CELPIP® Writing Task 2 sample: Summer Camp Heat 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

Brody coordinates Copperwing Day Camp in Belleville and is asking families how to spend an $18,000 heat-relief budget for next summer. The camp can either install a large, ventilated shade shelter on its outdoor site or rent a cooled school gym, with a fifteen-minute bus ride each way included in the same budget. The shelter would allow outdoor programming to continue with quiet breaks during the hottest hours, while gym visits would replace some outdoor sessions. The funding covers only one plan.

Which plan should the camp fund, and why would it serve campers better?

Option A: Install an outdoor shade shelter, keeping activities on site but requiring quieter breaks during the hottest hours.
Option B: Rent a cooled gym, providing stronger heat relief but losing activity time to daily bus trips.

Model answers

Level 7 sample answer

160 words

I choose Option A because the camp should keep its outdoor program and give children a shaded place to rest. Summer camp is a important chance to enjoy fresh air. A shelter at the camp would help without adding travel every day.

First, children could move between games and the shelter easily. At my child's last camp, some children wanted a quiet break while others still had energy. Having shade nearby would let staff organize smaller groups, so everyone would not have to stop an activity at the same time.

Also, the bus ride would take time from the day. Fifteen minutes each way may seem short, but getting a whole group ready takes time too. Last summer, I joined a group outing and we spend more time organizing bags than doing the activity.

The cooled gym would be useful during very hot weather, but I prefer the shelter. Brody should choose a solution that makes daily camp activities easier.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 example gives a clear preference and supports it with relevant examples about rest breaks and travel. Compared with the stronger answers, its wording is more general, its grammar is less consistent, and its treatment of the shelter's heat limitations is less developed.

Having shade nearby would let staff organize smaller groups, so everyone would not have to stop an activity at the same time. — Content/Coherence: The answer connects nearby shade to flexible group activities, giving a practical reason to choose the shelter. A stronger answer would distinguish ordinary rest breaks from the quieter programming needed during the hottest hours.
A shelter at the camp would help without adding travel every day. — Vocabulary: The meaning is clear, but 'would help' leaves the benefit general. The stronger answers describe particular gains, such as continuity, recovery, or flexibility, making their arguments more precise.
Last summer, I joined a group outing and we spend more time organizing bags than doing the activity. — Readability: The outing example supports the concern about travel preparation, but 'we spend' breaks the past tense established by 'Last summer' and 'joined.' A stronger answer would maintain consistent tense so the example reads smoothly.
The cooled gym would be useful during very hot weather, but I prefer the shelter. — Task Fulfillment: This acknowledges the competing plan and confirms the choice. A stronger response would explain how quieter activities under the shelter would address the hottest hours, making the preference more convincing despite the gym's stronger cooling.

Level 9 sample answer

178 words

I support Option B, renting the cooled gym. Although the daily bus trip would shorten activity time, reliable relief from the heat seems more valuable than keeping every activity at the outdoor site.

Shade helps, but a shelter can still feel very warm on a hot afternoon. During a summer volunteer event, I found that sitting under a canopy was less refreshing than spending a short break indoors. A cooled room would give campers a comfortable place to recover before joining another game.

The gym would also make planning easier. Staff could prepare indoor games and crafts knowing there was a suitable space available, instead of repeatedly changing outdoor activities as temperatures rose. For example, a team game could continue indoors while quieter activities took place nearby. That would help keep children engaged throughout the afternoon.

I understand why Brody might favour the shelter, especially because it avoids transportation. However, the bus ride is manageable if departure times are built into the schedule. I would accept a little less activity time in exchange for a cooler camp experience.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 example develops a clear case for cooling, connects its examples to camper comfort and staff planning, and reads smoothly. Compared with the level 11 example, it evaluates the travel cost less closely and sometimes relies on broad descriptions of benefits.

Staff could prepare indoor games and crafts knowing there was a suitable space available, instead of repeatedly changing outdoor activities as temperatures rose. — Content/Coherence: This extends the argument beyond comfort to predictable programming, showing how the gym could serve staff and campers. A stronger answer would examine more closely how replacing outdoor sessions and spending time travelling affect that benefit.
reliable relief from the heat seems more valuable than keeping every activity at the outdoor site. — Vocabulary: The phrase 'reliable relief' identifies the gym's main advantage precisely, while 'more valuable' establishes a clear priority. A stronger answer would sustain this precision instead of using broader phrases such as 'a suitable space' and 'a cooler camp experience.'
However, the bus ride is manageable if departure times are built into the schedule. — Readability: The transition clearly moves from acknowledging transportation concerns to answering them. A stronger answer would make the explanation equally convincing: scheduling departures organizes the travel but still leaves less time for activities.
I would accept a little less activity time in exchange for a cooler camp experience. — Task Fulfillment: This directly answers the survey by choosing cooling over activity time. However, 'a little less' understates the discussion of the daily travel commitment. The level 11 example makes that cost concrete before defending its preference.

Level 11 sample answer

190 words

I favour Option A: the outdoor shade shelter. Spending $18,000 on an improvement at the camp would give children a place to recover without making travel part of every day's routine.

The gym requires thirty minutes on the bus each day, before anyone gathers bags or boards. Over five camp days, that would mean two and a half hours travelling. At a summer program my child attended, repeated departures interrupted games just when the children were becoming absorbed. Keeping activities on site would preserve that continuity.

A nearby shelter would also accommodate different energy levels. During a family picnic, my child needed ten quiet minutes while a cousin was ready for another game. A shaded rest area made both choices possible. At camp, staff could plan similar breaks while maintaining supervision, rather than moving everyone to another venue together.

A shelter will not cool the air like a gym, so quieter activities during the hottest hours must remain central to the plan. Even with that limitation, I would ask Brody to choose the shelter: it would make the outdoor program more flexible while protecting time for the activities families value.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 example combines concrete comparison, relevant personal examples, and a clear explanation of how the shelter would support camp routines. Its strength is that it openly accepts weaker cooling while making quieter activities central to a practical, consistent recommendation.

Over five camp days, that would mean two and a half hours travelling. — Content/Coherence: The answer turns the daily bus journey into a cumulative cost, helping families judge its significance. This calculation supports the following concern about interrupted games and gives the comparison more substance than simply saying travel takes time.
repeated departures interrupted games just when the children were becoming absorbed. — Vocabulary: The verbs 'interrupted' and 'becoming absorbed' describe a specific effect on children's engagement. This language explains why continuity matters, adding meaning beyond the more general claim that staying on site makes activities easier.
Even with that limitation, I would ask Brody to choose the shelter — Readability: The opening phrase links the recommendation directly to the cooling limitation discussed immediately before it. This connection makes the conclusion easy to follow and shows that the final preference survives the acknowledged drawback.
A shelter will not cool the air like a gym, so quieter activities during the hottest hours must remain central to the plan. — Task Fulfillment: This directly addresses the shelter's central compromise and incorporates quieter activities into the recommendation. It makes the choice credible by explaining how the camp should operate under the selected plan.

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