The CELPIP- General Test is one of Canada’s main general English assessments, widely used for immigration, citizenship, professional certifications, and entry into universities, colleges, and vocational programs, it evaluates English speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills.
The test consists of 86 questions, has a maximum duration of 3 hours, and is divided into four equally weighted components:
|
Num. of questions |
Type of questions |
Length of the audio | |
| Part 1 | 8 | Problem Solving | 1 and a half mins. (x3) |
| Part 2 | 5 | Daily Life Conversation | 2 mins. |
| Part 3 | 6 | Information | 2 and a half mins. |
| Part 4 | 5 | News Item | 1 and a half mins. |
| Part 5 | 8 | Discussion | 2 mins. video |
| Part 6 |
6 |
Viewpoints |
3 mins. |
|
Num. of questions |
Type of questions | Time allowed | |
| Part 1 | 11 | Correspondence | 10 mins. |
| Part 2 | 8 | Apply a Diagram | 8 mins. |
| Part 3 | 9 | Information | 9 mins. |
| Part 4 | 10 | Viewpoints | 12 mins. |
|
Num. of questions |
Type of questions | Time allowed |
Num. of words |
|
| Part 1 | 1 | 27 mins. | 150 to 200 | |
| Part 2 | 1 | Responding to Survey Questions | 26 mins. | 150 to 200 |
|
Num. of questions |
Type of questions |
Preparation time |
Speaking time |
|
| Part 1 | 1 | Giving Advice | 30 secs. | 90 secs. |
| Part 2 | 1 | Personal Experience | 30 secs. | 60 secs. |
| Part 3 | 1 | Describing a Scene | 30 secs. | 60 secs. |
| Part 4 | 1 | Predictions | 30 secs. | 60 secs. |
| Part 5 | 1 | Comparing and Persuading | 60 secs. | 60 secs. |
| Part 6 | 1 | Difficult Situation | 60 secs. | 60 secs. |
| Part 7 | 1 | Opinions | 30 secs. | 90 secs. |
| Part 8 | 1 | Describing an Unusual Situation | 30 secs. | 60 secs. |
To gain a better understanding of CELPIP, you can take a free practice test available on the CELPIP platform. However, it is recommended to save one of the two free tests for later, as these are the only official mock tests provided at no cost. Completing Test A alone should suffice for familiarizing yourself with the format and enhancing comprehension of other study resources and remember, at this point grades are not that important.
To access the free practice test:
Click on ‘CELPIP-General’ then ‘START SAMPLE TEST’ and choose ‘FREE CELPIP-GENERAL PRACTICE TESTS (STARTER SET)’
Click on START, choose ‘PRACTICE TEST A’, 'START' again and then 'COMPLETE TEST'
You can find up-to-date, quick, and easily accessible information online, one good example is YouTube videos. Over there you can find answer templates and detailed analysis of each question
Example strategies:
At the test you will be given a pen and some paper, and since the audios are only played once, good notes can be really helpful, specially for part 5 in the Discussion questions with the video. A good strategy in general to save time and record more information is using symbols instead or writing full words, for example drawing a circle when someone refers to a ball and so on.
Another strategy that works particularly well for conversations is working with tables, instead of writing sentences you draw a table with brief descriptions on the headings, For example:
| Adam / Bus Driver / Black shirt | Maria / Passenger / Yellow dress |
| Lake -> | Looks for bridge |
| 20 mins. away | :( |
| Boats | Fares? |
| Included |
To avoid rereading the same text more than once, looking for details and losing time, instead of going through the entire thing before going to the answers, a good strategy is: read one or two paragraphs at a time and then answer the questions related to what you read, after that, go back to the text, continue from where you were for a few more paragraphs, answer what you can and so on. Focusing on the first and last sentences of a paragraph can also help you find an answer you are looking for, finally skimming and scanning are also some fast-reading techniques that can be helpful.
Dear [Recipient's Name or Title], (Greeting)
I hope this message finds you well. My name is [First name] and I am writing to ... (Opening Sentence)
[State the purpose of your email clearly and politely].
Paragraph. (Body Paragraph 1)
[Provide context or background for your email to help the recipient understand your reason for writing.]
Paragraph. (Body Paragraph 2)
[Ask questions or provide details to clarify your request or issue. Ensure your tone remains polite and professional.]
Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response. (Closing Sentence)
Sincerely, (Sign-Off)
[Your Full Name]
I believe that [option A] is an excellent idea that will benefit the [stakeholders]. Even though [option B] has its value, I think that [option A] would offer more practical advantages. (Introduction)
[general statement that reflects your opinion on the topic acknowledging option B, remember, NO greetings or self introductions]
The first point is that... (Problem/Benefit Body Paragraph 1)
[State your main opinion or preference with supporting reasons. Be specific and provide examples or details.]
