CELPIP · Reading · R1

CELPIP Reading Part 1: Reading Correspondence

CELPIP Reading Part 1, Reading Correspondence, gives you a personal or work message, such as a letter or email, and a reply to it. You have 11 minutes for 11 questions: 6 multiple-choice questions about the first message, then 5 blanks in the reply, each completed by choosing the best option.

Questions: 11: 6 about the message, 5 blanks in the reply
Time: 11 minutes
Texts: A letter or email plus a response to it
Answer type: Four options per question or blank
Scoring: Counts toward your CELPIP Reading level (1 to 12)

How it works

1The message appears on one side of the screen, the questions on the other.
2Answer the 6 multiple-choice questions about the message.
3A reply to the message appears with 5 blanks.
4Choose the best option for each blank so the reply makes sense with the original message.

Sample question

Original sample · not from an official test

Message (excerpt) Hi Carla, thanks again for watering my plants while I'm away. The key is under the blue pot by the back door. The big fern needs water every two days, but please leave the cactus alone. It only needs water once a month and I watered it yesterday. Reply (excerpt) No problem at all! I'll water the fern ______ and I won't touch the cactus.

Aevery day
Bevery two days
Conce a month
Donly once

Show answer

Answer: every two days

The message says the fern "needs water every two days". The reply must agree with the original, so "every two days" is correct. "Once a month" belongs to the cactus, a typical Part 1 trap where a detail from the message is attached to the wrong thing.

Tips that work

Read the message once for purpose (why is this person writing?) before you look at detail questions.
For the reply blanks, find the matching sentence in the original message. The reply almost always responds to something specific.
Check tone as well as facts. A friendly reply to a friend and a formal reply to a landlord need different phrasing.
With 11 questions in 11 minutes, aim for about a minute each and do not get stuck on a single blank.

Common mistakes

Choosing a blank answer that is grammatically fine but contradicts the original message.
Rereading the whole message for every question instead of scanning for the relevant line.

Questions candidates ask

How much time do I get for Reading Part 1?

11 minutes for 11 questions. The timer runs for the whole part, so time spent on the first message questions reduces the time left for the reply blanks.

What kinds of messages appear in Part 1?

Everyday correspondence: a letter or email between friends, family members, neighbours, colleagues, or a customer and a business. The tone ranges from casual to formal depending on who is writing to whom.

Are the reply blanks about grammar?

Mostly about meaning. All options usually fit the sentence grammatically, but only one matches what the original message said or asked for. Treat the blanks as comprehension questions about the first message.