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CELPIP Writing · free template

CELPIP Writing Task 1: Writing an Email

CELPIP Writing Task 1 gives you 27 minutes to write an email of 150–200 words. The prompt describes an everyday situation - a complaint to a landlord, a request to a manager, a note to a neighbour - and lists the points your email must address.

Because every prompt follows the same shape, the fastest way to a high band is a fixed structure you can fill under time pressure. The framework below covers the opening, the body paragraphs that answer the bullet points, and a closing that asks for the action you need.

Time limit
27 minutes
Length
150–200 words
Format
Email addressing every bullet point in the prompt

The template

  1. Opening

    Name the reason you are writing in the first sentence. Do not warm up to it.

    “I am writing to request a two-week extension on the invoice due 14 March.”

  2. Body

    Give two reasons, each in its own short paragraph. One developed reason beats three asserted ones.

    “The delay stems from a supplier shortage that our accounts team confirmed last week.”

  3. Closing

    Ask for one specific action and give a date.

    “Could you confirm by Friday whether the revised date is acceptable?”

A real prompt, with model answers

This is a free exercise from the Writing Task 1 question bank, shown with its scored model answers - the same responses learners compare against after submitting. Read the prompt, try answering with the template above, then see how the three levels differ.

Writing Task 1 prompt Formal

Requesting a Plumber

Read the following information.

You rent a one-bedroom apartment in a small building in Burnaby. Something has gone wrong with the kitchen tap in your unit, and you have tried a few things yourself without success. Your landlord lives in another city and handles all repairs by email. You have written to her once before, about a hallway light.

Write an email to your landlord in about 150-200 words. Your email should do the following things:

  • Describe the problem with the kitchen tap and say how long it has been going on.
  • Explain exactly what you have already tried in order to fix it yourself.
  • Ask for a plumber to be sent and state the days and times you are available.
Basic responseestimated CELPIP level 5

Dear Mrs. Halloran,

I am write to you about my kitchen tap. It is dripping for two weeks now. In the night the sound is loud and I cannot sleep good. Also I think the water bill will go up.

I try to fix it alone. I turn the handle very tight with a tool. I put a new rubber ring inside. I also close the small valve under the sink for one night. But the water is still coming, drip drip all the time.

Please can you send a plumber to my apartment? I am at home after five o'clock in the week and all day on Saturday. Monday is best for me. Please tell me one day before, so I can wait at home.

Thank you for your help.

Yours sincerely,
Daniel Okoye

What works: All three bullet points are addressed, and the practical details about the repair attempts and the writer's availability are clear.

What holds it back: Frequent verb tense and article errors, and the sentences are short and repetitive with little variety in linking.

Good responseestimated CELPIP level 8

Dear Ms. Halloran,

I am writing to let you know about a problem with the kitchen tap in my apartment. It started dripping about two weeks ago, and it has slowly become worse. At night the noise is loud enough to hear from the bedroom, and I am worried that the water bill will rise.

I have already tried a few things myself. I tightened the handle with a wrench, replaced the rubber washer inside, and closed the shut-off valve under the sink overnight. The dripping stopped for about a day, but it came back the next morning, so I believe the problem is inside the tap itself.

Could you please arrange for a plumber to come and look at it? I work weekdays until five, so any time after five thirty would suit me, and I am free all day on Saturday. If a daytime visit is easier, I can leave a key with my neighbour in 204.

Thank you for your help with this.

Sincerely,
Daniel Okoye

What works: Clear paragraphing by bullet point, consistently polite formal register, and specific detail about both the repairs attempted and the writer's schedule.

What holds it back: Sentence patterns are somewhat uniform and the vocabulary is functional rather than varied.

Excellent responseestimated CELPIP level 11

Dear Ms. Halloran,

I am writing to report a plumbing problem in unit 305 and to ask whether a repair visit could be arranged.

The kitchen tap began dripping roughly two weeks ago. What started as an occasional drop has turned into a steady trickle that carries through the wall at night, and given how quickly it has worsened I would rather not leave it any longer.

I have already made several attempts to deal with it myself. I tightened the handle, fitted a new rubber washer from the hardware store on Hastings, and shut the valve beneath the sink overnight to confirm that the leak was not coming from the supply line. Each measure helped briefly, but the drip returned within a day, which suggests the cartridge inside the tap has simply worn out.

Would you be able to send a plumber sometime next week? I finish work at five, so weekday evenings suit me best, and I am available all day Saturday. If a daytime appointment is easier to book, I am happy to leave a key with the building caretaker.

Thank you very much for looking into this.

Sincerely,
Daniel Okoye

What works: Natural formal idiom, varied sentence structures, and a diagnosis of the fault that makes the request sound informed and reasonable.

What holds it back: The opening and closing lines both restate the request, which makes the email slightly longer than the task requires.

Put the template to work

Reading a structure is the easy half. Rehearse Writing Task 1 against the real clock with exam-style prompts and instant feedback.

Practice Writing Task 1

Writing Task 1 - common questions

How long should my CELPIP Task 1 email be?
Aim for 150–200 words, the range the test instructions give. Slightly over is safer than under: an email short of 150 words usually means a bullet point was left undeveloped, and undeveloped points cost more than a few extra words do.
Should the email be formal or informal?
Match the recipient in the prompt. A manager, company or city office gets a formal register ("Dear Mr. Chen", "I am writing to…"); a friend or family member gets a natural, friendly one. Mixing registers inside one email is a common examiner complaint - pick one in your opening line and hold it.
Do I have to cover every bullet point in the prompt?
Yes. The bullet points are the marking checklist for content and coherence. The reliable pattern is one short body paragraph per bullet, in the order given, so neither you nor the rater has to hunt for anything.