Workplace environment and wellness survey (CLB 8)
Task prompt
Your employer is conducting an anonymous staff wellness survey. Respond to questions about your work environment, workload, and work-life balance. Suggest two specific changes the employer could make to improve employee wellbeing. Write in complete sentences.
Your task
Complete a workplace wellness survey for your employer. You must:
- Comment on work environment, workload, and balance
- Make two specific, actionable improvement suggestions
- Maintain a professional, constructive tone throughout
- Use complete sentences
Word count target: 150–190 words
Model answer (CLB 8)
Staff Wellness Survey — Northgate Solutions
How would you describe your current work environment? Generally positive. My colleagues are supportive and communication within my team is open. However, the open-plan office can be distracting when I need to focus on detailed tasks, and there is limited access to quiet workspace.
How manageable is your current workload? Moderately challenging. Deadlines are often clustered at month-end, which creates high-pressure periods followed by quieter weeks. A more even distribution of project timelines would reduce stress for most team members.
How would you rate your work-life balance? Adequate, but there is room for improvement. I occasionally receive work-related messages outside of office hours, which makes it difficult to fully disconnect.
What two changes would most improve employee wellbeing? First, I would recommend designating two or three quiet focus rooms in the office that employees can book for deep-work sessions. Second, the company should establish a clear after-hours communication policy so that staff can disconnect without concern after 6:00 p.m.
Why this scores CLB 8
| CLB Criterion | What this response does well |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Every question answered with an opinion plus reasoning |
| Detail | Open-plan office issue, month-end clustering, after-hours messages — all concrete |
| Organization | Follows survey structure; suggestions are numbered and specific |
| Tone | Professional, balanced — acknowledges positives before raising issues |
| Vocabulary | ”open-plan,” “clustered deadlines,” “deep-work sessions,” “disconnect” |
| Grammar | Conditional sentences, subordinate clauses, hedging language (“occasionally,” “generally”) |
Common mistakes at CLB 6–7
| Weak version | Why it loses marks |
|---|---|
| ”My job is stressful. I want better pay.” | Pay is not in scope; straying from the prompt loses task marks |
| Vague suggestions (“improve communication”) | CLB 8 requires actionable specifics — what exactly, where, when |
| Only negative comments | A balanced response signals greater linguistic and professional maturity |
| No reasoning for ratings | Ratings without explanation are incomplete responses |
Examiner tip
Workplace surveys test your ability to advocate professionally. The most effective responses do three things: acknowledge what is working, identify a specific problem, and propose a realistic fix. This structure shows analytical thinking — something CELPIP rewards at CLB 8 and above. Avoid emotion-driven complaints; they signal lower register awareness.