Sample report. A practice email written for this page, graded by the same scorer you get (estimated Level 7). The Level 9 rewrite at the end comes with a pass.

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Task 1: Writing an Email

Ask your landlord to repair the heating

Nov 10, 2026155 words⏱ 24 min 10 s of 27 min

Your estimated level

CELPIP Writing
7
CLB 7
Adequate

Your email is polite, on topic and has good specific details about your family, but frequent grammar errors and basic vocabulary keep it at a developing level. The most important fix is to request a specific date for the repair instead of 'as soon as possible'.

Scale M to 12. An estimate for this one response, not an official score. In our test on 36 officially scored responses, our level was within one level of the official one 88% of the time.

Did you do what the task asked?

Every bullet point needs its own clear answer

  • Covered
    Describe the problem with the heating.
    Clear description with the 10 days, the 15°C and the two calls, though grammar errors make it less precise.
    “in the night the temperature is going down until 15°C and it is really cold for sleep”
  • Covered
    Explain how it is affecting you and your family.
    Good concrete effects on the kids and parents; add a little more detail.
    “my youngest son is sick, he is coughing all the night”
  • Partly
    Request that the repair be done by a specific date.
    You ask for repair but give no specific date; write something like 'by Friday, January 17'.
    “Please send somebody for repair the heating as soon as possible.”

Tone and length

Expected
polite, formal
Yours
polite but plainfits
Words
155 (target 150-200)

Greeting and closing are polite and suitable for a landlord. Make the request firmer and more formal, for example 'I would appreciate it if the repair could be completed by [date].'

Dimension by dimension

Your weakest dimension in this response: Vocabulary

Content/Coherence

Level 7

How well are the ideas organized and developed?

The email has a clear purpose and concrete effects like the cold nights and the sick son. Ideas are thin overall, the last sentence of the second paragraph repeats, and the request has no detail or consequence.

“my youngest son is sick, he is coughing all the night”

To reach Level 8
  • Add specific details about the problem, such as the dates of your two phone calls.
  • Replace the repeated sentence 'Everybody in my family is tired and cold' with a new idea.
  • Develop the request with a deadline and what you will do if it is not met.

Vocabulary

Level 6

What is the range of your vocabulary, and do you use it naturally?

Mostly basic words with repetition of 'tired' and 'cold'. Several phrases are unnatural or inaccurate, like 'cold for sleep'.

“it is really cold for sleep”

To reach Level 7
  • Use more precise words such as 'inadequate', 'unacceptable', 'exhausted' and 'repaired'.
  • Learn fixed phrases for formal requests, such as 'I would appreciate it if...'.
  • Avoid repeating 'tired'; use synonyms.

Readability

Level 6

How easy is it to read and understand the response?

Paragraphing and greeting are clear, but errors appear in nearly every sentence: tense, word forms, prepositions, missing articles and a comma splice. The meaning is usually understandable, but the reader must work at times.

“Since ten days the heating is not working good.”

To reach Level 7
  • Practise present perfect for ongoing problems: 'has not been working'.
  • Fix 'for + verb' structures: 'to check', 'to repair'.
  • Add connectors like 'However' and 'As a result' and avoid comma splices.

Task Fulfillment

Level 7

How well did you follow the instructions, with the right tone?

The email addresses the right reader and covers the first two points well. It does not give a specific date for the repair. The tone is polite, and the length of 155 words is fine.

“Please send somebody for repair the heating as soon as possible.”

To reach Level 8
  • State an exact date for the repair.
  • Use a firmer, more formal request such as 'I would appreciate it if...'.
  • Add a short closing line saying you expect a reply.

Comments on your sentences

10 comments. Click a highlight to see its comment.

Dear Mr. Fraser,

I am writing you about the heating problem in my apartment. Since ten days the heating is not working good. In daytime is not so bad, but in the night the temperature is going down until 15°C and it is really cold for sleep. I called you two times already, but nobody came for check and I did not receive any answer.

This situation is very difficult for my family. My kids are sleeping with the jackets and my youngest son is sick, he is coughing all the night. Also my wife and me are not sleeping good, so we are tired in our job. Everybody in my family is tired and cold.

I know you are busy person, but we can not wait more time. Please send somebody for repair the heating as soon as possible. If you can not, please call me.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,

Daniel Kim

Keep doing this

  • Clear purpose statement at the start.
  • Concrete details about the cold, the kids' jackets and the sick son.
  • Polite, suitable greeting and closing with clear paragraphs.

Your response at Level 9

Same ideas and details as yours, written the way a Level 9-10 response reads

new wordsremoved194 words
Dear Mr. Fraser, I am writing removed: you about the heating removed: problem in my apartmentremoved: . Sinceadded: , which has not been working properly for ten daysadded: . During the removed: heatingadded: day it is removed: not working good. In daytime is not so badadded: tolerable, but removed: in theadded: at night the temperature removed: is going down untiladded: drops to about 15°Cremoved: and itadded: , which is removed: reallyadded: far too cold for removed: sleepadded: sleeping. I removed: calledadded: have phoned you removed: two times alreadyadded: twice, but nobody removed: came for checkadded: has come to inspect the system, and I removed: didadded: have not removed: receive any answeradded: received a reply. This situation is removed: very difficult foradded: seriously affecting my family. My removed: kids are sleeping with theadded: children have to sleep in their jacketsadded: , and my youngest son removed: is sick, he is coughing alladded: has developed a cough that keeps him awake most of the night. removed: Also myadded: My wife and removed: meadded: I are removed: notadded: also sleeping removed: goodadded: poorly, so we are removed: tiredadded: exhausted at work during the day. Given how cold Saskatoon is in added: January, we are increasingly worried about our removed: jobadded: health.removed: Everybody in my family is tired and cold. I removed: knowadded: understand that you removed: are busy personadded: have many properties to manage, but we removed: can not wait more timeadded: cannot go on like this much longer. removed: Please send somebodyadded: I would therefore be grateful if you could arrange for added: a qualified technician to repair the heating removed: as soon as possibleadded: by Friday, January [date]. If removed: you canadded: that is not added: possible, please call me added: at [phone number] so that we can discuss other options. Thank you for your removed: understandingadded: prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely, Daniel Kim

What changed, and why it scores higher

  1. "has not been working properly for ten days" and "I have phoned you twice" Correct tenses and word forms make the description of the problem clear and accurate, removing errors that distract raters.
  2. "my youngest son has developed a cough that keeps him awake most of the night" Specific, well-formed details show the effect on the family, fully covering the second task point.
  3. "arrange for a qualified technician to repair the heating by Friday, January [date]" The request now names a specific deadline and action, which the original lacked, and uses polite, precise phrasing.
  4. "I understand that you have many properties to manage, but..." and "I would therefore be grateful if..." Complex sentences and connectors such as 'but' and 'therefore' show a range of structures and a courteous, formal tone.
  5. "please call me at [phone number] so that we can discuss other options" A concrete fallback and purpose clause replace the vague 'please call me', making the ending purposeful and well organized.

Study it, then write the task again in your own words. Copying a model answer word for word on test day doesn't help: raters look for language that fits the task.

The task you answered

It is January, and the heating in your apartment in Saskatoon has not been working properly for ten days. At night the temperature inside drops to about 15°C. You have phoned your landlord twice, but nobody has come to fix it. Write an email to your landlord, Mr. Fraser in about 150–200 words. Your email should do the following things: - Describe the problem with the heating. - Explain how it is affecting you and your family. - Request that the repair be done by a specific date.