CELPIP® Writing Task 1 sample: Sunday Access to Garden Tools

Level 7 sample answer

160 words

Dear Rafael,

I am writing about access to the tool shed for our Sunday volunteer group. Last Sunday, we could not get the donated tools because the shed was locked. You are the only person with a key, and you are only available on weekdays.

Without tools, we could not finish the garden work. Volunteers gave up part of their weekend to help, so it was disappointing to leave jobs unfinished. If this happens again, some people might stop coming. The garden also need regular care, even when you cannot be there.

Could we arrange for one Sunday volunteer to borrow key before our next session? That person could collect it during the week and return it afterwards. We could also write down which tools we take and check everything before we lock up. This would help us keep track of the tools without spending money on replacements.

Please let me know if this plan would work.

Thank you,

Ananya

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer clearly explains the access problem, its effects, and a practical solution. Compared with level 9, grammatical slips and less precise wording weaken the delivery, while responsibility for returning the key could be clearer.

• You are the only person with a key, and you are only available on weekdays. — Content/Coherence: This clearly identifies why Sunday volunteers cannot access the shed. The higher-level answers connect this scheduling conflict more explicitly to the need for a reliable arrangement before Sunday.
• The garden also need regular care, even when you cannot be there. — Readability: The meaning is clear, but “garden” requires “needs.” The ending also puts some emphasis on Rafael's absence; the higher-level answers frame the problem more tactfully around schedules and access.
• This would help us keep track of the tools without spending money on replacements. — Vocabulary: “Keep track of” is natural and understandable, but the wording leaves the security benefit broad. The higher-level answers use more precise language about responsibility and tracing discrepancies.
• That person could collect it during the week and return it afterwards. — Task Fulfillment: Borrowing the existing key offers a practical arrangement without buying equipment. However, “afterwards” leaves the return time unclear. The level 9 answer links return to each session, while level 11 specifies Monday.

Level 9 sample answer

175 words

Dear Rafael,

Could we arrange reliable access to the community garden's tools before this Sunday's session?

Last Sunday, our group could not finish its work because the donated tools were locked in the shed. Since you hold the only key and are available only on weekdays, our schedule does not line up with the current arrangement.

This leaves willing volunteers unable to do the jobs they came for. Repeated interruptions could also affect attendance: people may hesitate to commit their Sundays if they cannot be sure the necessary tools will be available. Meanwhile, unfinished garden tasks would carry over into the following week.

I understand why the committee is concerned about losses, particularly with no replacement budget. Could we nominate a volunteer to collect your key on a weekday and return it after each session? A simple checkout list, followed by a tool count before locking the shed, would establish clear responsibility without requiring new equipment.

Please let me know whether the committee would accept this arrangement for a trial this Sunday.

Thank you,

Ananya

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer combines clear organization, controlled sentences, and a tactful response to the committee's concerns. It develops the consequences more fully than level 7, but leaves more operational details unresolved than level 11.

• Repeated interruptions could also affect attendance: people may hesitate to commit their Sundays — Content/Coherence: This explains how unreliable access could reduce future attendance, extending the consequences beyond unfinished work. Level 11 develops the tension further by weighing volunteer commitment against the risk of losing irreplaceable tools.
• our schedule does not line up with the current arrangement. — Vocabulary: “Does not line up” expresses the scheduling mismatch naturally and tactfully. It is more precise than simply restating Rafael's availability, although level 11 uses more specific operational vocabulary when explaining accountability.
• A simple checkout list, followed by a tool count before locking the shed, would establish clear responsibility without requiring new equipment. — Readability: The sentence smoothly combines the proposed checks, their purpose, and the budget constraint. Unlike level 7's grammatical slips, its structure remains controlled. Level 11 extends this control to conditional arrangements for absence and a missing key.
• Could we nominate a volunteer to collect your key on a weekday and return it after each session? — Task Fulfillment: This assigns responsibility and fits Rafael's weekday availability. Together with the checkout list and closing count, it addresses secure access. Level 11 makes the proposal more actionable through personal responsibility, a specified return day, and a substitute arrangement.

Level 11 sample answer

183 words

Dear Rafael,

Could we agree on a tool-access trial before this Sunday's session?

Last Sunday, our group could not complete its work because the donated tools remained in the locked shed. With you holding the only key and available only on weekdays, another unsuccessful visit is entirely foreseeable.

Unfinished jobs can be carried forward; volunteers' willingness to reserve their weekends is harder to recover. Yet leaving the shed unlocked would expose equipment we cannot afford to replace. Reliable access and accountability therefore need to be arranged together.

If the committee agrees, I could collect your existing key at an agreed weekday appointment and return it on Monday. Before taking anything out, I would record the tools present so any existing shortages are documented. A checkout sheet and closing count would then make any discrepancy traceable.

Should I become unavailable, I would arrange a handover to a named substitute and record who received the key. If the key were missing, you would be notified immediately and further shed access suspended pending the committee's instructions.

Would you approve this arrangement for Sunday?

Thank you,

Ananya

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer integrates access, volunteer commitment, and tool security into a focused proposal. Precise language and controlled sentence structures support concrete arrangements for the key, existing shortages, a substitute, and notification if the key goes missing.

• Unfinished jobs can be carried forward; volunteers' willingness to reserve their weekends is harder to recover. — Content/Coherence: This distinguishes delayed garden work from the potentially lasting loss of volunteer commitment. The comparison gives the consequences greater depth and prepares the reader for an arrangement that protects both participation and equipment.
• A checkout sheet and closing count would then make any discrepancy traceable. — Vocabulary: “Discrepancy” and “traceable” precisely explain what the records would achieve. These words serve the garden's accountability problem directly, developing the simpler idea of keeping track of tools.
• If the key were missing, you would be notified immediately and further shed access suspended pending the committee's instructions. — Readability: The conditional sentence clearly separates a possible problem from the response. Its controlled structure accommodates both immediate notification and the committee's authority without becoming difficult to follow.
• Before taking anything out, I would record the tools present so any existing shortages are documented. — Task Fulfillment: Recording the starting inventory distinguishes existing shortages from tools that disappear during the session. This adds a useful accountability detail beyond the other answers' checkout and closing checks, directly addressing the committee's concern about losses.