CELPIP® Writing
53 min, 2 tasks, sat in order with the rest of the test.
- Time
- 53 min
- Tasks
- 2
- Scored questions
- Judged as a whole
What this section does to you
You will write two pieces, each for a stated reader and purpose.
A word count is shown as you type. When a task’s clock runs out, whatever you have written is submitted as it stands.
Each task is judged as a whole against the published Performance Standards dimensions, not on a checklist.
What is judged
Each task is judged as a whole on these dimensions, published as part of the Performance Standards. The level-by-level descriptors behind them are not published, so nobody — us included — can tell you exactly where one level ends and the next begins.
- Content/Coherence
- Vocabulary
- Readability
- Task Fulfillment
Source: CELPIP Performance Standards for Writing and Speaking (PDF, © 2023 Prometric)
The tasks, in the order you meet them
How to approach each task
- Task 1: Writing an Email
Decide the reader's tone first, give every listed point its own clear part with a believable detail, and finish by checking each point against the list.
- Task 2: Responding to Survey Questions
Pick the option you can support best, say so early, and back each reason with a concrete detail, in a tone that suits the people running the survey.
Why this page has no sample answer
Because an answer you read here would not be yours, and yours is the one that is judged. This page teaches the structure of each Writing task and how to approach it: what is asked, how to use the time and what is judged.
In a practice test, the feedback works on your own sentences: it points to the ones that cost you on the published dimensions and shows how to fix them, in your words.
The test provider warns that responses that are not original can lead to score cancellation. A sentence learned by heart is a risk to your result, not a shortcut.
Common questions
- How long is CELPIP® Writing?
- 53 minutes for 2 tasks. Writing is the third of the test's 4 components, all taken in one sitting. The test provider publishes the total for the component, not a time for each task.
- Source: CELPIP-General test format (celpip.ca)
- What are the tasks of CELPIP Writing?
- In the order you meet them: Task 1, Writing an Email; Task 2, Responding to Survey Questions.
- Source: CELPIP-General test format (celpip.ca)
- Is there a word count in CELPIP Writing?
- Yes. A word count is shown as you type. When a task’s clock runs out, whatever you have written is submitted as it stands.
- Source: CELPIP-General test format (celpip.ca)
- What is CELPIP Writing judged on?
- Each task is judged as a whole, not on a checklist, on the dimensions named in the published Performance Standards: Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Readability and Task Fulfillment. The level-by-level descriptors behind these names are not published.
- Source: CELPIP Performance Standards for Writing and Speaking (PDF, © 2023 Prometric)
- How is the CELPIP Writing level reported?
- As one level for the Writing component as a whole, from 3 to 12; each level corresponds to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of the same number.
- Source: CELPIP scoring and the Canadian Language Benchmarks (celpip.ca)
Further reading
- How CELPIP® results work: component levels and the CLB scale
Each CELPIP® component gets its own level, matching the CLB level of the same number. How those levels are set, how long results last, and why the weakest counts.
- Which CELPIP® skill is hardest? What the published results show
In the test provider's data report on a year of test takers, Reading has the lowest mean level. What each skill's figures show, and what they cannot tell you.
- How to structure your CELPIP® preparation, from target to test day
How to plan CELPIP® preparation: start from your program's target, test early, work on the biggest gaps, rehearse the mechanics, then check your progress again.
- How celpip9 estimates your level, and what the estimate cannot tell you
How celpip9 turns your practice into a CLB range, why it is never a CELPIP® result, what we measure about ourselves, and what an estimate cannot tell you.
- CELPIP® Writing: the mistakes to check for in your own draft
What to check for in a CELPIP® Writing draft, grouped by the published dimension names, and how to reread and fix your own work in your own words.
- How to use your time in CELPIP® Writing and Speaking
Each CELPIP® Writing and Speaking task runs on its own clock. Here is how to plan, pace and finish every task, and how to rehearse the timing before test day.
Reading about it only gets you so far
The test drive puts every mechanic in front of you once — single-play audio, the live word count, the recorder that starts and stops on its own. It is untimed, unscored, and it does not use a test from your quota.