CELPIP® Writing Task 1 sample: Paying a Higher Hydro Bill
Writing an Email · 27 minutes · 150–200 words · Published
Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.
Practice question
You share an apartment in North Bay with your friend Moana, and you normally divide the hydro bill equally. This month's bill is $70 higher than usual, after Moana began using a portable heater in a bedroom while you were away for two weeks. Moana wants to keep the usual split, but you think the increase needs to be discussed, and you cannot tell exactly how much electricity the heater used. The bill is due Friday, so you need a fair way to pay now and avoid another disagreement.
Write an email to your friend and roommate, Moana.
- Raise your concern about splitting this month's bill equally.
- Acknowledge why the extra cost is difficult to divide precisely.
- Suggest a payment compromise and a plan for future bills.
Model answers
Level 7 sample answer
154 words
Hi Moana,
Can we talk about this month's hydro bill before it is due on Friday? I know we usually pay half each, but I am not sure that is fair this time. The bill is $70 higher than usual, and I was away for two weeks.
You started using the portable heater in your bedroom, so it may explain some of the increase. However, we do not know exactly how much electricity it used. I don't want to blame you for all the extra cost because there could be other reason.
Could I pay $20 of the increase and you pay $50, while we still split the usual amount equally? For future bills, let's keep a record of heater use and check whether our payments needs changing. I would like us both to feel comfortable with the arrangement.
Please tell me what you think so we can agree before Friday.
Take care,
Dmitri
Why this answer is at level 7
This level 7 answer clearly explains the concern and offers a workable payment compromise in a friendly tone. Compared with the higher-level answers, its reasoning is less developed, its vocabulary is simpler, and grammatical errors reduce accuracy.
I don't want to blame you for all the extra cost because there could be other reason.
— Content/Coherence: The writer acknowledges uncertainty and avoids assigning Moana the entire increase. However, the explanation remains vague. The higher-level answers explain more directly why the timing does not justify treating the whole increase as heater use.I would like us both to feel comfortable with the arrangement.
— Vocabulary: The familiar wording expresses goodwill appropriately between roommates. The higher-level answers use more precise language to explain what makes the arrangement reasonable, including the different circumstances and the limits of the estimate.check whether our payments needs changing.
— Readability: The meaning is understandable, but the plural subject 'payments' requires 'need.' The higher-level answers maintain grammatical accuracy while explaining a more detailed process for reviewing future bills.Could I pay $20 of the increase and you pay $50, while we still split the usual amount equally?
— Task Fulfillment: This proposal clearly separates the usual bill from the increase and gives both roommates a specific amount to pay. The higher-level answers explain the compromise's rationale more fully, with the strongest answer explicitly limiting it to this bill.
Level 9 sample answer
174 words
Hi Moana,
I'd like to settle this month's hydro bill before Friday, but could we reconsider dividing it equally? Although that normally works well, the $70 increase arrived during a month when I was away for two weeks and you began using a portable heater in your bedroom.
That timing makes me reluctant to split the extra amount straight down the middle. Still, we cannot tell exactly how much electricity the heater consumed, so it would also be unfair to assume you caused the entire increase. I want us to find a reasonable compromise without turning a bill into an argument.
How about continuing to divide our usual bill equally, with me paying $20 of the increase and you covering $50? This would acknowledge the different circumstances without claiming our estimate is exact. For the next billing period, let's record when the heater is used and review the bill together before deciding whether to adjust our arrangement.
Let me know whether that works for you so we can pay on time.
Take care,
Dmitri
Why this answer is at level 9
This level 9 answer develops the fairness issue clearly, uses accurate language, and balances the writer's concern with consideration for Moana. The level 11 answer strengthens this approach by distinguishing estimates from measurements and making the compromise's temporary scope and future payment timing explicit.
Still, we cannot tell exactly how much electricity the heater consumed, so it would also be unfair to assume you caused the entire increase.
— Content/Coherence: The concession connects uncertainty directly to fairness, developing the reasoning beyond the lower-level answer. The higher-level answer sharpens this distinction by explaining that charging the entire increase would treat an estimate as a measurement.without turning a bill into an argument.
— Vocabulary: This natural expression communicates concern for the friendship without sounding confrontational. The higher-level answer adds precision through language about evidence and a permanent formula while retaining a friendly closing.That timing makes me reluctant to split the extra amount straight down the middle.
— Readability: The opening links the previous paragraph's circumstances to the writer's concern, making the argument easy to follow. The higher-level answer carries this clarity further by giving the proposal's temporary scope its own explanatory sentence.For the next billing period, let's record when the heater is used and review the bill together
— Task Fulfillment: The answer provides a practical future plan alongside the immediate payment split. The higher-level answer makes that plan more complete by specifying that any adjustment should be agreed before the payment deadline.
Level 11 sample answer
183 words
Hi Moana,
Before Friday's hydro payment is due, I'd like us to revisit our usual equal split. This month's $70 increase coincided with your starting to use a portable heater in your bedroom, whereas I was away for two weeks. Given that difference, an automatic fifty-fifty division feels worth reconsidering.
At the same time, timing alone does not establish how much electricity the heater consumed. Charging you the entire increase would treat an estimate as a measurement, which would hardly be fair either. I'd prefer an arrangement that recognises our different use of the apartment without making either of us feel blamed.
Could we split the usual amount equally and divide the increase into $20 for me and $50 for you? I'm suggesting that as a compromise for this bill, rather than a permanent formula. Going forward, we could track heater use and compare bills together, then agree on any adjustment before the payment deadline.
Please let me know before Friday whether you're comfortable with that approach. I'd like us to settle the payment and keep things easy between us.
Take care,
Dmitri
Why this answer is at level 11
This level 11 answer combines precise reasoning, controlled sentence structure, and a considerate roommate tone. It explains the limits of the evidence, presents the payment split as a temporary compromise, and connects future monitoring with agreement before payment is due.
Charging you the entire increase would treat an estimate as a measurement, which would hardly be fair either.
— Content/Coherence: This explains exactly why suspected heater use cannot justify assigning Moana the entire increase. It develops the uncertainty acknowledged in the other answers into a clear principle supporting the compromise.This month's $70 increase coincided with your starting to use a portable heater in your bedroom
— Vocabulary: The verb 'coincided' precisely describes events occurring together without claiming that the heater caused the whole increase. That careful word choice supports the answer's balanced treatment of responsibility.I'm suggesting that as a compromise for this bill, rather than a permanent formula.
— Readability: This focused sentence clarifies the proposal immediately after the payment amounts. The contraction keeps the tone conversational, while the clear distinction between this bill and future arrangements prevents misunderstanding.Going forward, we could track heater use and compare bills together, then agree on any adjustment before the payment deadline.
— Task Fulfillment: The future plan combines monitoring, joint review, and a deadline for agreement. Alongside the immediate split and request for a reply before Friday, it addresses both paying now and preventing another disagreement.
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