CELPIP® Writing Task 1 sample: Bicycles Beside the Loading Entrance
Writing an Email · 27 minutes · 150–200 words · Published
Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.
Practice question
You cycle to your workplace in Fredericton, where six employees currently keep bicycles beside the loading entrance. Starting Monday, the facilities coordinator wants that area cleared for deliveries between 9 and 11 a.m., and the only outdoor rack is across a busy road. Staff start work at 8:30 a.m., so you have been asked to propose an alternative that keeps the delivery area accessible.
Write an email to your workplace facilities coordinator, Noor.
- Recognize why the current bicycle storage arrangement must change.
- Describe the difficulties employees would face using the outdoor rack.
- Propose an alternative that protects delivery access.
Model answers
Level 7 sample answer
170 words
Hi Noor,
I understand why bicycles cannot stay beside the loading entrance from Monday. Deliveries need clear access between 9 and 11 a.m. The current arrangement could make that difficult, so it makes sense to find another place for the bicycles before the change begins.
However, the six employee who cycle would have to use the only outdoor rack across a busy road. We start work at 8:30 a.m., and crossing that road adds another step to our morning journey. Also, moving our bicycles when deliveries begin would mean leaving work shortly after we arrive. Neither choice seems very convenient for staff.
Could we discuss about a temporary bicycle area elsewhere on our side of the road? You could check whether there is space away from the loading entrance and all delivery routes. We could agree that bicycles must remain inside the marked area. If no suitable space is available, please let us know before Monday so we can make other arrangements.
Thanks for considering our suggestion.
Best regards,
Dustin
Why this answer is at level 7
This level 7 answer covers the required points and presents a sensible, conditional solution. Its meaning is clear, but grammatical errors and a less specific storage proposal make it less polished and developed than the higher-level answers.
Also, moving our bicycles when deliveries begin would mean leaving work shortly after we arrive.
— Content/Coherence: This connects the delivery schedule with disruption to employees' work. A higher-level answer would make the timing more explicit and explain why a location available for the whole day would resolve the problem.Could we discuss about a temporary bicycle area elsewhere on our side of the road?
— Vocabulary: The polite request suits Noor, but 'discuss about' is an incorrect word combination, and 'bicycle area' leaves the arrangement somewhat vague. The higher-level answers use more precise language to request an assessment of a temporary rack.the six employee who cycle
— Readability: The meaning remains easy to understand, but 'employee' needs a plural ending after 'six.' The higher-level answers maintain grammatical accuracy, allowing the reader to focus entirely on the proposal.You could check whether there is space away from the loading entrance and all delivery routes.
— Task Fulfillment: This directly protects delivery access and sensibly asks Noor to check available space. A higher-level response would specify the storage equipment and explain how approval and instructions would help employees follow the arrangement.
Level 9 sample answer
184 words
Hi Noor,
Thank you for asking for an alternative to parking bicycles beside the loading entrance. I understand that deliveries between 9 and 11 a.m. require unobstructed access. Any replacement arrangement should keep both the entrance and the approach clear, rather than simply move the bicycles a few steps away.
For the six employees who cycle, the outdoor rack creates a different difficulty because it is across a busy road. We would need to cross after parking each morning and again to collect our bicycles. Since we start at 8:30 a.m., leaving bicycles temporarily by the entrance and moving them at nine would also interrupt the working day.
Could you assess whether a temporary rack could fit elsewhere on the workplace side of the road? A clearly marked space, approved by facilities, would help us avoid blocking delivery movements or pedestrian access. If you identify a suitable location, we can share the instructions with all six cyclists before Monday. Please let us know whether this is feasible or whether you need another proposal.
Thanks for helping us find a workable solution.
Best regards,
Dustin
Why this answer is at level 9
This level 9 answer develops the practical difficulties clearly and proposes a specific rack with facilities approval and staff instructions. Compared with the level 11 answer, some wording is less economical, and it leaves the whole-day benefit and fallback arrangements less fully expressed.
leaving bicycles temporarily by the entrance and moving them at nine would also interrupt the working day.
— Content/Coherence: This clearly explains why moving the bicycles when deliveries begin would be disruptive. The level 11 answer develops the reasoning further by explicitly identifying a location available for the whole day as easier to manage.the outdoor rack creates a different difficulty because it is across a busy road.
— Vocabulary: The wording accurately introduces the rack's disadvantage, but 'creates a different difficulty' is broad. The level 11 answer moves more directly from the rack's location to the specific consequence of crossing the road.Please let us know whether this is feasible or whether you need another proposal.
— Readability: The sentence is grammatical, courteous, and easy to follow. However, it adds another conditional request after the location assessment; the level 11 ending gives that space a more definite purpose by explaining what staff need if the proposal fails.If you identify a suitable location, we can share the instructions with all six cyclists before Monday.
— Task Fulfillment: This adds a useful implementation step, identifies everyone affected, and respects the deadline. The level 11 answer also addresses the possibility that no suitable location exists, making its response more complete.
Level 11 sample answer
190 words
Hi Noor,
The loading entrance needs to be clear for deliveries between 9 and 11 a.m., and I support replacing our current bicycle storage arrangement from Monday. Relocating the bicycles will only solve the problem, however, if their new position also leaves the delivery approach unobstructed.
The alternative outdoor rack is across a busy road. For the six employees who cycle, using it would add a road crossing at each end of the working day. Nor would moving the bicycles at nine be a practical compromise: with an 8:30 start, staff would have to interrupt their work almost immediately. A permanent location for the whole day would be considerably simpler to manage.
Would facilities assess whether a temporary rack could be positioned elsewhere on our side of the road, subject to sufficient space and clear access? Once a location is approved, marked boundaries and a short instruction to all six cyclists should prevent bicycles from spreading into delivery routes. If no suitable location exists, an update before Monday would give us time to reconsider our commuting arrangements.
Thank you for considering both operational access and staff needs.
Best regards,
Dustin
Why this answer is at level 11
This level 11 answer combines precise reasoning, fluent sentence control, and a practical proposal. It explains the value of whole-day storage, makes relocation conditional on clear access, and provides both implementation measures and a fallback before Monday.
A permanent location for the whole day would be considerably simpler to manage.
— Content/Coherence: This draws a clear conclusion from the preceding discussion of road crossings and interrupted work. It gives the proposal a practical organizing principle: employees should be able to leave their bicycles in the same place throughout the working day.subject to sufficient space and clear access
— Vocabulary: This compact phrase expresses an important condition precisely. It avoids assuming that suitable space exists and makes delivery access a requirement for approving the proposed rack.Nor would moving the bicycles at nine be a practical compromise:
— Readability: The controlled sentence opening links this rejected option to the outdoor rack's disadvantages. The colon introduces the explanation immediately, helping the reader follow a more complex sentence without losing the practical point.marked boundaries and a short instruction to all six cyclists should prevent bicycles from spreading into delivery routes.
— Task Fulfillment: The proposal includes concrete measures to keep delivery routes clear after relocation. Marking the space and informing every cyclist address how the arrangement would work in daily use.If no suitable location exists, an update before Monday would give us time to reconsider our commuting arrangements.
— Task Fulfillment: This provides a realistic fallback tied to the change starting Monday. It asks Noor for a timely decision and explains why employees need that information, while maintaining a cooperative, semi-formal tone.
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