Does it matter which option I choose?
Not at all. Both options are designed to be defensible, and raters only score how well you support the one you picked. Take whichever side hands you more concrete material.
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Writing Task 2Demo
Responding to Survey Questions
The exact exam interface with a sample question. Nothing you do here is saved.
CELPIP Writing (Demo) - Task 2 1/1
Time remaining: 26 minutes
Read the following information.
Your city has received provincial funding to build one new public facility on the empty lot beside the Brookfield Community Centre. Before choosing the project, the city council is running an opinion survey. Everyone who lives in the area is invited to respond.
Choose the option that you prefer. Why do you prefer your choice? Explain the reasons for your choice. Write about 150-200 words.
Explain the reasons for your choice. Write about 150-200 words.
With a free account you write your answer here in a 26 minute timer, with a live word counter and a spell checker.
Demo question. The timer starts in real practice.
Writing Task 2: Responding to Survey Questions
Task 2 asks you to pick one of two options in an opinion survey and defend your choice in about 150 to 200 words. Raters look for a clear choice in the first sentence, distinct supported reasons, and a polite semi-formal tone.
26 minutes150 to 200 wordsOption A or B
In real practice
- Your response is scored by AI, with a CLB style report and feedback on all four writing dimensions.
- You can generate a personalized sample answer with sentence by sentence grammar notes.
- Your drafts and attempts are saved, so you can track progress across the whole question bank.
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CELPIP Writing Task 2 Guide:Survey Response Tips, Template and CLB 9 Sample
In Task 2 you answer an opinion survey by choosing one of two options and explaining why it is the better choice. You get 26 minutes for about 150 to 200 words. There is no correct side, raters only judge how clearly you commit and how well you support your reasons. The demo above is the exact interface you get on test day.
The format at a glance
Time limit
26 minutes for the whole task, with a live word counter under the answer box
Length
About 150 to 200 words. A little over or under is fine, drifting far outside the range is not
Reader
A survey audience such as an employer or a city council. Semi-formal and persuasive, no email greeting or sign-off needed
How Task 2 is scored
The same four dimensions as Task 1, scored by two trained raters, and Task 2 carries the other half of your Writing result. In surveys the raters check one thing before anything else, whether you clearly picked a side.
Content and Coherence
The number, quality, and organization of your ideas. Two or three genuinely different reasons, each backed by one concrete detail, beat four vague ones every time.
Vocabulary
Range and precision. If the prompt says vacation days, reach for time off or annual leave. Recycling the question's wording is penalized.
Readability
Paragraphing, transitions, grammar, and punctuation. Even at 200 words raters expect separate paragraphs and signposts like Firstly and As a result.
Task Fulfillment
Relevance, completeness, tone, and word count. An official Level 8 analysis lists the deadliest weakness first, the writer never chose an option.
A 26 minute plan that works
Pick the easier sidefirst 4 to 5 minutes
Choose the option you can support with the most concrete material, not the one you privately believe in. Either answer is equally correct, so brainstorm in point form and keep your two or three strongest reasons.
State your choice1 to 2 minutes
Name your option in the very first sentence, in your own words, and never contradict it afterwards. A hedged opening reads as fence sitting and costs Task Fulfillment points.
Two or three distinct reasonsabout 17 minutes
One paragraph per reason, each with one specific, realistic detail. Invented names, places, and numbers are welcome. Spend a sentence or two granting what is attractive about the other option, then show why yours still wins.
Conclude and checkfinal 3 to 4 minutes
Close with one sentence that restates your choice in fresh words. Then reread with different lenses, is the choice clear, is every instruction covered, are the transitions in place, and hunt your personal top error types.
Phrases that structure a survey response
These signposts state a choice, stack reasons, and concede gracefully. Practice them until they come out on their own, so your thinking time goes into the details instead.
The main reason for my choice is that...Another point in favour of this option is...While the other option is certainly appealing, I believe...This will not only... but also...As a result, ...For these reasons, I firmly support...
Mistakes that cost points
Sitting on the fenceTask Fulfillment
An official Level 8 analysis flags a writer who never chose an option, and a Level 9 one flags wording so unclear it seemed to favour the rejected side. Commit in sentence one.
Vague, generic supportContent and Coherence
Claims like it will improve our skills drew official criticism for being not specific. A named place, a past incident, or a number turns the same reason into one that scores.
Two reasons that are oneContent and Coherence
Body paragraphs that rephrase the same idea count as a single idea. Raters reward the number and quality of distinct reasons, so make each paragraph genuinely new.
Writing an academic essayTask Fulfillment
Do not write an academic essay is an official strategy, word for word. No in this essay I will discuss, no point form lists, just a direct, semi-formal answer to a real audience.
Ignoring the word counterTask Fulfillment
Significantly under 150 or over 200 words hurts Task Fulfillment. Aim for roughly 160 to 190 so trimming or padding never becomes a last minute scramble.
Task 2 questions people ask
Do I need a greeting and a sign-off like in Task 1?
No. Official guidance says no email format is needed for the survey response. State your choice, give your reasons in paragraphs, and end with one concluding sentence.
Should I discuss the option I rejected?
Briefly, yes. Granting the other option's appeal in one or two sentences and then showing why yours wins is an official support strategy. A whole paragraph about it usually steals space from your own reasons.
