CELPIP samples: the free sample test, sample answers and our own examples

Paragon, the company that runs CELPIP, offers a free online sample test and says two free practice tests are on its website. Its Scoring Levels page covers Speaking and Writing, with level descriptors and sample responses. This page lists what Paragon publishes, explains how each part is marked, and adds a mini sample of our own with one task from each part, including two model answers.

Start with the free material from Paragon, the company that writes the test.

The Scoring Levels page covers two parts only. It lists them like this:

That page lists levels 10, 11 and 12. For lower levels, Paragon's Speaking Pro study pack says what its webinars cover:

For Listening and Reading, the samples are the full sample test and the practice tests, with answer keys. Paragon also sells practice test sets. One of its store pages describes a bundle like this:

Prices and contents change, so check the store page itself before you buy. If you want a deeper look at one part, use our pages for reading and speaking samples. For timed practice, see the CELPIP reading practice test and CELPIP speaking practice test pages, and for habits to build, CELPIP reading tips.

Two things follow. Listening and Reading samples have a right answer, so a good sample is a question with a clear reason for the key. Writing and Speaking samples have no single right answer, so a good sample shows what a response does well and how raters describe it. Paragon names four dimensions for Speaking: “in each dimension (Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Listenability, Task Fulfillment)”. Its Scoring Levels page uses Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Readability and Task Fulfillment for Writing.

Paragon writes each level as a list of “At this level, I can” statements. Its Scoring Levels page has them for Writing at levels 10, 11 and 12. Here is the first dimension, Content/Coherence, and one of the two Readability lines for each level.

Our reading: the words that move are the size words, such as complex, short, very broad and range. When you compare a practice answer with a model, look at the range of purposes and grammar it handles, not only at how long it is.

Paragon's own pages do not agree on what to call a level. The Scoring Levels page titles its levels with “workplace and community contexts”, but its own Speaking and Writing sections do not agree on level 10: Speaking calls it Advanced and Writing calls it Highly effective. Its results page and its Guidebook for Test Takers name the levels another way, and its level descriptors PDF, a wide table that covers every level, uses the older wording too. The table shows the Writing titles. Check the page you are relying on. We show both, so check the page you are relying on.

Paragon's IRCC page gives different figures from its test format page: 47-55 minutes for Listening, 55-60 for Reading, 53-60 for Writing and 15-20 for Speaking. Our reading: the IRCC page is the weaker source, because it also carries placeholder text, but plan for the longer figures to be safe.

The Listening and Reading Tests may also carry items that do not count. Paragon says: “You will not be able to tell scored items from unscored items, so apply your best effort to the entire test.” That is why the sample below treats every item as if it counts.

These are our own. They copy nothing from any test owner, and they are shorter than the real tasks. Use them to see the shape of each part. Do not use them to guess your score.

Reading, a diagram-style item

Here is a community pool timetable. Answer the two questions, then check the key.

1. Chen wants to take his six-year-old daughter swimming on Saturday morning. Which session should he choose? (A) Lane swim. (B) Aqua fit. (C) Family swim. (D) Seniors' swim.
2. Mina finishes work at 6:00 pm on weekdays and wants a class in the evening. Which session suits her? (A) Lane swim. (B) Aqua fit. (C) Family swim. (D) Seniors' swim.

Listening, a voicemail item

Read this aloud to a friend, or record yourself and play it back after a break. Then answer without reading it again. The real test plays each recording once.

“Hello, Mr. Patel, this is Joan from the Lakeside Dental Clinic. Your appointment this Thursday at 2:15 has to move, because Dr. Lim will be at a training day. We can offer Friday at 9:30 or next Monday at 4:00. Please call us back before noon tomorrow to choose. And remember to bring your insurance card.”

1. Why does the appointment have to move? (A) The clinic is closed for repairs. (B) The dentist will be at a training day. (C) Mr. Patel asked to change it. (D) The insurance card is missing.
2. What does Mr. Patel need to do before noon tomorrow? (A) Bring his card. (B) Choose a new time by calling back. (C) Visit the clinic. (D) Wait for another message.
3. Which time was not offered? (A) Friday at 9:30. (B) Monday at 4:00. (C) Thursday at 2:15. (D) Both A and B.

Paragon's tips apply here: “Each audio file can be heard only once, so you will need to listen very carefully to the recordings.” and “Making notes of key points while you listen to the recordings will help you remember information that may be useful.”

Prompt (ours). You bought a coffee machine online. It arrived with a cracked water tank. Write an email to the company. Describe the problem and say what you would like them to do.

What this answer does well

1. The first sentence says why Sam is writing and what the problem is. A reader knows the purpose straight away.
2. It gives the details a company needs: what was bought, when, the order number and what is wrong.
3. The tone is polite but firm. It says “disappointed” once and does not blame anyone.
4. It offers proof, with photos, and it adds a useful fact about the packaging.
5. It makes a clear request, then a fallback request, so the company knows what would solve the problem.
6. It has a greeting, short paragraphs with one job each, and a sign-off.

Paragon's writing tips include two lines that fit this answer: “Follow all instructions and fully develop all parts of the task, supporting your main ideas with relevant details.” and “Ensure that you use the appropriate transitions and that you use greetings and sign-offs if they are required.” For the structure of the Writing Test and its timing, see the format row above. The time advice for Writing in the same tips is to plan first and to leave time at the end:

Prompt (ours). Talk about a time when you were late for something important. What happened, and what did you do?

What this answer does well

1. It sets the scene in the first sentence, with a time and a place: a few years ago, a rainy Monday, the station.
2. It tells the events in the past tense and in order: the problem, the reaction, the fix and the result. It uses the present tense only at the start and the end, to say how the speaker feels now and what changed.
3. It gives small, real details, such as the rain, the signal problem and the taxi. A listener can picture it.
4. It says how the speaker felt, “I panicked”, and it ends with what they learned.
5. The sentences are short and clear, with natural joins such as “but”, “then” and “at first”.

Try it with your own story. Pick a real time you were late, nervous or surprised, and tell it in about a minute, with a beginning, a middle and an end. Our CELPIP speaking tips list Paragon's strategies for every task.

Common questions