CELPIP® Writing Task 1 sample: An Unexpected Consignment Deduction
Writing an Email · 27 minutes · 150–200 words · Published
Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.
Practice question
You sold a musical keyboard through a consignment shop in Prince Albert under a written agreement promising you 80% of the sale price by cheque. The shop's notification says it sold for $300, but you will receive $210 in store credit after a $30 listing fee that was not mentioned in the agreement. You planned to use the proceeds to buy a $230 second-hand sewing machine from another seller, who will hold it only until Friday.
Write an email to the consignment shop manager, Mr. Kenji Mori.
- Identify the differences between the written agreement and the payment notification.
- Explain how the proposed payment affects your planned purchase.
- Request a corrected payment and confirmation of when you can collect it.
Model answers
Level 7 sample answer
172 words
Dear Mr. Mori,
I received your notification about the sale of my musical keyboard for $300. My written agreement say I should receive 80% of the sale price by cheque. This would be $240. However, the notification offers $210 in store credit after a $30 listing fee. I could not find this fee in the agreement.
I planned to use the money to buy a second-hand sewing machine from another seller. It costs $230, and the seller will hold it only until Friday. Store credit would not help me pay that person. Also, the reduced amount would leave me short of the price, even if it were paid by cheque.
Could you please check the agreement and correct the payment to $240 by cheque? I would also appreciate an explanation of why the listing fee was added. Please confirm when I can collect the cheque, preferably before Friday. I would appreciate a reply until then so I can tell the other seller what to expect.
Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Obinna
Why this answer is at level 7
This level 7 answer explains both payment discrepancies, connects them to the sewing machine purchase, and requests the correct cheque. Its straightforward development, grammar error and awkward deadline wording make it less precise and controlled than the higher-level answers.
Also, the reduced amount would leave me short of the price, even if it were paid by cheque.
— Content/Coherence: This separates the insufficient amount from the unusable payment method. The explanation is relevant but leaves the reader to calculate the shortfall; the higher-level answers explicitly identify the $20 gap.Store credit would not help me pay that person.
— Vocabulary: The everyday wording communicates the problem clearly, but “that person” is less precise than identifying the other seller. A higher-level answer explains directly that credit restricted to the shop cannot fund the outside purchase.My written agreement say I should receive 80% of the sale price by cheque.
— Readability: The meaning is easy to follow, but “agreement say” contains a subject–verb agreement error. The higher-level answers maintain grammatical control while explaining the same contractual terms.Please confirm when I can collect the cheque, preferably before Friday.
— Task Fulfillment: This addresses collection timing, but “preferably” makes the deadline sound optional, and it is unclear whether Friday concerns confirmation or collection. The strongest answer explicitly requests the cheque to be available before Friday.
Level 9 sample answer
182 words
Dear Mr. Mori,
Your sale notification for my musical keyboard lists a $300 selling price but offers $210 in store credit. Under our written agreement, I should receive 80% of the selling price by cheque, which comes to $240. The notification also deducts a $30 listing fee that does not appear in the agreement.
These differences affect a purchase I have already planned. Another seller is holding a second-hand sewing machine for me until Friday at a price of $230. The agreed payment would cover that purchase, whereas $210 would leave a $20 shortfall. More importantly, credit restricted to your shop cannot be used to pay the other seller, so correcting only the amount would not resolve the problem.
Please review the agreement, remove the unlisted fee and arrange a cheque for $240. Could you also confirm when it will be ready for collection? Receiving that confirmation before Friday would help me coordinate with the sewing machine seller. I can provide my copy of the agreement if that would speed up your review.
Thank you for looking into this promptly.
Sincerely,
Obinna
Why this answer is at level 9
This level 9 answer develops the financial consequences clearly, uses precise vocabulary and maintains a formal, readable structure. Its main limitation compared with level 11 is that it requests confirmation before Friday without explicitly requiring the cheque to be available by then.
The agreed payment would cover that purchase, whereas $210 would leave a $20 shortfall.
