CELPIP Writing Task 1: Build a Clear, Complete Email

1. What makes an email effective?

Task 1 asks for an email of about 150–200 words within 27 minutes. A useful practice target is 170–200 words: enough room to develop the required points without losing focus. If a draft runs slightly over 200 words, keep it below about 210 and check what can be shortened. Pay attention to the balance of the paragraphs as well as the total length.

The situations are usually familiar: a workplace problem, a community activity, or a request for assistance. A complaint about broken air conditioning, a request to locate a lost laptop, and an enquiry about a community stall have different purposes, but each needs a clear reason for writing and enough information for the reader to respond.

Four areas provide a practical way to judge the result.

Develop ideas, then organize them

Content and coherence depend on how fully the ideas are explained and how easily a reader can follow them. “Quality of ideas” does not mean finding an unusual or brilliant idea. It means developing a relevant idea through explanation, details and examples.

“The office is too hot” identifies a problem. Explaining that colleagues struggle to concentrate and that a client call had to be moved out of the meeting room shows what that problem means at work. The additional information earns its space because it supports the purpose of the email.

Organization makes those relationships visible. Background belongs near the beginning; examples belong with the point they explain; the requested action follows from the problem. A reader should not have to reconstruct the argument from scattered details.

Choose words for this situation

Vocabulary includes range, suitability, precision and accuracy. Knowing several expressions for an idea is useful, but they are not automatically interchangeable. A word that works in an academic article may sound unnatural in a message to a friend. A near-synonym may change the meaning or require a different grammatical structure.

For the office complaint, words such as technician, repair appointment, working conditions and repair schedule help identify exactly what the writer means. The goal is not to replace every ordinary word with a more impressive one. Essential topic words can repeat when there is no natural reason to change them.

Make the writing easy to read

Clear paragraphing, accurate grammar, sentence variety, spelling and punctuation all contribute to readability. Paragraph breaks should reflect the organization of the message. Connectors such as first of all, besides, what's more and moreover are useful when they express a real relationship between ideas; they cannot create a relationship that the content lacks.

Complex structures are valuable when the writer controls them. An uncertain construction can make a simple message harder to understand. It is better to use a familiar structure accurately than to add an advanced-looking sentence whose grammar is unclear.

Use the spelling support in the writing interface, but check that each suggested word matches the meaning you intend. Proofreading involves more than accepting every correction.

Complete the actual task

Task fulfilment brings together relevance, completeness, tone and length. The email must respect the background, cover every requested point, suit its recipient and use the available space sensibly.

An email to a manager should not sound like a message to a parent. A prompt asking for both a repair and temporary assistance requires both. Even a well-written paragraph can be irrelevant if it answers a different question.

2. Read, plan and allocate the space

Spend roughly 30–45 seconds understanding the question, then about 2–4 minutes outlining the response. Allow around 20 minutes for drafting and reserve at least 2 minutes for checking. Adjust these approximate allocations to fit the 27 minutes available.

Read the background and the instructions together. Identify the recipient, the purpose, the fixed facts and each required point. Count the actual requirements: some prompts contain four points, so do not assume every task has only three. Then note a few keywords for the details that will develop those points. A short outline prevents a long introduction from using space that the body needs.

For an email, the working structure is straightforward:

1. Salutation: address the person or role given in the prompt.
2. Opening and background: explain the reason for writing and enough of the situation to make it understandable.
3. Developed body: cover the requested points with relevant support.
4. Next step: ask for the information, action or resolution needed.
5. Sign-off: close in a tone that matches the relationship.

The background may sit in the opening paragraph or have a short paragraph of its own. Its length depends on what remains to be explained. It should not become longer than the main points combined. The response needs the content of the email; there is no need to invent an email address.

Practise a small set of suitable greetings, openings and closings until you can use them easily. That preparation leaves more of the writing time available for developing the particular ideas and details the question requires. Adapt the wording to the recipient and purpose.

Planning gives each detail a purpose before it becomes a sentence.

