CELPIP® Writing Task 1 sample: Heat Forecast for Repair Workshop
Writing an Email · 27 minutes · 150–200 words · Published
Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.
Practice question
You are helping organize a clothing repair workshop for 24 people at a community centre in Brampton this Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. The workshop is booked in the courtyard, but the forecast now predicts 34°C during the afternoon. An indoor room is available for $90, while the workshop budget has only $60 remaining. Moving the workshop to the morning would avoid the room fee, but six registered participants cannot attend then.
Write an email to the workshop coordinator, Sahra Osman.
- Outline your concerns about holding the workshop outdoors.
- Compare the effects of moving indoors or changing the time.
- Propose a solution and explain what support you need.
Model answers
Level 7 sample answer
165 words
Hello Sahra,
I'm writing about our repair workshop this Saturday. It will be 34°C outside in the afternoon. Our class runs from 1 to 4 p.m. That is a long time to sit in the heat. People may find it hard to focus on their work.
We could move into the room at the centre. All 24 people could still come at the same time. But the room costs $90, and we have just $60 left. We could also start in the morning for no room fee. Six people cannot come then. They has already signed up, so I think we should try to keep them in the group.
Could you ask the centre to let us use the room for $60? Please explain why we need the change. I can help tell people where to go once we agree. We need to make plan before Saturday. I would like to keep the class open to everyone.
Thanks for your help with this.
Best,
Cillian
Why this answer is at level 7
This answer covers the heat concern, both alternatives, and a practical request in a clear, friendly email. Compared with the stronger answers, its explanations are less developed, its vocabulary is simpler, and grammatical errors reduce accuracy.
Six people cannot come then.
— Content/Coherence: This identifies the attendance problem clearly, but the comparison develops through separate, brief statements. A higher-level answer would connect the lost attendance more directly to the decision about cost and timing.That is a long time to sit in the heat.
— Vocabulary: The everyday wording communicates discomfort, but gives little detail about this particular activity. The stronger answers use more precise language to explain how heat could affect concentration and detailed repair work.They has already signed up, so I think we should try to keep them in the group.
— Readability: The reason for protecting attendance is understandable, but the subject and verb do not agree. A higher-level answer would use the correct verb form and express this concern more smoothly.Could you ask the centre to let us use the room for $60?
— Task Fulfillment: This makes the requested support specific and proposes a solution within the remaining budget. The next answer explains the benefit more fully by showing how the discount would protect participants from an unexpected charge.
Level 9 sample answer
171 words
Hello Sahra,
Saturday's forecast of 34°C makes me concerned about running our clothing repair workshop in the courtyard from 1 to 4 p.m. Participants will need to concentrate on detailed work, and three hours in that heat could make the session uncomfortable and less productive.
Moving indoors would preserve the advertised schedule for all 24 participants. The difficulty is financial: the available room costs $90, which exceeds our remaining budget by $30. A morning session would avoid that expense, but it would exclude six people who registered expecting an afternoon workshop. I would be reluctant to leave them out simply because the weather has changed.
Could you approach the centre about accepting our remaining $60 as full payment for the indoor room? A reduced fee would keep the workshop on track without passing an unexpected charge to participants. If the centre agrees, I can help notify everyone about the room change. Please let me know whether you would like me to draft that update.
Thanks for looking into this.
Best,
Cillian
Why this answer is at level 9
This answer develops the practical concerns, compares cost and attendance clearly, and makes a polite, specific request. Its language is controlled and appropriate, but the proposed solution depends entirely on a discount; the stronger answer anticipates refusal and manages alternatives.
The difficulty is financial: the available room costs $90, which exceeds our remaining budget by $30.
— Content/Coherence: This connects the room price to the actual funding gap, making the comparison easier to follow than in the simpler answer. The stronger answer also turns the competing costs into an explicit judgment about protecting participation.I would be reluctant to leave them out simply because the weather has changed.
— Vocabulary: The wording expresses concern for registered participants with appropriate restraint for a semi-formal email. The stronger answer uses more compact, pointed language to characterize the trade-off between balancing the budget and preserving attendance.Moving indoors would preserve the advertised schedule for all 24 participants.
— Readability: This concise sentence makes the main benefit immediately clear. The stronger answer integrates the indoor and morning options into a balanced comparison, showing greater flexibility in sentence structure while remaining easy to follow.Could you approach the centre about accepting our remaining $60 as full payment for the indoor room?
— Task Fulfillment: The request specifies both the coordinator's action and the payment arrangement needed. However, it leaves the workshop unresolved if the centre refuses; the stronger answer provides conditional alternatives and checks attendance before accepting a new date.
Level 11 sample answer
189 words
Hello Sahra,
With 34°C forecast for Saturday afternoon, our courtyard booking risks making a practical clothing repair workshop an uncomfortable endurance test. Even threading a needle could become frustrating when participants are struggling to concentrate through three hours of heat.
Moving indoors would retain the advertised schedule for all 24 participants, whereas a morning session would exclude six people who have already registered. Unfortunately, the available room costs $90 against our remaining $60, leaving a $30 shortfall that we should resolve before committing. Changing the time would balance the budget at the expense of participation, which seems a poor compromise.
Could you investigate whether a smaller indoor space could accommodate everyone within our budget, perhaps with a different table arrangement? If nothing suitable is available, please ask whether we could transfer the courtyard reservation to a cooler day without incurring another charge. Before accepting an alternative date, I could check everyone's availability and report back, so we do not inadvertently exchange one attendance problem for another. Once a decision is confirmed, I'll handle the update to keep everyone in the loop.
Thanks for working through these options.
Best,
Cillian
Why this answer is at level 11
This answer combines a vivid, workshop-specific concern with a clear evaluation of cost and attendance. Its strength lies in anticipating obstacles, proposing conditional alternatives, and assigning practical follow-up while maintaining a confident, semi-formal tone.
Changing the time would balance the budget at the expense of participation, which seems a poor compromise.
— Content/Coherence: This evaluates the alternatives instead of simply listing their consequences. It establishes a clear priority—preserving participation—which gives the later proposals a consistent purpose.our courtyard booking risks making a practical clothing repair workshop an uncomfortable endurance test.
— Vocabulary: The vivid description makes the heat concern memorable while remaining connected to the workshop. The following example of threading a needle grounds the expressive language in the actual activity.Moving indoors would retain the advertised schedule for all 24 participants, whereas a morning session would exclude six people who have already registered.
— Readability: The sentence places the attendance effects side by side, making the comparison easy to assess. Its controlled structure handles several details without losing the central contrast.Before accepting an alternative date, I could check everyone's availability and report back
— Task Fulfillment: This makes the rescheduling proposal conditional on checking attendance, directly addressing the problem already identified with a morning session. It also gives the writer a concrete supporting role while leaving the coordinator informed.
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