Three slots before a single sentence
Give each point its own paragraph slot, and one hard fact to carry it: a number, a date, a name. That's the whole plan, and it fixes the shape of everything you type after it.
CELPIP GymWriting courseLesson 1 · Writing Task 1, writing an email
One point, one paragraph, one detail
The prompt gives you three things the email must do. Give each its own paragraph and one fact only you could know, set the tone in the first line, and the email answers the task before you polish a word.
5 minutes to read
To: the property managerTask 1
1
BXR 418, should be BXR 481
2
$45 ticket on Oct 28
3
new permit by Friday
Words178
1
Plan three slots, then fill them
Before you write a sentence, turn the three points into three paragraph slots and give each one a fact. Then write, close and check, each in its own part of the clock. Scroll through one email from the first minute to the last.
Why it scores. Raters look for all three points first. Three paragraphs with a fact in each make every point easy to find, and the plan stops the clock from squeezing the last one.
Task FulfillmentContent/Coherence
The first line sets the tone
A manager gets a polite, firm greeting and a first sentence that says why you're writing. No "I hope this email finds you well", and no story yet.
One paragraph per point
Write each slot into three or four sentences with its fact inside. The facts make the email believable, and they're details a rater can point to.
End on the ask
Close with what you want and by when, then a short thank-you. Don't sum the email up: the reader has just read it.
Five minutes to check
Tick the three points against the prompt, make sure the count sits between 150 and 200, then read once for small slips: plurals, verb endings, missing little words.
The 27 minutes0:00 to 3:00
PlanWriteCheck
Your building's property manager gave you a parking permit with a mistake on it, and you got a parking ticket. Write an email to the manager.
- Explain the mistake
- Describe the problem it caused
- Say what you want done
Dear Ms. Okafor,
I'm writing about a mistake on the parking permit for unit 304, which has already cost me a ticket.
1Permit says BXR 418, my plate is BXR 481
The permit you issued on October 2 lists my licence plate as BXR 418, but my car's plate is BXR 481. The last two digits were switched, and I only noticed when I compared it with my registration papers last week.
2$45 ticket, Oct 28 · tow warning · parking on the street
Because of this, I received a $45 ticket on October 28, and the enforcement officer warned me that my car could be towed next time. Since then, I have been parking on the street every night, which means carrying my daughter's car seat back and forth twice a day.
3New permit by Friday · building covers the ticket
Could you please issue a corrected permit by Friday? I would also appreciate it if the building could cover the ticket, since the error was not mine. If the permit can't be ready by then, a temporary pass would be a great help. I am happy to drop off a copy of my registration.
Thank you for your help with this.
Kind regards,
Daniel Reyes
Words0 · the task asks for 150 to 200
2
Set the tone dial before you type
Who you're writing to decides the greeting, the first line, how you ask and how you sign off. Set the dial once, before you type, and keep every line on it. Turn it and watch the same email change voice.
Why it scores. Tone is part of task fulfillment. A chatty email to a manager, or a stiff one to a friend, loses marks even when all three points are covered.
Task FulfillmentVocabulary
- Greeting
- Dear Ms. Okafor,
- First line
- I'm writing about a mistake on the parking permit for unit 304.
- Asking
- Could you please issue a corrected permit by Friday?
- Signing off
- Kind regards, Daniel Reyes
3
Upgrade the plain lines
Get the plain version down if you need to, then spend a minute on each paragraph making it exact: a number instead of "a problem", a precise verb instead of "got", a deadline after every request.
Why it scores. Raters score what they can see on the page. One exact detail shows content and vocabulary at the same time.
Content/CoherenceVocabulary
There is a problem with my permit.
The permit lists my plate as BXR 418 instead of BXR 481.
A fact, not a feelingI got a ticket and it was very bad.
I received a $45 ticket and a warning that my car could be towed.
Exact verbsPlease fix it soon.
Could you issue a corrected permit by Friday?
A deadline
4
Lines to borrow
Have one line ready for each job an email does, so the start and the end take seconds and your minutes go on the facts. Select a line to copy it.
Opening
Explaining
Asking
Closing
The usual trap: a thin third point
Two full paragraphs, then one line for the last point because the clock is running. Raters check all three, and a line that only mentions a point doesn't cover it. The plan's time split keeps the third paragraph as long as the others.
The clock, spent well
27 minutes3 minutesThree slots and three facts. No sentences yet.
16 minutesThe greeting, then a paragraph for each point.
3 minutesThe ask, the deadline and the sign-off.
5 minutesThree points ticked, the count, one read for slips.
Quick hacks for Task 1
Smaller than a move, and just as easy to forget on the day.
- ScreenKeep the points in the prompt's order
The three things to do come as a list. Cover them in that order, so that someone ticking them off never has to hunt.
- WordsUse the prompt's own nouns
If the prompt says parking permit, write parking permit, not car pass. The point is then plainly covered at a glance.
- WordsSign it with a name
A first and last name under the closing, made up if you like. An email that stops at "Regards" reads as unfinished.
- If it slipsBlank on a detail? Invent it
Nobody checks whether the plate number is real. A made-up number, date or name scores exactly as a true one does.
Take this into the test
- 1Three slots and three facts before you type.
- 2Set the tone in the greeting, and keep it to the sign-off.
- 3Last five minutes: three points ticked, 150 to 200 words, one read for slips.