3. Worked example: an unresolved air-conditioning problem

The question

The air conditioning in your office has been broken for more than a week, and the rooms have become uncomfortably hot. You contacted the building's maintenance department, but nobody has come to repair it. You and your colleagues are finding it difficult to work.

Write an email to the maintenance manager in about 150–200 words:

• Complain about the broken air conditioning and lack of repairs.
• Explain how the heat is affecting your team's work.
• Ask for urgent repairs and help until they are completed.

Turn the instructions into a plan

The recipient is already known, so Dear Maintenance Manager is an appropriate greeting. The purpose is a complaint followed by a request for action. The fixed facts are that the system has been broken for more than a week, the department has already been contacted, and no repair has taken place.

Those facts must stay intact. Additional details can make the email specific: the day the department was contacted, the absence of a repair update, or the effect on meetings. Such details develop the situation rather than replacing it with a different one.

The complete model

Dear Maintenance Manager,

I am writing to express my frustration about the unresolved air conditioning problem in our office. The system has been broken for more than a week, and the rooms have become uncomfortably hot.

Although we contacted your department last Tuesday, nobody has come to inspect or repair the equipment. We were hoping for an update, but we still do not know when a technician will arrive. This lack of communication has made it difficult to plan our work.

The heat is affecting our whole team. Several colleagues have struggled to concentrate during afternoon meetings, and we have had to take frequent breaks. Yesterday, we moved a client call to the hallway because the meeting room was too hot to use comfortably.

I respectfully request an urgent repair appointment and a clear estimate of when the system will be working again. In the meantime, could you provide portable fans or arrange a cooler room for our team? Please keep me posted on the repair schedule.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Regards, Amy Lee

Why the details work

“Last Tuesday” establishes a more concrete history of contact. The missing update explains a second problem: the team cannot plan around the repair. The meeting and client-call examples then make “difficult to work” visible rather than leaving it as a general complaint.

The body uses the 3-1 Principle: start with a topic sentence and develop it with explanation, details and examples. “The heat is affecting our whole team” gives the paragraph its direction. The following sentences show how. The important relationship is between the main point and its support; placing unrelated details after a topic sentence would not achieve the same result.

The closing is equally specific. An urgent repair appointment and completion estimate address the long-term problem. Fans or another room address the period before the repair. Asking for updates makes the follow-up clear. Each request has a function that can be traced to the prompt.

Improve the request, not just the wording

A solution needs development too. “To address this issue, I am proposing a few practical solutions” only introduces the request; it does not yet provide a solution. A stronger continuation identifies the action and its benefit:

Portable fans would help alleviate the discomfort until the system is repaired.

Alleviate means to make the difficulty less severe. A further request for a cooler meeting room can explain that the team would then be able to continue client calls without interruption. There is no need to supply technical repair instructions. The reader needs a reasonable action and a clear explanation of why it would help.

During revision, check the grammar as carefully as the content. In “Your prompt action would be appreciated,” appreciated is the past participle in a passive structure. In a formal email, use full forms such as could not instead of couldn't. Precise nouns, subject–verb agreement and singular or plural forms matter more than forcing a synonym into every sentence.

4. Match the greeting, opening and ending to the reader

Tone runs through the whole email. A formal greeting followed by an extremely casual request feels inconsistent, just as a friendly invitation can become distant if every phrase is unnecessarily ceremonial.

Choose a salutation from the relationship

The role supplied by the question is a useful starting point. For a colleague helping with a farewell gift, a name and a professional or friendly tone fit the relationship. For an enquiry to a park manager or community-event organizer, a more formal opening is suitable. The choice should reflect the actual relationship, not a greeting memorized for every task. When writing to a manager you do not know well, a title and surname can show the respect appropriate to that relationship. A manager addressing an employee may use the employee's first name. Consider both familiarity and the direction of the professional relationship.

