CELPIP Writing Task 1 sample emails: 8 examples with examiner notes

CELPIP Writing Task 1 gives you a situation, a named reader and three or four things the email must do, then 27 minutes and a 150–200-word target. The eight samples below cover the situation types that actually appear — complaints, requests, invitations, apologies, inquiries, suggestions and thanks — in the register each one needs. Every email is complete, inside the word limit, and followed by a note on what earns the band.

How Task 1 is marked

Raters score four criteria: Content/Coherence (did you say enough, in a sensible order), Vocabulary (precise words, natural phrasing, the right formality), Readability (paragraphs, sentence variety, grammar and spelling) and Task Fulfillment (every bullet answered, right length, right tone for the reader). A band-9 email is not decorated with rare words; it is complete, specific and clean. Read the samples with that in mind.

1. Complaint — heating in a rented apartment (formal)

Situation: You rent an apartment. For the past two weeks the heating has not worked properly. Write to the building manager: describe the problem, explain how it is affecting you, and say what you want done.

Dear Mr. Alvarez, I am writing to report a heating problem in Unit 4B that has now continued for two weeks. Since 3 November the radiators have produced only a faint warmth for an hour each morning and nothing for the rest of the day, even with the thermostat set to 22 degrees. I have bled the radiators twice, as your maintenance sheet suggests, without any improvement. The apartment has been between 14 and 16 degrees most evenings. My daughter has developed a persistent cough, and we have been running two electric heaters, which pushed last month’s hydro bill up by almost sixty dollars. I would appreciate it if a technician could inspect the boiler or the valves this week. If the repair will take longer, I would ask that the building provide a temporary heater and consider a reduction in this month’s rent for the period without heat. I am available any weekday after 4 p.m. and can be reached at 604-555-0147. Thank you for your prompt attention to this. Sincerely, Priya Raman

• Task Fulfillment: the three bullets get one paragraph each, in the order they were asked, and the request is specific (a technician this week, a temporary heater, a rent reduction).
• Content: dates, temperatures and a dollar figure turn a complaint into evidence. “It has been cold” is band 7; “14 to 16 degrees most evenings” is band 9.
• Vocabulary and tone: firm but courteous throughout — “I would appreciate it if”, “I would ask that” — which is exactly the register a manager expects.

2. Request — a change to working hours (formal)

Situation: You have started a part-time college course in the evenings. Write to your manager: explain your situation, request a change to your hours, and suggest how your work will still get done.

Dear Ms. Okafor, I hope you are well. I am writing to ask whether my working hours could be adjusted for the next four months. In September I enrolled in a part-time Project Management certificate at Douglas College, which I mentioned during my review in June. The classes run on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 p.m., and with the current 5:30 finish I arrive fifteen minutes late each week. The instructor has been understanding so far, but late arrivals affect participation marks. Would it be possible to start at 7:30 a.m. and finish at 4 p.m. on those two days? I would keep my regular schedule for the rest of the week. The earlier start would let me process the overnight supplier orders before the warehouse opens, which is currently the busiest part of my morning, and I would make sure the daily inventory report is sent by 3:30 rather than the usual 5 p.m. I am happy to trial this for a month and review it with you. Thank you for considering the request. Kind regards, Daniel Mensah

• Coherence: background → the exact problem → the exact ask → the reassurance. A rater can find each bullet without hunting.
• Task Fulfillment: the third bullet is the one most candidates skip — here it gets real detail (supplier orders before opening, report by 3:30).
• Readability: sentence lengths vary, and the polite question form (“Would it be possible to…”) carries the request without sounding demanding.

3. Invitation — a neighbourhood clean-up (informal)

Situation: You are organizing a clean-up day at a local park. Write to a neighbour: describe the event, explain why it matters, and ask them to help in a specific way.

