Count your CELPIP Writing response
Write or paste one email or survey response below. Use the count to guide your revision, then check whether your answer covers the prompt and explains your ideas clearly.
words
Target: about 150–200 wordsStart writing to see your word count.
This practice counter treats contractions and hyphenated words as one word and ignores standalone punctuation. It may differ from the official test counter. Include your greeting and sign-off in the text you check.
This tool counts in your browser and does not submit or save your response. Copy work you want to keep before leaving or refreshing.
How many words should you write?
Use about 150–200 words for each task as your working target. Task 1 is an email; Task 2 is a response to a survey. The official CELPIP-General Overview study pack gives this range and describes the test's automatic word count.
The Writing Pro study pack lists word count under Task Fulfillment, alongside relevance, completeness and tone. Its timing guidance gives 27 minutes for the email and 26 minutes for the survey response. Leave part of that time to plan and check what you wrote.
Does 201 words automatically lose a point?
The public guidance cited here does not give a fixed “one word over, one point lost” formula. Do not treat this counter as a score calculator. A response can be within the target yet vague or incomplete; a slightly longer response still needs to be judged for what it communicates. Practise staying near the requested range while answering the actual question.
Should I aim for exactly 200?
You do not need to stop at an exact number. Once your response is developed and within the target, spend the remaining time checking purpose, sequence, tone and sentence control. Adding a generic sentence only to raise the count can weaken an otherwise focused answer.
Above the target? Trim repetition first.
Suppose an email asks the organizer of a weekend workshop to move your registration to the afternoon session. You can shorten a request while preserving its reason and the action you need.
Wordy request
I am writing this email to you today because I would like to ask if it would be possible for you to move my registration from the morning workshop to the afternoon workshop. The reason I am asking for this change is that my work shift now finishes at noon.
More direct request
Could you move my registration to the afternoon workshop? My work shift now finishes at noon, so I cannot attend the morning session.
The revision keeps the requested change and the scheduling reason. It removes an announcement that an email is being written and combines repeated references to the workshop. It does not remove the explanation just to make the passage shorter.
Use the same check elsewhere: if two sentences make the same point, combine them. Replace an indirect phrase when a clear verb will do. Keep details that the recipient needs to act, such as the session, date or requested reply. Do not sacrifice a required point from the prompt to meet a number.
Below the target? Add support, not filler.
In a survey about a workplace training schedule, a bare preference gives the reader little reason to agree. Develop the consequence of your choice and make the comparison relevant.
A thin reason
I prefer two shorter training sessions because they would be more convenient for our team.
A developed reason
I prefer two shorter training sessions because our team needs to keep the service desk open. Half the staff could attend each session while the others answer customers' questions. A single full-day session would require us to close the desk or leave some colleagues without the training.
The second passage explains what “convenient” means in this situation. It connects the schedule to a practical need and compares the alternative. These are original teaching excerpts, not complete task responses or assigned CELPIP levels.
Before adding words, ask what the reader still needs to understand. For an email, that might be the impact of a problem or a feasible next step. For a survey, it might be a specific example, a consequence, or why a competing option fits the situation less well. Keep invented practice details consistent with the prompt.
A final check beyond the number
- Read the prompt again. Check each requested action, the intended reader and any facts you must preserve.
- Read your opening. Can the reader identify your purpose or survey choice immediately?
- Follow the reasons. Does each main point have enough support to make sense? Remove a repeated point before removing a useful example.
- Check the count. If needed, revise a complete idea rather than deleting isolated words until the display changes.
- Proofread the final version. Check verb forms, sentence boundaries, references and the tone of requests or disagreement.
Try the counter with one of the 40 original Writing prompts. Compare your approach with the email and survey samples, or study the worked Writing revisions before attempting a fresh task. Save your own response separately if you want to compare it with a later draft.
Common questions
What is the CELPIP Writing word count?
The official email and survey tasks ask for about 150–200 words. Use that guidance while covering the prompt and supporting your ideas.
Will 201 words automatically lower my score?
Do not assume an automatic one-word penalty. Word count is considered within Task Fulfillment, alongside relevance, completeness and tone. Follow the stated guidance and edit for purpose.
Is this the official CELPIP word counter?
No. It is a PrepEx practice counter. Its treatment of punctuation and compound words may differ from the test interface; allow a little room near the boundaries.
Is my writing uploaded or saved?
The counter processes the text in this page in your browser. It does not send your response for assessment or save it to your PrepEx account.
Sources and last check
Official sources checked November 12, 2026. These original PrepEx exercises and teaching examples are independent preparation materials. Official sources govern test format and scoring.