UNDERSTANDING CELPIP
Before understanding what CELPIP structure is, it is important to understand the purpose of this and similar tests.
To begin with, CELPIP has one of the most prominent features i.e. it assesses test takers’ Functional Language Skills. For convenience, we may address it as FLS. FLS refer to the basic communication skills. You may not have any expertise in any technical area, may also not have any arts or science background, but it is expected while interacting with natives of any country (that you have migrated to) that you are able to understand the speakers of that country through their accent, vocabulary and also the context. Furthermore, it is also assumed that being a speaker, you would be sufficiently equipped with a well-rounded vocabulary that comes to you naturally, and the same is used precisely and accurately to manage your day-to-day life in that community.
This type of healthy and purposeful communication gets one’s basic wants and needs met, such as “May I know where the billing counter is?” or “I need a doctor, ASAP.” or “I need to know the address.” These are simple thoughts which are conveyed through our First language in our respective regional places as well. In fact, they are often the first types of simple language structures that we used while beginning to communicate in sentences in childhood.
With this simple set of expectations, you are required to prepare for any kind of test based on FLS, CELPIP being one of them.
The structure of CELPIP is quite easy to comprehend keeping in mind the functional language skills that help us sail through a regular day. We communicate with people through listening, speaking, reading and writing. Giving advice and opinion, describing or predicting events, dealing with multiple difficult situations, reading blogs / articles and posting reviews are some of the common day examples. Referring to the format below, you can see all the examples (same / similar) present on the CELPIP test as well.
| Test Component | Component Sections | Number of Questions | Timing |
| Listening | Practice Task | 1 | 47–55 minutes |
| Part 1: Listening to Problem Solving | 8 | ||
| Part 2: Listening to a Daily Life Conversation | 5 | ||
| Part 3: Listening for Information | 6 | ||
| Part 4: Listening to a News Item | 5 | ||
| Part 5: Listening to a Discussion | 8 | ||
| Part 6: Listening to Viewpoints | 6 | ||
| Unscored Items* | |||
| Reading | Practice Task | 1 | 55–60 minutes |
| Part 1: Reading Correspondence | 11 | ||
| Part 2: Reading to Apply a Diagram | 8 | ||
| Part 3: Reading for Information | 9 | ||
| Part 4: Reading for Viewpoints | 10 | ||
| Unscored Items* | |||
| Writing | Task 1: Writing an Email | 1 | 53–60 minutes |
| Task 2: Responding to Survey Questions | 1 | ||
| Speaking | Practice Task | 1 | 15–20 minutes |
| Task 1: Giving Advice | 1 | ||
| Task 2: Talking about a Personal Experience | 1 | ||
| Task 3: Describing a Scene | 1 | ||
| Task 4: Making Predictions | 1 | ||
| Task 5: Comparing and Persuading | 1 | ||
| Task 6: Dealing with a Difficult Situation | 1 | ||
| Task 7: Expressing Opinions | 1 | ||
| Task 8: Describing an Unusual Situation | 1 |
With this simple structure and some preparation, you may start your journey towards Canadian permanent residency, citizenship, and professional designation.
