- Task 2, Responding to Survey Questions, gives you 26 minutes to choose one of two options and explain why, in 150 to 200 words.
- Below are three survey questions, each with a level 9 and a level 12 answer and the marks our AI marker gave them on the four rating areas.
- The level 12 answers are not longer. They are more precise: exact words, varied sentences, no slips, and every reason tied to a concrete example.
CELPIP Writing Task 2 gives you a short survey with two options. You choose one and explain your choice in 150 to 200 words, in 26 minutes. This post shows three survey questions with sample answers at level 9 and level 12, the marks for each, and what separates the two levels.
The survey questions were written by CelpMock's question generator in the style of the real test. They are not official questions. Each answer was written to a target level, then marked by our AI marker on the same four rating areas the real test uses.
What Task 2 asks you to do
Task 2, Responding to Survey Questions, is the second of the two Writing tasks. As of October 2026, the CELPIP test format page gives the whole Writing section 53 minutes. Task 2 has its own timer of 26 minutes.
The screen shows a short situation: a group, an office or a business wants opinions about a choice. Under it are two options, each with a name and a short description. You pick one, and you explain why. There is no right option. Your level comes from how well you explain and support the one you choose.
The answer is typed, like Task 1, with a word counter under the task. Aim for 150 to 200 words.
How Task 2 is marked
Raters use the same four rating areas as for the email in Task 1:
- Content and coherence: clear reasons, each supported by a detail or an example, in a logical order.
- Vocabulary: precise words and some range, without repeating the words of the question.
- Readability: paragraphs, linking words, grammar, spelling and punctuation.
- Task fulfilment: a clear choice, reasons that fit the situation, a suitable tone and the right length.
Our Task 1 guide explains each area in more detail. In Task 2, the most common way to lose task fulfilment is to sit on the fence. Say which option you choose in the first sentence and keep to it.
A 26-minute plan
- Minutes 0 to 2: read the situation and both options. Ask who runs the survey and what they care about.
- Minutes 2 to 6: choose the option you can support best, not the one you like most. Note two reasons and one example for each.
- Minutes 6 to 22: write. Your choice first, one paragraph for each reason, then a short closing.
- Minutes 22 to 26: check the choice is clear, both reasons have examples, and the counter is between 150 and 200.
A simple template
Use this as a shape, not as fixed sentences. Raters notice memorized phrases that do not fit the question.
- Opening (1 to 2 sentences): say which option you prefer and give the main reason in a few words.
- Reason 1 (3 to 4 sentences): the reason, why it matters to the people in the situation, and one concrete example.
- Reason 2 (3 to 4 sentences): a second, different reason with its own example.
- Closing (1 to 2 sentences): repeat your choice in new words. If it helps your case, admit one weakness of your option and say why it matters less.
That gives four paragraphs of about 20, 60, 60 and 25 words, so roughly 165 words with room to spare.
CELPIP Writing Task 2 samples with answers
Each survey below has two sample answers. Read the level 9 and the level 12 answer to the same survey side by side: both choose an option, give two reasons and stay within the word count. The difference is in how precisely they do it.
Sample: longer library hours at exam time
I think the library should stay open until midnight during the exam period. In my opinion this is the more useful arrangement for most of the students.
First, many students have classes or part time job in the daytime, so they can only study at night. When the library close at eight, they must go home and study in the dormitory, but it is noisy there and it is hard to concentrate. If the library is open until midnight, they can study in a quiet place with all the books they need.
Second, the extra rooms in the student centre is a good idea but it is not the same like the library. The students can already find many places to study in the morning, for example the cafeteria or empty classrooms. The problem is not the space, the problem is the time.
However, I understand the smaller staff after eight can be a problem for the security. Maybe the library can ask some student volunteers to help.
In conclusion, I prefer the late hours because it give more chance to study for everyone.
Marked at level 9: Coherence/Meaning 9, Vocabulary 7, Readability 8, Task Fulfillment 10.
What works:
- Clear structure: position first, two numbered reasons, a counter-point with a solution, and a conclusion, each in its own paragraph with a signposting connector.
- Reasons are backed by specific, believable examples (part-time jobs, noisy dormitories, cafeteria and empty classrooms already available by day).
- Engages with the other option and the staffing concern rather than ignoring them, which makes the argument persuasive and complete.
What would raise it:
- Check subject-verb agreement in every sentence: 'the library close' should be 'the library closes', 'the extra rooms ... is' should be 'are', and 'it give' should be 'it gives'. Read each sentence aloud and ask whether the subject is singular or plural.
- Use the correct comparison form: 'the same as the library', not 'the same like'. Also write 'a part-time job' (article and hyphen) and 'a problem for security' (no article).
- Replace general phrases with more precise ones: 'give more chance to study' could become 'gives everyone a fair opportunity to study'; 'it is noisy there' could become 'the noise makes it almost impossible to concentrate'. Join the two clauses in 'The problem is not the space, the problem is the time' with a semicolon or a dash instead of a comma.
