DELE B2 Tarea 2: How to Choose the Right Option — and Write the Article or Review That Scores Full Marks

You have 80 minutes. You read the two options. You panic.

That half-second freeze — 'which one do I choose?' — costs more DELE B2 candidates marks than any grammar mistake. They pick the option that feels vaguely familiar, start writing before they've thought it through, and end up halfway through a review that reads like a formal essay, or an article that has no personality at all. The examiner notices immediately.

Tarea 2 counts toward the same 25-point written prueba as Tarea 1 — the two tasks together make up a quarter of your exam. But the scoring emphasis is subtly different, the genre expectations are different, and the most common mistakes are completely different from those in the formal letter. If you've already read our Tarea 1 formal-letter guide, think of this as the flip side: same exam, different set of rules, different way to lose marks quietly.

What Is DELE B2 Tarea 2, Exactly?

In the Expresión e Interacción Escritas section of the DELE B2 (administered by Instituto Cervantes), Tarea 2 asks you to write one of two texts — typically an artículo de opinión (opinion article) or a reseña (review), though occasionally a carta informal or similar genre appears. You choose one option. The target length is 150–180 words, per the official DELE B2 exam specifications published by Instituto Cervantes.

Yes, 150–180 words. That surprises a lot of people who assume 'B2 writing task' means 300+ words. It doesn't. Going over doesn't earn extra credit — it gives the examiner more material to find errors in. Going significantly under signals you couldn't meet the communicative task. Both hurt your score.

The task prompt always specifies a context: a magazine, a cultural website, a student newsletter, a consumer platform. That context is not decoration. It tells you your register, your audience, and the communicative function you need to fulfil. Ignoring it is one of the most penalised mistakes in this tarea.

How Does Tarea 2 Scoring Differ From Tarea 1?

This is the gap in almost every guide you'll find online, so let's close it properly.

Both tareas feed one written-prueba score (25 of the exam's 100 points), and examiners mark them with Instituto Cervantes' holistic and analytic scales. In practical terms your text is judged on four fronts: adequacy to the task and genre, coherence and discourse organisation, grammatical accuracy, and range of vocabulary and structures.

But in practice, the weighting of what examiners notice shifts between the two tasks. In Tarea 1, a formal letter, adequacy is heavily tied to whether you hit every required communicative function (requesting, apologising, informing, etc.) with the right formal register. Miss one function and you lose marks directly.

In Tarea 2, adequacy is more about genre fit and audience awareness. An article needs to sound like an article — it has a hook, a discernible point of view, and rhetorical moves. A review needs to describe, evaluate, and recommend. If your 'article' is just four neutral paragraphs of information with no authorial voice, the examiner marks you down for inadequacy to the genre even if your grammar is flawless.

The other key difference: vocabulary and structural range matters more in Tarea 2 because the genre gives you more freedom. In a formal letter, your vocabulary choices are constrained by convention. In an article or review, you have space to show range — and the examiner is actively looking for it.

Should You Write the Article or the Review?

Here is the decision framework. Do not skip it. Spend two minutes on this before you write a single word.

Read both prompts completely. Then ask yourself three questions in order.

• 1. Do I have genuine opinions on this topic? — Not vague ones. Specific ones. If option A asks for an article about the role of social media in youth culture and you could write three concrete points right now, that is a green light. If you'd be padding from sentence one, move on.
• 2. Does one option match a text type I've practised? — If you've written five reviews and zero articles in your preparation, the review wins on execution quality, not just familiarity.
• 3. Which prompt gives me more of my best vocabulary? — The topic that lets you use the richest, most varied language you know will score higher on Amplitud y Riqueza. A technically simpler topic you know well beats an impressive topic you'll struggle to discuss.

What Structure Do Examiners Actually Reward?

Structure in Tarea 2 is not about having three paragraphs. It is about making your text feel like the genre it claims to be. Here is what that looks like concretely for each type.

• ARTICLE — Opening hook (a rhetorical question, a striking claim, or a brief anecdote — 2–3 sentences). Body: two focused paragraphs, each developing one argument with an example or piece of evidence. Closing: a position statement or call to reflection, not a summary. Do not write 'En conclusión, hemos visto que...' — that signals essay, not article.
• REVIEW — Brief context (what you reviewed, when, where — 1–2 sentences). Positive aspects: specific and concrete, not 'fue muy bueno'. Critical aspects: at least one, framed constructively — a review with no criticism reads as promotional copy, not genuine evaluation. Recommendation: clear, audience-specific (e.g. 'ideal para quienes buscan...').
• BOTH — Do NOT write a symmetrical five-paragraph essay. That structure screams 'exam writing' and undermines the authenticity the examiner is looking for. Real articles and reviews have rhythm and voice.