The second point is that ... (Problem/Benefit Body Paragraph 2)
[Address potential concerns or provide additional suggestions to strengthen your response.]
Overall, I fully support the idea of [option A] and hope it will be implemented soon. This initiative has the potential to make our community a better and more enjoyable place to live. (Conclusion)
[Restate your opinion and express any final thoughts or hopes.]
Thank you for considering my opinion. (Sign-Off)
[Remember, DO NOT sign your name here]
Task 1: Speak directly to the person you are advising, ensuring your tone is clear and supportive (Intro.), add two different pieces of advice (Dev.), finish with an example and a closing statement (Concl.).
Task 2: Explain the context (Intro.), give details of the action/plan with opinions (Dev.), tell results and personal remarks (Concl.).
Task 3: Start with a short generalized description (Intro.), 60 seconds is not enough time to describe everything in detail so prioritize what seems to be more important in the scene (Dev.), use a lot of spatial descriptors (e. g. above, behind, beneath, across) and to better organize the description you can use the rule of thirds from photography (dividing an image into nine equal parts using two horizontal and two vertical lines) just to get a sense of location (e.g. top right, top left, middle right and so on), remember to close the description with a clear statement (Concl.).
Task 4: Start with a generic opening (Intro.), use future tense to predict and justify three different likely scenarios (Dev.) about the same picture as before, close with a generic wrap up (Concl.).
Task 5: Begin by acknowledging both options while presenting your choice (Intro.), give two reasons (Dev.) for your option using comparative words (bigger, longer, cheaper, etc.), finish by summarizing your arguments (Concl). The preparation time in this and the next task is bigger so use that chance to develop a good answer.
Task 6: Start with a casual and personal phone greeting (Intro.), acknowledge the person's feelings showing empathy, explain the reasons for the situation and offer a solution (Dev.), finish using a positive tone (Concl.).
Task 7: State your viewpoint clearly, in a simple and short manner (Intro.), give three motives and examples for your opinion (Dev.), here remember to speak as much as you can using a diverse vocabulary, since this task is longer than the others not being repetitive is a challenge, close by restating your point of view (Concl.).
Task 8: Start with a short casual and personal phone greeting again (Intro.), describe the image using not only colors and shapes but also abstract words conveying concepts, feelings and non visual sensory characteristics (Dev.), wrap it up with a generic closing (Concl.).
Back at the CELPIP website you can find some more good resources, go back to the ‘Prepare for CELPIP’ menu and click on ‘Free Resources’ just below the ‘Free Practice Tests’. There you will find the CELPIP Writing PRO target 9+ and CELPIP Speaking PRO target 9+, inside there are questions with sample answers. It is not recommended reading the answers at first, reading the questions. answering yourself and then comparing the two answers, will get more practice.
CELPIP also offers free Webinars and Workshops and previous Recordings, they are good resources but they are lengthy, around 2 hours each, if you have the free time you may explore those but it is more advisable to focus on practicing instead of doing this if you can. Besides those, at the CELPIP website you can also find some official free and paid guides, tips, videos and others, explore those options and study what feels right for your strategy. There is no need to delve in the target 5 guides because they contain the same questions as the 9+ but with less details. In that page you’ll also find the CELPIP Reading PRO and CELPIP Listening PRO but those two do not have any sample questions so it only a good idea to study those if have time to spare.
To get a more in depth feedback I would also use chatGPT, for the Writing questions just copy and paste both the instructions and your answer and then prompt it to analyze and provide feedback as if it were the CELPIP Writing test. For the Speaking questions you can use any phone app that records and transcribes voice (or even the Microsoft Word/Google Docs transcription function, in Word you can find it in the 'Home -> Dictate', and in Google Docs under 'Tools -> Voice Typing' just be aware that you need a microphone and a up-to-date browser or software) and a timer, time is critical in the Speaking questions, both in thinking and talking. After that listen to your recordings to know how you sound and what needs improvement, and following the same pattern as the Writing questions, prompt chatGPT to analyse the transcription. Do not get discouraged about the feedback that chatGPT gives, it is helpful but is a lot more strict then the actual test and not always that accurate, its feedback should be taken just as pointers on what could be worked on.
After being more familiar with the test you should be ready to take a sample test again, follow the same path as before but this time choose ‘PRACTICE TEST B’. Remember to check your Answer Key at the end of each section to see your mistakes and take note of your score in each individual section. You might be tempted to take the CELPIP - General LS (Listening and Speaking) sample practice tests but those will not be helpful they have the same questions as the General ones, just without the Reading and Writing portions.
With your grades in hand you should be able to get a good sense of your strengths and weaknesses, so make a plan taking those in consideration. You can find mock questions and tests using Google and Youtube but when choosing on what to focus remember a few things: