An effective apology accepts responsibility, acknowledges the inconvenience and proposes a repair. A short explanation can clarify what happened, but it should not replace the apology.
Task 1: Writing an Email · Suggested response length: 150–200 words. These original PrepEx study examples are illustrative answers, not rated official CELPIP responses. Other relevant answers are possible.
Missing a project handover
Your task: You missed an agreed handover call with a colleague and did not send the updated project notes beforehand. The colleague had to prepare for a client meeting without them.
Write to: Your colleague
Write about 150–200 words.
Apologise and explain briefly.
Acknowledge the impact.
Offer to repair the problem and avoid a repeat.
Worked email
174 words · Semi-formal tone. Word counts include greetings and sign-offs and count whitespace-separated words.
Hi Jordan,
I am sorry I missed our handover call and failed to send the updated project notes before your client meeting. I moved between two appointments and overlooked the calendar reminder, but I should have checked our agreed time more carefully.
You had to prepare without the latest decisions, which put unnecessary pressure on you. I realise that the missing notes may also have made it harder to answer the client's questions confidently. I have now attached a clean summary with the changes clearly marked, rather than sending several files for you to sort through.
If you have time this afternoon, I can walk you through the outstanding points and take responsibility for drafting the follow-up message. Please tell me which questions came up so that I can address them directly.
For future handovers, I will send the notes in advance and set a separate reminder for the call. I appreciate the work you did to keep the meeting moving, and I am sorry that my mistake made it more difficult.
Best,
Ethan
Returning a borrowed camping item late
Your task: You borrowed a friend’s camping stove and promised to return it before the friend’s next trip. You forgot, and your friend had to borrow another one.
Write to: Your friend
Write about 150–200 words.
Apologise for the late return.
Recognise the inconvenience.
Arrange the return and offer a helpful gesture.
Worked email
181 words · Informal tone. Word counts include greetings and sign-offs and count whitespace-separated words.
Hi Jess,
I am really sorry I did not return your camping stove before your weekend trip. I put it in the storage cupboard after cleaning it and then forgot our arrangement. That was careless, especially because you had told me you needed it again soon.
You should not have had to search for another stove at the last minute. I know packing for a trip already takes enough effort, and my delay added an avoidable job. Thank you for letting me borrow it in the first place; I should have been more reliable about returning it.
Can I bring it to your place tomorrow evening? It is clean, and I have checked that all the parts are together. If another time is better, I can leave it with you before work instead. I would also like to bring dinner so that you do not have to cook while unpacking, if that suits you.
Next time I borrow something, I will put the return date in my calendar immediately. I am sorry again for letting you down.
See you soon,
Lena
Cancelling a promised workshop
Your task: You agreed to run a basic photography workshop for a neighbourhood group but must cancel because of a conflicting work assignment. You can offer materials and a later session.
Write to: The neighbourhood group organiser
Write about 150–200 words.
Apologise for cancelling.
Explain the change.
Offer an alternative arrangement.
Worked email
185 words · Semi-formal tone. Word counts include greetings and sign-offs and count whitespace-separated words.
Dear Marina,
I am sorry that I need to cancel the photography workshop I agreed to lead next week. My employer has assigned me to a project away from the city, and I will not be back in time. I should have contacted you as soon as the assignment was confirmed.
I understand that you have already advertised the workshop and collected registrations. Changing the programme now creates extra work for you and may disappoint residents who arranged their evening around it. I do not want to leave you with only a cancellation notice.
I can send a short illustrated guide covering the camera settings we planned to discuss. If you have another volunteer available, I would be happy to speak with them beforehand and explain the activities. Alternatively, I can lead the full workshop the following month, subject to the group's preferred date.
Please let me know which option would be most helpful, or whether you would rather cancel entirely. I will support whichever decision is easiest for the group. Thank you for your understanding, and please accept my apology.
Kind regards,
Oliver Chen
Before you finish
Acknowledge what you did.
Name the effect on the recipient.
Offer a realistic repair and prevention step.
Read the whole response for repetition, unclear references and missing links between ideas.
The four public Writing dimensions are Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Readability and Task Fulfillment. Completing every point and reaching a word target do not, by themselves, establish a CELPIP level.
Task timing, public criteria and the suggested response length were checked against the official 2026 Writing Pro study pack on October 2, 2026. The examples on this page are original PrepEx study material. They do not reproduce official questions, provide answer keys for graded previews or guarantee a score.