CELPIP® Writing Task 2 sample: Winter Car Preparation 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

Chidi coordinates the Frostspan Drivers Club in Regina and is surveying members about a winter-preparation event at a rented garage. Its budget covers either twenty-minute individual inspections of batteries, tires and fluids by a mechanic or ninety-minute group workshops teaching members to perform basic winter checks themselves. Both plans can serve the same number of members during the available weekend, but there is not enough staff funding to offer both. Inspections would identify concerns without including repairs, while workshop participants would be responsible for checking their own cars afterward.

Would individual inspections or practical workshops be a better use of the club's winter budget? Give reasons for your choice.

Option A: Offer brief mechanic inspections of members' cars, providing individual findings but no repairs or practical training.
Option B: Offer longer practical workshops, building checking skills but leaving members to inspect their own cars afterward.

Model answers

Level 7 sample answer

171 words

I would choose Option A, the individual winter inspection. Learning to check a car is useful, but I would feel more confident if a mechanic looked at my own vehicle before the cold weather arrives.

First, every car is different. A workshop can show the general steps, but it cannot tell me exactly what needs attention on my car. Last winter, I was unsure whether my battery needed checking. An inspection would give me a clearer idea of what to ask about at a garage.

Also, the appointment only takes twenty minutes, so it would be easier to fit into my weekend. I often have errands to do on Saturday, and ninety minutes is a lot of time. Some members may also find the practical checks difficult, even after someone explain them during a workshop.

I understand that no repairs are included, but knowing what needs attention is still valuable. Chidi should offer the inspections because members can get advice about their own cars and then arrange repairs at suitable time.

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 answer presents a clear preference, relevant personal reasons, and an organized conclusion. Compared with the others, its explanations are simpler, its vocabulary is broader, and grammatical slips reduce its polish.

Last winter, I was unsure whether my battery needed checking. — Content/Coherence: The personal example supports the preference for professional help, but it gives limited detail about the uncertainty. A higher-level answer would explain more precisely what a mechanic's assessment would help the member decide.
ninety minutes is a lot of time. — Vocabulary: This everyday wording communicates the time burden clearly but broadly. A higher-level answer would describe its effect on participation more precisely, connecting the time commitment to members' ability to benefit.
even after someone explain them during a workshop. — Readability: The meaning remains clear, but the verb should be 'explains' after 'someone.' Alongside the missing article in the final sentence, this makes the writing less controlled than the higher-level answers.
I understand that no repairs are included, but knowing what needs attention is still valuable. — Task Fulfillment: The answer recognizes the inspection's limits and explains why it still supports that option. A higher-level answer would weigh this immediate information more fully against the workshop's lasting skills and members' responsibility for follow-up.

Level 9 sample answer

185 words

I support Option B, the practical workshops. An individual inspection would be convenient, but learning how to make basic winter checks would remain useful long after the club's garage weekend was over.

The main advantage is being able to repeat the checks as conditions change. A car that looks ready in autumn may need attention later in the season. I have previously waited until a regular service to ask about fluid levels because I did not know how to check them myself. A demonstration would help me become more observant between appointments.

Workshops would also make members better prepared to describe concerns to a mechanic. Understanding the basic checks does not mean doing repairs, but it can help someone ask clearer questions. That knowledge could take some of the guesswork out of routine car ownership, especially for members who currently rely on other people to notice everything.

Ninety minutes is a bigger commitment than a short inspection, and members would still be responsible for checking their own vehicles. Even so, I would invest the club's money in skills that can be used throughout the winter.

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 answer develops a convincing case for workshops through repeatable skills and clearer communication with mechanics. Its fluent organization and natural vocabulary improve on level 7, while level 11 evaluates the club's constraints and the chosen service's practical limits more precisely.

A car that looks ready in autumn may need attention later in the season. — Content/Coherence: This explains why repeatable checking skills could offer lasting value, developing the argument beyond convenience. A higher-level answer would also examine how that benefit depends on members completing the checks themselves afterward.
take some of the guesswork out of routine car ownership — Vocabulary: The expression sounds natural and captures the confidence that practical knowledge can provide. A higher-level answer would identify the uncertainty more precisely, distinguishing noticing a concern from understanding what professional follow-up it requires.
The main advantage is being able to repeat the checks as conditions change. — Readability: This clear topic sentence introduces a paragraph that moves smoothly through explanation and personal experience. A higher-level answer could make the return from the writer's experience to benefits for club members more explicit.
members would still be responsible for checking their own vehicles. — Task Fulfillment: The answer directly acknowledges the workshop's central limitation. However, the closing preference mainly repeats the value of lasting skills. A higher-level answer would explain more fully why that value outweighs relying on members to perform the checks afterward.

Level 11 sample answer

191 words

I favour Option A, the individual inspections. The workshops promise useful independence, but the club's limited garage weekend would deliver greater immediate value if each member received a professional assessment of the vehicle they actually drive.

General knowledge cannot always resolve a specific concern. When -30°C weather was forecast one winter, I knew how to locate my battery but had no confidence in judging its condition. A mechanic's assessment would have helped me distinguish a question worth pursuing from ordinary uncertainty. An inspection covering the battery, tires and fluids would provide that practical starting point without implying that members could diagnose every issue themselves.

The shorter appointment also lowers the participation barrier. Members who cannot spare ninety minutes, or who would struggle to perform the checks independently afterward, could still benefit from the club's funding. Since both options serve the same number of members, the case for inspections rests on accessibility and relevance rather than greater capacity.

Repairs would remain each owner's responsibility, so the inspection should be understood as preparation for any necessary follow-up. Chidi should choose the service that gives members concrete information about their own cars before winter.

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 answer combines a clear recommendation with precise evaluation of immediate usefulness, accessibility, equal capacity, and follow-up responsibilities. Its specific example, controlled sentences, and careful distinctions make the argument more complete than the others.

Since both options serve the same number of members, — Content/Coherence: This uses the equal-capacity condition to sharpen the comparison. The argument then rests on accessibility and individual relevance, showing why shorter appointments can matter even when they do not increase the number served.
The shorter appointment also lowers the participation barrier. — Vocabulary: The phrase 'participation barrier' precisely connects appointment length with accessibility. The following sentence gives it concrete meaning through members' time constraints and difficulty performing checks independently.
Members who cannot spare ninety minutes, or who would struggle to perform the checks independently afterward, could still benefit from the club's funding. — Readability: The parallel clauses organize different member needs within a controlled sentence. Despite its length, the sentence keeps the main point clear: professional inspections make the funded service accessible to these members.
Repairs would remain each owner's responsibility, so the inspection should be understood as preparation for any necessary follow-up. — Task Fulfillment: This accurately defines what the chosen service delivers and what members must arrange afterward. It supports inspections without overstating their scope, making the final recommendation realistic and closely tied to the budget choice.

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