Should I read the diagram or the email first?
The diagram. It is quick to absorb and holds the facts nearly every blank leans on, so give it the first 30 to 60 seconds. Questions first works well in the other Reading parts, Part 2 is the exception.
Back to questions
Reading Part 2Demo
Reading to Apply a Diagram
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 2 1/1
Time remaining: 9 minutes
Maplewood Venue Rentals: Private Event Options
| Riverside Hall Stage and sound system included Tables and chairs set up by staff No outside food or drink allowed Price: $420 Capacity: 80 guests | Garden Pavilion Covered outdoor terrace with garden view String lights and patio heaters included Closes at 9:00 p.m. Price: $350 Capacity: 60 guests |
| Harbour Bistro Private dining room with waterfront view Three course dinner included Vegetarian menu on request Price: $580 Capacity: 45 guests | Maple Community Centre Full kitchen access included Bring your own catering welcome Books up about six weeks in advance Price: $180 Capacity: 120 guests |
All prices include setup and cleaning. Free parking at every location. To book, call 555-0147 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.
Read the following email message about the diagram on the left. Complete the email by filling in the blanks. Select the best choice for each blank from the drop-down menu.
Hi Marcus,
I finally sat down with the venue sheet you printed out, and I think we can settle this before Friday's staff meeting. The bistro sounds elegant, and everyone loves the food there, but it is 1. ▾, and with forty two names on our guest list we would be squeezing the room as well. The pavilion is pretty, though since it 2. ▾, it will not work for an evening party. That leaves the hall and the community centre. The hall would save us the trouble of renting speakers, because 3. ▾. The catch is that Elena's sister wants to bake the cake herself, and the hall 4. ▾. So my vote goes to the community centre. It is by far 5. ▾, it holds everyone with room to spare, and we can use the kitchen for the cake.
If you agree, I will call first thing tomorrow, since places like this apparently fill up well ahead of time. Could you check how much table space the cake will need?
Dana
Using the drop-down menu, choose the best option.
6. Dana and Marcus ▾
7. The main purpose of Dana's email is ▾
8. Dana seems ▾
Demo question. Answers are graded instantly in real practice.
Reading Part 2: Reading to Apply a Diagram
Part 2 pairs a diagram with an email that reacts to it. You fill 5 blanks inside the email, then answer 3 comprehension questions, with 9 minutes on the clock. Most blanks can only be solved by checking both sources.
8 questions9 minutesDiagram plus email
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.
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CELPIP Reading Part 2 Guide:Apply a Diagram Tips, Timing and Answer Traps
In Part 2 a diagram, such as a flyer, schedule, menu, or set of comparison cards, sits on the left, and an email reacting to it sits on the right. You complete 5 blanks inside the email, then answer 3 comprehension questions, all from drop-down menus, with 9 minutes on the clock. The demo above is the exact interface you get on test day.
The format at a glance
Questions
8 in total. Five drop-down blanks inside the email, then three comprehension questions about its purpose, tone, and people
Time
9 minutes on a dedicated per part timer. When it runs out the test moves on and you cannot come back
The texts
A diagram holding the facts, prices, times, and features, plus an email that discusses those facts in words rather than numbers
How Part 2 is scored
The same computer scoring as the rest of Reading, one point per correct answer, no penalty for guessing, and blanks count as wrong. Part 2 contributes 8 of the 38 scored questions, so a CLB 9 target leaves room for only one or two misses here.
One point per question
Each of the 8 questions is right or wrong, nothing in between. A guess keeps a one in four chance while an unset drop-down is a certain zero, so never leave one empty.
Raw score becomes a Level
There is no separate Part 2 score. Its points feed the Reading total out of 38, which converts to a CELPIP Level from 1 to 12 with difficulty equating across test versions.
CELPIP Levels equal CLB
The mapping is one to one, CELPIP 9 equals CLB 9. Around 31 of 38 correct is the usual bar for Level 9, and 33 or more reaches Levels 10 to 12.
Computer marked, and final
Reading is entirely computer rated, and official guidance notes a re-evaluation is unlikely to change it. The points are won inside the 9 minutes, not afterwards.
A 9 minute plan that works
Study the diagram first30 to 60 seconds
Unlike the other parts, start with the diagram. Map its entities, its two or three attribute columns like price and duration, and every footnote or condition. The rest of the part hangs off it.
Resolve blanks as you readabout 5 minutes
Read the email sentence by sentence. At each blank find the logic around it, a comparison, a condition, a count, then jump to the matching diagram entry and eliminate every option the diagram contradicts.
Answer questions 6 to 8about 2 minutes
These pivot to the email itself, its purpose, the writers' relationship, tone, and next steps. Reread the opening and closing plus the sentences the blanks did not use, that is where these answers live.
Sweep every drop-downthe final minute
Check that all eight menus show an answer. If one still has you stuck, pick the best remaining option, an empty drop-down is the only certain zero in this part.
Instructions you will see on screen
These are the exact on screen instructions and the field labels worth scanning first in Part 2. Recognizing them instantly saves your orientation time for the diagram itself.
Read the following email message about the diagram on the left.Complete the email by filling in the blanks.Using the drop-down menu, choose the best option.Scroll up and down to see everything.Price: / Duration:The main purpose of this email is...
Mistakes that cost points
Reading only one of the sourcesQuestions 1 to 5
Most blanks are built so that neither the email nor the diagram alone can resolve them. A candidate answer must fit the email's logic and the diagram's facts at the same time.
Real values, wrong rowQuestions 1 to 5
The favourite distractor quotes a genuine price, time, or feature that belongs to a different entry of the diagram. Trace every option back to the exact row it came from.
Skipping the small printDiagram Details
Footnotes, legends, and conditions like only morning trips or no checked baggage are exactly what questions target. Exception language, only, except, unless, is exam material, not decoration.
Treating questions 6 to 8 as lookupsQuestions 6 to 8
The final three questions mostly test the email's purpose, tone, and relationships. An option that is true in the diagram but never asserted by the email is a classic wrong answer.
Not scrolling, not finishingTime Management
The interface itself warns you to scroll up and down to see everything, and answering off half a diagram loses easy points. So does agonizing over one blank until later drop-downs go unset.
Part 2 questions people ask
Will the exact answer words appear in the email?
Usually not. Correct options are paraphrases, the cheapest one instead of a price, and options that recycle eye catching words are often traps. Match the meaning against the diagram, not the wording.
What do the last three questions test?
Mostly the email rather than the diagram, who the writers are to each other, why the email was written, and the writer's attitude. The sentences the blanks did not touch usually carry these answers.
