	10	The choice in the first sentence, a tone that suits a building committee, and 183 words.
Overall	About level 9	The rounded average of the four, as Prepiva’s rating computes it

What would raise it:

To reach level 10 or above: a closing that ties both reasons together, and a wider range of sentence structures, such as one that opens with a condition (If… or Unless…).

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What raised the higher answer

Evidence instead of general claims. Answer 1 only says that parcels are sometimes lost; Answer 2 tells of a specific pair of winter boots and the stories on the notice board.
A fair comparison. Answer 2 sets about forty bike users against nearly every resident, and shows where cyclists can keep their bikes instead.
Precise words. Buzzer, lockable, put an end to and whereas do the work that problem and good do in Answer 1.
Varied, accurate sentences. Openings such as At the moment, While and However replace short sentences with errors such as “the courier leave” and “is good idea”.
One developed idea per paragraph, instead of coming back to the same point about safe parcels.

Mistakes to avoid

No clear choice, or a choice that appears only at the end.
A list of reasons with no examples: four thin reasons are weaker than two developed ones.
Copying an option’s description instead of explaining it in your own words.
A long personal story that leaves no room for a second reason.
Text-message style or slang in a response to an organization.
Writing far outside 150 to 200 words, or skipping the final check.

Get your survey response rated

Prepiva’s free CELPIP mock test ends its Writing section with a survey task on a 26-minute clock, and with a free account the report on your first full mock test rates your response on the four dimensions. See three more survey responses, at about levels 6, 8 and 10, in the CELPIP Writing samples, review the Task 1 email guide, or read more about the free CELPIP practice test.

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FAQ

How long is CELPIP Writing Task 2?

26 minutes for one survey response of about 150 to 200 words.

Does it matter which option I choose?

No. Either option can reach a high level. Choose the one you can support with more specific reasons and examples, and name it in your first sentence.

Can I choose both options?

The survey asks you to choose one, and a clear choice is part of doing the task. You can still mention the other option to show why yours is better.

How many reasons should I give?

Two well-developed reasons, each with a specific example, usually work better than four short ones in 150 to 200 words.

Should a survey response be formal?

Polite and neutral, as you would write to an organization that asked for your views. Avoid slang and text-message style.

Can Prepiva rate my survey response?

Yes. Prepiva’s free CELPIP mock test includes a survey task. With a free account, an AI rater estimates the response’s level on each of the four dimensions in your first full mock test. It is a practice estimate, not a CELPIP result.