Writing: two texts, two registers, one word limit
Riya has 25 minutes to produce two handwritten texts in the writing section. Task A is a letter of 60–80 words to Dima, a 16-year-old pen friend in Tver whom she has never met but with whom she has exchanged photographs. She must thank him for a photo, ask about his exams, and invite him to visit her family in Pune. Task B is a 40–50 word note to the school office reporting a lost library book, signed 'R. Deshpande, Std XII B'. Riya opens Task A with «Здравствуйте, Дима!» and uses «Вы» throughout, because her textbook says Вы is polite. In Task B she writes «Привет! Я потеряла книгу...» because she is writing to a person she knows. She has 12 minutes left after Task A and usually exceeds word limits by 10–15 words.
1. Diagnose the register error in each text and state the address forms and greetings Riya should use.
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Task A. Dima is a peer of the same age, a known correspondent, and the task is a friendly letter. Russian requires ты, not Вы. Suitable opening: «Здравствуй, Дима!» or «Привет, Дима!»; suitable closing: «До свидания! Пиши. Рия» or «Пока! Рия». Using Вы here is not 'extra polite' - it creates social distance and reads as a mistake in a letter to a friend.
Task B. The addressee is an institution, so the register is neutral-official and Вы is correct. Open with «Здравствуйте!» or begin directly: «В библиотеке я потеряла книгу...». Avoid «Привет» and avoid the bare first name; sign as instructed. The principle is not 'polite = Вы' but 'distance and official relationship = Вы; equality and friendship = ты'.
2. Draft the opening and closing of Task A using formulaic phrases, and explain why these phrases are worth using under time pressure.
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Model opening: «Привет, Дима! Спасибо за фотографию - она очень хорошая. Как твои экзамены?»
Model closing: «Приезжай к нам в Пуну, познакомишься с моей семьёй. До свидания! Пиши. Рия»
Why formulas help. They are ready-made, grammatically safe and register-correct: «Спасибо за...» takes the accusative; «Как твои экзамены?» is a fixed question; «Приезжай...» is a natural imperative; «Пиши» is the standard letter ending. Formulas also save minutes that can be spent checking case endings in the content sentences. The three task points - photo, exams, invitation - are each covered by one short formula plus one detail, which keeps the text inside 60–80 words.
3. Riya is 14 words over the 80-word limit in Task A. Which elements may be cut and which must stay?
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Must stay: all three content points (thanks for the photo, question about exams, invitation to Pune) and the greeting and closing, because a letter without them loses both content and format marks.
May be cut: evaluative filler («очень», «мой дорогой», «я хочу сказать, что»), repeated names, double greetings, and sentences that repeat a point already made. For example, «Я хочу сказать, что я очень рада, что ты прислал мне свою фотографию» can become «Спасибо за фотографию». Two short questions can be merged: «Как твои экзамены? Надеюсь, всё хорошо?» → «Как экзамены?».
Procedure: count words after drafting, cut adjectives and connectors first, never cut the task points. Handwriting should be legible; corrections should be single-line crossings, not overwriting.