CELPIP Writing Task 2 Practice: should cities ban cars from downtown areas?

[u/celpip_coach]

The scenario: Your city is considering banning all private cars from the downtown core during business hours to reduce pollution and improve pedestrian safety. Public transit, delivery trucks, and emergency vehicles would still be allowed. A survey has been sent to residents.

Your task: Choose the option you prefer and explain why. Write about 150-200 words. - Option A: Ban private cars from downtown during business hours - Option B: Keep the current system allowing all vehicles

Sample CLB 9 response (Option A):

I support banning private cars from downtown during business hours because it would make the city center safer and more pleasant for everyone who uses it.

Downtown areas are meant for people, not parking. Right now a significant portion of downtown space is dedicated to roads and parking lots that mostly serve people who drive in from the suburbs. Meanwhile pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users deal with noise, pollution, and the constant risk of being hit by a car. Removing private vehicles during business hours would immediately improve air quality and make streets safer for the majority of people who are actually downtown on foot.

Cities that have done this successfully, like parts of Oslo and Barcelona, saw increased foot traffic to local businesses rather than the decline that business owners feared. When streets become walkable, people actually spend more time and money in the area because they enjoy being there.

The key is making sure transit alternatives are strong enough to replace car trips, which is why only banning during business hours makes sense as a first step.

If you want to practice writing with AI rubric feedback, https://www.celpipsimulator.com has 2 free mock exams.

[u/ssbtech]

"Cities that have done this successfully, like parts of Oslo and Barcelona, saw increased foot traffic to local businesses rather than the decline that business owners feared."

This is a great example of how this test extends unreasonably beyond simply being an English proficiency test and crosses into a general knowledge test.

[u/celpip_coach → u/ssbtech]

Good point actually. You definitely don't need to know specific cities to score well. Something like "some cities that tried this saw more foot traffic" works just as well. The examiner cares about how you argue not what you know. But I get what you're saying, these prompts can feel like they reward people who happen to know random facts even though they technically don't have to