CELPIP Writing Task 1 · formal email

Email to an online store about a laptop with the wrong keyboard

You ordered a refurbished laptop from an online electronics store to use for your new job. When it arrived, you found that the keyboard layout was not the one you had selected, and one of the USB ports does not work. You start your new job in ten days. Write an email to the store's customer service department.

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

Explain what you ordered and what problems you found
Describe why you need the issue solved quickly
Ask the store to take specific action

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

Put your order number, the laptop model, and the delivery date in the first paragraph so the agent can find your order immediately.
Describe each problem separately and precisely, for example which port fails and how you tested it.
Mention your deadline and ask for a clear outcome, such as an express replacement or a full refund with a prepaid return label.

Sample responses

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

Sample at about CLB 7173 words

Dear Customer Service,

Two weeks ago I order a refurbished laptop from your website. When I open the box I saw the keyboard is not the one I choose. I choose English keyboard but it is French keyboard. Also one of the USB port is not working, I tried with my mouse and nothing happen.

I need this laptop very quick because I start my new job in ten days. In my new job I must use computer every day and I can not type fast with this keyboard. I have no other computer at home so this is a big problem for me.

Please send me a new laptop with the correct keyboard as soon as possible. If you can not do it before ten days, I want my money back. Also please tell me how to send this laptop back to you, I do not want to pay for the shipping because it is your mistake.

My order number is 58213. I hope you will answer me quickly.

Regards, Alex Morgan

Why about CLB 7: The problems, the deadline and the request are all there, but the tone is a little demanding and the order details come only at the end. Mixed tenses ("When I open the box I saw"), missing articles ("English keyboard", "use computer") and "one of the USB port" reduce accuracy.

Sample at about CLB 9161 words

Dear Customer Service,

I am writing to you regarding a refurbished laptop that I recently ordered from your website. When I placed the order, I selected the English keyboard layout, but when the laptop arrived I noticed that it has a French keyboard instead. On top of that, one of the USB ports does not work. I tried plugging in my mouse and my phone charger, but nothing happens when I use that port.

I bought this laptop because I am starting a new job in ten days and I will need it for work. I will be typing a lot every day, so it is very important for me to have the correct keyboard. I also need both USB ports for my equipment.

Because of the short time before I start my job, I would really appreciate if you could solve this problem quickly. Please let me know what I should do next.

Thank you for your help, Alex Morgan

Why about CLB 9: The problems and the deadline are explained clearly in natural language. The response never asks for a specific action (replacement, refund or return label) and gives no order number; small slips include "I would really appreciate if" and the tense shift in "nothing happens".

Sample at about CLB 11191 words

Dear Customer Service Team,

I need your help resolving two faults with the refurbished laptop delivered yesterday. Order EL-28461, placed last Monday, specifies an English Canadian keyboard; the machine supplied has a French layout. In addition, one USB port does not detect my mouse, although the same mouse works immediately in the other port.

My new job begins in ten days, and I bought this computer to write reports and attend online meetings. Learning an unfamiliar keyboard would slow me down, while the defective port limits the equipment I can connect. I therefore need a reliable machine before my first day rather than an open-ended repair.

Please arrange a replacement with the correct keyboard and fully tested ports, and supply a prepaid label for returning this unit. If delivery within ten days is impossible, please issue a full refund so I can buy a laptop locally without further delay.

I have attached photographs of the keyboard alongside my order confirmation. Could you reply within two business days with the proposed solution and, if applicable, a confirmed delivery date? That would help me make alternative arrangements on time.

Kind regards, Alex Morgan

Why about CLB 11: The diagnostic detail, deadline and fallback purchase plan make the request specific and persuasive. "In time" would be more precise than "on time" for arranging an alternative before the deadline.

More Task 1 prompts

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