CELPIP® Writing Task 2 sample: Neighbourhood Park Improvement 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

The Ferncrest Parks Office in Kamloops is asking residents how to spend a $35,000 improvement budget at a neighbourhood park. It can resurface the existing 600-metre gravel loop to make it smoother for walking and wheeled mobility aids, or add a shaded picnic area with six tables beside the playground. Both projects would cost the full budget, so the office must select one and postpone the other for at least three years.

Which park improvement deserves the available funding, and how would your choice benefit park users?

Option A: Resurface the 600-metre walking loop for smoother access, postponing the shaded picnic area for at least three years.
Option B: Build a shaded picnic area with six tables, leaving the gravel loop unchanged for at least three years.

Model answers

Level 7 sample answer

170 words

I would choose Option B and build the shaded picnic area. The park should be a place where people can relax as well as exercise, and tables would give visitors somewhere comfortable to spend time together.

First, shade is useful during hot day. When I visit a park in summer, I often leave early because there is nowhere comfortable to sit out of the sun. Having a covered place near the playground would let adults rest while children play. People could also bring their lunch instead of going home when they get hungry.

Also, six tables could help neighbours meet each other. I sometimes see the same people at the playground, but we rarely stop and talk. A shared sitting area would make this more easier and give people a reason to stay.

A smoother path would certainly help visitors who use mobility aids. However, I think adding a place to rest would benefit many park users too. Since only one project can happen now, I support the picnic area.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 teaching example gives a clear preference, relevant benefits and an understandable progression. Compared with the stronger examples, its explanations are simpler, its vocabulary is less precise, and noticeable grammar errors reduce its control.

People could also bring their lunch instead of going home when they get hungry. — Content/Coherence: This gives a practical reason for adding tables and connects the improvement to longer visits. A higher-level answer would develop the situation further, showing how eating, resting and supervising children fit together during a visit.
somewhere comfortable to spend time together. — Vocabulary: The wording communicates the social benefit clearly, but comfortable is repeated elsewhere and describes several different benefits broadly. A higher-level answer would distinguish relief from the sun, convenient seating and support for shared meals more precisely.
First, shade is useful during hot day. — Readability: The point is easy to understand, but hot day needs an article or a plural form. Alongside the later comparative error, this makes the writing less controlled than the other examples. A higher-level answer would express these straightforward points accurately.
Since only one project can happen now, I support the picnic area. — Task Fulfillment: The conclusion clearly selects an option and recognizes the funding constraint. A higher-level answer would connect the consequences of postponing the path for at least three years more directly to its decision about which benefit deserves priority.

Level 9 sample answer

183 words

My preference is Option A, resurfacing the gravel loop. A pleasant picnic area would improve the park, but a smoother route would make an activity that already exists available to more people.

I regularly walk with a friend who uses a wheeled mobility aid. On loose gravel, we spend more time looking for firm ground than enjoying our conversation. Improving the full 600-metre loop would let us complete a circuit together instead of turning back when the surface becomes difficult. That is a meaningful change to an ordinary outing.

The path would also serve visitors with strollers and people who simply prefer an even walking surface. Unlike picnic tables, which are mainly useful when someone stops, the loop could support a daily walking routine. For residents trying to become more active, removing a practical obstacle can make all the difference.

I recognize that shade beside the playground would be welcome, especially in summer. Still, postponing the path for at least three years would leave some visitors facing the same barrier on every visit. I would put the available money into improving access first.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 teaching example develops a persuasive accessibility argument through a concrete outing, clear organization and controlled language. Its main limitation compared with the level 11 example is that some broader benefits and comparisons receive less precise development.

Unlike picnic tables, which are mainly useful when someone stops, — Content/Coherence: This introduces a clear comparison, but stopping is itself valuable for resting, supervising children and eating. A higher-level answer would weigh those benefits more fully before explaining why daily access should take priority.
removing a practical obstacle can make all the difference. — Vocabulary: The expression is natural and fits the accessibility argument, although its impact remains broad. A higher-level answer would describe the resulting change in park use as precisely as this answer describes completing a circuit with a friend.
On loose gravel, we spend more time looking for firm ground than enjoying our conversation. — Readability: The balanced sentence makes both the physical difficulty and its social consequence easy to follow. This is a strong feature; a higher-level answer would preserve that clarity while developing a more nuanced comparison of the competing benefits.
postponing the path for at least three years would leave some visitors facing the same barrier on every visit. — Task Fulfillment: The answer turns the required delay into a meaningful reason for prioritizing access. A higher-level response could strengthen the comparison further by explaining why that continuing barrier outweighs the repeated loss of shade and seating.

Level 11 sample answer

188 words

Please invest the $35,000 in Option B, the shaded picnic area. Resurfacing the loop has a strong accessibility argument, but the park also needs to accommodate people whose visits revolve around resting, supervising children or sharing a meal.

When my friend Ananya and I meet at a playground with her children, our visit usually ends as soon as the adults need a break from the sun. Six shaded tables beside this playground would allow a different rhythm: children could play, return for a snack and continue playing while adults remained nearby. The improvement would extend the usefulness of the park without requiring visitors to spend money.

The tables could also support informal gatherings that are awkward on the ground. Someone bringing lunch containers, for example, would have a stable surface rather than balancing everything on their knees. Shade and seating together would make those visits more comfortable.

I would not dismiss the difficulties caused by gravel, particularly for visitors using wheeled mobility aids. Nevertheless, with the alternative delayed for at least three years, I would choose the project that adds an entirely new way to use the park.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 teaching example combines a clear recommendation with detailed, connected examples and precise language. It acknowledges the accessibility tradeoff while explaining how shaded tables would support a distinct pattern of park use.

children could play, return for a snack and continue playing while adults remained nearby. — Content/Coherence: The sequence shows how the proposed area would change an actual visit. Shade, tables, snacks and adult supervision work together in the explanation, giving the argument more depth than a list of separate benefits.
would have a stable surface rather than balancing everything on their knees. — Vocabulary: Stable surface and balancing describe the practical value of a table precisely. The concrete physical contrast makes the benefit easy to picture and adds substance beyond general claims about comfort.
Resurfacing the loop has a strong accessibility argument, but the park also needs to accommodate people — Readability: The sentence acknowledges the competing priority and introduces the chosen argument smoothly. Its controlled structure lets the reader follow a qualified position without losing sight of the recommendation.
with the alternative delayed for at least three years, I would choose the project that adds an entirely new way to use the park. — Task Fulfillment: The conclusion incorporates the postponement and states a clear decision principle: expanding the activities the park supports. That principle connects directly to the earlier examples of shared meals, shaded breaks and informal gatherings.

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