CELPIP Reading, Part 1 of 4

Reading Correspondence

Read a letter or email, answer questions about it, then complete a reply.

Questions: 11
Suggested time: 11 min

Read this

Dear Mr. Aldana,

My name is Priya Shah, and I have lived in the Brookfield neighbourhood for almost six years, just a short walk from your shelter on Camden Street. Last Saturday I attended the open house you held for the shelter's tenth anniversary, and I left with a very good impression. Your colleague Rosa showed my daughter and me around the new cat wing, and she mentioned that the shelter is looking for weekend volunteers this fall.

I would like to apply to be one of them. When I was a college student in Winnipeg, I volunteered at a rescue centre for two years, mostly walking dogs and helping with adoption events, and I have missed that kind of work ever since we moved here. My weekdays are busy because I manage a small bakery downtown, but my Saturday and Sunday mornings are free, and I could commit to one four hour shift every weekend.

There is one thing I should mention. My daughter, Anika, is eleven, and she is the reason I finally wrote this email. She has been asking to volunteer together ever since the open house. Rosa thought children could help with some tasks if a parent stays with them, but she was not sure of the minimum age, and she suggested I check with you. If Anika cannot take part yet, I am still happy to volunteer on my own, though I know she will be disappointed.

Could you also tell me what the application involves? Your website mentions an orientation session and a short interview, but the dates listed there are from last spring, so I assume they have not been updated. I filled out the online form once already; please let me know if I should submit it again.

Thank you for everything the shelter does. Adopting our terrier, Biscuit, from you three years ago was one of the best decisions our family has made, and I would love to give something back.

Warm regards,
Priya Shah

Suggested time11:00

Questions 1 to 6: the letter

1. The main purpose of Priya's email is

2. Priya first heard about the volunteer openings

3. In Winnipeg, Priya spent two years

4. Priya is only available on weekends because

5. Rosa was not sure whether

6. Priya's attitude toward the shelter is best described as

Questions 7 to 11: the reply

Choose the best option for each blank.

Dear Ms. Shah,

Thank you for your kind words, and please give Biscuit a scratch from all of us. We would be glad to your application for a weekend shift. To answer your question, children aged ten and over may as long as a parent stays with them, so Anika is very welcome. You are also right that the dates on our website are ; our next orientation is on Saturday, October 4, and the short interview happens the same morning. There is no need to the form again, your first one is already in our system. One more thing: we are short of helpers for our fall adoption fair, and with your event experience you would be . May I add your name to that list as well?

Best wishes, Felix Aldana Volunteer Coordinator

0 of 11 answered. Blank questions count as wrong.

How CELPIP Reading Part 1 works

You read a personal or workplace message, answer 6 multiple choice questions about what it says and implies, then fill 5 blanks in a reply to it. The reply never repeats the original wording, so each blank tests whether you understood the first message.

Read the first message once for who is writing, to whom, and why. Most of the first 6 questions follow its order.
For the reply, read the whole sentence around a blank before you open the options. The word after the blank often rules out two of them.
Watch for options that are true in general but are not what this writer said.