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CELPIP Reading Part 1: Correspondence

Read the request and choose a reply that fits

Use the original message to check who will help, what they will do, and when.

Guide 1 of 4 in the Reading path · Reviewed

Know the task

Part 1 has eleven questions: six about a message and five blanks in a reply. Both the source and reply matter when selecting a completion.

See the official CELPIP test format

A useful approach

  1. 1

    Find who is writing and what they need

    Read Rosa’s message and note what she asks Evan to do. She needs help carrying the table on Sunday around ten. Keep the requested help and time in your notes, even though the message sounds friendly.

  2. 2

    Read around the detail you find

    If a question asks about a time, find the dates and read the sentences around them. Saturday is the lunch; Sunday is the proposed return. Finding the word “Saturday” alone does not tell you when Evan will help.

  3. 3

    Read before and after the blank

    In Evan’s reply, find what “then” refers to and why he will visit. Read the next sentence too. He accepts Sunday at ten and says there is no rush to return the table before the lunch.

  4. 4

    Read the completed reply

    Put your chosen words into the blank and read the whole reply. Check that the grammar works and that the action and time fit Rosa’s request. A phrase can sound natural but describe the wrong visit.

See it in an example

One neighbour asks another for help returning a borrowed folding table after a Saturday lunch.

Example correspondence · Select a passage to see its explanation.

Rosa’s request

Rosa asks for help carrying the table on Sunday around ten. She needs the table for Saturday’s lunch.

Check your understanding

Which summary preserves the arrangement Rosa and Evan agree on?

A common mistake

Choosing words that sound natural but do not fit the message.

Less useful: 'Join your Saturday lunch' sounds natural, so it must fit.

More specific: The sentence is grammatical, but Evan accepts Sunday at ten and is responding to a request for carrying help.

To fill a blank, check both messages. Joining Saturday’s lunch does not fit Evan’s agreed Sunday visit or Rosa’s request for help carrying the table.

Useful language in context

lend someone a hand

Help someone with a task.

Could you lend me a hand carrying these boxes?

wipe down

Clean a surface using a cloth.

Please wipe down the table after lunch.

there's no rush

Something does not need to happen immediately.

There's no rush to return the book; I won't need it this week.

Try it yourself

  1. Read Rosa’s message and Evan’s reply again. Write the lunch day, the agreed visit time, and the help Rosa needs.
  2. Write your own words to fill the blank in Evan’s reply before checking the completed example.
  3. Compare your reply with the completed example and your notes. Check that Evan visits on Sunday at ten and helps carry the table downstairs.
Practise this part free