2.3 Reading Tarea 3: Matching People's Needs to Short Ads (6 of 9)
Key Takeaways
Tarea 3 has six items: candidates match six statements by people (10–25 words each) to six of nine short ads of 20–30 words.
In the Modelo 0, Tarea 3 uses housing ads from ten Spanish cities (letters A–J, including the example), and the items are numbered 12 to 17.
Distractor ads share the topic of a statement but fail one condition, such as the price, the location, the dates or the type of service.
Each statement usually combines two to four conditions, for example to rent or to buy, the size, the place and the time of year.
Crossing off used ads and checking every condition before choosing prevents double assignments and keyword traps.
Understanding Tarea 3: People and Short Ads
In Tarea 3 you read short ads taken from leaflets, brochures, catalogues and other informational or promotional material, and you decide which ad suits each person. The skill tested is understanding the general sense of informational material and short, simple descriptions supported by graphics.
| Exam Parameter | Tarea 3 Specification |
|---|---|
| Items | 6 (Modelo numbering 12–17) |
| Ads | 9 short texts of 20–30 words, with graphic support |
| Statements | 6 statements by people, 10–25 words each |
| Domain | Public |
| Unused ads | 3 |
What the Modelo 0 Shows
The Modelo 0 uses housing ads (anuncios informativos sobre casas) from ten cities: one is the example, and nine remain for the six statements. Each ad gives the city, se alquila or se vende, the type of home, the rooms, the price or the months available, and a contact. The statements describe what a person or group wants, for example a big house near a ski station for the Christmas holidays, or a small flat to buy for one person. The example is Buscamos un piso para el mes de mayo en una ciudad con playa, answered by a flat by the beach that is available all year except August.
Break Each Statement into Conditions
Before you look at the ads, underline the conditions in each statement:
| Statement (Modelo style) | Conditions to check |
|---|---|
| Quiero comprar un piso pequeño para mí sola. | buy (not rent) + small + one person |
| Tenemos dos hijas y queremos comprar un piso grande en una zona con colegio. | buy + big + schools nearby |
| Para el próximo curso queremos alquilar un piso para tres personas cerca de la universidad. Máximo, 650 euros al mes. | rent + three bedrooms + university + price limit + school year |
A distractor usually matches the topic and fails one condition: the right city but se vende instead of se alquila, the right size but the wrong months, or the right price but far from the university.
The Challenge of Unused Distractor Texts
Because there are nine ads for six statements, distractor management is the defining tactical skill of Tarea 3. Test creators construct distractors that deliberately share broad topic vocabulary with the candidates—such as apartment rentals, foreign languages, sports, or pet care—while embedding a disqualifying contradiction such as an incompatible schedule, an excluded demographic, or an excessive price.
Worked Matching Set: People and Ads
The real task has nine ads and six statements. This shorter set (three people, five ads) shows how the conditions in a statement eliminate distractors.
Statements
- Manuel: "Busca una habitación barata para el curso universitario. Quiere un precio con el agua y la luz incluidas."
- Beatriz: "Quiere hablar inglés con personas nativas por la tarde, de lunes a viernes."
- Javier: "Necesita reparar su bicicleta rota y comprar un casco nuevo este sábado por la mañana."
The Ads
[Aviso A]
Taller Bici-Rápido: Reparación de todo tipo de bicicletas y venta de accesorios y cascos.
Abierto de lunes a viernes de 8:30 a 20:00 y sábados de 9:00 a 14:00.
c/ Mayor, n.º 12.
[Aviso B]
Se alquila piso completo de tres dormitorios en zona residencial.
900 € al mes. Gastos de electricidad y gas aparte. Ideal para familias.
tfno. 600 12 34 56.
[Aviso C]
Club de Idiomas Café Central: Intercambio de conversación español-inglés con hablantes nativos.
Todos los martes y jueves de 18:00 a 20:00 h. Entrada libre.
Consumición mínima obligatoria.
[Aviso D]
Habitación individual luminosa en piso compartido de estudiantes.
250 € al mes, todos los gastos incluidos (agua, luz e internet).
A cinco minutos del campus universitario.
[Aviso E]
Venta de bicicletas de montaña de segunda mano para adultos y niños.
