Dear Professor [Last Name], I am writing to explain why our group project was not submitted on time and to respectfully ask for your consideration. I completed my section several days before the deadline and shared it with the group so that we could combine and review our work. However, despite several reminders and offers of help, two members did not finish their sections, so we could not finalize the project in time. I made every reasonable effort to prevent this. I contacted my group members repeatedly by email and in our class messaging group. I also suggested redistributing the remaining work so we could still meet the deadline, but nobody acted on the idea. I understand the importance of academic deadlines and take full responsibility for my own work. However, I am concerned that my grade may suffer because of circumstances largely beyond my control. I would therefore be grateful if you could accept the completed project late without penalizing the members who met their responsibilities on time. I would be happy to provide copies of my messages and completed section as evidence. Thank you for your understanding. Yours sincerely, [Name]
Writing Task 1: Writing an Email
Writing Task 1: Writing an Email belongs to the Writing component of CELPIP. The task gives you 27 minutes to write about 150–200 words. Responses are rated on 4 areas: Content / Coherence, Vocabulary, Readability, Task Fulfillment.
- Length
- 150–200 words
- Time
- 27 minutes
- Prompts here
- 23 published
Reader, evidence, request
Our method for this task — study advice, not an official rule.
- 1
Decide who is reading before you write a word
A landlord, a manager you have never met and an old friend each need a different greeting, sign-off and distance. Get the reader wrong and every paragraph inherits the mistake; weaker emails often open warmly and close like a legal notice.
- 2
Turn each bullet into a paragraph that carries evidence
Every point the prompt lists deserves its own block with something checkable in it — when it happened, what it cost, how long it has gone on. Stronger emails show the problem; weaker ones only announce it.
- 3
End with an action the reader can take
Say what you want done and by when: a replacement, a call back, a credit on the next bill. An email that trails off with "I hope you understand" has left part of the job undone.
Every bullet gets a paragraph, and every paragraph gets a fact.
Covering all of the prompt is what Task Fulfillment is about; a fact in each point is what turns covered into convincing.
These 30 entries cover the language jobs an email usually has to do: opening politely, explaining a problem, making a request, apologizing and closing. Each one comes with email-style examples so you can see where it fits in a message to a landlord, manager, company or friend.
Before you start writing, decide whether your reader is a stranger, a boss or a friend, and pick openings and closings to match. Build a small set of request and complaint frames you can use without thinking, then spend your revision time checking tone, spelling and whether every point in the prompt has been answered.
- Explain without attacking. Naming what happened is necessary; blaming classmates by name is what costs marks.
- Your own efforts are the middle instruction and the strongest part of the case — say what you did and when.
- Ask for something specific, and offer evidence for it. "Please be understanding" is not a request.
- Keep the register formal throughout: this is a letter to a professor, not a complaint to a friend.
- 1Spending three sentences on the first bullet and half a line on the last.
- 2Writing to a stranger in the voice you would use with a friend, or the other way round.
- 3Describing the problem at length and never saying what should happen next.
- Content / Coherence
- How relevant and well developed your ideas are, and how clearly each sentence and paragraph leads to the next.
- Vocabulary
- How wide and how exact your choice of words is, including word combinations that sound natural.
- Readability
- How easy the text is to read: grammar, spelling, punctuation and the way it is split into paragraphs.
- Task Fulfillment
- Whether the response handles every part of the prompt, in a tone that suits the reader.
One strong response to this prompt, written for our own question bank to show a way through it. It is not a Paragon answer and not an official benchmark; a real response is judged on the four areas listed above.
Try one yourself, under the clock
Reading a good answer is not the same as producing one. Write or record your own response and get an estimated CLB level on each rating area, with the lines that decided it.
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Create your free account →- Does the writing screen help me with spelling and length?
- Yes. Paragon's Tips & Resources page says there is a word counter under each writing task and a built-in spell checker. The checker catches misspelled words, but it will not tell you if a phrase is too casual or too stiff, so tone is still your job.
- Should my email always start with "To whom it may concern"?
- No. That opening only suits a letter to an organization when you do not know who will read it. If you know the person's name, use it, and if you are writing to a friend, a simple "Hi Sam" reads far more naturally.
- How should I use the planning and revising time?
- Paragon suggests about five minutes for planning and five to seven minutes for revising. During planning, jot down the phrase you will use for each purpose in the prompt; during revision, check that your greeting and sign-off match the reader.
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