CELPIP Writing Task 2: Responding to Survey Questions, with sample answers
Task 2 describes a survey with two options. You choose one and explain your choice in detail. You have 26 minutes and should write about 150 to 200 words.
The task at a glance
Time
26 minutes
Length
About 150–200 words
Options
Choose 1 of 2
A structure that works
State your choice clearly in the first sentence.
Give two or three reasons, each in its own paragraph, with an example or a consequence.
Briefly say why the other option is weaker, without changing sides.
End by restating your choice in a sentence.
Sample questions with answers
Original practice tasks in the test's format, each with a model answer.
Task
Your local school board is thinking about changing the school day for next year and has asked parents and other residents for their opinion. It is considering two possible changes. Choose the option you prefer and explain the reasons for your choice in detail.
Options:
Start classes one hour later, at 9:30 a.m., and finish at 4:30 p.m.
Keep the current hours, but add a free after-school program until 6 p.m.
Model answer, written by MapleMock to show a complete response · 192 words
I would choose the second option: keeping the current school hours and adding a free after-school program until six.
The main reason is that most families already plan their lives around the current schedule. Parents leave for work at eight or earlier, and many could not wait at home until nine thirty for their children to leave. A later start would simply move the problem to the morning, and younger children might be left alone or with expensive babysitters.
An after-school program, on the other hand, would solve a problem many parents already have. School ends at half past three, but most jobs end at five. Today, families pay for private daycare, rely on grandparents or leave children at home. A free program would save them money and keep children safe.
It could also benefit the children themselves. A program could offer homework help, sports and music, which many families cannot afford outside school.
I understand that teenagers may learn better if they sleep longer. However, this change would affect every family, while the after-school program helps parents without disrupting anyone's routine. For these reasons, I believe it is the better choice.
Task
Your town plans to improve the large park near the town centre next summer. It has enough money for only one of two projects, and it wants residents to vote in an online survey. Choose the option you prefer and explain the reasons for your choice in detail.
Options:
Build an outdoor swimming pool that is free for residents in July and August.
Build a covered skating rink that can also be used for events all year.
Model answer, written by MapleMock to show a complete response · 196 words
In my opinion, the town should build the covered skating rink, because it would be used all year instead of only two months.
A free outdoor pool sounds attractive, but our summers are short. The pool would be open for about eight weeks, and on rainy or cool days very few people would use it. For the rest of the year, a large part of the park would be fenced off and empty, while the town still paid to maintain it.
A covered rink, by contrast, would serve residents in every season. In winter, families could skate even when the weather is too warm for the outdoor rink or the snow is too heavy. Local hockey teams, which now drive to the next town for ice time, could practise here. In spring and summer, the same roof could host farmers' markets, concerts and festivals, so it would bring people to the town centre and help local businesses.
Some people may say children need a place to swim. That is true, but the town already has a public beach at the lake. A rink adds something new that everyone can use, which makes it the better investment.
Common mistakes
Choosing both options, or neither, instead of one.
Listing reasons without explaining or supporting any of them.
Drifting into a general essay that loses the survey's two options.
Writing well under the asked length, or far over it with repetition.
One block of text with no paragraphs, which hides your organisation.
Practise it on the clock
In the test, the timer and the word counter run while you write. Practise the same way, then compare your answer with the model.