Gran liquidación con descuentos del 30%.
Horario: de lunes a viernes de 10:00 a 19:00 h. Cerrado sábados y domingos.
Step-by-Step Resolution and Distractor Traps
Matching Manuel (Profile 1)
- Requirements: Room rental (not whole flat), budget-friendly, university student environment, utilities included (gastos incluidos).
- Notice B Analysis: Mentions housing, but it offers an entire three-bedroom apartment (piso completo) for 900 € with utilities billed separately (gastos aparte). This is a distractor.
- Notice D Analysis: Offers a single room in a shared student flat (habitación individual en piso compartido de estudiantes) for 250 €/month with all utilities included (todos los gastos incluidos: agua, luz e internet) near the university. Perfect Match: Aviso D.
Matching Beatriz (Profile 2)
- Requirements: Practice English conversation with native speakers, afternoon schedule, Monday-through-Friday days (días laborables).
- Notice C Analysis: Promotes an English-Spanish exchange (intercambio de conversación español-inglés) with native speakers (hablantes nativos) on Tuesdays and Thursdays (martes y jueves = weekdays) from 18:00 to 20:00 (afternoon/evening). Perfect Match: Aviso C.
Matching Javier (Profile 3)
- Requirements: Bicycle repair service, purchase a new helmet (casco), Saturday morning availability.
- Notice E Analysis: Sells bicycles, but it does not offer repair services, and crucially, it is closed on weekends (Cerrado sábados y domingos). This is a trap for candidates who only look for the word bicicletas.
- Notice A Analysis: Explicitly offers repairs (reparación de todo tipo de bicicletas), sells accessories and helmets (venta de accesorios y cascos), and is open on Saturdays from 9:00 to 14:00 (sábados de 9:00 a 14:00). Perfect Match: Aviso A.
Systematic Matching Methodology
To score well on Tarea 3, avoid random scanning. Follow this systematic three-phase workflow:
Phase 1: Dissecting the Candidate's Non-Negotiables
Underline the 3 or 4 essential parameters in every candidate statement:
- Core Need: What specific object, service, or activity is required?
- Temporal Constraint: What day of the week or time of day is mandatory?
- Financial Constraint: Is there a specified budget limit or a requirement for free admission / included utilities?
- Target Audience: Is the candidate a student, a pet owner, a professional, or a parent?
Phase 2: Scanning for Semantic Equivalents vs. False Twins
Recognize that official exam questions rarely match texts using the exact same vocabulary. Instead, they test synonyms and semantic paraphrases:
- Statement: aprender a bailar → Ad: academia de danza y ritmos latinos.
- Statement: no pagar entrada → Ad: acceso gratuito / entrada libre.
- Statement: comprar ropa barata → Ad: descuentos del 50% / rebajas de temporada.
Phase 3: The Elimination and Tracking Grid
Keep track of which notices have been definitively assigned. Once a notice is confirmed for a candidate, cross it off your working list. Because each ad can be used only once, reducing the pool of available options progressively simplifies the remaining choices and prevents accidental double-assignments.
In DELE A1 Reading Tarea 3, what do candidates match?
Five questions to one personal email or postcard
Six statements by people to six of nine short ads
Six short sentences to six of nine notes, signs and diary entries
Eight questions to one long informational text
A statement reads: 'Carmen quiere aprender a cocinar platos tradicionales los fines de semana.' Which ad is the correct match?
'Taller de cocina española: aprenda a preparar paellas y tapas los sábados por la mañana.'
'Restaurante El Rincón: menú del día con platos tradicionales de lunes a viernes por 12 euros.'
'Supermercado La Huerta: ingredientes frescos para sus recetas favoritas, también los sábados.'
'Curso intensivo de cocina francesa: clases prácticas los martes y jueves de 19:00 a 21:00.'
In Tarea 3, what is the main danger of matching a person to an ad because of one shared word (such as 'bicicleta')?
Public signs in Spain are legally prohibited from repeating any vocabulary that is found in official exam prompts.
Vocabulary words with identical spelling always have opposite meanings when printed on public posters.
Distractor ads often contain the same word but fail a key condition such as the opening days or the type of service.
The DELE exam penalizes candidates whenever they read words that appear more than once in the booklet.
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.