Which Opinion and Argument Connectors Signal B2?

At B1, learners use 'pero', 'también', 'porque', and 'sin embargo' for almost everything. At B2, the CEFR Companion Volume (Council of Europe, 2018) describes the ability to 'develop an argument systematically' and 'highlight the significant points and relevant supporting detail.' The language that demonstrates this is specific.

Use these and your cohesion marks rise visibly. Avoid overusing any single one — the examiner reads dozens of scripts and spots a memorised list immediately.

• Concession without surrendering your point: 'Si bien es cierto que... , no es menos cierto que...'
• Adding force to an argument: 'Es más, ...' / 'No sólo eso, sino que además...'
• Introducing a counterargument you'll refute: 'Cabría pensar que... , pero en realidad...'
• Expressing cause with nuance: 'No tanto porque... , sino porque...'
• Hedging an opinion (very B2): 'Cabe preguntarse si...' / 'Está por ver si...'
• Drawing a conclusion that doesn't feel like a conclusion formula: 'Todo ello apunta a que...' / 'Lo que parece claro es que...'

How Do You Write Opinions That Actually Sound B2?

The single fastest way to lift your score on both adequacy and range is to stop writing opinions like a list of positions and start writing them like a person who has actually thought about something.

Compare these two sentences about the same idea: 'Las redes sociales tienen aspectos positivos y negativos.' That is a B1 observation. Now: 'Las redes sociales han transformado la manera en que nos relacionamos, aunque a un coste que todavía estamos empezando a comprender.' That sentence has a point of view, a temporal nuance, and vocabulary range — it demonstrates B2 competence in one sentence.

The B2 trick is to qualify your opinions. Use modal verbs (podría, debería, convendría), use adverbs of degree (en buena medida, en cierta forma, notablemente), and use subordinate clauses that show your thinking process, not just your conclusion.

For reviews specifically: avoid adjectives without evidence. 'La actuación fue impresionante' tells the examiner nothing. 'La actuación logró transmitir una vulnerabilidad que resultó difícil de ignorar' tells the examiner you can use language precisely — and that is exactly what B2 requires.

What Does Register Consistency Actually Mean in Practice?

Register consistency is one of the most penalised issues in Tarea 2, yet almost no preparation guide explains what it means beyond 'don't mix formal and informal.' Let's be specific.

If your prompt says 'escribe un artículo para la revista cultural de tu universidad,' your register is semi-formal: educated, opinionated, slightly personal, but not colloquial. That means no 'o sea,' no 'la verdad es que' used casually, no ellipsis where a full sentence is needed — but also no ultra-formal constructions like 'en virtud de lo anteriormente expuesto' that belong in a legal document.

A review for a consumer website sits slightly more informally: second-person address to the reader ('Si estás pensando en...'), contractions in rhythm but not in grammar, a conversational tone that is still precise.

Where candidates break register most often: the opening and the closing. They write a conversational hook and then switch to stiff essay language for the body, then end with a bureaucratic formula. The examiner feels the tonal whiplash. Read your text aloud — if it sounds like two different people wrote it, your register is inconsistent.

What Communicative Functions Must Tarea 2 Fulfil?

Every Tarea 2 prompt contains embedded communicative functions — even if they aren't listed as bullet points the way Tarea 1 functions are. You have to identify and deliver them.

An article prompt might say: 'Escribe un artículo en el que expliques por qué crees que el turismo masivo es un problema y propongas posibles soluciones.' The communicative functions buried there are: EXPLAIN (give reasons, not just state them), ARGUE (construct a case, not just list facts), and PROPOSE (concrete suggestions, not vague wishes). A text that only argues without proposing has missed a function. An examiner reading it will mark adequacy down even if everything else is correct.

Before you write, underline the verbs in the prompt — explicar, proponer, valorar, describir, recomendar. Each one is a communicative function you must fulfil. Think of this the same way you would for Tarea 1 (where our formal-letter guide walks through the function-mapping technique in detail) — the principle is identical, even though the genre is completely different.

The Word-Count Reality: Why 150–180 Words Feels Impossible (and How to Hit It)

Most learners write either 120 words (too short) or 230 words (too long). Both are problems. The official DELE B2 task instructions set the range at 150–180 words for Tarea 2, and staying inside it is part of delivering the task adequately.