Hi Marta, I’m putting together a clean-up morning at Grandview Park on Saturday, 19 April, from 9 a.m. to noon, and I’d love for you to be part of it. The idea is simple: gloves, bags and litter-pickers are being lent by the city, we split into small groups, and we clear the playground area, the creek path and the parking strip along Commercial Drive. A coffee cart has offered free drinks for volunteers, and the kids can help too — mine are already excited about it. The park has looked rough since the winter storms, with broken branches on the paths and a lot of packaging blown in from the bus stop. The city crew only comes through every six weeks, and the playground is where most of the families on our street spend their weekends. Three hours with twenty people would make a real difference. Could you bring your wheelbarrow and take charge of the creek path group? You know that section better than anyone. Just reply by Wednesday so I can plan the groups. Hope to see you there, Sunita

• Register: contractions, “I’d love for you”, “Hope to see you there” — an email to a neighbour should not sound like one to a landlord. Getting the register right is a Vocabulary mark.
• Content: the event is concrete (date, time, three named areas, who supplies what), and the “why” paragraph gives reasons a reader can picture.
• Task Fulfillment: the ask is specific and personal (the wheelbarrow, the creek group) with a deadline to reply.

4. Apology — a missed birthday dinner (informal)

Situation: You could not attend a friend’s birthday dinner last weekend. Write to your friend: apologize, explain what happened, and suggest how you will make it up to them.

Dear Jonah, I’m really sorry I missed your birthday dinner on Saturday. I know how much planning went into it, and I feel terrible that my seat at the table was empty. On Saturday afternoon my mother had a fall at home and I drove her to Surrey Memorial. It turned out to be a badly sprained wrist rather than a break, thankfully, but we were in the emergency department until almost eleven. My phone died around seven, which is why my message never reached you until Sunday morning. I should have found a way to let you know earlier, and I’m sorry for the worry that must have caused. I’d like to make it up to you properly. Are you free next Friday? Dinner at that Ethiopian place on Fraser you keep mentioning is on me, and I’ll bring the gift I had wrapped for Saturday — it’s been sitting on my kitchen counter looking sad all week. Happy belated birthday, my friend. Let me know which evening works. Warmly, Leila

• Content: the apology comes first and is repeated once more after the explanation — the structure real apologies have.
• Vocabulary: “persistent”, “properly”, “belated”, and a touch of warmth (“looking sad all week”) that reads as natural, not memorised.
• Task Fulfillment: the make-up offer is a specific plan with a date and a place, not “let’s meet sometime”.

5. Inquiry — permits for a backyard deck (formal)

Situation: You want to build a small deck behind your house. Write to the city permits office: describe what you plan to build, ask what approvals are needed, and ask about costs and timelines.

Dear Permits Office, I am planning to build a wooden deck at the back of my house at 218 Larch Street and would like to confirm what approvals are required before I begin. The deck would be approximately 3.5 metres by 4 metres, attached to the rear wall of the house and raised about 60 centimetres above the ground, with steps down to the lawn. It would be built by a licensed contractor using pressure-treated lumber, and it would sit at least two metres from the property line on each side. Could you please tell me whether a building permit is required for a deck of this size and height, and whether a separate approval is needed because the property is in the Maple Ridge heritage zone? I would also like to know the fee for the permit, which documents I should submit with the application, and how long the review usually takes at this time of year, as the contractor has a slot available in early June. Thank you for your help. I can be reached at this address or at 250-555-0193. Yours faithfully, Grace Nakamura

• Content: the description paragraph answers the questions an office would ask back (size, height, attachment, distance to the property line), which is what makes the inquiry answerable.
• Coherence: the questions are grouped — permits first, then fee, documents and timing — so the reader can answer them in order.
• Readability: two long, well-controlled sentences carry four questions each without a single comma splice. That control is band 10.

6. Suggestion — a new class at a community centre (semi-formal)

Situation: You are a member of a community fitness centre. Write to the manager suggesting a new class: describe it, explain who would benefit and why, and say how you could help.

