The writing paper
| Text | Letter or email (formal or informal), | Choose one of two options: an opinion article / blog |
| type | often answering a situation presented | post / forum contribution (often based on a graph or |
| in a short audio or text | data), or a review, report or biography | |
| Length | 150–180 words | 150–180 words |
| Time | 80 minutes in total for both tasks |
Check the current Instituto Cervantes guide before the exam: the exact wording of the options changes from session to session.
What examiners look at
Examiners use an analytical scale with four criteria; each is scored separately:
| Criterion | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Adecuación a la tarea (task fulfilment) | You answer every point in the instructions, in the right register and genre, within the word count. |
| Coherencia (organisation) | Clear paragraphs, logical order, varied connectors (Unit 45), no repetition. |
| Corrección (accuracy) | Grammar, agreement, verb tenses, subjunctive, prepositions, spelling and accents. At B2, errors must not cause misunderstandings, and you must be able to correct many of them yourself. |
| Alcance (range) | Varied vocabulary (V36–V40), complex sentences (relative, conditional, concessive clauses), idiomatic expressions. |
Regla clave · Key rule
The fastest way to lose points is not answering one of the required points of the task. Before writing, number the points in the instructions and tick them off as you write.
A method for 40 minutes per task
| Minutes | Step |
|---|---|
| 0–5 | Read the task; underline the points to cover, the reader, the register (tú / usted). |
| 5–12 | Plan: one line per paragraph (introduction – 2/3 body paragraphs – conclusion); note 3–4 B2 structures you will use (a subjunctive, a conditional, a relative, a connector of concession). |
| 12–30 | Write. |
| 30–38 | Check with the list in E8: verbs, agreement, accents, prepositions. Count words. |
| 38–40 | Copy neatly onto the answer sheet (if writing by hand). |