5.2 Short Messages, Notes & Routine Requests

Write so that the reader knows what to do

CAPLE's public CIPLE specification calls for two short written texts and includes personal correspondence and routine messages among the skills. It does not publish a universal word-counting convention or the automatic penalty bands claimed by some preparation summaries. Follow the instructions and length printed on your actual task. This section uses a 25–35-word practice target to develop concise messages; it is not a newly verified rule for every current paper.

A good short message communicates a reason, a relevant detail and an action. If you are late, say why and when you can arrive. If you need a favour, say exactly what you want. If you have completed a work task, identify it and explain what remains. A long greeting cannot replace a missing request.

A flexible planning method

Before writing, identify the reader and underline the task's requested actions. Then make a three-item content list. For a flatmate note that might be “working late; buy bread and milk; money on the table”. Turn the list into sentences, add a greeting if suitable and close politely. The plan is a writing aid, not an official required paragraph structure.

In the tu model, keep the verb and pronoun consistent: podes, te, contigo. For a service enquiry, a polite third-person question such as Pode confirmar a hora? is useful. Choose language suited to the addressee without claiming that every alternative national variety is incorrect.

Model 1: A practical request

Original prompt: Vais chegar tarde. Deixa um bilhete ao Pedro a explicar o motivo, a pedir pão e leite e a dizer onde está o dinheiro. Neste exercício escreve 25–35 palavras.

Olá Pedro, Hoje chego tarde porque tenho trabalho. Podes comprar pão e leite para o jantar? Deixo dinheiro na mesa da cozinha. Obrigado pela ajuda. Lucas.

The content follows the plan. Porque tenho trabalho explains the delay. Podes comprar pão e leite is the requested action. Na mesa da cozinha locates the money. The closing is short. Read the note as Pedro: you know what to buy and where to get the money. You do not need the writer's entire work schedule.

For transparent checking in this guide, count whitespace-separated units, ignoring punctuation; a hyphenated form stays one unit. Under that practice convention, this message has 26 words. It does not establish how CAPLE counts every compound or signature. Use fim de semana, the current unhyphenated spelling, rather than inventing a one-word form to manipulate a count.

Model 2: Apologise and reschedule

Original prompt: Escreve à Sara. Pede desculpa pelo atraso, explica que a consulta demorou e propõe encontrar-te com ela às duas. Neste exercício escreve 25–35 palavras.

Olá Sara, Peço desculpa pelo atraso. A consulta demorou mais do que esperava. Podemos encontrar-nos no café às duas? Espero pela tua resposta. Obrigada pela compreensão. Mariana.

This message has 27 words under the same practice convention. It fulfils all three actions and asks for a reply. The recipient can accept or reject the new arrangement. Às duas is a clock time; duas horas depois would describe an interval instead. If the task specifies 14h00, that numerical form can avoid ambiguity.

Model 3: Leave a routine work message

Original prompt: Avisa o Tiago de que o relatório já foi enviado. Pede-lhe para atender telefonemas esta tarde e diz quando voltas. Neste exercício escreve 25–35 palavras.

Olá Tiago, Já enviei o relatório à diretora. Podes atender os telefonemas esta tarde, por favor? Volto ao escritório às cinco. Muito obrigado pela ajuda. André.

This message has 26 words under the practice convention. The time word já marks the completed report action. Esta tarde qualifies the requested telephone duty; às cinco tells the colleague when the writer returns. Keeping those details distinct matters more than using an impressive connector.

Read a note as well as writing one

Original reading note:

Ana, fui aos correios. O jantar está no frigorífico. Volto às oito. Se precisares das chaves, estão na gaveta da entrada. Até logo, Rui.

Identify where Rui went, where the food is, when he returns and where the keys are. An answer saying “the keys are in the fridge” borrows the correct place from the wrong item. Answering “he returns at six” contradicts às oito. This is the same detail-matching discipline used for longer reading texts.

Revise for task completion first

A draft reading Não vou. Desculpa. Até amanhã is too vague if the task asks you to explain an absence and propose a new meeting. Improve it by adding the reason and arrangement, not by adding empty compliments. Conversely, cut details that do not help the reader act. If you wrote about a train delay, you usually do not need a history of the railway company.

Check five things before finishing: every requested action is included; names and times agree with the prompt; verbs match the chosen time frame; the message is understandable; the printed length instruction is respected. If a task needs a sign-off, use fictional details as instructed under CAPLE's anonymity rules. A coherent draft does not guarantee a grade, but it gives a reviewer clear evidence of what you intended to communicate.