I would support extending the library's hours until midnight during the exam period rather than opening extra rooms in the student centre.
My reason is timing. Students are not short of space at eight in the morning; they are short of it at nine at night, when residence lounges are noisy and the campus coffee shops have closed. Many of us also work part-time shifts that end in the early evening, so the hours after eight are the only ones we can give to reviewing. Two extra rooms would mainly serve students who can already study during the day.
The library also has resources the student centre cannot offer: the course reserves, the printers, and the silence that comes with staff on the floor. A smaller team after eight seems a fair compromise, since most late users want a desk and a quiet building rather than reference help. A card swipe at the entrance would keep the building secure without a full front desk.
I would gladly trade a daytime room for four more hours at night.
Marked at level 12: Coherence/Meaning 11, Vocabulary 11, Readability 12, Task Fulfillment 12.
What works:
- Clear position in the first sentence, then two well-separated reasons, each backed by specific, realistic detail rather than general claims.
- Anticipates the obvious objection to your option (smaller staff after eight) and answers it with a practical compromise and a security suggestion.
- Confident sentence control: accurate complex sentences, a correctly used semicolon and colon list, and a crisp one-line conclusion that restates the trade-off.
What would raise it:
- Make the signpost match the structure. "My reason is timing" promises a single reason, but a second one (resources) follows. Write "My first reason is timing" or "Timing matters most" so the reader expects the next paragraph.
- Replace "the only ones we can give to reviewing" with a more natural phrase such as "the only hours we can devote to revision" or "set aside for reviewing".
- To show balance, add one short clause acknowledging who gains less from your option (for example commuters who must leave early) before explaining why the late hours still serve more students.
Sample: extra hours at a walk-in clinic
I think the clinic should open on Saturday and Sunday mornings, because this would help the most people in our area.
First of all, many residents work full time from Monday to Friday. When they are sick or their child have a fever, they must take a day off or wait until the problem gets worse. If the clinic is open at weekend, they can go there without loosing a working day. For example, my neighbour is a bus driver and he cannot leave his shift in the evening also, so late weekday hours would not help him.
Secondly, the weekend is when the clinic is closed completely, so this is a bigger gap. On weekdays people have already some chance to come during the day, but on Saturday and Sunday the only choice is the hospital emergency, which is very crowded.
Finally, I believe that staff would prefer working five hours in the morning than staying until nine at night, so it is easier to find nurses.
For these reasons weekend mornings is the better choice.
Marked at level 9: Coherence/Meaning 9, Vocabulary 8, Readability 8, Task Fulfillment 10.
What works:
- Clear structure: choice stated first, three signposted reasons (First of all, Secondly, Finally), and a conclusion, each in its own paragraph.
- The bus driver example is specific and does double duty, supporting your choice while showing why the evening option would not solve the problem.
- Complex sentences with when, if, so and which are formed confidently and keep the argument moving.
What would raise it:
- Check agreement and fixed patterns before you finish: 'their child has a fever', 'weekend mornings are the better choice', and 'would prefer working... to staying' (or 'would rather work... than stay').
- Watch small words and word order: 'at the weekend' or 'on weekends', 'losing' not 'loosing', 'he also cannot leave his shift', 'people already have some chance', and 'the hospital emergency department' rather than 'the hospital emergency'.
- Make your third reason as concrete as the first: instead of 'I believe that staff would prefer', give a practical consequence, for example that morning shifts are easier to fill or cost less in overtime, so the point carries weight.
I am writing in response to the survey on extra opening hours at the Riverside walk-in clinic, and my view is that later weekday evenings would help residents most.
The first reason is arithmetic. Staying open until nine from Monday to Friday adds twenty hours a week, whereas weekend mornings add ten. More hours means more appointments, and that is what a clinic that is often full needs.
The second is who those hours would serve. Most people who work full time cannot leave for a daytime visit, so they either go without care or wait until a minor problem has become an urgent one. An evening slot lets a parent collect the children, make dinner and still be seen the same day. It would also draw some of these patients away from the busy afternoon period, shortening queues for everyone.
I understand the appeal of weekend mornings, but someone who falls ill on a Saturday waits at most two days, whereas a working adult who cannot visit during the day currently has no option at all.
Thank you for consulting residents before deciding.
Marked at level 12: Coherence/Meaning 11, Vocabulary 11, Readability 12, Task Fulfillment 12.
What works:
- Clear architecture: choice stated at once, two signposted reasons, the alternative acknowledged and answered, a courteous close.
- Specific, checkable support rather than general claims: twenty hours versus ten, a parent collecting children and still being seen the same day, shorter afternoon queues.
- Accurate and varied sentence control, with contrastive clauses (whereas, but), parallel lists and short emphatic statements, in a register that fits a public consultation.
What would raise it:
- Make the rebuttal fair to the other option. Weekend mornings would also serve working adults, so say why evenings still win, for example five chances a week instead of two, or same-day access when a problem flares on a weekday.
