Writing essays for the structured task

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The structured task is one of the three assignments in which the writing exam is organized. You will have to write a text of about 90 words following the instructions that appear in four bullet points, making sure that you include all the information that they have requested and that you use both a varied vocabulary and the appropriate verb tenses.

It is a perfect opportunity for you to show all the Spanish you know to make an impact. For our VIP students, we have created specific resources to practice this task based on past papers.

Once you are registered, we will assign you a tutor. Your tutor will advice you on the most convenient test according to your level and the learning plan you are working on at the time.

You will have to read the instructions carefully, complete the worksheet, and send it back to us for correction. You will receive the assessment within 48 hours. Go to the list of writing activities created.

Below you have an example of a previous structured task with comments, so you can see exactly what you will have to do and pay attention to on the day of the exam.

Una carta a una amiga: Advance writing task


The example below is from the 2019 AQA GCSE Exam.

  1. You are writing to a friend, so you should use the informal style throughout the text. Remember to provide all the information they ask for in the different bullet points, use a varied vocabulary, and the more tenses the better.
  2. They ask you to talk about recent activities, but in the past. You must use the present perfect (pretérito perfecto) or the preterite (pretérito indefinido), according to the time expressions: “Este verano he trabajado en una cafetería los fines de semana”. “El mes pasado trabajé por las mañanas en una tienda”.
  3. You need opinion verbs, but try to use varied vocabulary. Remember that with these verbs if the sentence is negative you will need a subjunctive: “Trabajar a tiempo parcial me parece una idea estupenda, me permite ganar dinero y experiencia profesional, y todavía tengo tiempo para estudiar y pasar tiempo con mis amigos. Creo que todos los estudiantes deberían hacerlo. Sin embargo, no pienso que sea posible trabajar durante el curso, porque no tendría tiempo para estudiar”.
  4. Here you need to use verbs like “gustar” and “encantar“, pay special attention to the pronouns: “Todo el dinero que gano lo gasto en ropa. Me encanta la moda y lo que más me gusta es ir de compras con mis amigas”.
  5. In the last point try to use different ways of expressing the future: “En septiembre voy a empezar el nuevo curso y es seguro que estaré muy ocupada, así no podré escribirte tanto como ahora”.
  6.  Finally, you can download the worksheet WQ_40, to write  your own test. Remember that if you are registered as a VIP student you can send it to us to be corrected.

Writing actitivies for the structure task

we have created specific resources to practice the writing task based on past papers. Just click on the link to download them. If you are not sure about which one to do, just contact us, your tutor will help you to choose one according to your level. We are adding new activities regularly.


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