Establish the purpose early

A formal opening can use I am writing to…, I am writing regarding…, or I am writing to express my concern about…. The phrase needs a specific purpose after it. For example:

I am writing to ask for your help locating a laptop I left at your campground.

A semi-formal message may begin with “I hope this letter finds you well” or the less formal “I hope you're doing well.” “I am reaching out to…” can suit communication with someone you know, such as a colleague. Casual messages can use a warmer opening before moving to the reason for writing.

A personal introduction is optional. It helps when the role matters—for example, explaining that the writer coordinates the children's art program makes an invitation understandable. A long introduction that adds no useful context uses space better spent on the task.

“What happened was that…” is another way to introduce a brief account of the situation. Paraphrase the background and add relevant people, places or dates where the prompt leaves room for them. The background can share the opening paragraph or stand in a short paragraph of its own.

Make the closing do a useful job

For an enquiry, “I would appreciate it if you could provide more information on…” introduces the information required. “Is it possible for you to…” can introduce a requested action. A complaint may use “I respectfully request…” followed by a practical resolution. A follow-up can ask, “Please keep me posted on the repair schedule.”

Formal sign-offs include Sincerely, Regards and Yours faithfully. Best regards or Kind regards can fit a professional relationship with someone known. Take care, Cheers, All the best and Many thanks belong to more familiar contexts, depending on the message.

For a formal or semi-formal email, finish with your full name—first name and surname—after the sign-off.

An optional sentence such as “I look forward to your prompt response” belongs before the sign-off and name. It is useful when a reply is needed; it should not be added merely to increase the length. For a friend or family member, “I'm looking forward to catching up soon” or “Take care and talk soon” can provide a more natural ending.

5. Compare three drafts: the children's art fundraiser

The question

You are organizing a community fundraiser to support an art program for local children. You would like a local arts group to participate by displaying and selling artwork. The proceeds would support the children's program.

Write to the arts group's coordinator in about 150–200 words. Introduce the fundraiser and program, invite the group to display and sell artwork, and explain how the sales would support the program.

Compare how these three drafts develop the same task. Each revision gives the recipient more useful information while keeping the central request clear.

Draft A: the points are present, but support is general

Dear Coordinator,

My name is Amy Lee, and I am organizing a community fundraiser for a local children's art program. I am writing to invite your arts group to take part in our event next month.

The program helps children learn about art and gives them opportunities to try different activities. We would like to raise money so that more children can join. Art is important for children, and we hope the fundraiser will help the program continue.

We would appreciate it if your group could display and sell some artwork at the event. Visitors would enjoy seeing your work, and your members could meet people from the community. There will also be other activities for families.

The money from the artwork sales would go to the children's program. This support would be useful for the children and the people who teach them. Please let me know whether your group would be interested in participating.

Thank you for considering our invitation.

Kind regards, Amy Lee

This draft has a recognizable purpose, appropriate paragraphs and relevant topic vocabulary. Its weakness is the amount of meaning left unexplained. Saying that art is important and that the money would be useful does not tell the coordinator what the money will pay for or which children will benefit.

The distinction is between covering a point and developing it. Correct grammar does not compensate for a body paragraph that repeats a broad idea without adding information.

Draft B: the support becomes concrete

Dear Arts Group Coordinator,

I am organizing a community fundraiser to support Saturday art workshops for local children. We would be delighted if your group could display and sell artwork at the event.

Our workshops introduce children aged seven to ten to painting and sculpture. Many families find private classes expensive, so we keep our fees low. However, we need additional money for paper, paint and clay. The fundraiser would help us keep these activities affordable.

We hope several of your artists could bring small paintings or prints for visitors to purchase. These would suit families looking for gifts while allowing guests to learn about the artists working in our neighbourhood. We can provide tables and help set up the display.

The proceeds from these sales would go directly to the children's art program. For example, they could pay for materials for our next series of workshops. This would give children more opportunities to experiment with different techniques.

Please let me know whether your group would like to participate. I would be happy to discuss the arrangements with you.

