CELPIP® Writing Task 2 sample: Theatre Pass Booking 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 Velvet Arc Theatre Society in Ottawa is surveying audience members about a new $80 season pass. It can offer either four performances on fixed dates with reserved seats or three performances on dates chosen later, with seats selected from those still available. Its booking budget supports only one pass format, so it must balance predictable attendance against flexibility for people whose schedules change.

Which season pass should the theatre introduce? Explain your preference in about 150–200 words, taking up to 26 minutes to plan and write.

Option A: Include four performances on fixed dates with reserved seats, offering an extra outing but requiring advance commitment.
Option B: Include three performances on dates chosen later, providing flexibility but fewer outings and a potentially limited selection of seats.

Model answers

Level 7 sample answer

168 words

I would choose Option A because four performances for $80 would give me more evenings out. I also like having my plans settled before the season begins.

First, getting an extra performance matters when entertainment costs add up. I enjoy going to the theatre, but I do not want every visit to become expensive. This pass would let me see another show without paying more. I could put the dates on my calendar and avoid making other plans.

Also, reserved seats would make each visit easier. Last time I went to a play with a friend, we spend some time looking for two seats together. Booking in advance would give me one less thing to arrange. I would know where I was sitting before arriving.

The flexible pass would help people with changing schedules. However, three performances for the same price seems less useful for me. If I can check the fixed dates before buying, I would choose the extra performance and the certainty of a reserved seat.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 teaching answer gives a clear preference and relevant reasons about value, planning, and reserved seats. Compared with the stronger answers, it repeats some benefits, uses simpler language, and has a noticeable tense error.

This pass would let me see another show without paying more. — Content/Coherence: This explains the extra performance's financial benefit clearly, but repeats the opening point about more evenings out. A higher-level answer would develop a further consequence, such as how the additional outing could change the writer's theatre habits.
Booking in advance would give me one less thing to arrange. — Vocabulary: The wording is natural and understandable, although 'thing' leaves the benefit broad. A higher-level answer would describe the practical benefit more precisely, connecting advance booking to securing seats together or reducing planning uncertainty.
Last time I went to a play with a friend, we spend some time looking for two seats together. — Readability: The example is easy to follow, but 'spend' should be 'spent' to match the past event. The stronger answers maintain tense control while incorporating personal examples into their reasoning.
The flexible pass would help people with changing schedules. — Task Fulfillment: This acknowledges the competing option's main advantage and keeps the response balanced. A higher-level answer would make the comparison more personal by explaining why the writer can manage fixed dates despite possible scheduling conflicts.

Level 9 sample answer

173 words

Option B would suit me better because a flexible pass is more likely to become three enjoyable outings. Four performances sound like better value, but only if I can actually attend them.

My weekend plans often depend on friends whose work schedules change. Last month, we arranged a theatre visit just ten days ahead because that was when everyone finally knew their availability. Choosing dates later would let us find an evening together instead of buying passes and hoping our calendars lined up.

Flexibility would also make the commitment easier to accept. If an unexpected invitation arrived, I would not have to choose between missing a performance and declining another activity. Having some breathing room would encourage me to buy a season pass in the first place.

I recognize that waiting could leave fewer seats to choose from. However, I would accept a less desirable seat in exchange for a date I could comfortably attend. For my circumstances, three realistic opportunities offer better value than four dates that might become difficult to keep.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 teaching answer develops a convincing personal case for flexibility, with a concrete example, controlled sentences, and an explicit seating compromise. Its reasons remain closely centred on scheduling; the level 11 answer develops a broader range of consequences from its preference.

Flexibility would also make the commitment easier to accept. — Content/Coherence: This extends the argument from arranging outings to feeling comfortable buying a pass. However, both supporting paragraphs depend on changing plans. A higher-level answer would develop this purchase decision further to give the paragraph a more distinct contribution.
Having some breathing room would encourage me to buy a season pass in the first place. — Vocabulary: The expression 'breathing room' naturally conveys reduced pressure, while 'in the first place' connects flexibility to purchasing. Compared with level 7, this language is more expressive; a higher-level answer would sustain similar precision when distinguishing its supporting reasons.
Four performances sound like better value, but only if I can actually attend them. — Readability: The concise contrast makes the central argument immediately clear: value depends on attendance. This is more economical than level 7's repeated price explanation. A higher-level answer would carry that economy into supporting paragraphs with more distinct purposes.
However, I would accept a less desirable seat in exchange for a date I could comfortably attend. — Task Fulfillment: This directly addresses the flexible pass's seating disadvantage and explains the writer's priorities. A higher-level answer could connect that compromise to the earlier group outing, showing how seat availability affects the same situation used to justify flexibility.

Level 11 sample answer

182 words

I favour Option A because four reserved performances would turn a general intention to attend more theatre into a workable commitment. At $20 per performance, the pass would also offer a clear financial advantage, provided the dates suited me.

My friend Étienne and I frequently suggest seeing a play, then postpone booking while we compare calendars. By the time we agree, another month has slipped by. Fixed dates would give us something concrete to organize around; choosing our seats together when booking would also remove a recurring complication.

The additional performance could encourage us to broaden our tastes. When purchasing individual tickets, I tend to choose familiar styles of comedy. With four evenings already included, I would be more willing to try something outside that comfort zone, making the pass valuable beyond its price.

The flexible option would be preferable for anyone whose availability changes unpredictably. For me, however, advance planning is manageable, and selecting from remaining seats later would introduce uncertainty I would rather avoid. I would check all four dates before purchasing, then treat those evenings as commitments worth keeping.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 teaching answer combines precise language with distinct, connected reasons: financial value, firmer plans, easier shared booking, and broader theatre tastes. Its preference remains persuasive because it acknowledges who would benefit from flexibility and makes its own commitment conditional on suitable dates.

With four evenings already included, I would be more willing to try something outside that comfort zone, making the pass valuable beyond its price. — Content/Coherence: This develops a separate benefit from the additional performance: exploring unfamiliar theatre. Unlike repeated claims about getting more for the price, it explains how the pass could change the writer's choices and enrich the experience.
four reserved performances would turn a general intention to attend more theatre into a workable commitment. — Vocabulary: The precise contrast between 'general intention' and 'workable commitment' captures the writer's planning problem. It also establishes an idea that the example of postponed bookings develops, giving the vocabulary a clear argumentative purpose.
Fixed dates would give us something concrete to organize around; choosing our seats together when booking would also remove a recurring complication. — Readability: The balanced clauses connect fixed dates and reserved seats to the shared outing. The semicolon handles related benefits smoothly, while 'also' makes the relationship explicit without repeating the same sentence pattern.
At $20 per performance, the pass would also offer a clear financial advantage, provided the dates suited me. — Task Fulfillment: The calculation makes the pass's value concrete, and the condition recognizes that savings depend on usable dates. This directly weighs the central trade-off between an extra performance and the commitment required to attend.

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