Written Exam Rubric, Word Count & Register

Written Exam Rubric, Word Count & Register

Produzione scritta on CILS B1 Cittadinanza is a single practical writing task. The official sillabo asks for an email or message that requests information or solves a problem related to goods, services, or immediate everyday needs. Candidates who practice only diary-style narratives often under-train the exact communicative moves the rubric rewards: purpose, request, and actionable detail.

Official task frame

Sample prompt types from official materials include writing to a landlord about moving, or writing as a parent representative to a school head about cafeteria menus. Both require clear purpose, polite requests, and concrete questions the recipient can answer.

Word-count management (80–120)

Stay inside 80–120 words. That range is printed on official materials (Da 80 a 120 parole).

Count every space-separated token, including articles and articulated prepositions. Example: Abito a Roma da tre anni e lavoro in un ristorante = 10 words.

Practical timing inside 40 minutes:

1. 3–5 minutes: choose prompt, list required content bullets from the rubric of the prompt itself.
2. 25–30 minutes: write a clean draft on the answer sheet (or draft then copy if booklet scratch space is allowed).
3. 5 minutes: check agreements, formal pronouns, accents, and word count.

Official 12-point rubric

Centro CILS publishes these exact weights for Produzione scritta:

What each criterion rewards

• Efficacia comunicativa: all prompt bullets answered; purpose clear; reader can act.
• Adeguatezza stilistica: consistent Lei or tu; appropriate opening/closing.
• Correttezza morfosintattica: B1 control of articles, prepositions, present/passato prossimo/imperfetto, pronouns, and basic complex sentences.
• Lessico: precise everyday words for housing, school, services, appointments.
• Ortografia: accents (è/é), double consonants, basic punctuation.

Morphosyntax carries the heaviest single weight (4 points). A stylish but grammatically broken email can still fail the 7/12 floor. Conversely, a slightly plain email with solid agreements and clear requests can pass.

Formal vs informal register

Most citizenship-module prompts are formal (landlord, dirigente scolastico, office, customer service). Use Lei.

Avoid hybrids such as Caro Signor Rossi or closing a landlord email with Un abbraccio. Condizionale presente (vorrei, potrebbe) is especially useful for formal requests and is listed in the official sillabo.

Content checklist before you stop writing

1. Who are you and why are you writing?
2. What problem or need do you describe with enough detail?
3. What exact action or information do you request?
4. How can the recipient contact you or reply?
5. Did you stay in one register from opening to closing?

Mini model (formal, ~100 words)

Gentile Signor Bianchi,

Le scrivo perché da alcune settimane i vicini fanno molto rumore la sera e ho deciso di cambiare appartamento. Vorrei sapere quali documenti e quali tempi sono necessari per disdire il contratto. Devo pagare anche l’affitto dei prossimi mesi se lascio la casa entro fine mese?

Resto in attesa di una sua risposta e la ringrazio per la disponibilità.

Cordiali saluti, Anna Kovacs

This hits purpose, explanation, concrete questions, and polite closing — the communicative core of the official task type. After each practice email, score yourself against the five official criteria instead of only counting words.

Scoring self-check after every practice email

Use this 12-point mirror of the official rubric:

1. Efficacia (0–3): Did I answer every bullet in the prompt? Could the recipient act tomorrow without guessing?
2. Stilistica (0–1): Did I keep one register from greeting to sign-off?
3. Morfosintassi (0–4): Circle every noun-adjective pair and every past participle — do they agree?
4. Lessico (0–3): Did I use specific words (disdetta, affitto, appuntamento) instead of repeating problema and cosa?
5. Ortografia (0–1): Check è/e, qual è, double consonants, and commas in lists.

If your total is under 7, rewrite the same prompt the next day before moving on. Quantity of new prompts matters less than repeatedly clearing the official floor.