What Prueba 3 of the DELE C1 is and why it's called "destrezas integradas"

Prueba 3 has been officially called "Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas" (Written expression, mediation and interaction) since the exam was renewed in 2024 (before that it was called "Comprensión auditiva y expresión e interacción escritas"). The underlying idea hasn't changed: you listen and then you write. But they're not separate things: what you listen to, you have to use in what you write.

This is called working with "destrezas integradas" (integrated skills) because it doesn't just test a single isolated skill. It tests how you combine comprehension and production at the same time. It's what the Common European Framework calls mediation. Like in real life, where you listen to a meeting and write the minutes, or attend a talk and summarise its content for someone.

The test lasts 80 minutes and has two tasks. And here's the key: time is very tight. Whoever passes Prueba 3 isn't necessarily the one who writes the best, but the one who manages the 80 minutes best and knows exactly what to do in each task.

Why Prueba 3 is the bottleneck of the DELE C1

I see it every exam round. A lot of people have a good oral level, good reading comprehension, good spontaneous texts. And then they fail because of Prueba 3.

Why? For three reasons: first, because it requires good synthesis, not pretty writing, and synthesis is a specific skill that almost no one trains. Second, because Tarea 1 starts from an audio, and a lot of people focus on writing and neglect the listening (or the other way round). Third, because time management is very tight and, if you get stuck on one task, the other suffers.

That's why it's worth having a clear plan. "Reading and writing well" isn't enough. You have to know what the examiners want in each task and give it to them.

Structure of Prueba 3: the two tasks in detail

Before going into each one, it's worth having the full map of the format in force since 2024:

  • Tarea 1 — Written mediation of an oral text: you listen to a monologue (a conference, a talk, a speech or a presentation) twice, take notes and write a text of 220-250 words containing a summary, an assessment and your opinion on the topic.
  • Tarea 2 — Written expression: you write a formal text of 180-220 words choosing between two options: a) an academic text, report or article based on a graph, infographic or diagram, or b) a formal letter or email (complaint, request, recommendation...) in response to a short text.

Total: two texts (between 400 and 470 words altogether) in 80 minutes, and both tasks carry the same weight in the mark. Sounds manageable, but Tarea 1 includes the two listenings of the audio. That's why the plan comes first.

Tarea 1 written of the DELE C1: the heart of the matter

Tarea 1 is the most feared and, in my opinion, the easiest to train. They give you an audio (a conference, a talk, a speech or a presentation) that you listen to twice while taking notes. You have to produce a text of 220-250 words that summarises the main points of what you heard, assesses them and sets out your opinion, responding to a specific brief and its guidance points.

What scores most in this task:

  • That you capture the main ideas of the audio, not just a couple of loose details (and without inventing content that wasn't there).
  • That you reformulate in your own words (reproducing literal sentences from the audio without elaborating on them is penalised).
  • That you follow the exact brief: it almost always asks for summary + assessment + opinion. If you only summarise, you've done half the job.
  • That the text has structure: introduction, development, conclusion, with clear connectors.

Step-by-step strategy:

  1. Read the brief twice and underline the guidance points (an introduction?, a summary?, an assessment?, an opinion?).
  2. First listening: catch the thesis and the structure of the speech; jot down key words, not sentences.
  3. Second listening: confirm data, fill in gaps, note examples and nuances.
  4. Do a minimal outline (intro, main ideas of the audio, your assessment, conclusion) and write.

Quick tip: if you spend the listenings plus about 5 more minutes organising notes and planning, and then around 20-25 minutes writing, you're on track. If you start writing without an outline, your text will almost certainly lack structure.

How to write a good audio summary in the DELE C1

This is where most candidates get stuck. Taking notes while you listen is a skill that can't be improvised.

My tips:

  • Don't try to jot down whole sentences: jot down key words, concepts, numbers, proper names.
  • Use your own abbreviations ("+/-" for pros and cons, arrows for causes and consequences, "x" for "no").
  • Identify the speaker's thesis in the first 60 seconds.
  • Identify the connectors the speaker uses ("por un lado, por otro", "en primer lugar, en segundo lugar"): those are the bones of the discourse.
  • In the second listening, confirm data and complete what you didn't catch.

