CELPIP blog
CELPIP Reading Part 2: A Diagram Drill You Can Do Right Now
Quick answer
Short answer: CELPIP Reading Part 2 pairs a diagram with an email and rewards one specific routine: extract the person’s constraints from the email first, then filter the diagram against them one at a time. Wrong options are real diagram entries that fail exactly one constraint. Here is a complete miniature Part 2 — schedule, email, three questions — to run the routine on right now.
The diagram: community centre winter classes
| Class | Day & time | Ages | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watercolour Basics | Tue 6:30-8:00 pm | 16+ | $85 | Materials included |
| Family Pottery | Sat 10:00-11:30 am | All ages | $110 | One adult per child required |
| Digital Photo Editing | Thu 7:00-9:00 pm | 16+ | $95 | Bring own laptop |
| Evening Yoga | Mon & Wed 6:00-7:00 pm | 18+ | $120 | Twice weekly |
| Teen Guitar | Sat 1:00-2:30 pm | 12-17 | $90 | Loaner guitars available* |
The email
The questions
Q1: Which class best fits Anika?
Teen Guitar. Constraint filter: Saturday ✓ (kills Watercolour, Photo Editing, Yoga), age 14 ✓ (kills 16+/18+ options anyway), under $100 ✓ ($90), no instrument — solved by the loaner note ✓. Family Pottery survives the day check but fails twice: 'one adult per child required' collides with Priya working Saturday mornings, and $110 breaks the budget.
Q2: Which single constraint eliminates Family Pottery even if budget were no issue?
The adult-presence requirement. Priya works until noon; the class runs 10:00-11:30 am. This is the fine-print trap - the fee is the visible problem, but the Notes column held the decisive one.
Q3: If Anika were 16 and free on Thursdays, what would block Digital Photo Editing?
'Bring own laptop' - unless the email established she has one, the notes column fails the match again. Part 2 answers live in the fine print more often than in the main grid.
What the drill teaches
Every elimination above used one constraint at a time, and every trap lived in the Notes column. That is Part 2 in miniature: the email is the filter, the fine print is the battlefield. The full routine and mistake patterns are in the Part 2 guide; timed practice with evidence review is on the reading practice page.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Should I read the diagram or the email first in Part 2?
Email first, always. It contains the constraints that make the diagram filterable; reading the diagram first means memorizing entries you will mostly eliminate.
Where do Part 2 trap options usually hide?
In fine print: notes columns, footnotes, asterisks. Options typically satisfy the visible constraints and fail one condition hiding in the smallest text.
How fast should Part 2 feel?
With the constraint-first routine, faster than Parts 3 and 4 - it is the best part to bank time in. If it feels slow, you are browsing the diagram instead of filtering it.