120 words means you haven't fully developed your argument or completed all communicative functions. 230 words usually means you've padded with repetition, used circular reasoning, or included content that isn't relevant to the task. The examiner reads everything, and filler damages your accuracy score because more sentences mean more chances to make errors.

The fix: plan in blocks before you write. For an article: hook (25–30 words), argument 1 with example (45–50 words), argument 2 with example (45–50 words), closing position (25–30 words). That puts you at 140–160 words on your first draft, which is easy to adjust. Count as you plan, not after you've written everything.

A Tarea 2 Article: What Full-Mark Writing Looks Like

Here is a condensed example based on a typical DELE B2 prompt — 'Escribe un artículo para la revista de tu centro educativo sobre si la tecnología ha mejorado o empeorado la forma en que aprendemos.' This is not a model answer from Instituto Cervantes; it is a demonstration of the principles above.

Opening hook (voice, not neutrality): '¿Aprendemos más porque tenemos acceso a toda la información del mundo, o simplemente navegamos por ella sin retener nada?'

Argument 1 (concrete, with evidence): 'La tecnología ha democratizado el conocimiento de una manera que habría resultado inimaginable hace treinta años. Hoy, cualquier persona con conexión a internet puede acceder a cursos universitarios de primer nivel de forma gratuita — algo que antes estaba reservado a quienes podían pagarlo.'

Argument 2 with concession (shows B2 nuance): 'Sin embargo, cabe preguntarse si disponer de información equivale a aprender. La inmediatez con la que obtenemos respuestas ha reducido, en buena medida, nuestra disposición a tolerar la incertidumbre que el aprendizaje real exige.'

Closing (position, not summary): 'Lo que parece claro es que la tecnología no mejora ni empeora el aprendizaje por sí sola — lo hace el uso que decidimos hacer de ella.'

Word count: approximately 160. Register: consistent semi-formal. Connectors: B2 level. Communicative functions: all fulfilled. That is what full marks looks like.

Three Mistakes That Drop Your Score Silently

These won't cause obvious red marks, but they consistently separate a passing script from a high-scoring one.

• Writing the same connector three times — 'Además' opening three different sentences is a cohesion red flag. Vary your discourse markers deliberately.
• Using the subjunctive incorrectly once but never using it when you should — B2 grammar range means using complex structures accurately. A script with zero subjunctives in 170 words signals avoidance, which limits your range marks. (If subjunctive triggers are still a weak spot, our guide to the Spanish subjunctive triggers intermediate learners get wrong covers the ones examiners reward.)
• Ending with a bilingual false cognate or a direct translation from your L1 — candidates whose L1 is English often write 'es interesante notar que' (calque of 'it is interesting to note') or 'hacer sentido' instead of 'tener sentido'. These signal non-native processing and cost accuracy marks.

How Does This Connect to the Rest of Your DELE B2 Preparation?

Tarea 2 does not exist in isolation. The vocabulary range you need to score well here — qualified opinions, nuanced connectors, genre-appropriate register — is the same vocabulary you need for the oral tasks. The subjunctive and conditional structures you use in this article are the same structures the reading and oral tasks reward. And the habit of identifying communicative functions before you write is the same skill that prevents you from losing marks in Tarea 1.

The DELE B2 listening section also feeds this indirectly: the more authentic Spanish content you've processed (podcasts, radio, opinion journalism), the more naturally your written register will sound. Our DELE B2 Listening guide explains how to use the listening section's input types as writing models — it's a preparation loop most candidates never think to close.

If you're not yet certain where your current written Spanish actually sits on the CEFR scale — whether you're producing genuine B2 or polished B1 — the fastest honest answer is a proper level test, not a feeling. Our free 5-minute CEFR test gives you a real level signal so you know exactly how much work Tarea 2 still needs.

The One Thing to Do Before Your Next Practice Write

Take a Tarea 2 prompt — use any from the official DELE B2 sample papers on the Instituto Cervantes website — and before you write a word, do this: underline every verb in the instruction, map each verb to a communicative function, choose your option using the three-question framework above, and plan your word blocks. Then write. Then count.

Do that five times before the exam and the panic disappears. Not because the task gets easier, but because you've replaced a vague feeling ('I need to write something good') with a concrete process ('I need to deliver these three functions in this structure with this register in 160 words'). That is how B2 writing goes from uncertain to reliable.