CELPIP-General preparation
Adapt useful structures for CELPIP email, survey and all eight Speaking tasks. See example phrases, practical choices and mistakes to avoid.
Reviewed October 2, 2026
A CELPIP template is most useful as a reminder of what the response needs to accomplish. It should leave room for the prompt's audience, facts and purpose. Memorising one speech or email can make an answer less relevant when the situation changes.
Read the prompt, choose the moves that fit, and plan concrete details. Do not treat these structures as compulsory paragraph counts, scoring quotas or a promise of a particular level.
The phrases below illustrate a move; they are not complete answers to memorise. For each task, the sample library shows three developed responses in different situations.
Prepare 30 seconds; speak 90 seconds.
“Leah, I’d try the quiet desks for your first hour, because that gives you control over the noise.”
Watch for: Three suggestions that all mean “work harder” do not provide three useful ideas.
Prepare 30 seconds; speak 60 seconds.
“When the projector stopped working, we passed the printed photographs around instead.”
Watch for: Do not spend most of the response giving background before the event begins.
Prepare 30 seconds; speak 60 seconds.
“At the front table, a woman is measuring a shelf; behind her, two people are examining a drawing.”
Watch for: Describe the picture rather than inventing a past story or a future accident.
Prepare 30 seconds; speak 60 seconds.
“The bag may slip because it is leaning, but the traveller is already reaching to steady it.”
Watch for: A prediction needs a reason grounded in the picture, not just a string of future-tense verbs.
Prepare 60 seconds, following the 60-second silent choice; speak 60 seconds.
“The stage would help a performance, but the included tables matter more for our workshop.”
Watch for: Do not compare the two original choices once the task asks you to persuade against the revealed third option.
Prepare 60 seconds; speak 60 seconds.
“I need to keep the room booking because the interview time is fixed, but you can use it after three.”
Watch for: Repeated apologies can leave the decision unclear; politeness does not require an uncertain answer.
Prepare 30 seconds; speak 90 seconds.
“Later library hours could help people finishing work at six, so I’d begin with a two-evening trial.”
Watch for: Long lists of benefits are less useful than a few reasons developed far enough for the listener to follow.
Prepare 30 seconds; speak 60 seconds.
“Imagine an open umbrella turned upside down on a short stand; someone is sitting inside it.”
Watch for: The listener cannot see the picture. “It looks weird” does not explain what makes it unusual.
Both CELPIP-General Writing tasks ask for 150–200 words. The official task windows are 27 minutes for the email and 26 minutes for the survey response. Use some of that time to check whether every requested point is developed and whether your tone fits the reader.
Short opening example
Dear Ms. Patel, I am writing about the shelf installation completed on Tuesday. One shelf is loose, and I would like to arrange a time for your team to check it.
A complaint needs an observable issue and a reasonable remedy. An invitation needs the occasion, useful arrangements and a clear response request. Keep the recipient and purpose in view instead of using the same opening for every email.
Watch for: A memorised long introduction can use the space needed for the requested details. In the official task, aim for 150–200 words and use the prompt’s actual instructions.
Short opening example
I would choose the covered bicycle racks. Residents already cycle to the station, and protection from rain would make that journey more practical throughout the week.
The reasons must fit this survey. If you choose a quiet study room, explain who would use it and what problem it solves. If you choose a social lounge instead, develop that option on its own merits rather than treating it as a wrong answer.
Watch for: Do not use fixed claims that “everyone benefits” or that an option is “always better.” Develop a defensible choice in the official 150–200-word task.
When you repeat a task, change the substance as well as a few nouns. Try supporting the alternative survey choice, giving different practical advice or describing a different area of the picture.
The task contracts were checked on October 2, 2026 against the official Speaking Pro guide and official Writing Pro guide. These independently written PrepEx structures are study aids. Original worked responses have no official CELPIP rating.