CEL PIPCELPIP Practice
Practice Mock Test
  1. Home
  2. Blog
  3. Twenty CELPIP Task 2 Survey Prompts, Grouped by Trap

CELPIP blog

Twenty CELPIP Task 2 Survey Prompts, Grouped by Trap

Published: Oct 05, 2026

Quick answer

Short answer: CELPIP Writing Task 2 always wears the same costume — a community or workplace survey with options — but the prompts cluster into four families, each with its own trap. The bank below gives you twenty prompts across the four, with the trap named per group. Practice across families, not within one: the transfer is in meeting a new decision shape, not rehearsing an old one.

Group A: facility money (the vague-benefit trap)

1. Your city can fund one: a new swimming pool or upgraded bike lanes. 2. The library will extend hours OR add a children's wing. 3. Your building's budget: gym equipment or a rooftop garden. 4. The park board: more sports fields or a permanent market square. 5. The rec centre: renovate the theatre or build climbing walls.

The trap: Both options 'benefit the community' — vague support writes itself and scores nothing. Win by naming who specifically gains: shift workers, kids under ten, residents without cars.

Group B: rules and policy (the freedom-vs-order trap)

6. Should your building ban short-term rentals? 7. Should the city make transit free on weekends? 8. Should food trucks be allowed on your street? 9. Should the park close at 10 pm? 10. Should apartment buildings require quiet hours?

The trap: Arguing pure principle — freedom! order! — instead of consequences. Strong answers argue what happens: noise data, small-business effects, who bears the cost.

Group C: workplace change (the everyone-differs trap)

11. Your company: four-day week or permanent flexible hours? 12. The office: convert meeting rooms to quiet pods, yes or no? 13. Training budget: conference tickets or online course subscriptions? 14. The cafeteria: subsidized meals or extended hours? 15. Team events: quarterly outings or monthly lunch hours?

The trap: 'It depends on the person' — true, and a non-answer. Choose for a defined majority ('for a team with long commutes…') and let the tradeoff clause hold the nuance.

Group D: community events (the enthusiasm trap)

16. The street festival: expand to two days or keep one bigger day? 17. Neighbourhood cleanup: monthly small events or one annual big one? 18. The winter market: heated indoor hall or traditional outdoor square? 19. Canada Day funds: fireworks or a food-and-music stage? 20. The community class budget: languages or first aid?

The trap: Enthusiasm substituting for argument — 'festivals bring people together!' Warmth without a concrete reason caps the response; pair every warm claim with a mechanism (spending stays local, newcomers meet neighbours through food).

Working the bank

Two prompts a week, from different groups, under full timing. Before writing, run the defensibility test from the defensible-option method; after writing, score against the survey template and get criterion feedback on the writing practice page.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Are these the actual CELPIP Task 2 topics?

They're in the test's register - community and workplace surveys - without being test items. The families and traps mirror what the real task rotates through.

Should I practice the same prompt twice?

Once now, once in three weeks arguing the other option. Arguing the side you didn't choose is the fastest way to learn what 'defensible' means.

How long should practice responses be?

Match the real task's conditions on the practice page rather than a word target - the skill is completing the argument inside the time, not filling space.