How many questions are in Reading Part 1?

Eleven: six multiple-choice questions about the message and five drop-down blanks in a reply. You have eleven minutes.

What kind of text is it?

Personal correspondence: an email or a letter between neighbours, friends, family members, or a tenant and a landlord, about an everyday situation.

What is the reply section?

A short response to the original message with five blanks. Each blank has a drop-down list, and you choose the option that completes the reply correctly.

Can I go back to earlier questions?

Yes. Within the eleven minutes you can move between all questions and change answers.

Is Reading Part 1 practice free?

The Test 1 item is free with no account needed, including the answer key and explanations. Tests 2 to 50 come with a plan.

CELPIP Reading · Part 1 of 4

CELPIP Reading Part 1: Correspondence

Part 1 gives you a piece of personal correspondence: an email from a neighbour about a shared repair, a letter from a friend about a trip, a message from a landlord about an inspection. The text is about three hundred words and is written in everyday Canadian English.

Questions

Minutes

Practice items

One personal email or letter, then 6 multiple-choice questions about it and a short reply with 5 drop-down blanks to complete. 11 minutes for all 11 questions.

What this part tests

Reading Correspondence

The first six questions are multiple choice and check that you understood the message: who wrote it, why, what they want, and what is implied but not stated. The last five questions are drop-down blanks inside a reply written to the sender, and each blank has a short list of choices.

You have eleven minutes for all eleven questions, and you can move between them freely. Celpify's free Test 1 item for Part 1 includes the full passage, the reply and the answer explanations.

The trap

Part 1 rewards matching a paraphrase and punishes keyword spotting. The correct choice rarely repeats the passage's words. Distractors are built from real words in the text placed in the wrong relationship, such as the window glass instead of the window frame.

Try it free

The Test 1 part is open to everyone.

Test 1 · Free

Emergency Preparedness Workshop

11 min · answers and explanations included

Start Test 1 free

All 50 Correspondence practice items

One item per test, from Test 1 to Test 50. Test 1 is free; the rest come with a plan.

Test 1Emergency Preparedness Workshop11 minFree
Test 2Sharing Interview News11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 3Apartment Hunting Advice11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 4Venting About a Blender11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 5Community Volunteer Coordination11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 6Library Program Registration11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 7Neighbourhood Carpool Arrangement11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 8Big Move Coordination11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 9Dad's Retirement Dinner11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 10Missing My Morning Swim11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 11Grandma's 80th Birthday Surprise11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 12Welcome to Elm Street11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 13Farmers' Market Bread Stall11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 14Piano Lessons for Eli11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 15Thank You to the Cardiac Ward11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 16Meet Baby Ruby11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 17Riverside Half Marathon Logistics11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 18Linda's Farewell Potluck11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 19Watson's Honeymoon Boarding11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 20Brock Street Garden Plot Request11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 21Daughter's Wedding Cake Order11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 22Condo Noise Complaint Follow-up11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 23Surprise Anniversary Dinner Plans11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 24Food Bank Volunteer Inquiry11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 25Apologies for Missing Baby Shower11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 26Old Roommate Vancouver Visit11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 27Leaky Window in Apartment 31211 minIncluded in a plan
Test 28Thank You to the Pediatric Ward11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 29Asking Ms. Yousef About the Portfolio Program11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 30Out-of-Town Conference Travel Coordination11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 31Back to School at Forty11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 32Worried About Mom's Fall11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 33Thank You for the Snow Day Rescue11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 34Sorry I Missed the Housewarming11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 35Adopting Biscuit from the Shelter11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 36Hosting Thanksgiving This Year11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 37Meeting About Indra's Math11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 38Thank You, Coach Reynolds11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 39Sorry I Left You Hanging11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 40Planning the Family Reunion Weekend11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 41The Dark Corner on Maple Avenue11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 42Can You Watch the House Next Month?11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 43A Long-Overdue Thank You11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 44About the Fence After the Storm11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 45Choir's Spring Concert Idea11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 46Asking About a Pet in the Apartment11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 47Thinking of You This Week11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 48Congratulations on Your Graduation11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 49Our Winter Coat Drive11 minIncluded in a plan
Test 50Joining the Community Theatre11 minIncluded in a plan

How to score higher on Part 1

Read the six question stems before the passage. They tell you what to look for and in what order the passage covers it.
Spend no more than four minutes on the passage and the first six questions, and leave at least four for the reply.
In the reply, read the whole sentence around each blank. The choice must fit the grammar and the meaning of the original message.
When a choice repeats a phrase from the passage exactly, check it twice. Exact repetition is more often a distractor than the answer.

Part of the 38 scored Reading questions. The raw score converts to a CELPIP level from M to 12, and that level equals your CLB level.

Read the CELPIP Reading guide for this part and the Reading score chart.

Part 1 questions people ask

How many questions are in Reading Part 1?: Eleven: six multiple-choice questions about the message and five drop-down blanks in a reply. You have eleven minutes.
What kind of text is it?: Personal correspondence: an email or a letter between neighbours, friends, family members, or a tenant and a landlord, about an everyday situation.
What is the reply section?: A short response to the original message with five blanks. Each blank has a drop-down list, and you choose the option that completes the reply correctly.
Can I go back to earlier questions?: Yes. Within the eleven minutes you can move between all questions and change answers.
Is Reading Part 1 practice free?: The Test 1 item is free with no account needed, including the answer key and explanations. Tests 2 to 50 come with a plan.