Watch out: your notes are for you, they're not graded. They can be in any language, a visual mess, or use drawings. What matters is they help you write the final text.

220 words in the DELE C1: how to hit the length without going over or falling short

The Tarea 1 brief says "between 220 and 250 words" (and the Tarea 2 one, between 180 and 220). This range matters. If you write 180 where they ask for 220, you get penalised for insufficient length. If you write 320, you get penalised too, because it shows you can't synthesise. But careful: quality matters more than the exact count. If you write 270 words of very high level, you'll get a better mark than if you write 230 poor ones.

Quick tip to calibrate: in your drafts at home, count how many words fit in one line of your handwriting. If 10 fit, you know you need around 22-25 lines. That gives you a visual guide during the exam without having to count word by word.

Another important thing: C1 essays are not bullet point lists. They're cohesive texts. If you hand in an essay that looks like "outline with bullet points", it's penalised, even if the content is good.

Tarea 2 of the DELE C1, option a: the graph

One of the two options in Tarea 2 gives you a graph, an infographic or a diagram and asks you to produce an academic text, a report or an article from that visual information, within a given context. It's the option where the most people relax. And that's a mistake.

What's evaluated here:

  • That you can describe data without falling into "el gráfico muestra que… el gráfico muestra que…".
  • That you organise the information with judgement (from general to particular, by topic, by chronology).
  • That you interpret, not just describe (a C1 doesn't stop at "40% prefer X", it says "it stands out that four in ten respondents lean towards X, which suggests…").
  • That you don't invent data that isn't there.

Strategy:

  • Before writing, look at the graph for 2-3 minutes (what's the general trend?, what data point grabs your attention?, is there a clear comparison?).
  • Structure the text in three blocks: introduction presenting the topic, development with the relevant data, conclusion with your interpretation or proposals.
  • Use specific vocabulary: "destaca", "se aprecia", "predomina", "experimenta un descenso", "muestra una tendencia ascendente", "los datos revelan", "cabe subrayar".

Wrong: "El gráfico habla del consumo de fruta. La gente come mucha fruta. Los jóvenes comen menos."

Right: "El gráfico recoge datos sobre el consumo de fruta en España por franjas de edad. Llama la atención que la población mayor de 50 años duplica el consumo de los más jóvenes, lo cual podría apuntar a un cambio generacional en los hábitos alimentarios."

The difference between a B2 and a C1 lies in that second sentence. Not in the information, but in the treatment.

Tarea 2 of the DELE C1, option b: the formal letter or email

The other option in Tarea 2 gives you a short text (an ad, a news item, a review, a fragment of an opinion article, a letter to the newspaper) and asks you to write a formal letter or email in response: a complaint, a request, a recommendation, an opinion addressed to someone specific.

What they evaluate:

  • That you respect the epistolary structure: header with an appropriate formula, introduction that states the reason, development, closing and formal sign-off.
  • That you keep the formal register from start to finish (no mixing "tú" and "usted").
  • That you respond to all the guidance points in the brief.
  • That you don't copy literal sentences from the stimulus text.

Strategy:

  1. Identify the addressee and the objective (who are you writing to and what for?).
  2. Note down two or three formal formulas you're going to use ("me dirijo a usted con el fin de…", "agradecería encarecidamente que…", "no puedo dejar de manifestar mi malestar por…").
  3. Argue in detail: it's not enough to ask or complain, you have to justify.
  4. Close with an impeccable sign-off ("Atentamente,", "Reciba un cordial saludo,").

Wrong: a letter that starts with "Hola" and ends with "Saludos".

Right: a letter that opens with "Estimado/a Sr./Sra.:", develops the reason with arguments and closes with "Atentamente,".

Quick tip: choose your option (graph or letter) in the first three minutes and don't change afterwards. Switching options mid-task is the fastest way to run out of time.

