CELPIP

The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program or CELPIP is a fully computer-delivered English language assessment program that provides a consistent, valid, reliable and standardized measurement of test taker’s competency in English language skills such as, Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. It is recognized by a number of professional bodies including universities, colleges, immigration authorities and government agencies. CELPIP is administered by Paragon Testing Enterprises which is a subsidiary of UBC (University of British Columbia). It was designed as the Canadian alternative to IELTS test, and incorporates Canadian English and accents as practiced in Canada. It is a single day test, of continuous 3 hours without any break, i.e., it has to be completed within a single sitting; and is conducted only in Canada, Manila, Philippines, UAE, U.S.A, and India. It is fast as the results are declared within 8 business days normally, also with EXPRESS Rating option one can get to know one’s result within 3 business days.

CELPIP comes in two version primarily to suit variant needs if individuals-

CELPIP-General Test: It assesses functional language skills (i.e., Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing) in typical everyday situations, and is accepted by IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) as the English language proficiency proof for permanent residency in Canada. The duration of this test is 3 hours.
CELPIP-General LS Test: This test examines functional Listening and Speaking English language proficiency skills, and is recognized by IRCC as a language proficiency proof for the Canadian Citizenship. It is to be completed within time-frame of 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Modules of CELPIP:

Listening: The time allotted to this module is 47-55 minutes. It is generally said, “Listening is a master skill for personal and professional greatness”. So this segment tests you on following grounds:
- Listening to problem solving (8 questions)
- Listening to a daily life conversation (5 questions)
- Listening for information (6 questions)
- Listening to a news item (5 questions)
- Listening to a discussion (8 questions)
- Listening to Viewpoints (6 questions).
Reading: This module is to be completed within time-frame of 55-60 minutes. As difficult it may look but it is like taking candy from a baby. The tasks of this module are of following nature:
- Reading Correspondence (11 questions),
- Reading to apply a diagram (8 questions),
- Reading for information (9 questions),
- Reading for viewpoints (10 questions).
Writing: The time duration for this segment lies from 53 to 60 minutes. Writing is not everybody’s cup of tea, but with strenuous hard work and practice it can be easily done. Here one has to perform 2 tasks:
- Task 1: Writing an email (150-200 words)
- Task 2: Responding to survey questions.
Speaking: For this segment one gets 15-20 minutes to finish it up. So here one has to be very fast and vigilant. Slow and steady won’t win the race over here. Keeping up with the pace and running with time is the key to success in this part, and practice will act as the lubricant which will smoothen up the things.

Now coming up with the tasks that are involved in this module are:

Task 1: Giving advice
Task 2: Talking about personal experience
Task 3: Describing a scene
Task 4: Making predictions
Task 5: Comparing and persuading
Task 6: Dealing with a difficult situation
Task 7: Expressing Opinions
Task 8: Describing an unusual situation.

NOTE: The Listening and Reading sections contain some unscored questions, which a test taker will not know. These items are for test development, and can be found anywhere in the test segments. It will have same format as the scored items, so attempt as many questions as you can and give your best efforts to achieve higher scores.

As it is rightly said, “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war”. Perseverance will be definitely helpful in clearing this exam. All the best!