CELPIP Reading Part 1: Reading Correspondence
Read an email accurately and complete a reply that fits its details, purpose and relationship.
At a glance
- Typical part time
- 11 minutes · approx.
- Questions
- 11
- Full skill time
- 43–56 minutes
Part timings are approximate. Follow the timer and instructions displayed on your test screen. Listening and Reading each have 38 scored questions; additional unscored material can appear, so attempt every part.
Format reference: official Reading study pack · current test format. Checked 4 October 2026.
What you will do
An email with six comprehension questions and a reply with five missing selections.
Manage this part’s time
Suggested MockPip routine: 1 minute to orient yourself, 5 minutes for the email questions, 4 minutes for the reply and 1 minute to check all answers.
Practice routines are MockPip suggestions, not additional official timing rules.A step-by-step approach
- Identify sender, recipient and the reason for the message.
- Mark requests, arrangements and constraints in brief paper notes.
- Locate evidence for each comprehension question.
- Read the entire reply before completing its gaps, then reread it as one coherent message.
Techniques for this part
- Match paraphrases, not isolated repeated words. “Unable to attend” can become “will miss the session” in an answer.
- Track dates relative to the email: distinguish the original plan from a proposed change.
- Use the reply writer’s perspective; “you” and “we” may refer to different people in the two messages.
See the technique in action
Original mini-example: An email asks to move a meeting from Tuesday to Thursday, subject to the recipient’s agreement. A reply can acknowledge a proposed change; it should not imply the change was already confirmed.
This example is independently written for practice.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing the sender and recipient.
- Treating a request as a confirmed arrangement.
- Filling a gap without reading the sentence after it.
Choose an answer for every question
Wrong answers do not lose points. Eliminate implausible choices, then choose one best answer per question; leave no question blank. This does not mean selecting every option.
Official guidance on guessing and answering all questions →Your next practice exercise
After answering, write a one-sentence purpose statement and point to the evidence for every gap. Review any choice that relied only on matching vocabulary.
Before you finish
- Did I answer six email items and five reply gaps?
- Do dates and pronouns stay consistent?
- Does the completed reply make sense as a whole?
MockPip’s techniques and practice examples are independently created. MockPip is not affiliated with or endorsed by CELPIP or its test provider. Practice results are not official CELPIP scores.