In Task 1 of the DELE A2 writing paper you have to write an informal message of about 60-70 words replying to a friend, covering every point you're asked to include. The structure that always works is: greeting, opening line, a body that covers each point in the prompt, sign-off and signature. Here I explain it step by step, with how it's marked and two annotated models, one of them with the most typical mistakes.

If you're preparing for this task, chances are one of two things happens to you: either you go blank staring at the page, or you write so much that you go past 70 words and then don't know what to cut. That's completely normal. This task looks easy because it's only a few words, but that's exactly the trap: you have to say quite a lot in very little space.

In this post I'll tell you, from an examiner's point of view, what is assessed in Task 1 of the DELE A2 writing paper, what structure to follow, which connectors work best at this level and, above all, you'll see two complete models: the first one done well, the second with typical mistakes and its improved version.

What exactly is Task 1 of Prueba 3 of the DELE A2?

Prueba 3 of the DELE A2 is called “Expresión e interacción escritas” (written expression and interaction) and lasts 45 minutes in total. It has two tasks, and each one is worth half the mark for the paper. In Task 1 you have to write an informal message (an email, a note, a text message) replying to one a friend has sent you. The recommended length is 60 to 70 words.

Those 60-70 words are a guideline, not a strict limit: a few words more or less is no problem. What really matters is that you include all the information you're asked for and that your answer fits in the space on the answer sheet.

There are no options in this task: everyone writes the same text. You're given your friend's message and some points (the “pautas”) that you absolutely have to cover. There are usually four or five, and they almost always include greeting your friend and signing off. The rest is usually telling them something, saying what you like, giving advice, suggesting a plan or asking a question.

Since you're writing to someone close to you, the register is informal: you use “tú”.

This is important: if they ask for three things, you have to cover all three. If you forget one, your mark goes down however nicely you write.

Here's the video where I explain it step by step:

Why does Task 1 go worse than you'd expect?

Something curious happens with this task. People see it's short and think “I'll get this done quickly”. And that's when the problems start. These are the most common ones:

  • Stopping at 40 or 50 words: if you come up very short, it's usually because you haven't properly covered everything you were asked for, and that lowers your mark.
  • Going up to 100 words: going over isn't penalised in itself, but the more you write, the more you can get wrong, and your answer has to fit on the sheet.
  • Covering only two of the three or four points in the prompt.
  • Forgetting the greeting or the sign-off, which are almost always part of the pautas.
  • Mixing registers: switching from “tú” to “usted”, or using formal phrases in a message to a friend.
  • Copying structures from English or your mother tongue.

The good news is that all of this can be trained. With a bit of method and a clear structure in your head, this task goes from a headache to one of the most rewarding ones.

How is Task 1 of the DELE A2 marked?

The A2 writing paper isn't marked at the centre where you sit the exam: it's sent to Salamanca and marked by two examiners using rating scales. Two things are assessed in each task:

  1. Task fulfilment (34 % of the mark for each task). Have you covered all the pautas in the prompt? Is your answer understandable? If you forget a point or misunderstand it, your mark goes down; if you cover all the pautas and add an extra detail, it goes up.
  2. Use of language (66 %). Grammar (agreement, verb tenses), vocabulary, spelling and connectors. Do you link your sentences with “porque”, “pero”, “primero”, “después”? Do you use the present and also a past tense or “ir a + infinitive”?

Each aspect is marked from 0 to 3, and band 2 corresponds to A2 level. Remember too that at A2 your writing mark is added to your reading mark: you need at least 30 out of 50 points between the two.

Watch out for this: at A2 nobody expects you to write like Cervantes. You're expected to write like someone who copes in everyday situations. That means simple, clear, well-linked sentences.

Which structure works for any message?

Even if the situation changes (an email, a note, a text message), the internal structure is always the same:

1. Greeting. Informal, because you're writing to a friend: “Hola, Marta:”, “¡Hola, Marta!”, “Querida Marta:”.

2. Opening line. A line that connects with their message: “¿Qué tal?”, “Gracias por tu mensaje”, “¡Qué alegría saber de ti!”, “¿Cómo va todo?”.

