11.1 Tarea 2: Choosing a Prompt and Following Its Genre

DELE B1 — Spanish Language Diploma Intermediate

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1 Chapter 1: Exam Structure, Logistics, & Scoring System

1.1 DELE B1 Qualification & CEFR Standards 1.2 Four Pruebas Format, Timing, & Administration 1.3 Scoring System: Two Groups & the 30/50 Threshold Rule

2 Chapter 2: Essential B1 Grammar — Past Tenses & Narrative Control

2.1 Pretérito Indefinido vs. Pretérito Imperfecto 2.2 Pretérito Perfecto & Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto 2.3 Habitual Actions, Time Markers, & Duration Structures

3 Chapter 3: Essential B1 Grammar — The Subjunctive Mood

3.1 Present Subjunctive Formation & Irregular Stems 3.2 Subjunctive with Wishes, Influence, & Emotions 3.3 Impersonal Expressions & Future Temporal Clauses

4 Chapter 4: B1 Sentence Structure, Connectors, & Syntax

4.1 Discourse Connectors & Textual Cohesion 4.2 Direct & Indirect Object Pronouns & Combination 4.3 Ser vs. Estar, Por vs. Para, & Verbal Periphrases

5 Chapter 5: B1 Thematic Lexicon & Sociolinguistic Domains

5.1 Daily Life, Housing, & Neighborhood Services 5.2 Work, Education, & Professional Communication 5.3 Travel, Leisure, Health, & Environmental Awareness

6 Chapter 6: Prueba 1 — Reading Comprehension: Matching & Text Analysis

6.1 Tarea 1: Matching Candidate Profiles to Short Notices 6.2 Tarea 2: Extended Informative Text Multiple-Choice 6.3 Tarea 3: Locating Specific Information Across Three Texts

7 Chapter 7: Prueba 1 — Reading Comprehension: Cloze & Linguistic Precision

7.1 Tarea 4: Gapped Text Fragment Insertion 7.2 Tarea 5: Grammar & Vocabulary Cloze 7.3 Reading Time Management & Distractor Traps

8 Chapter 8: Prueba 2 — Listening Comprehension: Announcements & Monologues

8.1 Tarea 1: Short Announcements & Advertisements 8.2 Tarea 2: Extended Personal Monologue 8.3 Tarea 3: Radio News Bulletins & Specific Facts

9 Chapter 9: Prueba 2 — Listening Comprehension: Conversations & Multiple Speakers

9.1 Tarea 4: Multiple Speaker Matching on a Common Theme 9.2 Tarea 5: Informal Everyday Dialogue 9.3 Active Listening Techniques & Double-Listen Protocol

10 Chapter 10: Prueba 3 — Written Expression: Interaction & Correspondence

10.1 Tarea 1: Letters, Emails, & Forum Responses 10.2 Register, Salutations, & Sign-Off Formulas 10.3 Word Count Management (100–120 Words) & Error Prevention

11 Chapter 11: Prueba 3 — Written Expression: Narrative & Opinion Composition

11.1 Tarea 2: Choosing a Prompt and Following Its Genre 11.2 Structuring a 130–150 Word Narrative or Opinion Essay 11.3 Analytic Scoring Rubric for Written Expression

12 Chapter 12: Prueba 4 — Oral Expression: Monologue & Follow-Up Discussion

12.1 The 15-Minute Preparation Period & Note-Taking Strategy 12.2 Tarea 1: 2–3 Minute Prepared Monologue 12.3 Tarea 2: Interactive Discussion with the Examiner

13 Chapter 13: Prueba 4 — Oral Expression: Photo Description & Role-Play

13.1 Tarea 3: Photograph Description & Guided Follow-Up 13.2 Tarea 4: Spontaneous Everyday Role-Play Simulation 13.3 Oral Evaluation Rubric (Holistic vs. Analytic) & Fluency

11.1 Tarea 2: Choosing a Prompt and Following Its Genre

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

Task 2 requires one response of 130–150 words, choosing between two prompts.

Option numbers do not permanently identify narrative and formal genres.

Select by the actual content, audience and language you can use accurately.

Develop every guiding point with relevant description, events, reasons or reactions.

Do not assume an unofficial ±10% word allowance or a compulsory grammatical formula.

Last updated: October 2026

Choose One Prompt, Then Read Its Requirements

Writing Tarea 2 asks you to produce 130–150 words on one of two topics. The official specifications describe a descriptive or narrative composition that expresses opinion and personal information about experiences, feelings or anecdotes. Possible outputs include a composition, diary entry or biography. The task supplies instructions and a brief stimulus to establish the context.

