CELPIP® Writing Task 2 sample: Storm-Cancelled Drawing Classes 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

Zainab runs Flint Loom Drawing Studio in Whitehorse and is surveying students enrolled in a six-session evening course before winter registration closes. A $4,000 reserve can either pay an instructor for two Saturday afternoons to replace storm-cancelled classes or provide take-home drawing kits with printed lessons for independent practice. Saturday lessons would offer live guidance but require students to change their weekend plans, while kits would be distributed at the first class and include no instructor support at home. The reserve can cover only one arrangement.

How should the studio help students continue learning when winter storms interrupt their drawing course? Explain your choice.

Option A: Reserve two Saturday afternoons for replacement classes, retaining live instruction but requiring students to adjust their weekend schedules.
Option B: Provide drawing kits and printed lessons for flexible practice at home, accepting that students would work without instructor support.

Model answers

Level 7 sample answer

162 words

I prefer Option B because the drawing kits would let students continue learning at home when a winter storm cancels a class. Saturday lessons would be helpful, but they would be difficult for some people to attend.

First, many students have plans on the weekend. I usually help a relative with grocery shopping on Saturday afternoons, so I might miss a replacement lesson. With a kit already at home, I could practise after dinner or whenever I had enough time.

Also, printed lessons would give us something to follow when we forget a step. When I tried drawing at home before, I often stopped because I did not know what to do next. A clear lesson would help me make a progress, even without a teacher beside me.

The kits would not replace every benefit of classroom teaching, and some students learns better with direct help. However, Zainab should choose this option because it gives students more control over their practice time.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer gives a clear preference, relevant personal examples, and an easy-to-follow structure. Its reasons are straightforward, its wording is sometimes general, and grammatical errors reduce accuracy; the higher-level answers develop the trade-off more precisely.

I usually help a relative with grocery shopping on Saturday afternoons — Content/Coherence: The personal example makes the weekend scheduling problem concrete and supports choosing kits. A higher-level answer would extend this example into a fuller explanation of how fixed weekend responsibilities affect access to replacement instruction.
printed lessons would give us something to follow — Vocabulary: The meaning is clear, but “something to follow” describes the benefit broadly. A higher-level answer would explain more precisely how printed exercises guide independent drawing practice and maintain progress.
some students learns better with direct help — Readability: The subject–verb agreement error interrupts otherwise clear writing. The answer also uses the incorrect phrase “make a progress.” Higher-level writing would maintain grammatical control while explaining the same practical benefits.
The kits would not replace every benefit of classroom teaching — Task Fulfillment: This acknowledges a disadvantage of choosing kits and keeps the recommendation balanced. A higher-level answer would identify instructor feedback more specifically and weigh its loss against advance distribution and flexible practice.

Level 9 sample answer

180 words

I favour Option A, reserving two Saturday afternoons for replacement classes. Although rearranging a weekend can be inconvenient, direct instruction is a major reason I would enrol in a drawing course.

A printed lesson cannot always explain why a drawing looks wrong. When I previously tried sketching a cup, I kept changing its outline without improving it. An instructor later showed me that the angle was the problem. That brief explanation helped more than an evening of working alone, and beginners could easily face similar difficulties with the kits.

Replacement classes would also preserve opportunities to learn from other students. Watching someone demonstrate a technique or hearing a classmate's question can make an unfamiliar idea click. Independent practice is valuable, but it does not offer the same exchange.

I recognize that two reserved afternoons would not cover every possible cancellation, and some students might have other commitments. Nevertheless, publishing those dates before registration closes would let people plan ahead. Zainab should use the reserve to protect the guided learning students are signing up for, even if attending requires some adjustments.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer develops a persuasive case for live instruction through a concrete drawing example, peer learning, and advance scheduling. Its language is controlled and natural, although its treatment of weekend availability is less developed than its explanation of instructional benefits.

An instructor later showed me that the angle was the problem. — Content/Coherence: The cup-sketching example demonstrates exactly how instructor feedback can resolve a difficulty that independent practice has not solved. Further development could connect this benefit more explicitly to continuity across the six-session course.
can make an unfamiliar idea click — Vocabulary: This natural expression efficiently describes the benefit of learning through classmates’ questions and demonstrations. The top-level answer uses similarly accessible language while expressing finer distinctions about scheduling and participation.
Although rearranging a weekend can be inconvenient, direct instruction is a major reason I would enrol in a drawing course. — Readability: The concession and main claim fit smoothly into a controlled complex sentence. The top-level answer sustains this clarity while distinguishing between an errand that can move and a standing responsibility that may prevent attendance.
publishing those dates before registration closes would let people plan ahead — Task Fulfillment: This practical proposal uses the registration timing effectively and responds directly to the scheduling drawback. A stronger treatment would also consider students whose regular Saturday commitments remain difficult to change despite advance notice.

Level 11 sample answer

186 words

I support Option B: providing drawing kits and printed lessons at the first class. For an evening course, continuity should not depend on students also being available on Saturday afternoons.

People may choose evening classes precisely because their weekends are committed elsewhere. I could rearrange an occasional errand, but a standing Saturday responsibility would be harder to move. A replacement class would therefore restore instruction only for those able to attend; distributing materials in advance would give every student a practical way to continue at a suitable time.

The kits would also help maintain momentum between meetings. If a storm interrupted a lesson on shading, for example, I could practise a printed exercise for twenty minutes each evening rather than leave my sketchbook untouched until the next class. Having materials ready would remove one small but consequential barrier to getting started.

Instructor feedback remains valuable, and independent practice cannot fully reproduce it. However, the alternative provides only two reserved afternoons and introduces another attendance constraint. Zainab should choose the kits because they would keep learning within reach when both the weather and students' schedules are unpredictable.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer builds a sustained argument around access and continuity, showing why advance kits suit students with unpredictable availability. Precise vocabulary, controlled sentences, and explicit recognition of lost instructor feedback make its recommendation strong and balanced.

A replacement class would therefore restore instruction only for those able to attend — Content/Coherence: This draws a clear consequence from the preceding discussion of weekend responsibilities. It turns a scheduling inconvenience into a substantive comparison: replacement teaching benefits students only when they can attend.
remove one small but consequential barrier to getting started — Vocabulary: The wording precisely identifies how having materials ready can influence practice. “Consequential” adds useful nuance: a seemingly minor obstacle can determine whether students continue drawing between classes.
I could rearrange an occasional errand, but a standing Saturday responsibility would be harder to move. — Readability: The balanced sentence makes a subtle distinction easy to understand. Its controlled contrast explains why advance scheduling may help some students without resolving every attendance problem.
However, the alternative provides only two reserved afternoons and introduces another attendance constraint. — Task Fulfillment: After acknowledging the value of instructor feedback, the answer weighs the limited replacement provision against flexible home practice. This directly supports the required choice and keeps the recommendation grounded in the available arrangements.

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