CELPIP Writing Task 1 · formal email

Email to an online store about a late, damaged sofa

You ordered a new sofa from an online furniture store. It arrived two weeks later than promised, and when the delivery workers unwrapped it, you saw a large tear in the fabric and a broken leg. Write an email to the store's customer service department.

Write an email of about 150–200 words in which you do the following:

Your response

27:00
0 words · target 150–200

Spell check is off so you practise without it. Your draft is saved in this browser only.

Instant feedback

An AI rater scores your response against the four CELPIP writing categories, using this prompt’s sample answers as reference points. Free, a few times a day.

Your text is sent to Google’s Gemini API for rating. On our paid plan Google does not use it to improve its models, and we do not store it. Privacy policy

Write at least 50 words first.

Tips for this prompt

Sample responses

Try the task first, then compare. Levels are our estimates, not official CELPIP scores.

Sample at about CLB 7172 words

Dear Customer Service,

I am writing about the sofa I ordered from your website on September 3. Your website said the delivery will be in one week, but the sofa arrived on October 1, it was two weeks late. I took a day off from work for wait the delivery, so this was very inconvenience for me.

When the delivery men opened the box, I saw that the sofa was damaged. There is a big tear on the left side, around 10 centimetres. Also one of the leg is broken, so the sofa is not stable when someone sits on it. The delivery men said me that I have to contact with the store.

I am very disappointed because I paid a lot of money for this sofa and I waited long time. I want that you send me a new sofa as soon as possible and take back the damaged one. If you cannot do this, please give me full refund.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely, Daniel Kim

Why about CLB 7: All three points are covered, but the damage and the request are described in simple, general terms. Errors such as "for wait", "very inconvenience", "one of the leg", "said me", "contact with" and "I want that you send" are frequent, though the meaning stays clear.

Sample at about CLB 9177 words

Dear Customer Service,

My name is Daniel Kim and I am writing about a sofa that I ordered from your online store at the beginning of September. When I placed the order, the website said it would arrive within seven to ten days. However, it was delivered on October 1, which was more than two weeks later than promised. I had to take time off work twice because the delivery date was changed.

Unfortunately the sofa was also damaged when it arrived. When the delivery team removed the plastic wrapping, I noticed a long tear in the grey fabric on one of the armrests. One of the wooden legs was also broken, so the sofa moves when you sit on it. The delivery team told me to contact you directly.

I would like you to replace the sofa with a new one, or give me a refund. I hope you can solve this problem quickly, as I do not have sofa to use in my living room right now.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely, Daniel Kim

Why about CLB 9: Clear, polite and well organized. The request is general, with no deadline and nothing about collecting the damaged sofa; there is a missing comma after "Unfortunately" and a missing article in "do not have sofa".

Sample at about CLB 11172 words

Dear Customer Service Team,

I am writing about order #48213, a three-seat linen sofa I purchased from your website on September 3. The confirmation promised delivery within ten business days, yet the sofa only arrived on October 1, after two rescheduled appointments that each cost me half a day of unpaid leave.

Regrettably, the delay was not the only problem. As your crew unwrapped the sofa, we discovered a fifteen-centimetre tear along the seam of the right armrest, and the rear left leg had snapped off entirely, leaving the frame tilted. I photographed the damage before the crew left, and the photos are attached.

Given the circumstances, I would ask that you deliver a replacement within the next two weeks and collect the damaged sofa in the same time. If a replacement is not available, I would expect a full refund, including the $89 delivery fee. I would also appreciate some acknowledgement of the unpaid time I lost because of the delays.

I look forward to your prompt reply.

Sincerely, Daniel Kim

Why about CLB 11: Precise details, photo evidence and a request with a deadline make this complaint hard to ignore. "In the same time" should be "at the same time".

More Task 1 prompts

All Task 1 prompts · See what your CLB level is worth in CRS points