CELPIP Writing Task 2, Responding to Survey Questions: structure and practice items

The survey response is the nearest thing CELPIP has to an opinion essay, and it is much shorter. You have no room to wander. A strong response picks a side in the first sentence, backs it with two or three developed reasons, and ends cleanly.

What does CELPIP Writing Task 2 ask you to do?

You read a short opinion survey that gives two options. You choose one and explain why it is the better choice. In our practice bank the surveys are about local decisions, such as a shop, a workplace or a community centre changing a policy. You get 26 minutes, and the response should be 150 to 200 words.

Task 2 is the second of two tasks in a Writing section of 53 minutes. The first is the email, Task 1, which has 27 minutes and the same word range. CELPIP-General is delivered on a computer, so you type the response.

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 survey response marked?

Trained raters rate Writing on four dimensions, set out in CELPIP's performance standards. Here is how each one shows up in this task. 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 Task 2: reasons that are different from each other, each with an explanation or an example.
• Vocabulary. Range and precision of word choice. Comparison and reasoning need phrases such as "in contrast", "as a result", "the main drawback".
• Readability. Paragraphing, connectors, grammar and sentence structure, spelling and punctuation. One paragraph per reason helps here.
• Task Fulfillment. Relevance, completeness, tone and word count. Did you choose an option, explain why, and stay inside 150 to 200 words?

For the full criteria, see how CELPIP-General is scored.

How do you choose an option quickly?

The published dimensions do not mention which option you pick. They look at how you support it. So do not spend your 26 minutes deciding what you believe. Spend two minutes on this test:

1. Write a one-line reason for each option.
2. Pick the option where your reasons come faster and have a clearer result ("so", "which means").
3. Commit. Changing sides after you start typing is how responses end up contradicting themselves.

If you would choose differently in real life, that does not matter here. You are showing that you can reason in English.

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

CELPIP's Writing study packs describe a three-part shape: a choice, then reasons with a paragraph for each, then a short conclusion. This frame follows it, with ScoreFluent's own word budget.

Part	Job	Words
Choice	One sentence that names your option	10 to 20
Reason 1	Claim, why it holds, what follows	55 to 65
Reason 2	Claim, why it holds, what follows	55 to 65
Other option	One sentence that concedes its strength	15 to 25
Conclusion	One sentence that restates your choice	10 to 20

That adds up to about 145 to 195 words. A short third reason can replace the "other option" sentence if it is a strong one. The test of a developed reason is simple: it contains a claim ("A weekly activity builds a habit"), a because ("people repeat what they can plan around"), and a result ("so more residents keep coming back"). A reason with only a claim is a list item.

What does a well-built response look like?

Here is a worked example for Item 3 in the practice items below. The survey asks which program a community health centre should offer: a weekly walking group or a monthly nutrition class.

Plan (about 2 minutes):

• Choice: the walking group.
• Reason 1: weekly means a habit; monthly is easy to miss.
• Reason 2: social contact and no cost, so more people can take part.
• Other option: the nutrition class is useful, but too infrequent to change habits.
• Close: restate the walking group.

Response (164 words):

I think the community health centre should offer the weekly walking group.

First, a weekly activity builds a habit. A walk every Saturday morning gives residents a fixed routine they can plan around, while a class once a month is easy to forget or miss in a busy week. Habits form through repetition, and this option gives people fifty-two chances a year to join in, not twelve.

Second, the walking group helps with more than fitness. Walking with neighbours gives people a reason to leave the house and meet others, which is good for mental health, especially for newcomers or older residents who may feel isolated. It also needs no equipment and no experience, and volunteers lead it, so almost anyone can take part at no cost.

The nutrition class would teach useful skills, but a two-hour class once a month is too infrequent to change what people eat every day.

For these reasons, the walking group is the better choice for the community.

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 structure: the choice comes first, each reason has a claim, a because and a result, and the other option gets one sentence.

What mistakes make survey responses weaker?

• Not choosing. "Both options have advantages" is a summary, not a response. Name one option in the first sentence.
• Repeating the option description. If the survey says an option is cheaper, "it is cheaper because it costs less" adds nothing. Say what the saving allows.
• Reasons that overlap. "It saves money" and "it costs less" are one reason. Pick reasons from different areas, such as cost, time, health or fairness.
• A personal story that takes over. One short example is fine. Sixty words about your cousin leave one reason undeveloped.
• Greeting and sign-off. This is not an email. "Dear Sir or Madam" costs words you need.
• Ignoring the downside of your choice. One sentence that admits a weakness and answers it sounds more convincing than pretending there is none.
• No ending. A response that stops after the last reason reads as unfinished. One concluding sentence takes about 12 words.

What do Task 2 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 26 minutes and 150 to 200 words, matching the real task.

Item 1.

Situation: A grocery store in Winnipeg is considering a change in how it charges for bags. It is surveying customers before it decides.

Question: Which option do you think the store should choose?

Option A, Charge for every bag: Customers would pay twenty-five cents for each bag, which encourages them to bring their own but adds to the cost of a small shop.

Option B, Give a discount for reusable bags: Customers who bring their own bags would get five cents off, so nobody pays extra, but fewer people may change their habits.

Item 2.

Situation: A manufacturing plant in Windsor is revising its shift policy. Management has surveyed employees on which schedule suits them better.

Question: Which schedule would you choose, and why?

Option A, Four ten-hour days: Employees work longer days from Monday to Thursday and have three-day weekends, though the long shifts can be tiring.

Option B, Five eight-hour days: Employees work a standard Monday to Friday week with shorter days, but have only two days off in a row.

Item 3.

Situation: A community health centre in Thunder Bay can offer one new free program next year. Residents have been asked to say which they would use more.

Question: Which program should the centre offer?

Option A, A weekly walking group: Volunteers would lead a one-hour walk every Saturday morning, which encourages exercise and friendship at no cost.

Option B, A monthly nutrition class: A dietitian would teach a two-hour class on cooking and shopping for healthy meals once a month.

Item 4.

Situation: A Canadian restaurant chain wants to change the way its servers are paid. A survey is being sent to its servers and kitchen staff.

Question: Which pay system do you prefer?

Option A, Higher hourly wage, no tips shared: Everyone would receive a fixed hourly wage that is higher than now, and customer tips would be given to the restaurant.

Option B, Lower wage with shared tips: Servers would earn a smaller hourly wage, but all tips would be pooled and divided among servers and kitchen staff.

The bank does not include model answers for these items. Every option here carries a built-in drawback, so each one is a good test of the "other option" sentence. Item 4 is the hardest to balance, because the choice affects different staff differently. Say whose view you are taking.

How do you practise Task 2?

1. Set the real clock. Use 26 minutes and type, do not handwrite.
2. Run the two-minute choice test before you type. Write a one-line reason for each option, then commit.
3. Check each reason for claim, because and result. Underline all three. A reason missing one is not finished.
4. Count the words. Note whether you land inside 150 to 200.
5. Redo the same item arguing the other side a day later. If the second response is no weaker, your skill is the structure and not the opinion.

On ScoreFluent you can type a response under the 26-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 email, Task 1, the other half of the section. Expressing Opinions in Speaking asks for the same skill, an opinion with reasons, out loud. See also the CELPIP Writing page, the CELPIP-General hub and, for a longer opinion task in another test, IELTS Writing Task 2.

Where do these facts come from?

The task clocks and word range come from the CELPIP-General Overview Study Pack 2026. The three-part shape is described in CELPIP's Writing Pro study packs. 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.