8.2 Writing Tarea 2: Short Epistolary Texts (Emails, Postcards, Messages & Ads, 30–40 Words)

8.2 Writing Tarea 2: Short Epistolary Texts (Emails, Postcards, Messages & Ads, 30–40 Words)

In Tarea 2 of Prueba 3, you transition from administrative data recording to active written interaction. The examination presents a situation, often with an input text (a postcard, email, message, short letter, ad or note), and asks you to write a short epistolary text of about 30 to 40 words: a postcard, an email, a message or a short letter, in a personal or public situation. You have approximately 10 to 12 minutes to plan, write, and proofread this piece.

Despite its brevity, Tarea 2 is a rigorous test of functional communicative competence. Instituto Cervantes examiners evaluate whether you can understand a contextual prompt, address every specific instruction, select appropriate greeting and farewell formulas, and maintain control of basic A1 vocabulary and present-tense verbs.

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Target Genres & Communicative Situations

DELE A1 Tarea 2 prompts are anchored in everyday situations. The Modelo 0 asks for an online ad to rent your flat, and the exam guide's samples answer a request to introduce yourself (say hello, describe what you look like, say what you like and say goodbye). Practise these text types:

1. Holiday Postcard (Postal de vacaciones): Writing to a friend or family member describing where you are staying, the local weather, what activities you do, and what you eat.
2. Informal Email (Correo electrónico informal): Inviting a classmate to a birthday gathering, describing plans for the weekend, or asking about a shared project.
3. Domestic Table Note (Nota doméstica / Mensaje en la nevera): Leaving a short message for a flatmate or family member explaining where you have gone, what food is in the kitchen, and what time you will return home.
4. Instant Messaging / WhatsApp Message (Mensaje de chat): Arranging a meeting at a café, apologizing for arriving late, or confirming an appointment time and location.
5. Acceptance or Declination Note (Aceptación o rechazo de invitación): Thanking someone for an invitation, stating whether you can attend, explaining why, and proposing an alternative plan.
6. Short Ad (Anuncio): Offering or looking for something, as in the Modelo 0: Usted tiene un piso que quiere alquilar. Escriba un anuncio... with four points: what the flat is like, where it is, the price and where people can write or call.
7. Self-Introduction (Presentación): Answering a message or ad from someone who wants to meet people, with points such as your appearance and what you like.

Personal messages to friends and family use the informal register (tú). An ad or a message to a school, shop or landlord can be neutral or use usted, so let the situation in the instructions decide.

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Deconstructing the Exam Prompt (Pautas Obligatorias)

Every Tarea 2 prompt gives a short situation followed by the points to include (the exam guide calls them puntos de orientación; the Modelo 0 lists four). Treat them as your checklist.

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     SAMPLE EXAM-STYLE PROMPT                           │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Usted está de vacaciones en una ciudad española. Escriba una postal    │
│ a un amigo español (30-40 palabras). En ella debe:                     │
│  • Saludar a su amigo.                                                 │
│  • Decir dónde está y cómo es la ciudad.                               │
│  • Explicar qué hace por las mañanas y qué comida le gusta.            │
│  • Despedirse.                                                         │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

How Missing Points Affect the Score

The writing test uses a holistic scale for each task, not separate marks per point. For Tarea 2, the band-2 descriptor (the A1 standard) describes a text of 30–40 words that meets the communicative goal and may omit or misread one of the points. Omitting or misreading more than one point matches the band-1 descriptor, and a text that does not follow the points, or is irrelevant, can fall to band 0.

So one slip does not sink the task, but two do. The first step in the exam is to underline each point on your exam sheet and tick it off once it is in your draft.

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The Four-Part Architectural Framework

Most DELE A1 messages (ads are the exception) are built on four blocks:

[1. Saludo]      ──► ¡Hola, Laura!  /  Querido Carlos:
                        │
[2. Cuerpo]      ──► [Addresses Pauta 1: Location & Description]
                        │
                     [Addresses Pauta 2: Activities & Routine]
                        │
                     [Addresses Pauta 3: Food / Preferences]
                        │
[3. Despedida]   ──► Un abrazo  /  Hasta pronto  /  Besos
                        │
[4. Firma]       ──► Marcos

1. Saludo (Salutation / Greeting)

• Informal greetings: ¡Hola, [Nombre]! (remember the opening inverted exclamation mark!).
• Epistolary greetings: Querido [Nombre]: (masculine recipient) or Querida [Nombre]: (feminine recipient).
• Punctuation rule: In Spanish, formal and personal letter greetings are traditionally followed by a colon (:), never a comma (e.g., Querido Pablo: followed by a line break and a capital letter). However, informal notes with ¡Hola! simply use an exclamation mark.

