What is the CELPIP exam pattern?

Listening has six parts: Listening to Problem Solving, Listening to a Daily Life Conversation, Listening for Information, Listening to a News Item, Listening to a Discussion and Listening to Viewpoints. Reading has four: Reading Correspondence, Reading to Apply a Diagram, Reading for Information and Reading for Viewpoints (celpip.ca).

Both components include unscored items used for test development. They look the same as scored items and can appear anywhere, so Paragon advises treating every question as scored. All Listening and Reading questions are multiple choice or similar and are marked by computer (celpip.ca).

Writing has two tasks: Writing an Email and Responding to Survey Questions. Speaking has eight: Giving Advice, Talking about a Personal Experience, Describing a Scene, Making Predictions, Comparing and Persuading, Dealing with a Difficult Situation, Expressing Opinions and Describing an Unusual Situation (celpip.ca). Speaking is done on the computer in the same sitting, and trained raters score the recorded responses afterwards.

Raters score Writing on Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Readability and Task Fulfillment, including word count, and Speaking on Content/Coherence, Vocabulary, Listenability and Task Fulfillment (celpip.ca). Our CELPIP score chart explains the levels.

CELPIP-General LS is for Canadian citizenship and has two components: Listening, 38 questions in 46 to 55 minutes, and Speaking, 8 tasks in 15 minutes. It takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes in one sitting (celpip.ca). Paragon offers a free online sample test with the same format and timing (celpip.ca).

If you are weighing tests for Canada, IELTS General Training and PTE Core are also accepted for Express Entry (IRCC); see IELTS vs CELPIP for Canada or try a PTE Core practice test.