- Clarify the queue argument. You say full-time workers cannot attend in the daytime, then say evenings would draw them away from the afternoon rush; explain who actually shifts (those currently taking time off work, or parents coming after school) so the two claims do not seem to conflict.
- Expand the most compressed sentences slightly, for instance 'The second reason concerns who those hours would serve', so each topic sentence reads as a complete statement rather than shorthand.
Sample: a school community event
I want to give my opinion about the community event. I think the spring outdoor fair is the better choice for our school.
First, the weather in May is usually nice, so the families can stay outside for long time and the children can run around. In the winter concert everybody must sit in the gym, also some parents can not come in the evening because of work. A Saturday is more easy for most of the families.
Second, the fair gives something for every age. Small kids like the games, older students can help on the craft tables, and the parents can enjoy the food. In the concert only the students who perform are busy and the others just watch. I think it is more fun when everyone is participate.
Also the food stalls run by each class can make some money for the school, more than the hot drinks at the door. This is important because the budget is fixed.
The only problem is if it rains, but the council can keep the gym as a back up plan. For these reasons I support the spring fair.
Marked at level 9: Coherence/Meaning 9, Vocabulary 7, Readability 8, Task Fulfillment 10.
What works:
- Clear structure: position stated first, three numbered reasons, a counterargument handled, and a one-line conclusion.
- Every reason is tied back to the task, including the fixed budget, and each is contrasted with the other option rather than just asserted.
- Paragraphs each do one job and connectors (First, Second, Also, For these reasons) guide the reader smoothly.
What would raise it:
- Check comparatives and verb forms: write 'easier' instead of 'more easy', 'for a long time' instead of 'for long time', and 'when everyone participates' instead of 'when everyone is participate'.
- Avoid joining two separate points with a comma and 'also'. Split 'In the winter concert everybody must sit in the gym, also some parents can not come...' into two sentences or use 'and' with a proper clause.
- Replace general words with more exact ones: for example 'only the performers are involved while the rest of the audience watches passively' instead of 'only the students who perform are busy and the others just watch', and 'raise funds' instead of 'make some money'.
I would choose the spring outdoor fair, because it makes better use of the two things the council has to work with: a fixed budget and a team of volunteers.
A concert concentrates both. The gym needs a sound system, lighting and someone to run them, and the whole budget goes into two hours on one evening. A fair spreads that money across twenty small tables, each run by a class that already has parents attached to it. Volunteers can take one-hour shifts instead of committing a whole night, and families with young children or shift work can drop in whenever suits them rather than arriving by seven o'clock sharp.
The fair also earns money rather than only spending it. When my daughter's class ran a bake stall last year, it covered its own costs within the first hour, and a dozen stalls doing the same would leave the council with something to spare.
Finally, a Saturday on the field in May gives neighbours without children at the school a reason to walk over, which a December performance in a closed gym never quite does.
Marked at level 12: Coherence/Meaning 11, Vocabulary 11, Readability 12, Task Fulfillment 12.
What works:
- The argument is anchored to the task's own constraints (budget and volunteers) from the first sentence, so every reason that follows is relevant to the council's decision.
- Reasons are specific and checkable: one-hour shifts, a seven o'clock arrival, a bake stall that covered its costs within the first hour. Nothing is left as a vague claim.
- Sentence control is excellent: short declaratives sit next to long comparative sentences with lists and subordinate clauses, and all of them are accurate.
What would raise it:
- Unpack the sentence "A concert concentrates both." so it stands on its own, for example "A concert concentrates both the money and the volunteers in one place." As written, the reader must look back to the previous paragraph to recover what "both" means.
- Give the final paragraph one concrete detail to match the earlier ones, for instance what would actually draw a neighbour over (food stalls visible from the street, a raffle, a dog-friendly field). At present it is the one claim that rests on assertion rather than example.
- Consider granting the concert its single genuine advantage, such as showcasing students' performance work, and showing briefly why the fair still wins. Acknowledging the other side would make the recommendation more persuasive to a council that must defend its choice to staff.
What changes from level 9 to level 12: the level 12 answers are not longer. They are 177 to 185 words, against 177 to 189 for the level 9 answers. What changes is precision. Each reason is tied to a specific detail, such as twenty extra hours against ten, or a bake stall that covered its costs. The sentences vary in shape, and there are almost no grammar slips. The level 9 answers make their case clearly, but lose marks on vocabulary and small errors such as "their child have" or "is more easy".
Common Task 2 survey topics
These are general descriptions written by CelpMock, not copies of official questions. Most Task 2 surveys come from everyday community, work or school life:
- Community: how a city, a library or a community centre should spend money or set its hours.
- Work: schedules, training, office space or a staff event.
- School: class times, school trips, uniforms or how parents get information.
- Services: a clinic, a store or a transit line choosing between two changes.
Whatever the topic, the reasons that work best are about the people the survey asks about: their time, their money, their safety or their comfort.
To try Task 2 on the real timer, take our free sample test. For Task 1, see CELPIP Writing Task 1 samples with answers, and for both tasks with a template, our CELPIP Writing page.