CELPIP Writing Task 1 · semi-formal email

Email to a volunteer coordinator suggesting a new idea

You have volunteered at a local food bank every Saturday for six months. You have noticed that many clients with young children find it hard to wait in the long line, and you have an idea that could make their visits easier. Write an email to the food bank's volunteer coordinator.

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

Describe what you have noticed at the food bank
Explain your idea and how it would work
Offer to help put your idea into practice

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

Base your observation on facts you have seen, such as times and waiting periods, so it does not sound like criticism of the staff.
Explain the practical side of your idea, including space, cost, and who would supervise, to show that it is realistic.
Finish with a concrete offer, such as running a one-month trial, instead of a general 'let me know what you think'.

Sample responses

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

Sample at about CLB 7182 words

Dear Maya,

I am Alex, I am volunteer here every Saturday since six months. I really like to help in the food bank and I learn many things.

I see that many people come with small kids. The line is very long, sometimes they wait one hour or more. The kids get bored and they cry or run everywhere. Their parents look very tired and some of them leave the line because they cannot control the kids.

I have an idea for this problem. We can make a small corner for the children near the line. There we can put some toys, books and paper for drawing. So the kids can play there and parents can wait in the line more relax. Maybe one volunteer can stay with the kids and watch them.

I can help with this idea. I can bring some toys from my home and I can ask my friends to give old books too. If you want, I can be the volunteer in the kids corner on Saturday.

Please tell me what do you think.

Best regards, Alex

Why about CLB 7: The observation, the idea and the offer to help are all included, but the idea is not explained in much detail (space, safety, a trial). Errors include "I am volunteer here ... since six months", "more relax", "kids corner" and "what do you think" in an indirect question.

Sample at about CLB 9176 words

Dear Maya,

As you know, I have been volunteering at the food bank every Saturday for the last six months. I really enjoy helping out, and I have noticed something that I would like to share with you.

Many of the clients who come to the food bank have young children with them. The line is usually very long, and the kids get bored very quickly. They start running around or crying, and their parents have to try to keep them calm while also waiting in the line. I can see that it is very stressful for them.

My idea is to set up a small play area for the children near the line. We could put some toys, books and colouring pages there, so the kids have something to do while they wait. This way the parents could relax a little bit and the waiting time would feel shorter for everyone.

I would be happy to help if you think this is a good idea. Please let me know what you think.

Best regards, Alex

Why about CLB 9: The observation and the idea are explained clearly and naturally. The offer of help is only one general sentence, the response does not say who would watch the children, and "line" is repeated; there is a missing comma after "This way".

Sample at about CLB 11182 words

Dear Maya,

After six months of volunteering on Saturdays, I would like to suggest a small activity corner for children waiting with their parents. The long queue can be particularly hard on young families: restless children wander away, and parents must leave their place to retreive them while still keeping track of their groceries.

A low table beside the waiting area, stocked with colouring sheets and washable toys, could make the wait more manageable. It should remain within parents' sight, with clear signs explaining that they retain responsibility for their children. Keeping it beside the queue would also let families take part without losing their place.

With your approval, I can gather donated supplies, set up before opening and clean and store everything afterwards. We would first check that the table leaves doorways unobstructed, then ask a second volunteer to help keep the materials tidy.

Could we run a two-Saturday trial next month? I could record how many families use it and ask parents for brief feedback. That would give us a practical basis for deciding whether to continue.

Best regards, Alex

Why about CLB 11: The proposal addresses supervision, access, cleaning and a trial with feedback, giving the coordinator a clear decision to make. The spelling slip "retreive" should be "retrieve".

More Task 1 prompts

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