An important element of your application to come to Canada
is proven English (or French) language skills to demonstrate your ability to
communicate comfortably with others in the country. Immigration, Refugees and
Citizenship Canada only accepts CELPIP as an English language proficiency test.
To improve your chances of coming to Canada, you want to
obtain a high comprehensive ranking system score (CRS). The CRS takes into
consideration occupation, family status, age, language skills, amongst other
things. If you do well on the language exam, your overall points will be higher,
and therefore, your chances of being invited to apply for a permanent residency
will increase as well.
The CELPIP measures your reading, writing, speaking and listening
skills. Writing can be a challenging part of the exam when English isn’t your
first language. We’ve assembled a few tips to help make the writing portion of
the CELPIP test easier.
Format of the Writing
Portion of the CELPIP Test
The writing section of the test is 53 to 60 minutes long and
includes writing an email as well as responding to questions. These questions
may consist of information from the listening and reading components. Therefore,
you will want to remember some of the information you heard or read earlier in
the exam to complete the written portion, but brand new information may be
included in this part of the exam as well.
You will be asked to complete two tasks: writing an email
and a written response to a question. This CELPIP
sample test shows you what to expect. Each of the two sections in
this CELPIP sample test is a little less than 30 minutes long. In the first
section, you will write a short email in response to an unfortunate experience at
a restaurant. In the second task, you will respond to a survey and choose one
of the two options presented to you. You will need to explain your reasons for
your choice.
The writing portion of the exam you take won’t be identical
to this CELPIP sample test, but it will be similar in that the written sections
will be about as long and will require you to think about situations in a
similar way, gather your thoughts and write short communications. There are
other CELPIP study materials available online that allow you to see CELPIP
writing samples, practice, and understand what to expect from your exam.
Tips for Practicing
and Doing Better on the Writing Portion of the CELPIP Test
There are many ways to improve your English writing skills and
score higher on the writing portion of your CELPIP test.
Some of them are as
follows:
- Find news or popular culture information in English and
read or listen to them. Spend several minutes writing about what you learned. Try
to capture the main points of the information and any supporting points. When
you are done, compare what you wrote to the passage you read or listened to for
accuracy.
- Begin an English correspondence with a friend and have
them ask questions about things you both know about. Continue to write in
English while clarifying information and responding.
- Keep reading and writing. Reading properly-written
English will improve your writing skills as it will illustrate correct word
usage, sentence structure, grammar, and so on. Practicing writing will give you
confidence in your writing skills, especially as your CELPIP test day
approaches.
Enroll in a CELPIP
Prep program
If you’re not feeling confident about your English writing
skills as you get closer to your CELPIP exam, you might want to consider taking
a CELPIP
preparation program.
Many
education institutions offer courses to help you prepare for your CELPIP test.
Look up CELPIP Vancouver for preparation courses. The benefit of taking these
courses is that they are specifically designed to help you do better with your
English language skills. You can choose the module you want to focus on:
writing, listening, reading, or speaking. Alternatively, you can register for
all four modules.
Additionally,
exam preparation courses include CELPIP sample tests, CELPIP study materials to
work with in-class as well as on your own to practice with. You’ll be able to ask
your instructor for help with the work you do in class and to turn to when you
need help with something you might be working on at home.
Even if
you don’t take a preparation course, make sure you practise with as many sample
CELPIP tests as possible. Find sample tests at the site along with other study
materials and guides to help you.
Taking a
timed sample test on a computer (which is how you’ll take your CELPIP exam)
will also help you determine your preparation levels. It will help you decide
your next steps: whether to keep practicing on your own, or to join a CELPIP
prep program, or register for the test.
Know that
you may find the CELPIP test challenging, but also know that you have the
option of giving the test again if you aren’t pleased with your scores. Good
luck.
