CELPIP Writing Tips for Level 9 and Above
Most CELPIP writing advice is generic: plan, use connectors, check your grammar. These tips are organised by the four categories the raters actually rate, and each one shows the before and after taken from the level 6 and level 9 samples on this site. If your answers are already at 7 or 8, this is the page to read.
Updated October 20, 2026
Content/Coherence: develop, do not list
- One specific detail per paragraph. Before: "The noise is very loud and I cannot sleep." After: "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." A time, a number or a consequence turns a claim into content.
- Two reasons with examples beat three without. The level 6 survey answers on this site all have three reasons and no examples; the level 9–11 answers have two reasons, a scene or a number for each, and a concession.
- Give the thesis in the first sentence. "I would choose Option B because it serves the people who have the fewest alternatives." The reader now knows what every paragraph will prove.
Vocabulary: precise, not rare
- Replace "very + adjective" with the exact word. "very tired" → "exhausted"; "very expensive" → "a week of groceries"; "very beautiful place" → "worth the trip on its own".
- Learn the words of the situation. Complaints: refund, fee, notice, schedule, replace, without notice. Memberships: cancellation, prorated, terms, take effect. Surveys: budget, residents, benefit, fair, long-term.
- Collocations over synonyms. Raters reward natural combinations ("cut the bill in half", "split the cost down the middle", "builds ridership") more than long words used stiffly.
Readability: control, not complexity for its own sake
- Vary sentence length on purpose. After a long sentence with a relative clause, write a short one: "Sunday is different."
- Use one concession structure correctly. "I understand that tenants are entitled to renovate, but the building rules limit noisy work to…" One correct "although / even though / I accept that…, however" is worth more than three attempts.
- Fix the seven recurring errors. for/since; on + day or date; articles before singular countable nouns; fewer/less; comparatives (easier, not more easy); verbs with to-infinitives (want to, explain to me); comma splices. These account for most Readability deductions in level 5–7 answers on this site.
Task Fulfillment: the quarter you control completely
- One paragraph per bullet point, in order. Write the three points as notes first; tick them in the last two minutes.
- Match the tone to the reader named in the prompt. Manager, landlord, company: "Dear…", no contractions. Friend: "Hi…", contractions, warmth. Mixed tone is a Task Fulfillment deduction.
- Land between 170 and 190 words. Long enough to develop, short enough to re-read.
A time plan for each task
| Minutes | Task 1 (27 min) | Task 2 (26 min) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 | Read the situation twice; note the reader and the tone; write one detail for each bullet. | Choose the option you can support best; write two reasons and one example each. |
| 2–20 | Draft: greeting, purpose line, three paragraphs, closing. | Draft: choice + thesis, two reason paragraphs, concession + conclusion. |
| 20–27 / 20–26 | Check the bullet points or the thesis, the tone, the word count, then the seven recurring errors. | |
The final five minutes checklist
- Every bullet point (Task 1) or the stated choice, two reasons, concession (Task 2)?
- Greeting and sign-off match the reader? No greeting at all in Task 2?
- 150–200 words?
- for/since, on/in/at, articles, fewer/less, comparatives, to-infinitives, comma splices?
- One specific detail in each paragraph?
See the difference these make on the renovation noise email (levels 6 and 10) and the library hours survey (levels 6 and 10), then score your own writing. The scoring guide explains the categories in detail.