CELPIP Writing Task 1 Sample: Email About a Course That Changed

The prompt

A community-centre course that changed halfway

You paid for an eight-week photography course at your community centre. After the third class the instructor was replaced, the content changed and two classes were cancelled without notice. Write an email to the program coordinator.

In about 150–200 words, write an email to the program coordinator. Your email should do the following things:

Describe what you expected from the course
Explain what went wrong
Say what you would like the centre to do

Time on the test: 27 minutes. Recommended length: 150–200 words. This is an original practice prompt in the official format, not a test question.

Sample answer at level 9

CELPIP level 9 · CLB 9

179 words

Dear Ms. Tremblay, I am writing about the eight-week Introduction to Photography course that I registered for in September, for which I paid $240. When I signed up, the description promised a complete beginner's program: camera settings in the first weeks, then composition, lighting and a final portfolio review with the instructor, Mr. Hale. For the first three classes this is exactly what we got, and the group was very happy. After the third week, however, Mr. Hale was replaced without any explanation. The new instructor skipped lighting entirely and spent two sessions on phone editing apps, which most of us had not signed up for. Two further classes were cancelled by a note on the door, so we lost almost a third of the course. I would like the centre either to schedule the two missing classes with a qualified instructor or to refund the part of the fee that corresponds to them, which I calculate at $90. I would also appreciate an explanation of why the program changed. I look forward to your reply. Sincerely, Priya Nair

Category ratings

Category	Level	Why
Content / Coherence	9	Clear before/after structure; the complaint is quantified (a third of the course, $90) and the request follows logically from it.
Vocabulary	9	Natural and precise: "registered for", "a complete beginner's program", "skipped lighting entirely", "the part of the fee that corresponds to them".
Readability	9	Smooth transitions ("When I signed up", "After the third week, however"), relative clauses handled well; one slightly heavy sentence in the request paragraph.
Task Fulfillment	9	All three bullets covered in order; formal and reasonable tone; 179 words.

What shows level 9 and above

Cohesion After the third week, however, Mr. Hale was replaced without any explanation
Complex structure which most of us had not signed up for
Specific example so we lost almost a third of the course
Precise wording the part of the fee that corresponds to them
Complex structure either to schedule the two missing classes with a qualified instructor or to refund

This email earns level 9 by being specific (dates, dollar amounts, what was promised and what was delivered) and by making a request the reader can act on, with two acceptable options. It is not flawless prose, and it does not need to be.

Sample answer at level 7

CELPIP level 7 · CLB 7

174 words

Dear Program Coordinator, I am writing to complain about the photography course which I took in your community centre this fall. I paid 240 dollars for eight weeks of classes. I expected to learn the basic of photography, such as how to use the camera settings, how to make a good composition and how to work with the light. The first instructor was very professional and the first three classes were excellent, so I was satisfied. Unfortunately, after the third class the instructor was changed and nobody told us why. The new instructor was not teaching the same things. He talked mostly about editing photos on the phone, that was not interesting for me. Moreover, two classes were cancelled and we only found a paper on the door. In total we lost two weeks of the course. I would like to ask the centre to organize the two missing classes or to give back a part of the money. I hope you will understand my situation and answer me soon. Yours faithfully, Priya Nair

Category ratings

Category	Level	Why
Content / Coherence	7	Well organised and complete; the ideas are developed with some detail, but the request is less precise than it could be (how much money? which classes?).
Vocabulary	7	Adequate and mostly correct; some imprecision ("the basic of photography", "give back a part of the money", "that was not interesting for me").
Readability	7	Good paragraphing and connectors ("Unfortunately", "Moreover", "In total"); errors are noticeable but never obscure meaning: "which I took in", "the basic", "that was not interesting".
Task Fulfillment	8	All bullets addressed, formal tone, 174 words. "Yours faithfully" after "Dear Program Coordinator" is acceptable in Canada but "Sincerely" is more usual.

Corrections

~~the basic of photography~~ → the basics of photography
"The basics" is a plural noun meaning the fundamental elements.
~~He talked mostly about editing photos on the phone, that was not interesting for me.~~ → He talked mostly about editing photos on the phone, which did not interest me.
A comment on the whole previous clause needs the relative pronoun "which", not "that"; "did not interest me" is the natural verb.
~~the course which I took in your community centre~~ → the course that I took at your community centre
Activities take place "at" a centre, school or office.
~~to give back a part of the money~~ → to refund part of the fee
"Refund" and "fee" are the precise words in a formal complaint; "give back the money" is conversational.

A solid level 7: complete, organised, polite, and readable. What separates it from the level 9 version is precision: naming the amount to refund, saying exactly what the second instructor skipped, and replacing conversational phrases with the formal equivalents.

What separates level 7 from level 9

Quantify the complaint (how many classes, what fraction of the fee) so the reader can see that your request is proportionate.
"That" cannot refer back to a whole clause; use "which" ("…, which did not interest me").
Learn the formal vocabulary of complaints: refund, fee, schedule, replace, without notice.
Give the reader two acceptable options ("either… or…"); it makes a yes more likely and shows a controlled complex sentence.

Try this prompt yourself

Write your own email on the prompt above and get an estimated CELPIP level with corrections and a model answer. Free, no sign-up, two reports a day.

Score my email Task 1 guide

More Task 1 samples

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Longer weekday evenings or Sunday opening at the library
Task 2 · levels 10 and 6
Working from home or a four-day week
Task 2 · levels 9 and 7

See all CELPIP writing samples, the scoring and CLB levels guide, and the official CELPIP test format and scoring page.