Writing
CELPIP email writing: an original worked example
Plan a complete email, study a practical original response, and revise vague requests without changing your purpose.
By MockMaple · Updated · 4 min read
The practical answer
Start by identifying the reader, your purpose and every requested outcome. Build the email around those jobs, then check that each has a clear supporting sentence. The original example below shows how.
Read the task as a set of outcomes
The official 2026 Overview Study Pack describes an everyday email task with 27 minutes and a requested length of 150–200 words. Check the actual prompt for everything it asks you to do. Source: CELPIP-General Overview Study Pack 2026, checked September 8, 2026.
Original practice situation: you booked a community kitchen for a neighbourhood cooking workshop, but the confirmation gives the wrong time. Write to the coordinator. Explain the booking problem, describe its effect on participants, and request a workable solution. These are three separate jobs; a polished complaint that omits the requested solution is still incomplete.
Plan the reader’s next decision
The coordinator needs enough information to locate the booking and decide what to do. Give the date, the expected time and the time on the confirmation. Then explain a relevant consequence, such as participants’ travel arrangements. Finish with a specific request and a reasonable alternative.
Avoid inventing several unrelated problems to make the email dramatic. One clear conflict gives you room to explain the effect and propose a solution. Your tone can be firm and courteous at the same time; repeated apologies or threats would distract from the practical purpose.
Original email to compare with your own draft
This is an original, unrated learning example. It is not an official sample or a prediction of a test result. Before reading the explanation, identify which sentences fulfil each instruction.
Explain a revision using evidence
A vague first draft might say, “The new time is very inconvenient. Please fix it.” The revised email explains who is affected and why: participants arranged childcare, and the activity was planned around lunch. That detail helps the coordinator understand the consequence rather than merely the writer’s frustration.
The request also becomes answerable. Instead of “fix it,” the email asks for the original slot or a specific alternative. Notice that the opening does not turn the request into a report of misconduct. Changing a phrase to sound formal is unhelpful if it changes what the writer actually wants.
Try the same method with a different problem
Now change the situation: the kitchen has the correct time but too few work tables. Draft a new email without copying the sample’s sentences. Keep the three-outcome plan, replace the evidence with details relevant to the new problem, and propose a solution the coordinator could realistically consider.
After drafting, underline the sentence that handles each instruction. Read the request alone: would the recipient know what decision you need? Then check the word count, repeated information and unclear sentence connections. These checks help you revise a response; they do not assign it a proficiency level.
Take this into your next session
- Plan by communicative outcome, not a memorized opening.
- Explain a concrete effect and an answerable request.
- Preserve your intention when editing for tone.
Sources and editorial notes
Format facts were checked against these official resources on September 8, 2026. Study routines and worked examples are original MockMaple material. Follow the test provider’s current instructions if they change.