How to pass the DELE writing section: a practical guide

What the DELE writing section involves

The DELE writing paper (Prueba de Expresión e interacción escritas) usually contains two tasks. Depending on your level, you'll write things like an informal or formal letter, an email, an opinion text, a complaint or a short essay, often responding to a short input text or audio.

You write by hand under time pressure, and examiners mark your work against clear criteria: whether you fully complete the task, how coherent and well-organised your text is, how accurate your grammar and spelling are, and how varied your vocabulary is.

For the exact number of tasks, word counts and timing at your level, always check the official Instituto Cervantes exam guide — they differ between A2, B1, B2 and C1.

Read the task and answer every part

The single most common reason for a low task-fulfilment score is missing a bullet point. DELE prompts usually list several things you must include — greet, explain, ask, propose, apologise. Underline each one and make sure your text covers it.

Match the register to the situation: a letter to a friend is informal (tú), a letter to an institution is formal (usted). Mixing them costs marks.

Structure your answer clearly

Plan for two minutes before you write. A simple, examiner-friendly structure is: a short opening, one or two body paragraphs that develop each point, and a closing line.

Use connectors to show organisation — por un lado / por otro lado, además, sin embargo, por lo tanto, en resumen. Coherence and cohesion are graded directly, so linking words are easy points.

Manage time and word count

Going far under the word count caps your task score; going far over wastes time and adds mistakes. Aim for the middle of the range, then spend the last three minutes re-reading for verb tenses, ser/estar, accents and agreement.

Practise with a timer so exam day feels familiar. Writing three timed answers a week is more effective than one long, untimed session.

Practise with feedback, not just corrections

You improve fastest when you know why something is wrong and what a better version looks like. A grammar checker fixes words; it doesn't tell you whether your text would pass.

Escrito scores your writing on the same criteria examiners use, highlights each mistake with an explanation, and shows a corrected version — so every text you write becomes real exam practice. You can try it free, no card needed.