5.2 Oral Tarea 1: Prepared Presentation on a Personal Topic
Key Takeaways
Tarea 1 is a 2–3-minute prepared monologue; you choose one of two topic sheets, each listing the aspects to cover.
The interviewer does not intervene during the monologue; needing facilitating questions lowers your score.
The Modelo 0 sheet asks for past narration, reasons, a story from the trip and future plans, so it needs several tenses.
Task fulfilment is point-based: band 2 allows at most one point unanswered, and band 3 needs every point plus details or opinions.
Quick Focus: Oral Tarea 1 (Presentación de un tema) is a 2–3-minute prepared monologue. In preparation you choose one of two topic sheets (láminas). Each sheet lists the aspects you must talk about, usually four or five points. The topic comes from your personal life and daily experience. The interviewer does not interrupt a monologue; if you stop too early, they may ask facilitating questions, and needing them lowers your score.
What the Official Specification Says
| Parameter | Official detail |
|---|---|
| Task | Give a short prepared oral presentation, describing in simple terms aspects and experiences of your daily life related to a specific topic |
| Choice | One of two topic sheets |
| Material | A sheet with instructions and a breakdown of the aspects to cover |
| Domain | Personal |
| Time | 2–3 minutes |
| Rating | Calificador's scale for Tareas 1–2 (this task = 25% of the calificador's share), plus the interviewer's global scale |
The official model sheet
Modelo 0 uses Opción 2. Un viaje que he hecho. The instructions ask you to talk about:
- where you went, why, and why the trip is important to you;
- how long the trip lasted, who you went with, what you did and where you stayed;
- what transport you used and why;
- a story that happened to you on that trip;
- whether you are going on a trip soon: when, where, with whom and why.
One topic sheet requires three time frames: the past (fui, estuvimos, nos alojamos), description or reasons (era, porque), and the future (voy a ir, el año que viene). It also requires a narrative: the story point. The official band-1 sample lost marks because the candidate skipped the story and the reasons, and covered other points only partly.
Planning Each Point (About 4 Minutes of Preparation)
For each point, write 3–6 key words and the verb form you'll use.
| Point | Key words | Target language |
|---|---|---|
| Where / why / importance | Granada, 2023, primer viaje sola | Fui a Granada porque… Fue importante para mí porque… |
| How long / with whom / activities / lodging | una semana, con mi hermana, Alhambra, albergue | Estuvimos una semana… Visitamos… Nos alojamos en… |
| Transport / why | tren, cómodo, barato | Fuimos en tren porque es más cómodo que el autobús. |
| A story | perdí el móvil, un camarero lo encontró | Un día perdí el móvil en un bar, pero el camarero lo guardó y… |
| Next trip | agosto, Lisboa, amigos | En agosto voy a ir a Lisboa con unos amigos porque… |
A Model Opening and Structure
- Opening (10 seconds): Voy a hablar de un viaje que hice a Granada hace dos años.
- Body (about 2 minutes): one short paragraph per point, linked with primero, después, además, por eso, al final.
- Close (10 seconds): Y eso es todo. Fue un viaje muy especial para mí.
Sample body sentences for the story point, which candidates most often skip:
Lo más divertido fue el tercer día. Estábamos en un bar de tapas y cuando salimos, me di cuenta de que no tenía el móvil. Volvimos corriendo y el camarero lo tenía guardado. ¡Qué alegría! Desde entonces siempre miro la mesa antes de salir.
This short story uses the imperfect for background (estábamos, tenía), the preterite for events (salimos, me di cuenta, volvimos), an exclamation and a result. Those features support band 2 and band 3 language.
Typical Topics and What They Test
The specification says Tarea 1 covers aspects and experiences of your daily life related to a specific topic. Prepare short material for the usual themes:
| Topic | Points you might get | Key grammar |
|---|---|---|
| A trip you took | where, with whom, transport, a story, next trip | indefinido, imperfecto, ir a |
| Your home and neighbourhood | what it's like, what you like, what you'd change | present, ser/estar/hay, me gusta |
| Your job or studies | what you do, a normal day, colleagues, plans | present, reflexives, tener que |
| Free time and sport | what you do, how often, with whom, when you started | present, frequency, desde hace |
| Food and meals | typical meals, a special meal, cooking | present, gustar, pretérito perfecto |
| A special celebration | what, where, who, what you did, gifts | indefinido, imperfecto |
| Your city | where it is, what to see, what's good and bad | present, comparatives |
Using the 2–3 Minutes Well
- Cover every point. The Cumplimiento descriptor is point-based: band 2 allows at most one point unanswered or two incomplete.
- Add details and reasons. Band 3 requires a detail, comment, opinion or reason: porque, me pareció, para mí lo mejor fue….
- Show a few structures from the band-3 list: prefiero…, me interesa…, quizás…, es que…, voy a….
- Keep going. If you finish in 60 seconds, the interviewer may have to ask facilitating questions. Plan enough content, and if you run short, expand a point with an example.
- Look up, not down. Glance at key words, then speak to the interviewer.
Common Mistakes
- Reading prepared sentences word for word.
- Using only the present tense for a past experience.
- Forgetting the last point (often plans or a personal opinion).
- Saying a memorized speech that doesn't match the points on the sheet.
What happens during the candidate's Tarea 1 monologue, according to the official examiner instructions?
The interviewer interrupts every 30 seconds with questions.
The interviewer gives instructions but does not intervene, because it is a monologue, and then moves on to the next task.
The rater asks two follow-up questions about the topic.
The candidate reads the topic sheet aloud and then answers questions.
A candidate speaks about four of the five points on the sheet, covering each one fully, but skips the story point. Under the calificador's task-fulfilment scale for Tareas 1–2, which band is still possible?
Band 2, which allows one point to be left unanswered.
Band 3, because four points are enough.
Only band 0, because a point is missing.
Band 1 automatically, because stories are compulsory.
Which sentence best shows past narration suitable for the story point of the model topic «Un viaje que he hecho»?
Normalmente viajo en tren y me gusta mucho.
El año que viene voy a viajar a Lisboa.
Estábamos en un bar y cuando salimos, vi que no tenía el móvil.
Viajar es importante para aprender idiomas.
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.