A Friend's Broken Heater in January

The task

Your friend Tomasz rents a basement apartment in Edmonton. It is January, and the heater in his bedroom has not worked for a week. He has texted his landlord twice but has had no reply. Advise Tomasz on what he should do.

• Read the task, prepare during the preparation time, then speak aloud for the speaking time.
• This is an original practice question written in a CELPIP-style format. It is not a real test question.
• The CLB level of each model answer was reviewed by a TESOL-certified instructor. It is not an official CELPIP score. This practice material is not affiliated with or endorsed by Paragon Testing Enterprises.
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Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking time

90 seconds

Question

2 of 10

Tomasz, one week with no heat? In January? That's really serious, you can get sick. Texting is not enough, I think. Call him. If he don't answer, send email. In the email write when the heater stop working and, um, that your room is very cold at night. Email is better, you have the date, it's like a proof. Also pictures. Take some pictures of the thermostat and write the temperature every morning, every morning. Look at your lease, maybe there is number for emergency repair, you know, or a company that manage the building. If nothing happens in two or three days, you can call the tenancy office for the province, they can tell you what you can do. Oh, and please, don't use the oven for heat, it's dangerous. I have a small heater, I don't use it. You can borrow. Come tonight and take it, okay?

Why this answer works

• Gives sensible steps (call, email, photos, lease, tenancy office), but they come in short bursts with few links ("Also pictures.") and the safety warning arrives late, as an afterthought.
• Simple, clear words with varied slips ("if he don't answer", "it's like a proof", "You can borrow") and a repeated phrase ("every morning, every morning"), consistent with a CLB 7.
• Shows real concern and ends with a concrete offer, but there is no summary of the plan.

Tomasz, a week without heat in January is a serious problem, so I think you need to do more than send texts. Here's what I'd suggest. Today, call your landlord. If he doesn't answer, send him an email as well. In the email, say when the heater stopped working, how cold your bedroom gets at night, and that you need it fixed soon. An email is useful because it gives you a written record with a date on it. While you wait, keep notes. For example, take a photo of the thermostat every morning so you can show how cold it is. Next, check your lease. Sometimes there's an emergency number for repairs or a property management company you can contact. If you still don't hear anything in two or three days, call the province's tenancy information office. They can explain your options. Please don't use the oven to heat the room, because it isn't safe. You can borrow my space heater tonight. Call me tomorrow and tell me what he says.

Why this answer works

• Clear steps in a sensible order (call, email, notes, lease, outside help), each with a short reason.
• One concrete example ("take a photo of the thermostat every morning") shows how to keep records.
• Plain, accurate words: written record, property management company, tenancy information office.

Tomasz, my advice is to stop treating this as a favour you're asking for and start treating it as a repair your landlord owes you. A week with no heat in January isn't something to wait out. You've really got two routes. One is to keep chasing the landlord yourself, and the other is to bring in the province's tenancy information service. I'd start the first today and keep the second ready. So phone him this afternoon, and whether or not he picks up, send an email that evening with the date the heater died and the overnight temperature in your bedroom. A reading of twelve degrees beats just saying it's cold. You might worry that pushing will make things tense, since you rent from him directly. In my experience, a polite, dated email does the opposite, because it shows you're being reasonable. If there's still silence by Friday, call the tenancy service and ask what your options are. And in the meantime, the oven isn't a heater, so please don't use it that way. The real question is whether you call them now or wait until Friday.

Why this answer works

• Opens with a reframing recommendation ("start treating it as a repair your landlord owes you"), then names two routes and ranks them ("I'd start the first today and keep the second ready").
• Answers his likely worry ("You might worry that pushing will make things tense") and sets a clear fallback deadline ("If there's still silence by Friday").
• Precise but plain wording ("wait out", "chasing the landlord", "a polite, dated email"), and it closes by handing the decision back to him.