Orientation & Diagnostic

What you'll learn: the shape of the CELPIP Writing test, and where your own writing currently stands before you start training it.

The test at a glance

CELPIP Writing has two tasks, both typed, both timed independently:

• Task 1 — Writing an Email (27 minutes, 150–200 words): the prompt describes an everyday situation — a complaint, a request, an invitation — and lists about three points your email must cover.
• Task 2 — Responding to Survey Questions (26 minutes, 150–200 words): you're given a short survey with two options, Option A and Option B, and you choose one and explain your reasons.

There is no "essay" task and no handwriting — everything is typed. The writing screen has spell-check, which flags misspelled words, but nothing checks your grammar, word choice or punctuation, so that accuracy has to come from you.

Why a diagnostic matters

Most learners have a rough sense of their English level but no sense of their writing level specifically, which is a narrower skill than reading or speaking. A diagnostic under real conditions — timed, single draft, no dictionary — tells you which of the four scored areas (content/coherence, vocabulary, readability, task fulfillment, covered in Lesson 2) is actually holding your score down, so the rest of this course can target that area instead of everything at once.

Worked example: running your own diagnostic

Set a timer for 27 minutes. Use this prompt, which follows the official shape — a situation, then three points to cover:

Prompt: The heating in your apartment stopped working three days ago. Write an email to your building manager in about 150–200 words. Your email should do the following things:

• Describe the problem.
• Explain how it is affecting you.
• Ask for a repair and say when you need it done.

Write the full email — greeting, one body paragraph per point, closing — without pausing to look anything up. When the timer ends, stop mid-sentence if you have to.

Diagnostic checklist

After writing, score yourself honestly against these four questions:

• All 3 points answered — the problem, its effect on me, and the request?
• Is the email organized into clear paragraphs with a logical order?
• Did I use varied vocabulary, or repeat the same three or four words?
• Are there grammar or punctuation errors I can spot on a second read?

Whichever question you answered "no" to most honestly is your priority area for this course.

Common mistakes

• Writing a diagnostic with a dictionary or translator open — this hides your real gaps.
• Stopping the timer early "to finish the thought" — timing pressure is part of what's being measured.
• Judging the diagnostic by whether it "sounds good" rather than against the four scored areas.

Recap

CELPIP Writing is two independent, strictly timed tasks with spell-check but no grammar help, which makes an honest, timed diagnostic the fastest way to find your actual starting point. Keep this first draft — you'll compare it against your work in the final lessons to see concrete progress.