Reading Correspondence

Read an email or letter exchange between two people. Questions test your ability to identify the purpose, key details, and tone of formal and informal correspondence.

11
Questions
10 min
Duration
Other parts
01Reading Correspondence02Reading to Apply a Diagram03Reading for Information04Reading for Viewpoints

What this part tests

  • 11 questions in total with 10 minutes to complete the part.
  • You will read an email or letter exchange between two people, consisting of an original message and its reply.
  • The message may be a complaint, request, invitation, announcement, or other correspondence.
  • You will answer 6 sentence-stem questions about the original message using dropdown menus.
  • You will then fill in 5 blanks in the response message by choosing the best word from dropdown menus.
  • Example topics include job relocations, event planning, customer complaints, and travel arrangements.

Key strategies

01

Read the original message carefully first

Understand who is writing, why, and what they want. The response only makes sense in the context of the original.

02

For sentence-stem questions, go back to the text

Don't answer from memory. Find the relevant sentence in the passage and verify your choice matches what's written.

03

For fill-in-blank questions, read the full sentence around the blank

Context before AND after the blank matters. The grammar and meaning of the surrounding words constrain which option fits.

04

Consider the relationship between writer and recipient

Is this formal or informal? A complaint or a friendly note? The tone affects which vocabulary choices are appropriate for the blanks.

Example

Part 1: Reading Correspondence
Read the following message.
From: David
To: Mom

Dear Mom,

I have some really big news to share, and I wanted you to hear it directly from me. After weeks of interviews and a lot of back-and-forth, I've officially accepted the Senior Project Manager position at Zenith Technologies in Vancouver! The role is exactly what I've been working toward, with the chance to lead a team of twelve and oversee some pretty exciting product launches.

I know Vancouver is a big move, and honestly, I'm a little nervous about leaving everything familiar behind. But the company is offering a generous relocation package, and I've already started researching neighborhoods. I'm hoping to find a place near Stanley Park so I can keep up my morning runs.

I'd love for you and Dad to come visit once I'm settled. I think you'd really enjoy the city.

Using the drop-down menu, choose the best option according to the information given in the message.
1.David's main reason for writing to his mother is to

How to apply the strategies

  • This question tests whether you identified David's primary purpose for writing.
  • The message opens with "I have some really big news" and focuses on describing his new job at Zenith Technologies. Being nervous and the housing search are secondary details.
  • Strategy 1 (Read the original message carefully): The opening sets the main purpose of the email.
  • Strategy 2 (Go back to the text): Re-reading the first paragraph confirms the answer.
Part 2: Reading to Apply a Diagram
Drill this part

Practice Reading Now

Apply these strategies with real CELPIP-style reading passages.

Start practicing

Explore more strategies