CELPIP® Writing Task 1 sample: Winter Tire Appointment Cancelled
Writing an Email · 27 minutes · 150–200 words · Published
Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.
Practice question
You booked a winter tire installation at a garage in Québec City for Friday and paid a $120 deposit. A snowstorm forced the garage to cancel, and its next offered appointment is Thursday, although you need to drive 80 km for a volunteer delivery on Wednesday. You share the car with another volunteer, who also needs it that week. The garage can refund the deposit, but you cannot afford another deposit while waiting for the refund.
Write an email to the garage service manager, Étienne Caron.
- Explain why the replacement appointment does not meet your needs.
- Describe how the delay and deposit affect both volunteers.
- Request a practical appointment and payment arrangement.
Model answers
Level 7 sample answer
160 words
Dear Mr. Caron,
I am writing about my winter tires. My Friday booking was cancelled because of the storm. You offered Thursday instead. This is too late for me. I need to drive 80 km for a volunteer delivery on Wednesday.
I share the car with another volunteer. They also need it that week. We both need to know when we can use it. I paid a $120 deposit for the work. You offered to send it back, which I appreciate. But I cannot pay for second deposit until that money comes back.
Could you fit the car in before Wednesday? Please use the money I have already paid for that booking. If someone cancels, I would be glad to take their place. Please tell me how long you would need the car. Then I can check with the other volunteer. I understand your staff are busy after the storm.
Please let me know what options is available.
Sincerely,
Pita
Why this answer is at level 7
This level 7 answer clearly explains the deadline, shared car and deposit problem, then requests a workable solution. Compared with the stronger answers, its ideas are less connected, its vocabulary is simpler, and some grammar needs correction.
They also need it that week.
— Content/Coherence: This establishes the other volunteer's need but leaves the scheduling consequences vague. The stronger answers connect shared use to uncertainty about availability or collection time.I am writing about my winter tires.
— Vocabulary: The opening is understandable but broad. The higher-level answers use more precise language about the installation, cancellation and revised arrangement to establish the purpose immediately.Please let me know what options is available.
— Readability: The meaning is clear, but the plural noun 'options' requires 'are'. The higher-level answers maintain grammatical control throughout their requests, making the formal correspondence smoother.Please use the money I have already paid for that booking.
— Task Fulfillment: This directly addresses the payment problem by asking to reuse the deposit. The level 9 answer develops the alternatives further by requesting an immediate refund if an earlier appointment is impossible.
Level 9 sample answer
174 words
Dear Mr. Caron,
The Thursday appointment offered after Friday's storm cancellation will unfortunately be too late for me. I need to drive 80 km for a volunteer delivery on Wednesday, so I am asking whether my winter tire installation could be completed beforehand.
The car is shared with another volunteer, whose plans also depend on its availability that week. Consequently, a delayed installation affects both of us, rather than just one appointment. Although I appreciate your offer to refund my $120 deposit, waiting for that money would prevent me from paying a deposit elsewhere. That leaves us in a difficult position as Wednesday approaches.
Would you place me on your cancellation list for an appointment before Wednesday and apply the existing deposit to it? If that is impossible, please explain whether an immediate refund could be arranged so I can contact another garage without being out of pocket. I recognize that your staff are managing a backlog after the storm and would appreciate any workable option.
Thank you for considering these arrangements.
Sincerely,
Pita
Why this answer is at level 9
This level 9 answer combines clear organization, precise vocabulary and controlled sentences with practical appointment and refund requests. It is less developed than the level 11 answer in explaining how drop-off and collection arrangements would protect both volunteers' schedules.
Consequently, a delayed installation affects both of us, rather than just one appointment.
— Content/Coherence: The transition explicitly connects the shared car to the wider impact of the delay. However, the consequence remains general; the level 11 answer identifies uncertain collection time as a specific scheduling problem.without being out of pocket
— Vocabulary: This natural expression communicates the financial difficulty concisely. The level 11 answer adds more precise scheduling vocabulary, including a drop-off window and guaranteed completion time, to make the proposed arrangement more detailed.The car is shared with another volunteer, whose plans also depend on its availability that week.
— Readability: The relative clause smoothly combines shared ownership and its scheduling implications. Compared with level 7's short statements, the sentence shows greater control; level 11 extends that control to more detailed coordination.If that is impossible, please explain whether an immediate refund could be arranged
— Task Fulfillment: This provides a practical fallback if the cancellation list cannot produce an earlier appointment. The level 11 answer develops the appointment arrangement more fully by requesting completion, arrival and collection details.
Level 11 sample answer
188 words
Dear Mr. Caron,
I am requesting a revised arrangement for the winter tire installation cancelled during Friday's snowstorm. Although Thursday is your next available appointment, it misses my Wednesday deadline for an 80 km volunteer delivery. I recognize that rescheduling customers after a storm is challenging, but this replacement would defeat the purpose of my original booking.
Because another volunteer shares the vehicle, an uncertain collection time would complicate both our schedules, even if you could accommodate the installation earlier. Meanwhile, the $120 deposit leaves me in a bind: until it is returned, I cannot afford to secure a booking elsewhere.
Could you offer a flexible booking with a guaranteed completion time before Wednesday, retaining my existing deposit? Rather than requesting a particular appointment, I would coordinate a proposed drop-off window with the other volunteer once you outline your requirements. If this flexibility would help you work around your backlog, please specify when the vehicle would need to arrive and when collection would be possible. That information would let us make an informed decision without committing the shared car indefinitely.
Thank you for considering this alternative.
Sincerely,
Pita
Why this answer is at level 11
This level 11 answer turns the deadline and deposit problem into a carefully coordinated proposal. Its strength lies in connecting both volunteers' needs to concrete arrangements, using precise language and controlled complex sentences while acknowledging the garage's workload.
an uncertain collection time would complicate both our schedules
— Content/Coherence: This explains why simply offering an earlier installation would not fully resolve the problem. It develops the shared-car detail into a clear reason for requesting predictable completion and collection.without committing the shared car indefinitely
— Vocabulary: This concise phrase captures the practical risk of leaving the vehicle with the garage for an unspecified period. The wording gives the request a clear purpose tied to both volunteers' access.Rather than requesting a particular appointment, I would coordinate a proposed drop-off window with the other volunteer once you outline your requirements.
— Readability: The sentence clearly orders the coordination: the garage explains its requirements, then the writer checks with the other volunteer. Its complex structure remains easy to follow and supports the proposed solution.Could you offer a flexible booking with a guaranteed completion time before Wednesday, retaining my existing deposit?
— Task Fulfillment: This integrates the appointment deadline and payment constraint into a single actionable request. Flexibility gives the garage room to manage its backlog, while guaranteed completion and deposit retention address the writer's essential needs.
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