3. Body. This is where you cover the points in the prompt, one by one and without skipping any, with connectors between them. Following the same order as the prompt helps you not to forget anything.

4. Sign-off. A sentence to close: “Espero verte pronto”, “Escríbeme pronto”, “Un abrazo”, “Un beso”.

5. Signature. A name. You can make it up.

If you follow these five steps and cover all the pautas, you have the foundation of a good text.

Which A2 connectors should you have at your fingertips?

So that your message isn't just a string of loose sentences, you need glue. These are the basic connectors expected at A2:

  • To add: y, también, además.
  • To contrast: pero, sin embargo (the latter is already high A2).
  • To give a reason: porque.
  • To give a consequence: por eso, entonces.
  • To sequence: primero, después, luego, al final.
  • To give examples: por ejemplo.

You don't need to squeeze them all into 60 words; that would sound unnatural. Three or four well placed already make a difference.

Model 1: a well-written message, with comments

Let's look at a concrete example. Imagine this prompt:

Tu amiga Lucía te ha escrito este mensaje: “¡Hola! ¿Qué tal la casa nueva? ¿Cuándo me la enseñas?”. Respóndele. En tu mensaje tienes que:

  • saludarla;
  • contarle dónde está la casa y cómo es;
  • invitarla a visitarte;
  • proponerle un día y una actividad;
  • despedirte.

Número de palabras: entre 60 y 70.

(Your friend Lucía asks how the new house is and when you'll show it to her. You have to greet her, tell her where the house is and what it's like, invite her over, suggest a day and an activity, and sign off.)

A well-written answer could be this one:

Hola, Lucía:

¿Qué tal todo? Te escribo porque por fin me he mudado. Mi casa nueva está en el centro, cerca del parque, y es pequeña pero muy luminosa. Tiene dos habitaciones y una terraza preciosa. Además, el barrio es muy tranquilo.

¿Quieres venir a verla? ¿Qué te parece este sábado? Podemos comer aquí y luego dar un paseo por el parque.

Un abrazo,

Carla

65 words, counting the greeting and the signature. Greeting, opening, every pauta covered, sign-off and signature. A2 vocabulary (mudarse, luminosa, terraza, barrio, dar un paseo), the present perfect (“me he mudado”) as well as the present, and basic connectors (porque, pero, además, luego). No register slips.

Notice there's nothing spectacular about it: simple, clear, well-ordered sentences.

Model 2: a message with typical mistakes and its improved version

Now look at what a typical first draft looks like with the same prompt.

First version (with mistakes):

Hola Lucia

Te quiero decir que cambio de casa. Es muy bonito y grande, con dos habitación y una terrasa muy bonita. Está en centro, cerca del parque que te gusta. Quiero invitarte a mi casa para visitarla en sábado. Vamos a comer juntos y después caminamos en el parque. Espero tu respuesta.

At first glance it doesn't look bad. But if you look closely, you'll see all of this:

  • “Hola Lucia”, with no comma and no accent. The greeting takes a comma or a colon, and “Lucía” has an accent.
  • “Te quiero decir que cambio de casa”: it sounds translated. In natural Spanish we'd say “te escribo porque me he mudado”. Also, the present “cambio” doesn't express something that has already happened.
  • “Es muy bonito y grande”, but “casa” is feminine: “es muy bonita y grande”.
  • “Dos habitación”: the plural “s” is missing. “Dos habitaciones”.
  • “Terrasa”: it's spelt “terraza”, with a z.
  • “En centro”: the article is missing. “En el centro”.
  • “En sábado”: wrong preposition. “El sábado”.
  • “Caminamos en el parque”: a calque from English. In Spanish we say “damos un paseo por el parque” or “paseamos por el parque”.
  • There's no sign-off and no signature, and both were pautas in the prompt.
  • It's 53 words long: too short, precisely because parts are missing.

Small things, right? But all together they sink the mark.

Improved version:

Hola, Lucía:

¿Qué tal todo? Te escribo porque por fin me he mudado. Mi casa nueva es muy bonita y luminosa. Tiene dos habitaciones y una terraza, y está en el centro, cerca del parque que tanto te gusta.