Time management in Prueba 3: the plan that works

This is the best thing I can recommend after years grading. Suggested split for the 80 minutes:

  • Tarea 1: 40 minutes (including the two listenings of the audio, which are programmed).
  • Tarea 2: 32 minutes.
  • Safety margin: 8 minutes to review at the end.

It's worth NOT splitting it 40-40 equally. Tarea 1 is longer and more complex, and the listenings eat up a chunk of time you don't control. And another thing: if you get stuck polishing one sentence in Tarea 1, set yourself a limit. Move on to Tarea 2 and come back later. Better to have both tasks done so-so than one perfect and the other half-finished.

Typical mistakes in Prueba 3 of the DELE C1 that come up every exam round

As an examiner, these are the ones I find most often:

  • Reproducing literal sentences from the audio or the stimulus text (heavy penalty).
  • Summarising the audio in Tarea 1 without assessing or giving an opinion (the brief asks for all three).
  • Confusing description with interpretation in the graph option, or doing only one of the two.
  • Mixing "tú" and "usted" in the formal letter.
  • Skipping the specific brief or one of its guidance points.
  • Writing without structure (introduction, development and conclusion should be visible).
  • Forgetting to review at the end (five minutes of review save a lot).

What "destrezas integradas" is in the DELE C1 and why understanding it matters

Integrated skills are exactly what the name says: the crossover between comprehending and producing. In real life we operate this way almost always. We listen to something and recount it. We attend a talk and write a summary for someone who couldn't go. Tarea 1 of Prueba 3 simulates exactly that: there's a reason the official name talks about mediation.

That's why training it isn't just "doing models". It's also training life: listening to a podcast in Spanish and writing a paragraph summarising it, watching a video conference and taking notes as if you were going to draft the minutes, reading a column and emailing your opinion to a friend in Spanish. If you do this three or four times a week in the months before the exam, Prueba 3 stops being torture.

Frequently asked questions

How many times do you hear the Tarea 1 audio?

You hear it twice. That's how it's programmed. It's worth saving the first listening to catch the general idea and the second to confirm specific data and complete notes.

Can you take notes during the audio?

Yes. They give you space for it. Your notes aren't graded: they're a tool. Use them.

How much does each task count in the Prueba 3 mark?

Both tasks carry the same weight: 50% each. Each task is graded by two accredited raters using four criteria (coherence, range, accuracy and task fulfilment) in bands from 0 to 3, where band 2 corresponds to C1 level. Failing the whole Prueba 3 by leaving one task half-done is very common.

Can I pass the DELE C1 if I fail Prueba 3?

The DELE C1 is passed with a minimum of 60% (30 points out of 50) in each of the two groups (Grupo 1: reading + writing; Grupo 2: listening + oral). Prueba 3 falls in Grupo 1. If you do badly on Prueba 3 but excellently on Prueba 1, it can compensate within the group. But it's not worth risking.

Is it better to write in rough first and then copy over?

Personally I don't recommend it in Prueba 3 because time is tight. Copying over means rewriting two long texts. Better to plan the outline well first and write directly, calmly. If you need to cross things out, you cross them out.

What handwriting should I use in the exam?

Yours, but legible. Writing so tightly that the examiner can't read it doesn't work. If your handwriting is very small, make the effort to write bigger than normal. And leave margins.

To take home

  • Prueba 3 of the DELE C1 (Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas) isn't impossible: it's demanding and it needs method.
  • Plan the 80 minutes before you start; Tarea 1, with its two listenings, needs more time.
  • In Tarea 1, don't stop at the summary: the brief also asks for assessment and opinion.
  • In Tarea 2, choose your option (graph or formal letter) in the first three minutes and don't change.
  • If you choose the graph, don't just describe: interpret the data. If you choose the letter, impeccable formal register from start to finish.
  • Take notes during the audio (they're a tool, they're not graded).
  • Don't copy literal fragments: it's one of the most heavily penalised mistakes.

If you want to prepare the DELE C1 task by task, with templates, commented models and Prueba 3 mock exams corrected in detail, my course covers it all in a structured way: https://c1.aporeldele.com/

If you're still not sure you've got C1 level, I recommend doing the free level test first: https://nivel.aporeldele.com/

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