CELPIP® Writing Task 1 sample: Planning the Summer Garden
Writing an Email · 27 minutes · 150–200 words · Published
Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.
Practice question
You and your friend Juliette share a community garden plot in Kamloops and have agreed to buy plants this weekend. Juliette wants to fill most of the plot with tomatoes, which the garden coordinator says will need daily watering in July. Juliette will be away for the first two weeks of July, and you can visit only twice a week because of your evening course. You have $80 left in your shared gardening budget, so you need to agree on a planting and watering plan before buying anything.
Write an email to your friend Juliette.
- Respond to your friend's planting idea.
- Explain the watering limitations and possible consequences.
- Suggest a workable plan within your shared budget.
Model answers
Level 7 sample answer
166 words
Hi Juliette,
I'm writing about our plant shopping this weekend. I like your idea of growing tomatoes. It would be fun to pick our own food. But I am not sure we should fill most of the plot with them.
They need water every day in July. You will be away for the first two weeks. I can only go twice a week because of my evening course. That leaves days when neither of us can go. The plants might dry out. Then some of our money would be wasted.
Could we ask the coordinator which other plants needs less water? We could buy a few tomatoes and use the rest of the space for those plants. Let's also find out the price of a watering system. We have $80 left for everything. We should agree on plan before we go shopping. I want us both to enjoy the garden and have time for our other plans.
Let me know what you think.
Take care,
Pavel
Why this answer is at level 7
This answer addresses all the main concerns in a friendly, understandable way. Its simple sentence patterns, occasional grammar errors, and incomplete watering arrangements make it less developed than the higher-level examples.
That leaves days when neither of us can go.
— Content/Coherence: This clearly connects their limited availability to a watering gap. The reasoning progresses logically, but a higher-level answer would carry that reasoning further by making reliable watering a condition of buying tomatoes.Then some of our money would be wasted.
— Vocabulary: The wording communicates the financial consequence clearly, but remains basic and general. The higher-level answers connect the shared budget to plant care through more precise or expressive language.Could we ask the coordinator which other plants needs less water?
— Readability: The suggestion is easy to understand, but the plural subject requires 'need' rather than 'needs'. The higher-level answers maintain grammatical control while using more varied sentence structures.Let's also find out the price of a watering system.
— Task Fulfillment: Checking the price acknowledges the budget, but the answer leaves the daily watering problem unresolved if the system is unaffordable. The higher-level answers provide a fallback involving another gardener or postponing purchases.
Level 9 sample answer
176 words
Hi Juliette,
Growing tomatoes together sounds rewarding, and I understand why you'd like them to fill most of our plot. Before we go shopping this weekend, though, I think we should match our planting plans to the time we can realistically spend at the garden.
The coordinator's advice about daily watering in July is the main obstacle. You'll be away for the first two weeks, while my evening course limits me to two visits a week. That leaves several days without either of us there. I'd hate for us to spend our remaining $80 on plants and then watch them struggle because we hadn't arranged consistent care.
How about buying fewer tomatoes and asking the coordinator to recommend alternatives with less demanding watering needs? We could also price a watering system before deciding how much to spend on plants. If it puts us over budget, let's ask another gardener about exchanging watering help. I'd rather start small than bite off more than we can chew.
Can we agree on the plan before shopping?
Take care,
Pavel
Why this answer is at level 9
This answer combines a considerate response with clear reasoning, varied sentences, and a budget-conscious alternative. Its watering proposal is more workable than the simpler answer, but it does not make purchases explicitly dependent on securing reliable care.
If it puts us over budget, let's ask another gardener about exchanging watering help.
— Content/Coherence: This conditional connects the watering-system proposal to a sensible alternative. It develops the plan beyond simply checking prices, although the strongest answer also explains what happens if no gardener can commit.I'd rather start small than bite off more than we can chew.
— Vocabulary: The idiom sounds natural between friends and reinforces the need to keep their commitment manageable. The strongest answer uses garden-related figurative language that connects even more closely to the situation.You'll be away for the first two weeks, while my evening course limits me to two visits a week.
— Readability: The sentence brings both availability constraints together smoothly, making the scheduling problem easy to follow. The strongest answer sustains this clarity through more layered reasoning about watering assumptions and conditional arrangements.We could also price a watering system before deciding how much to spend on plants.
— Task Fulfillment: This establishes a useful spending order within the remaining $80. However, buying fewer tomatoes still requires dependable daily watering; the strongest answer explicitly makes the purchase conditional on arranging that care.
Level 11 sample answer
192 words
Hi Juliette,
Your tomato plan is tempting, especially when I picture us picking dinner from our own little patch in Kamloops! Before we spend our remaining $80 this weekend, though, let's make sure our enthusiasm hasn't outgrown our watering arrangements.
With you away for the first two weeks of July and my evening course restricting me to twice-weekly visits, we'd be leaving several days uncovered. The coordinator recommends daily watering, so even if I soaked everything during my visits, we couldn't assume that would bridge the gap. I'd hate to watch our investment shrivel because we'd mistaken occasional attention for reliable care.
How about making the tomato purchase conditional on finding someone willing to share the watering responsibility? You could ask the coordinator about introducing us to another gardener, while I work out which days I could definitely cover. We could offer to return the favour after your vacation, provided we agree on a manageable schedule. If nobody can commit, let's postpone shopping and ask what would be suitable to plant after you're back, keeping the $80 untouched until we have a realistic plan.
Would that work for you?
Take care,
Pavel
Why this answer is at level 11
This answer combines warm, expressive language with careful practical reasoning. It directly addresses the daily watering gap, assigns responsibilities, and protects the shared budget through a clear fallback if reliable help cannot be arranged.
even if I soaked everything during my visits, we couldn't assume that would bridge the gap.
— Content/Coherence: This anticipates a tempting but unsupported solution: watering heavily during occasional visits. It strengthens the reasoning by explaining why their existing availability cannot be assumed to meet the coordinator's daily watering advice.let's make sure our enthusiasm hasn't outgrown our watering arrangements.
— Vocabulary: The garden-related metaphor expresses a practical concern with warmth and economy. It gently challenges Juliette's proposal while preserving the friendly tone appropriate to their shared project.You could ask the coordinator about introducing us to another gardener, while I work out which days I could definitely cover.
— Readability: The balanced sentence assigns each friend a clear responsibility. Despite containing several connected ideas, it remains easy to follow and turns a general suggestion into coordinated action.If nobody can commit, let's postpone shopping
— Task Fulfillment: This provides a definite fallback when daily care cannot be secured. The continuation preserves the $80 and seeks suitable planting options after Juliette returns, making the plan workable without inventing prices or assuming help is available.
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