Kind regards, Amy Lee

Saturday workshops, children aged seven to ten, painting and sculpture, and the cost of paper, paint and clay give the fundraising request a clear context. The invitation also becomes more actionable: members could bring small paintings or prints, and the organizers would provide tables and setup help.

The paragraphs are more balanced. The writer has not spent almost all the space describing the background while leaving the request or benefit undeveloped. The details connect the need for money to what the arts group could contribute.

There is still room to refine the arrangement. A coordinator needs to know when participation is expected and what a reply should confirm. Repeated wording and sentences that add little can also be reviewed.

Draft C: the reader can understand the arrangement

Dear Arts Group Coordinator,

My name is Amy Lee, and I coordinate Saturday art workshops for children at Riverside Community Centre. I am writing to invite your group to display and sell artwork at our fundraiser on November 21.

Our program gives children aged seven to ten an affordable introduction to painting and sculpture. Several families cannot cover the full cost of supplies, so we are raising money to keep the workshops accessible.

Would your members be willing to contribute small paintings or prints for sale? We can provide display tables in the main hall from one to four in the afternoon, and volunteers will help with setup. This would also be an opportunity for visitors to meet local artists and learn about their work.

All proceeds from these sales would support the children's program, including paint, paper and clay for upcoming workshops. Your participation would therefore turn a community art display into practical support for young learners.

Please let me know by November 7 whether your group can join us. I would be happy to discuss the display arrangements.

Kind regards, Amy Lee

The community centre, event date, display period, volunteer support and reply deadline make the invitation more precise. The coordinator can see where and when the event takes place, what participation involves, and when a reply is needed.

Each detail performs a job. The age range describes the beneficiaries; supplies explain the use of proceeds; the time and location clarify participation; the deadline supports planning. This is what makes detail useful. Adding extra words without a comparable purpose would not improve the response.

Compare all four writing areas across the drafts. Is each point developed? Does the vocabulary fit the topic? Are the sentences and paragraphs readable? Does the tone suit an invitation to a local group? A stronger response can still contain a small weakness, and different responses may need different repairs. One may need better grammar, another more detail, and another better balance.

6. Build a helpful opening: the lost laptop

The question

After returning from a camping trip, you discover that your laptop is missing. You used it at the campground and believe you left it there. Write to the campground manager in about 150–200 words to explain what happened, describe the laptop and where it may be, and ask for help finding it.

An opening should explain the loss and the purpose without trying to complete the whole email at once. “I lost something” is too vague to help the manager. A silver laptop in a black sleeve, the dates of the stay and the last place it was used are examples of identifying information that could be developed where appropriate.

A clear opening could read:

I returned home from a camping trip yesterday and discovered that my laptop was missing while I was unpacking. I believe I left it in the covered seating area near campsite twelve, and I am writing to ask for your help locating it.

Unpacking expresses the action precisely. The location gives the manager a starting point, and the final clause makes the request clear. More detailed identification and practical arrangements can follow in the body. The opening provides enough context without becoming abrupt or overloaded.

A polite opening can still state the purpose immediately. The issue is the request itself: asking for help is different from demanding an immediate result. Explain enough of the situation for the request to make sense, then leave detailed arrangements for the appropriate body or closing paragraph. A formal opening phrase cannot make an otherwise blunt demand polite.

The same reading habit applies to other purposes. A community-stall enquiry needs information about requirements, fees and arrangements. A farewell-memory-book email needs a clear request for a colleague's contribution and help. A park-job enquiry should make the writer's interest and availability understandable. The additional email situations below provide more opportunities to identify the recipient and purpose.

7. Use the passive voice to choose the focus

The passive is a way to foreground the person or thing affected by an action. It provides sentence variety, but its value comes from the emphasis it creates.

The contrast with the active voice makes the shift clearer. “Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa” begins with the artist. “The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci” begins with the painting. Similarly, “Someone killed twenty civilians in a bomb explosion” can become “Twenty civilians were killed in the bomb explosion,” placing the affected people first.

