What is CELPIP Writing Task 2?
You read a survey scenario on the left. On the right are two radio-button options, written in the first person, and the instruction: "Choose the option that you prefer. Why do you prefer your choice? Explain the reasons for your choice. Write about 150-200 words." You get 26 minutes, one minute less than Task 1.
The official example: your boss wants to cut vacation by two days and send everyone to a beachside hotel for four days of job training. Option A: keep the vacation time. Option B: do the training and cut the vacation.
Two things most prep sites omit: you must physically click a radio button as well as write the response, and email format is optional. Paragon says "no need to use email format here", yet both of their own high-scoring samples use a greeting and sign-off anyway. It neither helps nor hurts.
How CELPIP Writing Task 2 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.
The two recurring Task 2 killers in Paragon's rater commentary are both content failures. On a Level 8 response, the noted weakness is literally "The writer doesn't choose an option", with the prescribed fix "state a clear choice at the beginning of the response." On a Level 10 response: "The first main idea goes a bit off topic. It is more focused on the general idea of how much vacation employees get than the specific question of giving up two vacation days for the training."
On tone, Task 2's official guidance differs from Task 1's in one important way: "Don't write an academic essay." Polite, professional and human. Paragon docked a Level 8 paper for a tone that was "too harsh in a few places."
CELPIP Writing Task 2 strategies
- State your choice in sentence one, in your own words. Paragon praised the Level 10 sample precisely because "the writer chooses an option in his own words" rather than copying the option text.
- Give reasons, not suggestions or descriptions. This is the most task-specific instruction Paragon gives, and candidates violate it constantly by proposing a third alternative.
- Compare your choice to the other choice. Officially rewarded. One or two sentences of contrast is enough.
- Answer the narrow question, not the broad topic. The Level 10 lost points for arguing about vacation policy in general rather than this specific trade.
- Two or three reasons, one paragraph each, each with a specific detail. Then a concluding statement.
- Write prose. Never bullet points. Official: "avoid list/point form."
Common CELPIP Writing Task 2 mistakes
- Never clearly committing. Hedging, fence-sitting, or leaving the choice implicit. Paragon's flagged weakness, verbatim: "The writer doesn't choose an option."
- Arguing the general theme instead of the specific trade-off on screen.
- Abstract reasons with no concrete support. Paragon's note: "'Improving our skills' is not specific."
Useful phrases for CELPIP Writing Task 2
- State the choice (paraphrase, do not copy): "Having considered both options, I firmly support..." / "While I really appreciate the offer of job training, I would prefer to keep our vacation days, for the following reasons:"
- Sequence: "Firstly,... Secondly,... And finally,..." / "The main reason for my choice is..."
- Support: "For instance," / "From my own experience as a [role]," / "I have also observed that..."
- Compare to the rejected option (officially rewarded): "While the alternative would certainly..., it fails to..." / "I agree that [X] is important, but not at the cost of [Y]."
- Conclude: "For these reasons, I believe this is the better option for everyone involved."
