Writing - controlled and free production
Writing has two halves. Controlled production checks that you can manipulate language precisely - gap fills with the correct verb form, sentence transformation, reordering, completing a dialogue. Free production asks for a message, email, postcard or short article (usually 60–120 words) and is marked on content points covered, range, accuracy and register.
Controlled tasks: read the signal
- Time markers choose the tense: ontem → pretérito perfeito; todos os dias → presente; quando era criança → imperfeito; amanhã → futuro; se + conditional → imperfect subjunctive plus conditional.
- 'Espero que', 'é importante que', 'para que' → presente do subjuntivo (venhas, faças).
- Transformation keeps person and tense unless told otherwise: 'Não fui à escola porque estava doente' → 'Como estava doente, não fui à escola.'
Free tasks: build to the bullet points
- One paragraph per function: greeting and purpose, the details requested, closing. Cross out each bullet as you cover it.
- Add connectives: Primeiro…, Além disso…, No entanto…, Por isso…, Por fim…
- Register must stay consistent: tu (friends, Portugal), você (Brazil and much informal use), o senhor/a senhora + third-person verb for formal.
Worked example
Prompt: write an email inviting a friend to a festa, saying when and where it is and what to bring. Model opening: 'Olá, João! Tudo bem? Escrevo-te porque vou dar uma festa em casa no sábado, às oito da noite. Podes trazer música?' Reasoning: 'tu' forms throughout (escrevo-te, podes), time and place both given, and the invitation is clear. Switching to 'Escrevo-lhe… pode trazer' halfway breaks register.
Traps
- Ignoring the word limit: too short loses content marks, too long adds errors.
- Mixing 'tu foste' with 'tu foi'.
- Dropping accents: e/é, esta/está, por/pôr, avô/avó.
- Translating English word order word for word.