CELPIP Writing Task 1 Sample: Complaint Email About Renovation Noise

The prompt

Renovation noise from the apartment upstairs

The tenant in the apartment above yours started a renovation three weeks ago. The work begins at 7 a.m., including on weekends, and you work evening shifts. Write an email to the building manager.

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

Describe the problem and when it happens
Explain how it is affecting you
Suggest what the manager could do about it

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 10

CELPIP level 10 · CLB 10

183 words

Dear Mr. Okafor, I am writing about the renovation in apartment 4B, directly above mine, which has been going on for three weeks. Drilling and hammering start at 7 a.m. every day, including Saturdays and Sundays, and usually continue until early afternoon. As you may know, I work evening shifts at the hospital and normally get home after midnight. Since the work began, I have rarely managed more than four hours of sleep, and last week I made a medication error at work that I believe was caused by exhaustion. The noise is also loud enough to shake the dishes in my cupboards. I understand that tenants are entitled to renovate, but the building rules limit noisy work to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Could you please remind the tenant of these hours and ask the contractor to keep weekends quiet? If that is not possible, I would be grateful for an estimated end date so that I can plan to stay elsewhere on my days off. Thank you for your help with this matter. Kind regards, Daniela Reyes Apartment 3B

Category ratings

Category	Level	Why
Content / Coherence	10	One paragraph per bullet point, each idea supported by a concrete detail (medication error, dishes shaking, the building rules) that makes the complaint credible.
Vocabulary	10	Precise and natural: "going on for three weeks", "entitled to renovate", "limit noisy work to", "I would be grateful for an estimated end date".
Readability	10	Varied sentences (a relative clause, a conditional, a concession with "I understand that…, but"), no errors, clean paragraphing.
Task Fulfillment	10	All three bullet points covered; a formal, polite but firm tone that suits a building manager; 183 words.

What shows level 9 and above

Nuance I understand that tenants are entitled to renovate, but
Specific example I made a medication error at work that I believe was caused by exhaustion
Complex structure If that is not possible, I would be grateful for
Precise wording limit noisy work to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cohesion so that I can plan to stay elsewhere

A level 10 email does three things the level 6 version does not: it gives one specific, verifiable detail per bullet point, it anticipates the reader’s objection ("tenants are entitled to renovate"), and it offers a fallback request. The language is precise without being showy.

Sample answer at level 6

CELPIP level 6 · CLB 6

157 words

Dear Manager, I am writing to you because of the noise problem in my building. The tenant upstairs is doing renovation since three weeks. Every day the noise is starting at 7 am, also in the weekend. It is very loud, drilling and hammering, and sometimes until the afternoon. I am working in the evening shift so I come home late in the night and I need to sleep in the morning. Now I can not sleep good and I am very tired at my work. My boss already noticed that I make mistakes. Also my dishes are shaking because of the noise. I think the tenant should do the renovation only in the normal hours, like from 9 am to 6 pm, and not in the weekend. Please you can talk with the tenant about this problem. Or maybe you can tell me when the renovation will finish. Thank you for your understanding. Best regards, Daniela

Category ratings

Category	Level	Why
Content / Coherence	6	The three points are there and in a sensible order, but each is stated rather than developed; the effect on work ("I make mistakes") stays vague.
Vocabulary	6	Everyday words, with repetition ("noise", "problem", "renovation") and imprecise choices ("sleep good", "normal hours").
Readability	6	Meaning is always clear, but errors come every two or three sentences: tense ("is doing… since three weeks"), prepositions ("in the weekend"), word order ("Please you can talk").
Task Fulfillment	7	All bullets addressed; tone is polite and mostly appropriate; 157 words.

Corrections

~~is doing renovation since three weeks~~ → has been renovating for three weeks
A period of time that continues up to now takes the present perfect continuous, and "for" introduces a duration ("since" introduces a starting point).
~~also in the weekend~~ → including on weekends
In Canadian English we say "on the weekend" / "on weekends", not "in the weekend".
~~I can not sleep good~~ → I cannot sleep well
"Well" is the adverb that modifies the verb "sleep"; "good" is an adjective.
~~Please you can talk with the tenant~~ → Could you please talk to the tenant
A request uses the question form "Could you…?"; "please you can" is not a possible English word order.
~~in the evening shift~~ → on the evening shift
We work "on" a shift.

Everything the reader needs is here, so this is a complete answer, but the frequent basic errors and the general wording keep it at level 6. Fixing the five errors above and adding one specific consequence per paragraph would move it to 7–8.

What separates level 6 from level 10

Give one concrete, checkable detail per bullet point (a time, a rule, a consequence) instead of a general statement.
Acknowledge the other side in one clause ("I understand that…, but…") before making the request: it reads as reasonable and shows control of complex sentences.
Offer a fallback ("If that is not possible, could you…") so the reader can say yes to something.
Use "for" with durations and "since" with starting points; it is one of the most common errors in Task 1 complaints.

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

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