¿Quieres venir a verla? ¿Te viene bien este sábado? Podemos comer aquí y luego dar un paseo por el parque. ¡Tengo muchas ganas de verte!

Un beso,

Carla

67 words, counting the greeting and the signature. The same content, but clean and with every pauta covered. And here's the important part: the improved version is no harder than the first one. It uses the same A2 resources, used well.

How can you keep to 60-70 words without counting all the time?

Don't waste minutes counting word by word while you write. What does work:

  • Practise at home on an answer sheet like the one in the exam, so you get a feel for how much space 60-70 words take up in your handwriting.
  • Write a quick rough draft first, without counting.
  • Count it only once, when you finish. If you're short, add a detail to the body or an opening line like “¿Qué tal todo?”. If you're long, cut adjectives and repetitions.

Rough draft, count once, write up the final version. That way you don't waste precious time.

Which mistakes should you avoid on exam day?

There are three mistakes that aren't about grammar and still bring your mark down. I mention them because they're avoidable.

The first: forgetting a point from the prompt. Underline the pautas before you start writing and tick them off as you cover them. They're the backbone of the text.

The second: switching register halfway through. You're writing to a friend: “tú”, an informal greeting and a warm sign-off. No “Estimado” at the start and no “Atentamente” at the end.

The third: writing on the wrong sheet. There's one answer sheet for Task 1 and another for Task 2. Make sure each final text goes on the right one.

And if you'd like to review the most frequent mistakes in the whole writing paper, I go through them in 6 common mistakes in the DELE A2 writing test.

Frequently asked questions about DELE A2 writing Task 1

What happens if I write fewer than 60 words?

You don't fail automatically, but if you come up very short, there's usually information missing from the pautas or you don't show enough in your use of language, and that lowers your mark. If you're at 50-55, add a sentence to get closer to 60.

And what if I go over 70 words?

Going a little over isn't penalised in itself. The 60-70 words are a guideline, not a cap that costs you points. That said, there are two reasons not to go too far: your answer has to fit on the sheet and, the more you write, the more chances you have of making mistakes.

Do I have to cover all the points in the prompt?

Yes, all of them. If the prompt asks for three things and you only cover two, your task fulfilment mark goes down, even if you don't make a single mistake. Underline them before you start.

Can I make up the details?

Yes. The name, the city, what you've done, all of it. What's assessed is how you say it, not whether it's true. In fact, it's better to invent something you can express well than to try to describe your real life and get stuck.

Which verb tense should I use?

It depends on what you're saying. If you're describing something current: the present. If you're talking about something you've just done: the present perfect (“me he mudado”). If you're talking about something finished in the past: the preterite (“la semana pasada fui”). If you're talking about plans: “voy a + infinitive”. Using more than just the present helps your use-of-language mark.

Is it worth learning templates by heart?

Structure templates, yes; whole sentences by heart, no. If you learn a set sentence word for word and the prompt asks for something else, it shows. But having the greeting, opening, body, sign-off and signature structure internalised is what gives you confidence on exam day.

In short

  • Task 1 is an informal message of about 60-70 words replying to a friend.
  • Cover every pauta: there are usually four or five, including the greeting and the sign-off.
  • Structure: greeting, opening, a body with each point in the prompt, sign-off and signature.
  • Task fulfilment (34 %) and use of language (66 %) are assessed, by two examiners.
  • Basic connectors: y, también, pero, porque, por eso, primero, luego.
  • Rough draft, count once and write the final version on the right sheet.
  • Watch gender, number, articles and prepositions: they're what trips people up most.

Once you've got this task under control, move on to the second one: I explain it in DELE A2 writing Task 2: how to do it, with an annotated example.

If you want to prepare task by task, my DELE A2 course gives you strategies for each paper, annotated examples, a community, a Q&A chat and group calls.

If you'd rather practise on paper with four complete models, I also have the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Tvylte

If you're still not sure whether your level is really A2 or it's time for the B1, take the level test first to get your bearings.

And if you'd like reminders before each exam session and free resources, sign up for the newsletter.

¡A por el DELE! 🇪🇸