CELPIP Writing Task 1, Writing an Email: timings, structure and practice items

The email task looks like the easiest part of CELPIP Writing, because everyone has written an email. Most weak emails are not badly written. They skip a point, strike the wrong tone, or run out of time before the closing line.

What does CELPIP Writing Task 1 ask you to do?

You read a short situation from everyday life and write an email to a named person. The prompt lists the points your email must cover. CELPIP's study material describes about three, and each email item in our practice bank lists three. You get 27 minutes, and the response should be 150 to 200 words.

Task 1 is the first of two tasks in a Writing section of 53 minutes. The second is the survey response, Task 2, which has 26 minutes and the same word range. CELPIP-General is delivered on a computer, so you type both responses.

Timings and word range checked 16 October 2026 against the CELPIP-General Overview Study Pack 2026 and the CELPIP test format page.

How is a CELPIP email marked?

Trained raters rate Writing on four dimensions, set out in CELPIP's performance standards. Here is how each one shows up in an email. The mapping is our reading of the standards, not CELPIP's wording.

• Content/Coherence. The number and quality of ideas, their organisation, and supporting details. In an email: each point developed with a detail or reason, in an order the reader can follow.
• Vocabulary. Range and precision of word choice. Polite requests and explanations use set phrases: "I would appreciate it if", "the reason is that", "as a result".
• Readability. Format and paragraphing, connectors, grammar and sentence structure, spelling and punctuation. A greeting, short paragraphs and a sign-off belong here.
• Task Fulfillment. Relevance, completeness, tone and word count. Did you do everything the prompt asked, in a tone that suits the reader, inside 150 to 200 words?

CELPIP does not publish how the four ratings combine into a level. For the full criteria, see how CELPIP-General is scored.

How should you spend the 27 minutes?

There is no separate planning clock in Writing, so planning comes out of your 27 minutes. This split is ScoreFluent's own technique, with approximate timings.

Minutes	What you do
0 to 3	Plan before you type. Name the reader, the purpose and each point. Note one concrete detail for each point.
3 to 22	Type the email in the order you planned. Do not stop to polish a sentence.
22 to 27	Check the word count, then re-read for missing points, tone, spelling and punctuation.

In the three planning minutes, keep your notes to keywords. A useful plan has four lines: reader and tone, purpose in one phrase, point 1, 2 and 3 with one detail each, and how to close. If you cannot give a point a detail in the plan, you will freeze on it in the email.

How do you structure a 150-to-200-word email?

Use a frame you can run on any prompt. It gives every point its own paragraph, so a reader scanning for completeness finds each one.

Part	Job	Words
Greeting and opening	Name the reader, state the purpose in one sentence	25 to 35
Point 1	One paragraph, with a detail or reason	40 to 50
Point 2	One paragraph, with a detail or reason	40 to 50
Point 3	One paragraph, with a detail or reason	40 to 50
Closing and sign-off	Thank the reader, restate what you need or will do	15 to 20

That adds up to about 160 to 205 words. If your plan lands near the top, trim the opening first. Open each paragraph with the key words of the point, such as "About the date" or "To fix the account", then add the reason or detail.

What tone should a CELPIP email use?

Match the reader named in the prompt. CELPIP's material describes a reader who is not a friend or family member and not a government official, so the target is polite and plain. These are examples, not an official list.

Situation	Greeting and sign-off	Phrases that work
Landlord, teacher or manager you know by name	"Dear Mr. Patel," and "Kind regards,"	"Thank you for letting me know", "Could you please tell me"
A company or manager you are complaining to	"Dear Mr. Dubois," and "Sincerely,"	"I was disappointed that", "I would appreciate a fair solution"
A customer you are writing to as staff	"Dear Mrs. Walsh," and "Best regards,"	"I sincerely apologise for", "Here is what I will do"

Avoid "Hey", slang and jokes, and avoid the opposite fault: "I am writing to enquire as to the possibility of..." sounds stiff and wastes words. In a complaint, stay firm and polite. State what happened, say why the offer is not acceptable, and propose the fix.

What does a well-built email look like?

Here is a worked example for Item 2 in the practice items below. The reader is the landlord, Mr. Patel, and the three points are to confirm you agree, explain when the apartment is empty, and ask what to move or cover.

Plan (about 2 minutes):

• Reader and tone: landlord, polite and friendly.
• Purpose: agree to the work and sort out access.
• Point 1, agree: thanks for notice, happy for the work.
• Point 2, empty days: away Tuesday and Wednesday, a spare key with a neighbour.
• Point 3, preparation: what to move away from the windows, what to cover.
• Close: thanks, offer to help.

Email (188 words, counting the greeting and sign-off):

Dear Mr. Patel,

Thank you for letting me know about the painting next week. I am happy for the workers to enter my apartment to paint the window frames, and I appreciate the notice.

