Writing Section · CELPIP-General
CELPIP Writing: two tasks, four rubrics.
Two writing tasks in 53–60 minutes. Both are scored by the same four rubrics — Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Readability, and Task Fulfillment — each rated on a scale from CLB 3 to CLB 12.
Tasks2
Time53–60 min
Word target150–200
Rubrics4
Task 1 · 27 min · 150–200 words
Email Writing
You're given a scenario — a problem, a request, or an event — and asked to write an email to a specified recipient. The scenario lists three or four things your email must do.
What graders look for
- All required points addressed, each in roughly equal depth
- Tone matched to the recipient (formal to a manager, casual to a friend)
- Clear opening, body, and sign-off
- Linking words between paragraphs
Strategy: Treat the scenario's bullet points as a checklist. The fastest way to lose a band is to skip one bullet — Task Fulfillment penalizes that hard.
See a sample band-9 email →
Task 2 · 26 min · 150–200 words
Responding to Survey Questions
You're given a survey scenario with two options and asked to pick one and justify it in writing. The choice itself doesn't matter to graders — your reasoning does.
What graders look for
- A clear choice stated in the opening
- Two or three reasons, each with a supporting detail or example
- Acknowledgement of the other option (optional but raises Vocabulary and Content bands)
- A short closing that returns to the choice
Strategy: Pick the option that gives you more to write about, not the one you'd choose in real life. Graders score the writing, not the opinion.
See a sample band-9 survey response →
The four rubrics, decoded
Each rubric is scored independently. Knowing what each one rewards is the single highest-leverage thing you can do for your Writing band.
Content / Coherence
Did you cover every required point? Do your ideas connect, build, and stay on-topic from sentence to sentence?
Vocabulary
Range and precision. Repeating the same word three times in two sentences sinks this band fast.
Readability
Grammar, sentence structure, punctuation. Errors are tolerated; errors that block meaning are not.
Task Fulfillment
Did you do what the prompt asked? Right register, right format, right number of words.