CELPIP® Writing Task 1 sample: Parking Gates Closing Early
Writing an Email · 27 minutes · 150–200 words · Published
Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.
Practice question
You pay $90 a month to park until 8 p.m. in a privately operated lot in Medicine Hat, but a notice says the gates will close at 6 p.m. for two weeks of resurfacing. Your shifts end at 7:30 p.m., and the nearest alternative lot charges $8 per evening. The owner has offered credit for unused days, but you need a parking arrangement confirmed before work starts on Monday.
Write an email to the parking lot owner, Mr. Ekow Mensah.
- Clarify how the temporary closing time conflicts with your parking agreement.
- Outline the practical and financial effects on you.
- Request a suitable remedy before resurfacing begins.
Model answers
Level 7 sample answer
166 words
Dear Mr. Mensah,
I am writing about the notice at your parking lot in Medicine Hat. My monthly payment of $90 allows me to park until 8 p.m. However, the gates will close at 6 p.m. for two week during the resurfacing work. This does not fit the parking hours I have paid for.
My shifts finish at 7:30 p.m., so I cannot return to my car before the gates close. The nearest other lot costs $8 per evening, which would add to my commuting expenses. Thank you for offering credit for unused days, but the credit do not solve the problem of where I can park while I am working.
Could you arrange a temporary space where I can collect my car after my shift? If that is not possible, please consider covering the difference between the credit and the cost of alternative parking. I need confirmation before work starts on Monday so I can plan my journey.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Halima
Why this answer is at level 7
This level 7 answer covers the agreement, the disruption, and suitable remedies in a clear sequence. Its straightforward vocabulary and noticeable grammar errors make it less polished than the level 9 answer.
The nearest other lot costs $8 per evening, which would add to my commuting expenses.
— Content/Coherence: The financial effect follows logically from the access problem. The level 9 answer connects the alternative parking charge more closely to the credit offer, making the remaining financial burden clearer.This does not fit the parking hours I have paid for.
— Vocabulary: The meaning is clear, but “does not fit” describes the conflict broadly. The higher-level answers use more precise language about losing paid evening access.but the credit do not solve the problem of where I can park while I am working.
— Readability: The subject–verb agreement error interrupts an otherwise understandable explanation. The higher-level answers express the same limitation with accurate grammar and more compact phrasing.I need confirmation before work starts on Monday so I can plan my journey.
— Task Fulfillment: This supplies the required deadline and explains why confirmation matters. However, “work starts” could mean the writer's shift or the resurfacing; the higher-level answers explicitly identify resurfacing as the deadline.
Level 9 sample answer
179 words
Dear Mr. Mensah,
Your resurfacing notice creates a problem with my monthly parking arrangement. I pay $90 for access until 8 p.m., but the proposed 6 p.m. gate closure will remove the evening access I rely on for two weeks. I would appreciate clarification about how monthly customers will be accommodated.
My shifts end at 7:30 p.m., leaving no way to collect my car before the gates close. Although I appreciate your offer of credit for unused days, the nearest alternative charges $8 per evening. I would therefore still need to find a space and pay the additional cost. The credit alone leaves me in a bind.
Could you arrange temporary parking that permits collection after 7:30 p.m.? If that cannot be provided, I would welcome an agreement covering the difference between the unused-day credit and the alternative lot's charges. Please confirm the arrangement before resurfacing starts on Monday. Having a clear answer beforehand would allow me to plan my commute and avoid discovering that my car is inaccessible after work.
Thank you for reviewing the options.
Sincerely,
Halima
Why this answer is at level 9
This level 9 answer develops the practical and financial consequences clearly, uses controlled sentences, and requests a workable arrangement by a specific deadline. Compared with level 11, it contains some repetition and a conversational expression that slightly weakens its consistently formal tone.
I would therefore still need to find a space and pay the additional cost.
— Content/Coherence: “Therefore” clearly connects the inadequate credit offer to the remaining practical and financial problems. The level 11 answer compresses this reasoning and adds an explanation of why its reimbursement proposal is fair.The credit alone leaves me in a bind.
— Vocabulary: The idiom communicates difficulty naturally, but it is conversational and adds little after the preceding explanation. The level 11 answer maintains a more formal tone while specifying that the credit addresses only part of the disruption.My shifts end at 7:30 p.m., leaving no way to collect my car before the gates close.
— Readability: The sentence smoothly links the shift ending time to the collection problem. However, the closing paragraph repeats the inaccessible-car consequence; the level 11 answer uses its ending to emphasize the need for planning certainty.I would welcome an agreement covering the difference between the unused-day credit and the alternative lot's charges.
— Task Fulfillment: This offers a specific financial fallback alongside the request for temporary parking. The level 11 answer strengthens the proposal by explicitly describing the credit deduction and explaining how it avoids compensating the writer twice.
Level 11 sample answer
185 words
Dear Mr. Mensah,
I am requesting an accommodation for the two-week resurfacing period at your Medicine Hat lot. My $90 monthly agreement permits parking until 8 p.m.; closing the gates at six would therefore remove two hours of access for which I have already paid. Those hours are essential to my use of the space.
Because my shifts finish at 7:30 p.m., I cannot simply collect my car earlier. The nearest alternative lot charges $8 per evening, so accepting credit for unused days would still leave me arranging replacement parking and absorbing the difference. I appreciate the credit offer, but it addresses only part of the disruption.
My preferred solution would be a temporary replacement space with access after my shift. If you cannot arrange one, would you agree to reimburse the alternative parking charges after deducting the unused-day credit? That would avoid compensating me twice while addressing the additional expense. Please confirm a workable arrangement before resurfacing begins on Monday; without that assurance, I cannot plan where to leave my car during the affected shifts.
Thank you for considering a practical resolution.
Sincerely,
Halima
Why this answer is at level 11
This level 11 answer combines precise explanation, controlled formal language, and a persuasive remedy. It makes the lost access concrete, acknowledges the owner's offer, and explains both the fairness of reimbursement and the urgency of confirmation.
I appreciate the credit offer, but it addresses only part of the disruption.
— Content/Coherence: This acknowledges the owner's response while drawing a clear conclusion from the preceding practical and financial effects. It creates a smooth transition from explaining the problem to proposing a fuller solution.arranging replacement parking and absorbing the difference.
— Vocabulary: These compact, precise phrases distinguish the effort of finding parking from the remaining expense. “Absorbing the difference” conveys the financial burden naturally within the formal email.My $90 monthly agreement permits parking until 8 p.m.; closing the gates at six would therefore remove two hours of access
— Readability: The semicolon connects the agreed access directly to the proposed reduction. The sentence handles the payment, permitted hours, temporary closure, and resulting loss without making their relationship difficult to follow.If you cannot arrange one, would you agree to reimburse the alternative parking charges after deducting the unused-day credit?
— Task Fulfillment: This gives the owner a clear fallback if replacement parking is unavailable. Specifying the deduction makes the requested financial remedy concrete and supports the following explanation that the writer would not receive duplicate compensation.
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.
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