CELPIP Email Format: What Examiners Mark in Task 1 (Video)

You do not need a mailing address or "To", "From" and "Subject" lines in a CELPIP Writing Task 1 email, and for the sign off your real name or a made up name is fine. In this 5 minute video, Matthew shows how those extras used 51 of 191 words in a sample answer, the three format points the examiners do comment on (paragraphs, capital letters, punctuation), and the spell checker in the test.

This video is part of the free CELPIP Writing course. Read the full lesson here: Canadian writing conventions for CELPIP.

What does this video cover?

• 0:00 The 51 words you don't need
• 0:32 What people think "Canadian format" means: a list of 8
• 1:10 What CELPIP publishes about email format
• 1:34 Your signature: real name or made up name
• 1:55 A sample answer: 191 words, 51 wasted
• 2:38 The same answer rewritten without the format
• 3:03 The 3 things that are actually marked
• 3:24 Does CELPIP require Canadian spelling?
• 3:46 What readability means in CELPIP Writing
• 3:58 The spell checker in the test
• 4:24 Why you should not rely on the spell checker

Do you need an address or subject line in a CELPIP email?

No. CELPIP's Writing Pro study pack says you do not need To, From or Subject lines, not to include home or business addresses, and that your real name or a made up name is fine as the signature. Every word you spend on them is a word that does not answer the question. Spend those words on specific detail instead: a room number, a price, how late someone was.

What the examiners do comment on is readability: paragraphs, capital letters and punctuation.

Practise Writing Task 1 with instant feedback: the first question is free after you sign up. CELPIP Writing Task 1 practice.

Transcript

The 51 words you don't need

51 words. That is the number you spend if you write a complete Canadian address and a professional signature in your CELPIP Writing Task 1. Many of my students spend hours learning how to write addresses the Canadian way and how to write signatures for their CELPIP emails, but this is something you don't need to write in your answers. Today we talk about what Canadian writing means in CELPIP, and wait until the end: there is a tool in your CELPIP exam that many of you may not know about.

What people think "Canadian format" means: a list of 8

"Canadian format" in writing has a kind of list. Let's look at it together: Canadian spelling, like colour with a u; dates like September 2, 2025; times like 9 a.m. with the periods; mailing addresses with the postal code; job titles with capital letters; phone numbers with hyphens; a signature with your job title and company; and headings in title case. How many of these 8 did you think belonged on the list? Write it in the comments.

What CELPIP publishes about email format

So let's see what CELPIP publishes. CELPIP publishes free study materials about the test on its website, and they say you don't need three things in your Task 1 email. First, To and From. Second, a complete address, your home address. Third, a professional signature.

Your signature: real name or made up name

Just use your name, or even a made up name is enough. That is the whole instruction: no phone number, no real name, no job title. The parts that are in the official list are the parts we covered in our Writing Task 1 map in another video, and I suggest you watch it to learn how to write CELPIP Writing Task 1.

A sample answer: 191 words, 51 wasted

Now let's count together. This example is a complete one: perfect grammar, all three points addressed, a good greeting and a sign off. Many students write like that. It's about 191 words, between 150 and 200. But there is something extra here. Let's count the extras: subject, To, From, signature. That's about 51 words. So we spent 51 of our 191 words, and our actual answer is 141 words, which is less than the minimum we need for CELPIP Writing Task 1.

The same answer rewritten without the format

Now look at the refined version of this answer. We removed the extra data and added meaningful detail about the question. As you can see, we wrote some numbers: room B, $145, 20 minutes late, and "when I asked about shutter speed, he told me to look it up online". Again, there is no hard word here and no extra data that isn't needed.

The 3 things that are actually marked

So in format, only three things are marked: paragraphs, capital letters and punctuation. CELPIP's official study pack has many sample answers that get 7, 9 or 10, with notes from the examiners on the problems. In one of them, the time is written "9 to 11 am" with no periods. We know that in Canadian writing we would write it with periods, but CELPIP says it is not a problem. It is not a mistake that will cost you anything.

Does CELPIP require Canadian spelling?

So again: yes, Canadian writing is good, but CELPIP never asks for it.

What readability means in CELPIP Writing

What CELPIP looks for is readability: how easy your email is to read and understand. So paragraphs, correct capital letters and punctuation are what matter.

The spell checker in the test

Now the tool I promised. In CELPIP Writing you have a spell checker in the test platform. It finds words you have misspelled, underlines them and shows you some options, and you choose the word that fits your writing.

Why you should not rely on the spell checker

I suggest you use it, but never get addicted to spell checkers, even on your phone or laptop. When you get used to them, you forget the real spelling of words. And if you don't know which word is right, you might choose the wrong one and change the meaning of your whole sentence. So yes, use the spell checker, but be careful it doesn't change the meaning of your sentences.

Now you know what Canadian writing means and how to write your CELPIP Writing answers. This video is part of our free CELPIP Writing course on CELTESTPIP, and we have other free courses on the website too. As always, never stop practicing.