2. Cuerpo del Mensaje (Core Content)

• Address each bullet point in logical sequence using high-frequency present tense verbs (estar, hacer, visitar, comer, gustar, ir).
• Use simple sentence structures (Subject + Verb + Object/Complement).
• Connect ideas with elementary conjunctions (y, pero, porque).

3. Despedida (Farewell / Sign-Off Formula)

Select an appropriate informal farewell formula matching your relationship with the recipient:

• Warm / affectionate: Un abrazo, (A hug - universal for friends and acquaintances) or Un beso, / Besos, (Kisses - close friends and relatives).
• Future contact: Hasta pronto, (See you soon), Hasta el sábado, (See you Saturday), or Nos vemos pronto, (See each other soon).
• Polite informal: Saludos, (Regards / Best).

4. Firma (Signature)

Sign with your first name (or assigned persona name) on the line immediately following the farewell: e.g., Elena.

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Word Count Discipline: The 30–40 Word Sweet Spot

The prompt explicitly instructs candidates to write between 30 and 40 words (30–40 palabras). Adhering to this boundary is a test of communicative efficiency.

Counting Your Words

The Instituto Cervantes does not publish detailed counting rules. Count every word separated by a space in the body of your text, and do not rely on the greeting and signature to reach 30.

What the Official Scale Says About Length

No official rule is published for texts above 40 words. Writing far more adds no credit by itself and adds chances to make errors, so aim for about 35–40 words that cover every point, with one or two extra details to move toward band 3.

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Annotated Model Compositions

Model 1: Holiday Postcard (Postal de vacaciones)

Prompt: You are on holiday in Spain. Write a postcard to your Spanish friend Lucas (30–40 words). You must:

1. Saludar a Lucas.
2. Decir dónde estás y cómo es la ciudad.
3. Explicar qué haces durante el día y qué comida te gusta.
4. Despedirte.

¡Hola, Lucas!
Estoy de vacaciones en Sevilla. La ciudad es muy bonita y hace sol.
Por la mañana visito museos y por la tarde paseo por el centro. Me
gustan mucho las tapas. ¿Y tú, qué tal?
Un abrazo,
Mateo

Count: 35 words in the body, 40 including the greeting and the closing. Points: greeting (¡Hola, Lucas!), place and description (Sevilla... muy bonita y hace sol), daily activities and food (visito museos... paseo... Me gustan mucho las tapas) and farewell (Un abrazo, Mateo). The verbs are simple present forms, and y and por la mañana / por la tarde organise the ideas.

Model 2: Birthday Invitation (Invitación de cumpleaños)

Prompt: You are organising a birthday party. Write an email to your classmate Andrea (30–40 words). You must:

1. Saludar a Andrea.
2. Invitarla a tu fiesta (día, hora y lugar).
3. Decir qué vais a hacer en la fiesta.
4. Pedir una respuesta y despedirte.

Querida Andrea:
El viernes es mi cumpleaños y hago una fiesta en mi casa, en la calle
Mayor, 5, a las ocho. Vamos a escuchar música y comer pizza. ¿Puedes
venir? Escríbeme, por favor.
Hasta el viernes,
Carmen

Count: 32 words in the body, 38 in total. Points: greeting with a colon (Querida Andrea:), day, time and place, the plan (Vamos a escuchar música y comer pizza), a request for an answer and a farewell. Escríbeme is an imperative, which the exam guide notes is above A1; using it correctly does no harm, as the guide's own band-2 sample shows.

Model 3: Online Ad (Modelo 0 Task Type)

Prompt: You have a flat to rent. Write an ad for a property website (30–40 words). Say what the flat is like, where it is, how much it costs and how people can contact you.

Se alquila piso
Alquilo un piso bonito, con dos dormitorios, salón, cocina y
baño. Está en el centro de Valencia, cerca de la playa. Cuesta 650 euros
al mes. Mi correo es marta.gil@correo.es y mi teléfono, el 612 345 678.

Count: about 35–40 words, depending on how the email address and phone number are counted. Points: all four are covered in four sentences, each one answering one point. Notice the neutral register: an ad does not need tú or usted, and se alquila is the standard heading.