The complete CELPIP Writing guide (both tasks, scoring, timing)

The CELPIP-General Writing test is short, but it is where many test-takers lose points they did not need to lose. You have roughly 53 to 60 minutes to complete two tasks, and each one asks you to produce a focused, well-organized response of 150 to 200 words. Nothing about the test is trick-based: the prompts tell you exactly what to write. The challenge is doing it clearly, completely, and on time.

This guide walks through both writing tasks, explains how each response is scored on the CELPIP 1 to 12 scale, and shows you how to budget your minutes so you never leave a task half-finished. If you have not written a timed response before, read this first, then move to the task-specific guides linked throughout.

Task 1 — Writing an Email

Task 1 gives you a short situation and asks you to write an email in response. You are told who you are writing to, why, and — most importantly — exactly what your email must accomplish. The prompt always lists things your email needs to do, and those instructions are your blueprint. If you address all of them clearly, you have satisfied the single biggest scoring factor: task fulfillment.

A typical Task 1 prompt asks you to do three things inside one email. For example, you might need to:

• Explain the situation or reason you are writing
• Describe a specific problem, request, or set of details clearly
• State what you want to happen next, or make a concrete request

Your email should be 150 to 200 words. Stay inside that range: too short and you cannot develop each point; too long and you risk rambling, running over time, and introducing more errors. You have about 27 minutes for this task, which is enough to plan, write, and proofread if you use it deliberately.

Match the tone to the reader. An email to a manager, a landlord, or a company should be more formal than one to a friend. Open with a clear greeting, use a distinct paragraph for each part of the task, and close politely. Consistency of register matters as much as grammar.

Task 2 — Responding to Survey Questions

Task 2 presents a scenario — usually a survey from a workplace, a community group, or a local organization — that gives you two options and asks which one you support. Your job is to choose one option and write a response that persuades the reader your choice is the better one. This is not a task about listing pros and cons of both sides; it is about committing to a position and defending it.

You do not need to pick the 'correct' option, because there isn't one. Scorers do not care which side you take. They care whether you state your choice clearly, give specific reasons, and support those reasons with concrete details or examples. A confident, well-developed argument for either option scores well; a vague one for either option does not.

Like Task 1, your response should be 150 to 200 words, and you have about 26 minutes. A reliable structure is: state your choice in the first sentence, give two or three supporting reasons in the body with a specific detail for each, and finish with a short sentence that reinforces your position.

The most common Task 2 mistake is fence-sitting — hinting that both options have merit and never fully committing. Decide quickly, then spend your words building the case for that one choice.

How Writing is scored

Both tasks are scored by trained human raters on four criteria. Each criterion is rated on the CELPIP 1 to 12 scale, which aligns directly with the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). Understanding what each criterion measures tells you exactly where to put your effort.

Content / Coherence

This looks at whether your ideas are relevant, well-developed, and logically connected. Raters want to see each point explained, not just mentioned, and organized so the reader can follow your thinking without effort. Clear paragraphing and smooth transitions between ideas both help here.

Vocabulary

This measures the range and precision of the words you choose. Higher scores come from using specific, natural word choices that fit the context — not from stuffing in long or unusual words. Using a precise verb instead of a vague one, or the right idiom in the right place, moves you up.

Readability

This covers how easy your writing is to read: sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and formatting. Frequent errors that force the reader to re-read a sentence pull this score down. A response with controlled, varied sentences and clean mechanics reads smoothly and scores higher.

Task Fulfillment

This asks whether you did everything the prompt required, in the right tone, at the right length. For Task 1 that means covering all the listed points; for Task 2 it means clearly choosing one option and supporting it. Missing a required point is the fastest way to cap this score.

No single criterion is graded in isolation — a response that fully answers the prompt but is riddled with errors will lose points on readability, while a polished response that ignores half the instructions will lose points on task fulfillment. Strong scores come from doing all four things at once.

Word count + timing

Both tasks call for 150 to 200 words. That range is deliberate: it is enough space to develop your ideas but short enough that every sentence has to earn its place. Writing well under 150 words usually means points are underdeveloped; going well over 200 rarely helps and often adds errors and eats your proofreading time.

With roughly 27 minutes for Task 1 and 26 for Task 2, a simple split keeps you on track for each task:

1. Plan (about 5 minutes): read the prompt twice, underline every required point, and jot a one-line outline for each paragraph.
2. Write (about 17 to 18 minutes): draft steadily without stopping to perfect each sentence; keep an eye on your paragraph plan so you cover every point.
3. Proofread (about 3 to 4 minutes): re-read for missing task points first, then fix grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Practicing against the clock is essential. The word-count counter and timing feel very different under exam conditions than they do when you write at your own pace, so rehearse both together.

What separates band 9 from band 7

A band 7 response is competent: it usually covers the task, is understandable, and uses reasonable vocabulary, but ideas may be thin, word choices ordinary, and small errors frequent enough to notice. A band 9 response feels controlled and complete. The gap comes down to four things.

• Development: every point is explained with a specific reason, detail, or example, not just stated in one line.
• Precise vocabulary: words are chosen to fit the exact meaning and tone, so the writing sounds natural rather than approximate.
• Error control: grammar, spelling, and punctuation are consistent enough that nothing interrupts the reader.
• Full task fulfillment: every required point is covered clearly, at the right length, in the right register.

The encouraging part is that none of these require rare talent. They come from a repeatable structure, a habit of developing each point with one concrete detail, and enough timed practice that the format becomes automatic.

Read the prompt twice, answer every point it lists, develop each with one specific detail, and leave three minutes to proofread. Do that consistently and the score follows.

Once you understand both tasks, the four scoring criteria, and the timing, the only thing left is repetition under realistic conditions. Write full-length responses to the clock, check them against the four criteria, and your speed and accuracy will climb together.