I will be away on Tuesday and Wednesday, so the apartment will be empty on both days. The workers are welcome to come in without me on either day. I will leave a spare key with my neighbour, or I can leave one at the building office if you prefer. If they need a different day, please tell me as soon as possible and I will arrange to be at home.

Before I leave, I would like to prepare the apartment properly. Could you tell me what I should move away from the windows, and whether I need to cover the furniture and the floor myself, or if the painters will bring their own dust sheets? I also have a plant on the windowsill, so I will move it unless you advise otherwise.

Thank you again for your help. Please let me know if you need anything else from me.

Kind regards,
Alex Morgan

This sample was written by ScoreFluent for this guide. It is not an official CELPIP model answer and has not been scored. Check it against the plan: every point has its own paragraph and a concrete detail, and the tone stays polite throughout.

What mistakes make emails weaker?

• Skipping a point. The most common loss. Tick each point off against your plan before the final check, not after.
• Answering a point in one clause. "I agree and I am away on Tuesday and Wednesday" covers two points in ten words and develops neither. Give each its own paragraph.
• The wrong register. "Hey Mr. Patel" is too casual for a landlord. A formal phrase such as "I wish to bring to your attention" is too stiff for a short, friendly request.
• Copying the prompt. Repeating the prompt's wording gives little evidence of vocabulary range. Say the same thing in your own words.
• A long opening. Three sentences of background before the first point use up words the points need. One sentence of purpose is enough.
• Missing the word range. An email of 120 words has not given each point room, and 240 words is outside the range CELPIP asks for. Check the count with five minutes left.
• No closing. An email that stops after the last point reads as unfinished. A one-line thank-you and sign-off take about 15 words.

What do Task 1 practice items look like?

These are practice items from the ScoreFluent bank, shown exactly as stored. They are not real exam questions. They run from easier to harder on the bank's own difficulty rating. Each one is set for 27 minutes and 150 to 200 words, matching the real task.

Item 1.

Situation: Your daughter's Grade 4 class is planning a field trip to a science centre in Ottawa next month. The permission form asks parents to volunteer, and you can help on one of the two dates offered.

Reader: your daughter's teacher, Ms. Bergeron

Purpose: volunteer as a chaperone

Cover these points:

• say that you would like to help
• explain which date you can attend and why
• ask what you need to prepare beforehand

Item 2.

Situation: Your landlord has told you that the building will be painted next week, and workers will need to enter your apartment to paint the window frames. You will be away on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Reader: your landlord, Mr. Patel

Purpose: arrange access to your apartment

Cover these points:

• confirm that you agree to the work
• explain when the apartment will be empty
• ask what you should move or cover beforehand

Item 3.

Situation: A local hardware store advertised a snow blower at half price during a weekend sale. When you went on Saturday morning, the staff said the sale item was sold out and offered you a more expensive model.

Reader: the store manager, Mr. Dubois

Purpose: express disappointment and ask for a fair solution

Cover these points:

• describe what the advertisement said and what happened
• explain why the offer you received is not acceptable
• propose a fair solution

Item 4.

Situation: You work in the customer service department of a cell phone company. A customer wrote to complain that she was charged twice in one month. You have discovered that the error was caused by a system update.

Reader: the customer, Mrs. Walsh

Purpose: apologize and explain a billing error

Cover these points:

• apologize for the error
• explain what caused the double charge
• describe what you will do to correct the account

The bank does not include model answers for these items. Item 3 is a complaint, so it tests your tone as well as your structure. Item 4 asks you to write as staff, so the apology comes first and the fix comes last.

How do you practise Task 1?

1. Set the real clock. Use 27 minutes and type, do not handwrite.
2. Plan for three minutes. Write the four-line plan before you type a word.
3. Check completeness separately from language. On the first read, only tick off points. On the second, check tone, spelling and punctuation.
4. Count the words. Note whether you land inside 150 to 200. Most people lean one way, short or long.
5. Redo the same item a day later with a different detail for each point.

On ScoreFluent you can type the email under the 27-minute clock and get a practice estimate on the four published dimensions. It is not an official CELPIP level, and our CELPIP scoring has not been calibrated against official results, so treat it as a guide to what to fix. New accounts get 40 free credits, credits never expire, and there is no subscription. Start with 40 free credits →

Next, read the survey response, Task 2, the other half of the section. Dealing with a Difficult Situation in Speaking tests tone with a specific listener in the same way. See also the CELPIP Writing page, the CELPIP-General hub and, for another test that asks you to judge register, IELTS General Training letter writing.

Where do these facts come from?

The task clocks and word range come from the CELPIP-General Overview Study Pack 2026 and the Writing Pro study pack. The four dimensions come from CELPIP's performance standards, and the rating by trained raters from its test results page. Checked 16 October 2026. Exam details change, so confirm them on the official pages before you rely on a number.

ScoreFluent is an independent practice platform. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Paragon Testing Enterprises or CELPIP.