Can I go back and change my answers?
Within Part 1, yes, answers stay editable until the part's time expires. Once the test moves to the next part you can never return, so review inside the part, not after it.
Back to questions
Reading Part 1Demo
Reading Correspondence
The exact exam interface with a sample question. Nothing you do here is saved.
Questions
After you answer
Translations and the dictionary unlock in real practice.
CELPIP Reading (Demo) - Part 1 1/1
Time remaining: 11 minutes
Read the following message.
Dear Mr. Aldana,
My name is Priya Shah, and I have lived in the Brookfield neighbourhood for almost six years, just a short walk from your shelter on Camden Street. Last Saturday I attended the open house you held for the shelter's tenth anniversary, and I left with a very good impression. Your colleague Rosa showed my daughter and me around the new cat wing, and she mentioned that the shelter is looking for weekend volunteers this fall.
I would like to apply to be one of them. When I was a college student in Winnipeg, I volunteered at a rescue centre for two years, mostly walking dogs and helping with adoption events, and I have missed that kind of work ever since we moved here. My weekdays are busy because I manage a small bakery downtown, but my Saturday and Sunday mornings are free, and I could commit to one four hour shift every weekend.
There is one thing I should mention. My daughter, Anika, is eleven, and she is the reason I finally wrote this email. She has been asking to volunteer together ever since the open house. Rosa thought children could help with some tasks if a parent stays with them, but she was not sure of the minimum age, and she suggested I check with you. If Anika cannot take part yet, I am still happy to volunteer on my own, though I know she will be disappointed.
Could you also tell me what the application involves? Your website mentions an orientation session and a short interview, but the dates listed there are from last spring, so I assume they have not been updated. I filled out the online form once already; please let me know if I should submit it again.
Thank you for everything the shelter does. Adopting our terrier, Biscuit, from you three years ago was one of the best decisions our family has made, and I would love to give something back.
Warm regards,
Priya Shah
Using the drop-down menu, choose the best option according to the information given in the message.
1. The main purpose of Priya's email is ▾
2. Priya first heard about the volunteer openings ▾
3. In Winnipeg, Priya spent two years ▾
4. Priya is only available on weekends because ▾
5. Rosa was not sure whether ▾
6. Priya's attitude toward the shelter is best described as ▾
Here is a response to the message. Complete the response by filling in the blanks. Select the best choice for each blank from the drop-down menu.
Dear Ms. Shah,
Thank you for your kind words, and please give Biscuit a scratch from all of us. We would be glad to 7. ▾ your application for a weekend shift. To answer your question, children aged ten and over may 8. ▾ as long as a parent stays with them, so Anika is very welcome. You are also right that the dates on our website are 9. ▾; our next orientation is on Saturday, October 4, and the short interview happens the same morning. There is no need to 10. ▾ the form again, your first one is already in our system. One more thing: we are short of helpers for our fall adoption fair, and with your event experience you would be 11. ▾. May I add your name to that list as well?
Best wishes,
Felix Aldana
Volunteer Coordinator
Demo question. Answers are graded instantly in real practice.
Reading Part 1: Reading Correspondence
Part 1 gives you an everyday email or letter with 11 questions in about 11 minutes. The first 6 test how well you understood the letter, then you complete a short reply to it by filling 5 blanks, all from drop-down menus.
11 questions11 minutesLetter plus reply
In real practice
- Your answers are graded instantly against the answer key, question by question, with a timer that runs like the real test.
- Every question has an answer explanation that shows why the right option wins and where the evidence sits in the text.
- You can turn on sentence by sentence translations and look up words as you read, and your accuracy is tracked across the whole question bank.
Practicing needs a free account. Create one in a minute.
CELPIP Reading Part 1 Guide:Reading Correspondence Tips, Timing and Answer Traps
In Part 1 you read an everyday email or letter and answer 11 questions in about 11 minutes. The first 6 questions test how well you understood the letter, then a short reply to it appears with 5 blanks to complete. Every answer is picked from a drop-down menu, and the demo above is the exact interface you get on test day.
The format at a glance
Questions
11 in total, split 6 plus 5. Six comprehension questions about the letter, then five blanks in a short reply to it
Time
About 11 minutes, roughly one minute per question. When time runs out the test moves on and you can never come back
The texts
One email or letter about an everyday situation, from a friendly note to a formal complaint, plus a reply that answers it point by point
How Part 1 is scored
Reading is scored by computer, one point per correct answer and no penalty for wrong ones. Part 1 contributes 11 of the 38 scored Reading questions, so the easiest part of the test is also a big block of points.
One point per question
Every answer is simply right or wrong, and a blank counts as wrong. Since there is no penalty, a guess always beats an empty drop-down, it still keeps a one in four chance.
38 questions become a Level
Your raw score out of 38 is converted to a CELPIP Level from 1 to 12, adjusted for question difficulty so different versions of the test stay fair.
CELPIP Levels equal CLB
The mapping is one to one, CELPIP 9 equals CLB 9. For Express Entry targets like CLB 9 you need roughly 31 of 38, which leaves only about five to seven misses across all four parts.
An unscored part may appear
One extra experimental section can show up anywhere in the Reading test and does not count, but it is indistinguishable from the scored parts, so treat every part as if it counts.
An 11 minute plan that works
Preview the letterabout 30 seconds
Identify who is writing to whom, why, and whether the writer asks for anything. What the writer wants is near universal exam material, so note it explicitly on the paper you are given.
Read the questions first1 to 2 minutes
Skim the first 6 questions and mark the keywords that cannot be paraphrased, names, numbers, and quoted text. Expect everything else in the stems and options to be reworded.
Answer questions 1 to 6about 4 minutes
Use your keywords to locate the right section, then read around it. The correct option is a paraphrase of the text, never a word for word copy, so hunt the idea, not the phrase.
Complete the replyabout 4 to 5 minutes
Read the response and fill the five blanks by meaning and tone, all four options usually fit the grammar. Spend the last 30 seconds checking that every question has an answer.
Instructions you will see on screen
These are the exact on screen instructions and the most common question stems in Part 1. Learn to recognize them instantly, so on test day your time goes into the letter instead of the directions.
Read the following message.Choose the best option according to the information given in the message.Here is a response to the message.Complete the response by filling in the blanks.The writer's main purpose is...probably / most likely
Mistakes that cost points
Matching words instead of meaningSpecific Information
Official guidance warns that the correct answer is never written in the very same words as the text. An option that repeats a phrase from the letter is more often a trap than a key.
Skimming past a change of planSpecific Information
Letters routinely bury changes of date, time, or plan in the middle of a paragraph. Reading only the opening and then guessing hands those questions straight to the distractors.
Solving the blanks by grammarSecond Text
All four options for a blank usually fit the sentence grammatically. The right one is the only choice consistent in meaning and tone with both letters, so grammar alone cannot decide it.
Mixing up who, when, and whatInference
Confusing the writer with the recipient, confirming with rescheduling, or past events with future plans is exactly what the distractors are built from. Slow down for names and tenses.
Letting the clock take questionsTime Management
When Part 1 time expires the test moves on for good, and an empty drop-down scores zero. If you are stuck past a minute, enter your best guess and move on, you can still change it within the part.
Part 1 questions people ask
Is there a penalty for wrong answers?
No. Scoring counts correct answers only, so a wrong guess costs nothing and a blank earns nothing. Official advice is to answer every question, even a blind guess has a 25 percent chance.
How many questions can I miss for CLB 9?
Roughly, you need 31 or more of the 38 scored Reading questions, which leaves room for about five to seven misses in total. Part 1 is the easiest of the four parts, so high scorers should keep it near perfect.
