CELPIP® Writing Task 2 sample: Accounting Office Workspace Survey

Responding to Survey Questions · 26 minutes · 150–200 words · Published 23 October 2026

Original practice questions in CELPIP® task formats, created independently by CELPIP Study.

Practice question

Ledger Finch Accounting in Sault Ste. Marie is asking employees how manager Rajveer should redesign its crowded office. Staff regularly check paper files, consult colleagues and make private calls about clients' finances. The available space and renovation budget can support either assigned desks with sound-absorbing dividers or shared desks with two enclosed workrooms. Assigned desks offer stable setups without enclosed privacy, while shared desks require daily setup and room availability would vary.

Which office layout would best support your work, and why are its trade-offs acceptable?

Option A: Provide assigned desks with sound-absorbing dividers, preserving individual workstations but adding no enclosed rooms.
Option B: Use shared desks and create two enclosed workrooms, accepting daily setup and competition for room access.

Model answers

Level 7 sample answer

173 words

I choose Option A because having my own desk would help me work more comfortably. I could leave my usual supplies in one place and start work quickly each morning. Looking for a different desk would take time and make the day feel less organised.

The sound-absorbing dividers would also be useful. Accounting work needs concentration, and hearing several conversations can make it difficult to check details. Although the dividers would not provide complete privacy, they could make the office quieter for the daily tasks.

Two enclosed rooms sound helpful for financial calls. However, several people might want them at the same time. Then we would have to wait or change our plans. I would rather have a dependable place for most of my work than rely in a room being free.

Rajveer should still remind everyone to speak quietly and respect each other's work. With assigned desks, staff can develop a regular routine. This arrangement would be more easier for me, so I think it is the better use of our space.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer presents a clear preference and follows a logical sequence from desk convenience to concentration and room availability. General explanations, awkward phrasing and limited discussion of confidential calls keep it below the more developed level 9 answer.

Accounting work needs concentration, and hearing several conversations can make it difficult to check details. — Content/Coherence: The reason connects dividers to accounting accuracy, but the explanation remains general. A higher-level answer would show how interruptions affect a particular task, as the invoice comparison does in the level 11 answer.
than rely in a room being free. — Vocabulary: The meaning is understandable, but the phrase uses the wrong preposition: rely on would be natural. Higher-level writing would express this concern with accurate phrasing and more precise language about room availability.
This arrangement would be more easier for me, so I think it is the better use of our space. — Readability: The closing sentence clearly restates the choice, but more easier is an incorrect comparative. The level 9 answer maintains smoother grammatical control while connecting its conclusion to the different tasks employees perform.
Although the dividers would not provide complete privacy, they could make the office quieter for the daily tasks. — Task Fulfillment: This acknowledges an important drawback of the chosen layout. However, quieter surroundings do not explain how private financial calls would be handled. A higher-level answer would address that remaining weakness more directly when justifying the trade-off.

Level 9 sample answer

182 words

Option B would make better use of the office because our work requires both conversation and concentration. Shared desks would take some adjustment, but two enclosed workrooms would give us something dividers cannot provide: a separate space for private discussions.

Financial calls deserve particular attention. When I need to discuss figures, I do not want to wonder whether someone nearby can hear the conversation. An enclosed room would offer greater peace of mind and help clients feel that their information is being handled carefully.

The rooms would also support focused work between calls. For example, checking a complicated account is harder when colleagues are discussing another file beside me. A short period in a quiet room could help me finish accurately, while the shared area would remain available for routine collaboration.

Assigned desks are convenient, especially for employees who like keeping materials within reach. We would need a simple booking system and somewhere secure for personal supplies. Nevertheless, those practical arrangements seem manageable. I would accept a little daily setup in exchange for spaces that better match the different tasks we perform.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer develops a persuasive case for enclosed rooms through private calls, focused work and collaboration, with stronger language control than the level 7 answer. Its treatment of competing room uses and paper-based work is less searching than the level 11 answer's comparison.

A short period in a quiet room could help me finish accurately, while the shared area would remain available for routine collaboration. — Content/Coherence: This clearly connects different spaces to different working needs. However, focused work would compete with confidential calls for the same rooms. A higher-level answer would examine that tension before treating both uses as dependable benefits.
two enclosed workrooms would give us something dividers cannot provide: a separate space for private discussions. — Vocabulary: The wording clearly identifies the practical distinction between the layouts, and the colon introduces a precise explanation. A higher-level answer would sustain this precision when discussing access constraints and the disruption of moving paper-based work.
Assigned desks are convenient, especially for employees who like keeping materials within reach. — Readability: This fluent concession makes the opposing option easy to understand and leads naturally into practical arrangements. Compared with level 7, grammatical control is stronger. The level 11 answer also handles longer qualifications smoothly within its developed example.
We would need a simple booking system and somewhere secure for personal supplies. — Task Fulfillment: The answer proposes relevant ways to manage shared desks and room access. However, booking alone cannot remove competition, and personal supplies receive more attention than paper files. A higher-level response would explain why those remaining disruptions are acceptable.

Level 11 sample answer

181 words

I favour Option A because assigned desks would support the detailed paper-based work that occupies much of an accounting day. Two enclosed rooms would improve privacy, but access would depend on colleagues' schedules.

Suppose I were comparing twelve invoices with a client's payment records. At an assigned desk, I could maintain a consistent layout throughout the day, making discrepancies easier to trace. Confidential documents would still need secure storage overnight, but I would not have to rebuild my entire workstation each morning. That continuity would help me pick up where I left off.

The dividers would also soften background conversations across the office, benefiting employees who are checking figures while others consult colleagues. Unlike two bookable rooms, this improvement would be available at every workstation throughout the day.

Private financial calls remain Option A's clear weakness, and sound absorption must not be mistaken for confidentiality. Rajveer would need to explain how sensitive calls should be handled under this layout. Nevertheless, given the daily setup burden and uncertain room availability associated with Option B, I would prioritise stable workstations and quieter surroundings.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines a concrete accounting example with a sustained comparison of workstation continuity, office-wide noise reduction and uncertain room access. Precise language and controlled qualifications strengthen its argument, while its explicit recognition of the confidentiality problem makes the preference credible.

Suppose I were comparing twelve invoices with a client's payment records. — Content/Coherence: The hypothetical example turns the benefit of an assigned desk into a specific accounting workflow. The following explanation develops a clear chain from consistent document layout to tracing discrepancies and resuming work efficiently.
Private financial calls remain Option A's clear weakness, and sound absorption must not be mistaken for confidentiality. — Vocabulary: Sound absorption and confidentiality name distinct concerns precisely. This distinction strengthens the reasoning because the answer does not let the acoustic benefit of dividers stand in for enclosed privacy.
Confidential documents would still need secure storage overnight, but I would not have to rebuild my entire workstation each morning. — Readability: The sentence smoothly balances a necessary qualification with the benefit being defended. Its controlled structure keeps document security and workstation continuity distinct while maintaining the flow of the example.
Nevertheless, given the daily setup burden and uncertain room availability associated with Option B, I would prioritise stable workstations and quieter surroundings. — Task Fulfillment: The conclusion explicitly weighs the competing layouts and explains which working needs take priority. Together with the preceding acknowledgement of sensitive calls, it makes the accepted trade-off clear without suggesting that assigned desks resolve every need.

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.

State a clear survey choice and develop reasons with concrete examples. Explain consequences, connect paragraphs and address the competing option where useful without losing your position.

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