CELPIP Writing Task 1 asks you to produce an email of roughly 150 to 200 words in 27 minutes. The prompts come from everyday, community, or workplace life: complaining about a service, suggesting an improvement, inviting someone, explaining a problem, or asking for help.
Many candidates assume that memorising Dear Sir or Madam and Yours sincerely is most of the job. The official criteria care about something else: whether the email completes the task, whether the content is developed, whether it is clearly organised, and whether the tone suits the reader.
Identify three things before you write
- Who you are writing to. The reader sets the tone.
- Why you are writing. Complaint, request, suggestion, or invitation.
- Every point the prompt lists. Write one keyword for each point on your notes, then add one concrete detail beside it.
That last step is what stops the most expensive mistake in Task 1 — discovering halfway through that you have skipped a required point.
A five-part structure that works
- 1. Greeting. Use a name when you have one, as in Dear Ms. Chen. Use Dear Sir or Madam when you do not.
- 2. Purpose sentence. Say why you are writing early: I am writing to express my concern about… or I am writing to request…
- 3. Body. Two or three paragraphs that cover the prompt and add reasons, effects, times, places, or workable options.
- 4. Requested action. Make it clear what you want the reader to do, or what happens next.
- 5. Closing and signature. Kind regards or Yours sincerely, then a name — real or invented, it does not matter.
What you can leave out
The test does not ask for a home address, a company address, a date, or To, From, and Subject fields. Adding them does not substitute for the content points, and it costs you time and words. Task 1 is an email, not a traditional paper letter. Formatting should help the reader understand you quickly, not pile on headers nobody needs.
Tone is where points quietly disappear
Suppose you are complaining to a property manager about noise. You can state the impact firmly and make a reasonable request — but sentences like This is the worst building ever or You must fix it immediately are too aggressive for the situation. A better line is I would appreciate it if you could look into this matter.
For an invitation, warmth is fine, but you still have to make the time, the purpose, and what the reader needs to do completely clear. Real formality comes from accurate, polite language that fits the relationship — not from choosing the rarest possible words.
Develop the content, do not re-word the prompt
If the prompt asks you to explain how a gym closure affects you, I am affected because the gym is closed adds almost no new information. A stronger version says when you used the gym, what specific difficulty the closure created, and why the alternatives do not work for you.
A complete reason usually contains a claim, an explanation, and a detail. For example: evening access matters to you; you work during the day; and the rehabilitation programme you attend only runs after work. That is three sentences of genuinely scoreable content, built from one idea.
Paragraphs and connectors
There is no official paragraph count, but the email is easiest to read when each paragraph carries one clear function: the first states your purpose, the middle two handle the prompt points, and the last makes your request and closes politely.
Keep connectors natural. First, In addition, and Therefore are all usable, but do not begin every sentence with one. Pronouns, synonyms, and plain logical order build coherence just as effectively.
Can I use a template?
You can prepare phrases — a purpose sentence, a polite request, a closing line — but you have to adapt them to the prompt. What does not work is memorising a generic opening that fits no topic in particular, or inventing an elaborate backstory.
CELPIP does allow you to create reasonable details, and no rater will check whether your story is true. The details simply have to be consistent with the situation and serve the purpose of the email.
The last three minutes
- Check the prompt again and confirm every requirement has a visible response.
- Confirm the greeting, tone, and closing suit the reader.
- Check verb tense, subject-verb agreement, and complete sentences.
- Check spelling and punctuation last.
The interface has spell check, but correctly spelled wrong words — form and from, their and there — will not necessarily be caught. Aiming for clear, complete, natural communication beats aiming for an email stuffed with difficult vocabulary you cannot fully control.
FAQs
Do I need an address, date, or subject line? No. None of them are required, and they do not replace the content points.
Can I make up details? Yes, as long as they fit the situation and support the purpose of the email.
How formal should I be? As formal as the relationship requires. Polite and precise beats elaborate and vague.
Next, see the full CELPIP Writing format and how Task 1 is scored.