Dear Mr. Tremblay, I have been a member of Riverside Community Centre for three years, and I would like to suggest a new early-morning class: a 45-minute beginners’ strength session at 6:15 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. At the moment the only classes before 9 a.m. are spin and advanced HIIT, both of which are too intense for people who are new to exercise. A slower, coached session using the free weights and machines would fill the gap. Since the centre added the new weight room in January, I have often seen members standing beside the equipment unsure how to use it, and the mid-morning strength class is full of retirees — which tells me the demand exists but the timing excludes people who work. I would be glad to help. I hold a certified personal trainer qualification, and I could lead the first six weeks as a pilot at no charge to the centre, or assist whichever instructor you prefer. I could also put up sign-up sheets and share the class through the parents’ group at Riverside Elementary. Thank you for considering the idea. Best regards, Amir Haddad

• Content: the suggestion is precise (length, time, days, level) and the “why” is an observation the manager can check, not an opinion.
• Task Fulfillment: the offer to help is concrete and bounded — six weeks, free, or assisting — which makes it easy to say yes to.
• Vocabulary: “fill the gap”, “the demand exists”, “a pilot” — workplace phrasing that fits a manager without being stiff.

7. Thanks — a colleague who covered for you (semi-formal)

Situation: A colleague helped finish an important project while you were ill. Write to thank them: thank them, describe what they did that helped, and offer to return the favour.

Dear Chen, Now that I am back at my desk, I want to thank you properly for everything you did while I was off with pneumonia last month. When I went into hospital, the Hartley proposal was only half drafted and due in nine days. You not only finished the technical sections, you also tracked down the updated pricing from the Calgary team — something I had been chasing for two weeks — and rewrote the summary so the whole document read in one voice. Nadia told me the client signed the following Monday without a single revision. That would not have happened without you, and I know it meant several late evenings on top of your own accounts. I would like to return the favour. If you need cover during your leave in August, I will take the Fraser account and the weekly status calls without hesitation. In the meantime, lunch is on me on Friday — no arguments. With sincere thanks, Marcus

• Content: gratitude is specific — three named things the colleague did and the result they produced. Generic thanks (“you were so helpful”) caps at band 8.
• Readability: “not only… you also…” and the dash aside show range; the short closing sentence lands the tone.
• Task Fulfillment: the favour offered is named and dated, so the third bullet is fully answered.

8. Inquiry — an evening college course (formal)

Situation: You want to enrol in an evening English course at a local college. Write to the admissions office: explain why you want the course, ask about the schedule and fees, and ask whether there is an entry test.

Dear Admissions Office, I am writing to ask about the Evening Academic English program advertised on the college website for the January intake. I moved to Winnipeg from the Philippines last year and currently work full-time as a pharmacy assistant. My employer has offered to sponsor me for the pharmacy technician diploma, but the program requires stronger academic writing than my current level, so I would like to complete a structured course before applying. Could you let me know which evenings the classes run and at what times, and whether attendance is in person, online, or a mix of both? I would also appreciate details of the tuition fee for the twelve-week term, whether a payment plan is available, and what materials are included in the price. Finally, is there a placement or entry test before enrolment? If so, I would be grateful for information on the format and how to book a session, as I would prefer to complete it before the end of November. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to your reply. Yours faithfully, Ana Reyes

• Coherence: one paragraph per bullet, and the paragraphs begin with a signpost (“Could you let me know”, “Finally”) — the reader never loses the thread.
• Content: the reason paragraph gives a real motivation with a real constraint (sponsorship, the diploma’s writing demand), which makes the questions purposeful.
• Vocabulary: “intake”, “placement test”, “payment plan”, “enrolment” — the words of the situation, used correctly.

What the eight emails have in common

• The purpose is in the first sentence. No “I hope this email finds you well” before the point.
• One paragraph per bullet in the prompt, in the prompt’s order. That alone protects the Task Fulfillment score.
• Specifics everywhere: dates, numbers, names of places. Detail is what raters mean by “content”.
• A concrete closing action — a date, a phone number, a deadline to reply — instead of a vague sign-off.
• Between 170 and 196 words. The 150–200 range is a target, not a ceiling to scrape.

How to practise with these samples

Do not memorise them; the prompts on your test will be different, and an email that does not fit its prompt loses Task Fulfillment marks no matter how polished it is. Instead, for each sample, cover the email and write your own from the situation line in 27 minutes, then compare paragraph by paragraph: did you answer every bullet, did you give a specific, did the register match the reader? Then submit yours for scoring and read the criterion notes. Three rounds of that is worth more than reading thirty samples.