Writing in Spanish: Text Types and Communicative Purpose
What this section tests
In the writing task you produce a text of roughly 150–250 words in Spanish in a specified text type for a specified audience and purpose: an email to a friend, a formal letter of complaint, a diary entry, a blog post, a notice, an article or a short speech. Marks are split between communicative purpose and content (does it do the job, with developed ideas?) and language (range, accuracy, structure). Concepts to master: the conventions of each text type - salutation and closing formulae, headings, paragraphing, bullet points for notices; register - tú versus usted, and the corresponding possessives and verb forms; and cohesive devices that make writing flow (además, sin embargo, por lo tanto, en primer lugar, por último).
Traps to expect
- Ignoring the bullet points. Each prompt point must be addressed and developed; a list of one-line answers caps the content mark.
- Register slips. Mixing tú and usted in a formal letter, or opening a formal letter with ¡Hola!.
- Wrong text-type features. A diary entry with a formal closing, or an article with no title.
- English word order and calques: tener un buen tiempo (have a good time) instead of pasarlo bien; hacer sentido instead of tener sentido; actualmente for "actually".
- Tense drift. A past narrative that slides into the present, or a plan described in the preterite instead of ir a + infinitive or the future.
- Overlong, unstructured paragraphs with no signposting.
Worked example
Prompt: write an email to a friend inviting them to a weekend trip, mentioning transport, cost and what to bring. Model opening: ¡Hola, Marta! ¿Qué tal? Te escribo porque se me ha ocurrido una idea... Then three short paragraphs, one per bullet, each with a reason: Podemos ir en tren; sale más barato y así no tenemos que aparcar. Close with a question to invite a reply: ¿Te apetece? Dime algo antes del jueves. Rule of thumb: one paragraph per prompt point, each with a justification, plus a greeting and a closing that fits the relationship.
Rule of thumb
Plan for two minutes, write for twenty, and reserve five to check agreement, accents and verb endings.