The option numbers do not define permanent genres. Do not enter the exam assuming Option 1 is always a story and Option 2 is always a formal civic letter. Read both actual prompts. Either can require description, narrative and personal opinion; tone follows the audience and communicative purpose.

Decision Read this part of the prompt Avoid this shortcut
Which topic? The two actual subjects Always choose the same option number
Which genre? The requested output Turn every text into a formal letter
Which content? All guiding points Recycle a prepared essay regardless of the question
Which tense? The timeline being described Insert every tense you know
Which register? The audience and purpose Assume public writing always uses usted
A Short Selection Routine

Take a brief look at both prompts before committing. A 90-second selection exercise can be useful in practice, but it is not an official separate timer. The whole writing test lasts 60 minutes, so choosing cannot consume the time needed to complete both responses.

First, identify what each task actually asks you to do. Does one ask about a memorable celebration and another about a person who influenced you? Write down the main content points mentally. You need a specific event or person, enough detail to develop the text and the language to explain its significance.

Second, test your vocabulary. If you choose a memory about cooking, can you name the participants, place, actions and reactions? You do not need technical culinary vocabulary to describe a meal. Familiar, accurate language is more useful than an ambitious topic you cannot explain.

Third, test the timeline. If a prompt requires an earlier experience, can you distinguish the main events from the background? A prompt about current preferences may need a present description, a past example and a future intention. The required content should determine those choices.

Finally, choose one option and keep its prompt in view. Switching after drafting half a response usually wastes time. Follow any choice-marking and answer-space instructions in the actual booklet rather than assuming the page layout is identical in every paper.

Developing a Personal Narrative

For a narrative prompt, establish when and where the event happened and who was involved. Use the imperfect for background when appropriate: Era invierno y estábamos en casa de mis abuelos . Use the simple preterite to present the events: Llegó mi prima, preparamos la mesa y cenamos juntos .

If an earlier completed event explains something, a pluperfect can help: Habíamos comprado la comida el día anterior . It is useful because it clarifies the timeline, not because one occurrence is a compulsory scoring token. Do not add it where there is no earlier event to explain.

Include the requested feelings or reflection. Me sentí acompañado porque hacía meses que no veía a mi familia gives a concrete reason. Fue muy bonito, muy especial y muy bueno repeats an evaluation without developing it. A concise specific detail often adds more meaning than several generic adjectives.

Developing Description and Opinion

For a descriptive prompt, organize rather than list. A text about a teacher might describe the person’s role, explain what happened in a class and say why their support mattered. A text about a favorite place can move from its location to what you do there and the reason you return.

Personal opinion does not automatically require a formal argument about municipal policy. Para mí, aprender con otras personas es más útil porque puedo practicar la conversación is a clear B1 opinion. Add an example or a qualification when relevant: Sin embargo, repaso el vocabulario solo para concentrarme mejor .

If a practice prompt does request a formal proposal, choose a suitable register and polite request. Treat that as one genre exercise, not a permanent description of official Option 2. A greeting and signature make sense in a letter; they may be unnecessary in a composition or diary entry.

Map Every Guiding Point to Content

Consider an original practice prompt about a celebration. It asks where it happened, who attended, what you did and why you remember it. A four-line plan might read:

Casa de mi hermana; junio; cumpleaños familiar.

Mis primos vinieron de otra ciudad; hacía mucho que no nos veíamos.

Cocinamos juntos; después tocamos música.

Recuerdo especial porque pudimos reunir a toda la familia.

Each line is an idea to develop, not a sentence to copy mechanically. As you write, check that the reader can find each required point. Missing a point affects task fulfillment; it does not justify inventing a fixed automatic Band 1 cap or an overall disqualification rule.

Stay within the Requested Length

Aim around 140 words, then count and revise. The guide’s model counts use space-separated words. Do not rely on a supposed 117–165-word tolerance, a stopping rule or a bonus for exceeding the range. The instruction remains 130–150 words.

If the draft is short, add meaningful content tied to a missing or thin point: a reason, a concrete action or a reaction. If it is long, remove a repeated introduction, an unnecessary greeting or a second example that adds nothing. A 35-minute practice block with planning and revision can help, but adapt it so both writing tasks are finished within the official hour.

Evaluate the response under genre/task adequacy, coherence, correction and range, together with its overall communicative success. No genre choice earns automatic extra points. The best choice is the prompt you can answer fully, clearly and appropriately with the language you control.