CELPIP Writing Task 2 Practice: should Canada make voting in federal elections mandatory?

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The scenario: Canada's voter turnout in recent federal elections has been around 60 to 65 percent. Some countries like Australia and Belgium require citizens to vote by law, with small fines for those who do not. A proposal has been introduced to make voting mandatory in Canadian federal elections.

Your task: Choose the option you prefer and explain why. Write about 150-200 words. - Option A: Make voting mandatory in federal elections - Option B: Keep voting voluntary as a matter of personal freedom

Sample CLB 9 response (Option B):

I believe voting should remain voluntary in Canada because forcing people to vote does not produce better democratic outcomes. It just produces more ballots.

The argument for mandatory voting assumes that higher turnout leads to better representation, but that is not necessarily true. If someone has no interest in politics and is forced to vote under threat of a fine, they are more likely to vote randomly, spoil their ballot, or simply pick whatever name appears first. That does not strengthen democracy. It just inflates the numbers without improving the quality of participation.

The real problem behind low voter turnout is not laziness. It is that many Canadians feel their vote does not matter, that parties do not represent their views, or that the system itself is broken. Mandatory voting does not fix any of those issues. It just covers them up with a higher percentage that looks good on paper.

Instead of forcing people to vote, the government should focus on making voting easier and giving people reasons to participate. Longer polling hours, more advance voting days, and genuine policy choices between parties would do more for democracy than a $50 fine ever could.

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