The passive can also keep an existing subject in focus:

While Mr. Taylor was driving down Highway 101, a police officer pulled him over and gave him a speeding ticket.

While Mr. Taylor was driving down Highway 101, he was pulled over and given a ticket by a police officer.

The second version continues with Mr. Taylor as the person receiving the action. Neither voice is automatically better in every sentence; choose according to the information being emphasized.

Accuracy still matters. The auxiliary must match the tense and subject, and the main verb must be a past participle. For some verbs the participle resembles the simple past; for others it does not. Check forms such as built or hired instead of assuming that every past-tense form will work. The structure should clarify the message, not become an exercise in making every sentence passive.

8. Revise for meaning as well as grammar

A useful revision begins with the task. Read every requested point again, then identify the paragraph that answers it. Check whether the detail is doing useful work or moving away from the situation. Questions such as who, what, when, why and how help develop a thin point: a person, date, explanation or consequence can make the meaning concrete.

Next, inspect the language. Check subject–verb agreement, countable nouns, passive forms, connectors, spelling and sentence boundaries. Replace vague wording where a more precise description is available. Keep natural repetition when replacing an essential word would make the sentence awkward.

Translation can help you check whether the meaning is clear. After drafting and checking small grammar errors, translate the response into a language in which its logic is easy to judge. If a passage becomes awkward or disconnected, revisit the original wording and order. Translating a revised version back can provide a comparison, but the writer still has to decide what communicates the intended meaning.

Writing tools can suggest vocabulary or flag errors. Their suggestions are choices to evaluate, not a replacement for judgment. An automatic rewrite may become too formal or alter the writer's meaning. Select a useful expression, confirm that it fits, and rewrite the answer with the improvements you understand. Highlight effective sentence structures in the revised version so that you can recognize and practise them again.

Natural language develops through sustained input as well as correction. English reading, videos, podcasts and conversations provide examples of how expressions are used in context. Notice the surrounding words and relationship, not only a dictionary meaning. Keep examples of sentence structures used successfully and return to them during practice.

Finally, use the writing interface carefully. Typing speed can be practised, and the word counter can help expose an unbalanced response. If you finish early, use the remaining time to review. Check the response before moving to the next task, because you cannot return to it afterwards.

Before finishing, ask: Have I made the purpose clear, developed every required point, kept the tone consistent and given the reader a useful next step? That question brings content, language and task fulfilment back together.

More email situations

Identify the recipient and the purpose of each email, then decide which greeting, opening and closing would fit.

Farewell Memory Book

Your manager is leaving the company to take a job elsewhere. You would like to give her a memory book as a farewell gift, featuring moments shared with the team. You need a colleague’s help collecting contributions and putting the book together.

Write an email to your colleague in about 150–200 words. Your email should do the following things:

• Introduce your plan for the farewell memory book

• Ask your colleague to contribute photos or a personal message

• Invite your colleague to help put the book together

Explain your gift idea and invite your colleague to contribute to the memory book. Write about 150–200 words.

Community Event Stall

Your neighbourhood is holding a community event next month, and local residents can apply to run stalls. You would like to have a stall of your own. Before applying, you need more information about the requirements, costs, and arrangements for the event.

Write an email to the event organizer in about 150–200 words. Your email should do the following things:

• Describe what you would offer at your stall

• Ask about the requirements for running a stall

• Find out how much a stall costs

• Ask about the schedule and setup arrangements

Introduce your stall idea and ask for the information you need to participate. Write about 150–200 words.

Local Park Job Inquiry

During a visit to a park near your home, you noticed a sign advertising job openings. You will be starting university soon and would like to earn some spending money while studying. You are interested in finding out whether a park job would suit you.

Write an email to the park manager in about 150–200 words. Your email should do the following things:

• Introduce yourself and explain your interest in the park job

• Ask about the work and whether shifts fit around university

• Find out how to apply for a position

Explain your interest in working at the park and ask about the job and application process. Write about 150–200 words.