4.1 Writing Tarea 1: Replying to a Personal Message (60–70 Words)

Quick Focus: Writing Tarea 1 is interacción escrita. You read a short personal text of 35–45 words (a note, message, invitation, email or letter) and write a reply of 60–70 words: a note, postcard, message, email or short letter. The prompt gives a list of points you must cover. In the official model there are five. Plan about 20 minutes of the 45-minute writing test for this task.

What the Official Specification Says

The official model task

In Modelo 0, a friend called Pepe writes that it is Saturday and you haven't talked all week. He asks what you've done, whether you have a lot of work, and when you can meet next week. The instructions say your email must:

1. greet him (saludar);
2. say what you have done this week (decir qué ha hecho esta semana);
3. explain what you are going to do next week (explicar qué va a hacer la próxima semana);
4. give a day, a place and a time to meet (decir un día, un lugar y una hora para quedar);
5. ask him two questions and say goodbye (hacerle dos preguntas y despedirse).

Notice how much grammar one short task requires: the pretérito perfecto (esta semana he trabajado mucho), the future with ir a (la semana que viene voy a…), time and place expressions (el jueves a las siete en la cafetería…) and questions.

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How Tarea 1 Is Rated

Two independent raters use the official scale, which has two categories:

• Cumplimiento de la tarea (task fulfilment): did you give the information requested for each point?
• Uso de la lengua (use of language): grammar, vocabulary, connectors, spelling and punctuation.

For task fulfilment the official descriptors say:

The practical rule is simple. Every point you skip costs you a band. Covering all five points, each with a small extra detail, is how you reach band 3. The official band-1 sample failed partly because the candidate never fixed a clear date and time for the meeting. The band-2 sample was downgraded because its meeting arrangement was ambiguous.

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Planning the Reply: One Sentence Group per Point

Before writing, number the prompt points and plan one or two short sentences for each. A 60–70-word text has room for roughly 12–14 words per point when there are five points.

A model reply (64 words)

¡Hola, Pepe! ¿Qué tal? Esta semana he trabajado mucho porque mi compañero está enfermo, y el miércoles fui al dentista. La semana que viene voy a estar más tranquilo, aunque el lunes tengo que hacer un examen de inglés. ¿Quedamos el jueves a las siete en la cafetería de la plaza? ¿Qué tal tu nueva casa? ¿Tienes planes para el verano? Un abrazo, Alex

Each point is covered, with small extra details (porque mi compañero está enfermo, aunque el lunes…) that support band 3 in task fulfilment. The past (he trabajado, fui), the future (voy a estar) and the connectors (porque, aunque) support the use-of-language score.

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Register: Tú or Usted?

Tarea 1 is in the personal domain, so the writer is usually a friend, relative, neighbour or colleague, and tú is normal. If the input text uses usted (for example, a landlord or a teacher), answer with usted consistently.

The most common register error is a mix: ¡Hola, Lucía! Quería preguntarle si su hermano viene. Once you start with tú, keep te, tu, contigo.

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Frequent Functions in Tarea 1

• Accepting or declining: ¡Me encantaría! / Lo siento, pero ese día no puedo porque…
• Proposing a plan: ¿Qué te parece si…? / ¿Por qué no…? / ¿Quedamos…?
• Giving news: Te cuento que…, He empezado un curso de…, Me he cambiado de piso.
• Describing where you live or work: Mi piso es pequeño pero luminoso. Trabajo en una tienda del centro.
• Asking for information: ¿A qué hora empieza? ¿Qué tengo que llevar?
• Thanking and apologizing: Gracias por tu invitación. Perdona por no contestar antes.

The 20-Minute Routine

1. Read (2–3 min): read the input text and underline every instruction point; number them.
2. Plan (3–4 min): jot down one idea per point, the tense you need, and one connector (porque, pero, además, por eso).
3. Write (10 min): write in the space for Tarea 1, with a greeting and a closing.
4. Check (3 min): tick each point, count the words roughly (60–70), and check accents (he trabajado, fui, quedé, está), question marks (¿…?) and agreement.

The paper shows a recommended length, not an exact target. A text far below 60 words rarely covers every point. A text far above 70 takes time you need for Tarea 2 and gives you more chances to make mistakes.