CELPIP Writing Task 2 Sample: Free Student Transit or a Cheaper Pass

The prompt

Free transit for students or a cheaper pass for everyone

Your city has a limited budget to make public transit more affordable and is asking residents how to spend it.

Which option should the city choose?

Option A: Make buses and trains free for all full-time students

Option B: Reduce the price of the monthly pass for everyone by 20 percent

Choose the option that you prefer and explain the reasons for your choice. Write about 150–200 words.

Time on the test: 26 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

205 words

I would choose Option B, a 20 percent cut to the monthly pass for everyone, because the people who most need cheaper transit are not mainly students. Students already pay reduced fares in most cities, and many of them live near campus or receive a transit credit through their student union. The riders who feel the price of the pass every month are shift workers, newcomers in their first jobs and seniors on fixed incomes. A cleaner starting at 6 a.m. in the suburbs pays the full fare today and would still pay it under Option A. Under Option B, that worker saves roughly $25 a month, which is a week of groceries. A general reduction also builds ridership, and that is where the long-term value lies. When my city lowered the pass price for a trial year, monthly sales rose by a fifth and the extra riders stayed when the trial ended. More passengers mean more fare revenue, fuller buses and a stronger case for better service, which benefits students as much as anyone. Free student travel is appealing and easy to explain. Spending the same budget on everyone, however, helps the riders with the least choice, so Option B is the better decision.

Category ratings

Category	Level	Why
Content / Coherence	10	A thesis that reframes the question (who really needs help), one worked example with a number, a second reason about ridership with evidence, and a concession.
Vocabulary	10	Precise and natural: "on fixed incomes", "feel the price", "builds ridership", "where the long-term value lies", "a stronger case for".
Readability	10	Smooth, varied sentences; relative clauses and a "when… , …" sentence handled cleanly; clear paragraphs; no errors.
Task Fulfillment	10	Choice, reasons, examples, acknowledgement of the other option, conclusion; 205 words (slightly over the range, which raters do not penalise).

What shows level 9 and above

Specific example A cleaner starting at 6 a.m. in the suburbs pays the full fare today and would still pay it under Option A
Precise wording which is a week of groceries
Cohesion and that is where the long-term value lies
Specific example monthly sales rose by a fifth and the extra riders stayed when the trial ended
Nuance Free student travel is appealing and easy to explain. Spending the same budget on everyone, however

Two things lift this to level 10: a thesis that questions the premise of the easy option, and numbers attached to people (a $25 saving, a week of groceries, sales up by a fifth). The language stays plain; the thinking does the work.

Sample answer at level 7

CELPIP level 7 · CLB 7

181 words

I would choose Option A, which makes public transit free for all full-time students. The main reason is that students have very little money. Most of them work part-time for a low salary or they depend on their parents, and at the same time they have to pay for tuition, books and rent. In my city a monthly pass costs more than 100 dollars, which is a big part of a student's budget. If transit was free, they could use this money for food or for their studies. Another reason is that free transit encourages students to use the bus instead of a car. Many students buy an old car because they think the pass is too expensive. With free transit, there will be less cars around the university, less traffic and less pollution, which is good for everybody in the city. Of course, a cheaper pass for everyone is also a good idea, but 20 percent is not a big difference for most people. For students, free transit can really change their life. That is why I support Option A.

Category ratings

Category	Level	Why
Content / Coherence	7	Clear choice, two reasons with some support (the cost of a pass, the old-car example), and a brief comparison with the other option; the reasoning stays at the level of general claims.
Vocabulary	8	Mostly accurate and sometimes precise ("a big part of a student's budget", "encourages"); some imprecision ("change their life", "a low salary" for part-time work).
Readability	7	Good paragraphing and relative clauses; recurring errors: "less cars", "If transit was free", "can really change their life".
Task Fulfillment	8	Complete response in a neutral tone; 181 words.

Corrections

~~there will be less cars~~ → there will be fewer cars
"Fewer" with countable nouns.
~~If transit was free, they could~~ → If transit were free, they could
Formal written English keeps "were" in an unreal conditional; "was" is accepted in speech.
~~free transit can really change their life~~ → free transit can really change their lives
Each student has a life: plural "lives" after a plural subject.
~~work part-time for a low salary~~ → work part-time for low wages
Part-time and hourly work pays "wages"; "salary" is a fixed annual amount.

A clear level 7, close to 8: organised, relevant, with one concrete figure. To reach 9 the answer would need a sharper thesis and one example with a person in it, plus the handful of countable/uncountable and conditional fixes above.

What separates level 7 from level 10

Question the premise if you can ("the people who most need cheaper transit are not mainly students"); it produces a thesis instead of a preference.
Attach a number to a person ("saves roughly $25 a month, which is a week of groceries").
"Fewer" for countable nouns; "were" in unreal conditionals in formal writing.
End the concession with "however" placed after the subject ("Spending the same budget on everyone, however, helps…") for a more natural rhythm than starting every sentence with "However".

Try this prompt yourself

Write your own survey response 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 survey response Task 2 guide

More Task 2 samples

Longer weekday evenings or Sunday opening at the library
Levels 10 and 6
Working from home or a four-day week
Levels 9 and 7
A playground or a community garden
Levels 11 and 5
School uniforms at the local elementary school
Levels 9 and 6
Renovation noise from the apartment upstairs
Task 1 · levels 10 and 6
A community-centre course that changed halfway
Task 1 · levels 9 and 7

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