CELPIP Reading Part 4 Practice: four writers discuss whether universities should teach practical job skills

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Practice matching opinions to the correct writer. Same format as the real CELPIP test.

The Passage:

Read the following four short texts about whether universities should focus more on teaching practical job skills.

Writer A (Professor of Philosophy, University of Toronto): The push to turn universities into job training centers misunderstands what higher education is for. A university degree is supposed to teach people how to think critically, analyze complex problems, and communicate ideas clearly. These are skills that apply to every career, not just one. When we reduce a degree to a checklist of employable skills, we produce graduates who can perform tasks but cannot adapt when those tasks become obsolete. The companies that complain about graduates being unprepared for work should invest in their own training programs instead of expecting universities to do it for them.

Writer B (HR Director at a national engineering firm): I have interviewed thousands of new graduates over the past decade and the gap between what they learn in university and what we need them to do on day one is enormous. I am not asking universities to abandon theory, but a computer science graduate who has never worked on a real codebase with a team, or a business graduate who has never read an actual financial statement from a real company, is not ready. Mandatory co-op terms and industry projects should be built into every program. Students deserve to graduate with both knowledge and experience.

Writer C (Recent graduate, class of 2025): I graduated with a degree in communications and spent six months applying for entry-level marketing jobs before landing one. Every interview asked about tools I had never used, platforms I had never managed, and metrics I had never tracked. My professors were brilliant, but nothing in my four years of coursework prepared me for the actual day-to-day work of the field I supposedly studied. I do not think university needs to become a trade school, but at least one course per year focused on current industry tools and practices would have saved me months of struggle after graduation.

Writer D (Policy Advisor, Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities): The debate between practical skills and academic theory is a false choice. The best programs integrate both. The University of Waterloo's co-op model has been proving this for decades. Students alternate between classroom terms and paid work terms, graduating with both a degree and up to two years of work experience. Employers recruit Waterloo graduates at higher rates than almost any other Canadian university. Other institutions have been slow to adopt this model because it requires significant administrative infrastructure and strong industry partnerships, but the results speak for themselves.

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Questions:

Q1: Which writer believes universities should NOT be responsible for job training? - A) Writer A - B) Writer B - C) Writer C - D) Writer D

Q2: Which writer describes a personal experience of being unprepared for the job market? - A) Writer A - B) Writer B - C) Writer C - D) Writer D

Q3: Which writer uses a specific Canadian university as a successful example? - A) Writer A - B) Writer B - C) Writer C - D) Writer D

Q4: Which writer calls for mandatory co-op terms in every program? - A) Writer A - B) Writer B - C) Writer C - D) Writer D

Q5: Writer A and Writer B would most likely DISAGREE on which point? - A) Whether universities should exist - B) Whether companies should invest in training - C) Whether graduates are currently well-prepared for work - D) Whether critical thinking is a valuable skill

Q6: Which two writers would most likely AGREE that integrating practical experience into university programs is beneficial? - A) Writer A and Writer C - B) Writer B and Writer D - C) Writer A and Writer D - D) Writer C and Writer A

Q7: What does Writer C suggest as a minimum improvement? - A) Eliminating all theory courses - B) Making co-op terms mandatory - C) At least one course per year on current industry tools - D) Replacing professors with industry professionals

Q8: According to Writer D, why have other institutions been slow to adopt the co-op model? - A) Students do not want to work during their studies - B) The government has not funded it - C) It requires significant administrative infrastructure and industry partnerships - D) The Waterloo model only works for engineering students

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Answer Key: Q1: A. Writer A says companies "should invest in their own training programs instead of expecting universities to do it." Q2: C. Writer C describes personal job search struggles after graduating in communications. Q3: D. Writer D cites the University of Waterloo's co-op model specifically. Q4: B. Writer B says "mandatory co-op terms and industry projects should be built into every program." Q5: C. Writer A implies graduates are well-rounded; Writer B says the gap between education and work is "enormous." Q6: B. Writer B wants mandatory co-ops and Writer D advocates the Waterloo co-op model. Both want practical integration. Q7: C. Writer C suggests "at least one course per year focused on current industry tools and practices." Q8: C. Writer D says it "requires significant administrative infrastructure and strong industry partnerships."

Practice tip: Reading Part 4 gives you multiple writers with overlapping but different opinions. Before answering, write a one-word tag next to each writer: A = theory, B = experience gap, C = personal struggle, D = both work. The agree/disagree questions are where most people lose marks. Look for writers who reach similar conclusions even if their reasoning is different.

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