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CELPIP Writing Task 1: Writing an Email

Write an email responding to a given situation.

~27 min each
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Guide

Writing Task 1 gives you a situation and a list of things your email must do. You have 27 minutes and about 150 to 200 words. The dimension that quietly decides most scores here is not vocabulary or grammar; it is whether you actually covered every bullet.

What is CELPIP Writing Task 1?

You are shown a short everyday situation on the left, and on the right an instruction plus bullet points your email must cover. You get 27 minutes and the instruction reads: "In about 150-200 words, write to this writer and..."

An official example puts you in a classroom: "You are an elementary school teacher. There is a famous writer who lives near your school." The email must introduce the school and your class, say why the children like the writer's books, invite her to visit, and suggest what she could do with the children.

Count the bullets. Many prep sites state that Task 1 always has three. It does not: Paragon's own flagship sample has four, and their summary only says you will "usually be asked to do around 3 things."

CELPIP Writing Task 1 format: the six parts of the email

Paragon publishes the structure it wants, so use it: greeting, purpose statement, body, concluding statement, sign-off, signature.

Two things it explicitly tells you to leave out: "Don't include home/business addresses. You don't need a To, From, or Subject line." And on the signature: "Use your real name or a fake name." Either is accepted.

The screen gives you basic editing tools, an automatic word counter, and spellcheck. Spelling and punctuation still count under Readability, so do not lean on it entirely.

How CELPIP Writing Task 1 is scored

Both Writing tasks are judged on the same four dimensions: Content/Coherence (how well your ideas are organized and developed), Vocabulary (range, precision, natural use), Readability (paragraphing, transitions, grammar, spelling and punctuation) and Task Fulfillment (relevance, completeness, tone and word count).

Paragon publishes no percentage weights for these, so ignore the widely repeated "each is worth 25%" claim, and ignore the invented word-count penalty thresholds too. The official instruction is simply about 150 to 200 words, and Paragon's own top-rated sample answers land between roughly 170 and 200.

What the official rater commentary shows is that Task Fulfillment is where Task 1 answers most often bleed points, because "completeness" is checked mechanically against the bullets. Paragon downgraded an otherwise strong Level 9 response with a single note: "Third task is not addressed." A Level 4 response was marked down because the writer addressed her class instead of the famous writer.

On tone, Paragon's rule for this task is unusually explicit: "Formality should be neither too formal nor too informal. This is not an email to a friend or family member, but also not to a member of the government."

CELPIP Writing Task 1 strategies

  1. Outline first, then answer the bullets in order. It makes completeness trivially checkable for the rater, which is exactly what you want.
  2. One paragraph per bullet. Paragon's own Level 9 sample lost Readability marks specifically for a "lack of paragraphing."
  3. Open with a purpose statement, close with a concluding statement. Both are named parts of the official structure.
  4. Invent concrete specifics. Official: "Mention real places, people, and situations." The Level 12 sample was praised for details like a "bright pink mural" and "third-graders."
  5. Do not recycle the prompt's wording. Official: "Avoid overusing words and phrases from the question."
  6. Reserve three to four minutes to proofread, which is Paragon's own recommended split (roughly 4 to 5 minutes planning, 3 minutes checking).

Common CELPIP Writing Task 1 mistakes

  • Leaving a bullet uncovered or under-developed. The most costly and most mechanical error there is. Write at least one sentence per bullet, and usually more.
  • No paragraphing and almost no transitions. This is precisely what capped Paragon's Level 9 sample below Level 10.
  • Vague, generic content with repeated words. One official critique flagged "repetitive word choice (current/ly x4, local x5)."

Useful phrases for CELPIP Writing Task 1

  • Greetings: "Dear Mr./Ms. [Name]," / role-based, as in the official Level 12 sample: "Dear Chief Librarian," / "Hi [First name]," for a colleague.
  • Purpose statements: "I am writing to request..." / "I recently learned that... and I would like to..." / "My name is [X], and I am [role] at [place]."
  • Transitions: "First of all," / "In addition," / "Moreover," / "However, one downside is..."
  • Softening and persuading: "I would greatly appreciate it if you could..." / "Would you be interested in such an opportunity?"
  • Closings: "I look forward to hearing from you." / "Thank you for your time and consideration."
  • Sign-offs: "Kind regards," / "Yours sincerely," / "Cheers," (more casual).
Tip: Before you write a word, number the bullets on your scratch paper and give each one its own paragraph. Then, in your final read-through, tick them off one by one. Paragon docked a Level 9 answer for missing a single bullet, and that is the cheapest mark on the entire Writing test to protect.

CELPIP Writing Task 1: frequently asked questions

How many words should CELPIP Writing Task 1 be?
About 150 to 200. Paragon says "about", and publishes no penalty threshold, so ignore prep sites that invent one. For calibration: their own Level 12 sample answers came in at 196 and 197 words.
How long do I get for CELPIP Writing Task 1?
27 minutes, shown as a countdown on the task screen. Paragon recommends spending roughly 4 to 5 minutes planning and about 3 minutes proofreading within that.
Should the email be formal or informal?
Neither extreme. Paragon's rule: it is not an email to a friend or family member, but also not to a member of the government. Aim polite, friendly and semi-formal, and match the specific reader named in the prompt.
Do I need a subject line in CELPIP Writing Task 1?
No. Paragon explicitly states you do not need a To, From, or Subject line, and no mailing addresses. Start with the greeting.
Do I have to cover every bullet point?
Yes. The official instruction is to write at least one sentence for each task, and most will need more. Paragon downgraded a Level 9 response purely for skipping one bullet.
Can I use a template for CELPIP Writing Task 1?
Use a structure, not canned content. Paragon publishes the six-part email skeleton itself, so a framework is fine. But their strategies demand your own words, warn against overusing phrases from the question, and ask for real places, people and situations. Memorised filler sentences damage Content, Vocabulary and Relevance.
What name should I sign?
Paragon's answer is direct: use your real name or a fake name. Either is accepted.
Is spellcheck available?
Yes. The writing screen has basic editing tools, an automatic word counter and spellcheck. Spelling and punctuation still count under Readability, so proofread anyway.