— Content/Coherence: The explicit comparison connects the payment dispute to the planned purchase more fully than the level 7 answer. The level 11 answer adds the $10 remaining under the agreement, making both financial outcomes immediately visible.credit restricted to your shop cannot be used to pay the other seller
— Vocabulary: “Restricted” precisely explains why store credit fails, and “the other seller” keeps the reference specific. The level 11 answer extends this precision to the remedy by requesting an earliest firm collection date if necessary.Could you also confirm when it will be ready for collection?
— Readability: This grammatically controlled question follows naturally from the cheque request, so “it” is easy to understand. The level 11 answer makes the request more self-contained by combining confirmation of the adjustment with a collection time before Friday.Receiving that confirmation before Friday would help me coordinate with the sewing machine seller.
— Task Fulfillment: The deadline has a clear practical reason, but receiving confirmation does not guarantee timely payment. The level 11 answer closes that gap by explicitly requiring cheque availability and requesting a firm alternative date if needed.
Level 11 sample answer
188 words
Dear Mr. Mori,
Your notification confirms that my keyboard sold for $300, yet it offers $210 in store credit after a $30 listing fee. Our written agreement provides for 80% by cheque: $240 to me and $60 retained by the shop. Deducting another $30 would increase the shop's share to $90, although no listing fee appears in the agreement.
The distinction matters because another seller is holding a $230 second-hand sewing machine for me until Friday. The agreed payment would cover it with $10 remaining; the proposed amount leaves me $20 short. More fundamentally, even the correct amount would be tied up in your shop if issued as credit.
Please remove the unlisted fee, issue a corrected payment statement and prepare a cheque for $240. Could you confirm both that adjustment and a collection time before Friday? Since the other seller's hold expires then, I need the cheque available for collection, rather than simply confirmation that a correction is underway. If that timing cannot be met, please give me the earliest firm collection date so I can contact the seller.
Thank you for resolving this promptly.
Sincerely,
Obinna
Why this answer is at level 11
This level 11 answer combines detailed financial reasoning with precise, controlled language and a practical resolution. It distinguishes confirmation from actual cheque availability and provides a fallback request, addressing the Friday deadline particularly thoroughly.
Deducting another $30 would increase the shop's share to $90, although no listing fee appears in the agreement.
— Content/Coherence: This develops the discrepancy beyond identifying an unexpected fee: it shows how the deduction changes the agreed distribution. The reasoning strengthens the complaint through the supplied figures while keeping the tone measured.More fundamentally, even the correct amount would be tied up in your shop if issued as credit.
— Vocabulary: “More fundamentally” establishes the priority of the payment-method problem, while “tied up” concisely describes money unavailable for the intended purchase. The vocabulary communicates a nuanced distinction naturally.The agreed payment would cover it with $10 remaining; the proposed amount leaves me $20 short.
— Readability: The balanced clauses and correctly used semicolon make the financial comparison easy to process. Both outcomes appear together, allowing the reader to understand the practical difference without calculating it.I need the cheque available for collection, rather than simply confirmation that a correction is underway.
— Task Fulfillment: This explicitly defines the outcome needed to meet the seller's deadline. Together with the request for an alternative firm collection date, it makes the requested response concrete and useful.
What moves an answer from 7 to 9 to 11
These are model answers written to show each level. The labels are practice estimates, not examiner scores.
Cover each email bullet with relevant detail, explain its effect on the reader and make a workable request. Keep a consistent register, with an opening, connected paragraphs and an appropriate closing.
- Content/Coherence: Level 7 models communicate the main ideas; level 9 models develop relevant details with clear connections; level 11 models sustain precise, well-integrated development.
- Vocabulary: Compare adequate everyday wording with more varied, accurate choices at level 9 and flexible, precise expression at level 11.
- Readability: Look for increasingly controlled grammar, sentence variety, punctuation and paragraphing. Complexity helps when it keeps the message easy to read.
- Task Fulfillment: Compare how fully the response addresses the request, develops enough relevant detail and maintains an appropriate tone for the audience within the task limits.
Assess the criteria together. A longer answer or rarer words alone do not establish a higher level.
Answer this question and get your level