DELE B2 Tarea 2: How to Write a Formal Essay or Article That Actually Scores Full Marks

The essay trap most B2 candidates fall into

You studied grammar for months. Your vocabulary is solid. You sit down for Tarea 2, read the prompt, and write something that — honestly — feels pretty good. Then you get your score back and the writing section is the reason you didn't pass.

This happens constantly. Not because candidates can't write Spanish, but because DELE B2 Tarea 2 isn't testing whether you can write Spanish. It's testing whether you can write Spanish in a specific, organised, formal register — while addressing a specific audience, taking a clear stance, and structuring an argument that holds together from the first sentence to the last.

Those are four distinct skills. Most people only prepare for one of them. This post breaks down all four, tells you exactly how examiners mark your work, and gives you a repeatable structure you can use on exam day — whatever the prompt says.

What is DELE B2 Tarea 2, exactly?

The Expresión e Interacción Escritas section of DELE B2 has two tasks. Tarea 1 is a formal letter (250–300 words). Tarea 2 asks you to write a formal essay or article of 250–300 words, usually in response to a statement or situation, aimed at a defined reader — a magazine, a school board, a cultural association, or similar.

You'll be given a short stimulus text of around 150 words — a news item, a quote, a brief report — plus a writing task that tells you: the format (essay or article), the approximate reader, and the argument or question you must address.

The word count is firm. Too short and you haven't fulfilled the task. Too long and you risk introducing errors and losing coherence. 250–300 words means exactly that.

• Format: formal essay or argumentative article
• Length: 250–300 words
• Input: a ~150-word stimulus text you must engage with
• Audience: always specified — treat it as a real constraint, not decoration
• Time: you share 80 minutes total across both Tarea 1 and Tarea 2

How do examiners actually mark Tarea 2?

DELE writing tasks are scored on four criteria, each worth 25% of the Tarea 2 mark. Understanding these isn't just useful — it's the whole game.

The first criterion is Adecuación: does your text match the register, format, and audience specified in the prompt? A brilliant essay written in conversational Spanish still scores poorly here. So does an essay that ignores the stimulus text entirely.

The second is Coherencia y cohesión: does your argument flow logically? Do you use discourse markers that link ideas — not just decorate sentences? Examiners are checking whether your text reads as a unified piece of writing or a collection of sentences that happen to be on the same topic.

The third is Corrección gramatical y léxica: grammar and vocabulary range and accuracy. At B2, examiners expect more than correct — they expect variety. One tense, two connectors, and basic vocabulary does not score well even if it's all technically right.

The fourth is Alcance: the ambition of your language. Are you attempting complex structures — subordinate clauses, passive voice, conditional constructions, nominalisations? Or are you playing it safe with simple sentences? Playing it safe is the most common mistake advanced candidates make.

• Adecuación — register, format, audience match
• Coherencia y cohesión — logical flow and discourse markers
• Corrección gramatical y léxica — accuracy and range
• Alcance — complexity and ambition of your language

What structure should I use for the essay?

Use a four-paragraph structure — always. Not three, not five. Four. It maps perfectly onto the 250–300 word limit and keeps your argument tight.

Paragraph 1 — Introducción (50–60 words): Present the topic, reference the stimulus text briefly, and state your position. Don't hedge. Don't write 'hay muchas opiniones sobre este tema.' Take a side or frame a clear question. Examiners read hundreds of vague introductions — a clear stance in sentence two will immediately lift your Coherencia score.

Paragraph 2 — Primer argumento (70–80 words): Your strongest point. State it, develop it with a reason or example, and end with a mini-conclusion that feeds into the next paragraph. Use a discourse marker to open — 'En primer lugar,' is fine, but 'Cabe destacar que' or 'No cabe duda de que' signals a higher register.

Paragraph 3 — Segundo argumento o contraargumento (70–80 words): Either your second supporting point, or — more impressive — a counterargument you then refute. Examiners reward nuanced thinking. Use 'Si bien es cierto que... no obstante...' or 'A pesar de que algunos sostienen que...' to show you can hold two ideas at once. This is where Alcance marks are won or lost.

Paragraph 4 — Conclusión (50–60 words): Restate your position differently — don't just copy sentence one. Offer an implication, a recommendation, or a call to reflection. End with a punchy final sentence. 'En definitiva,' is overused. Try 'Todo apunta a que,' 'Resulta evidente que,' or 'Lo que está en juego, en último término, es...' depending on the topic.

Which discourse markers actually sound B2 — and which sound B1?

This is one of the most practical distinctions you can make before the exam. B1 markers are correct but flat. B2 markers are correct and demonstrate range. Examiners notice the difference immediately.

The goal isn't to drop fancy phrases randomly — it's to use connectors that genuinely reflect how your argument is moving. If you're conceding a point, use a concession marker. If you're emphasising, use an emphasis marker. Precision matters more than volume.

• Instead of 'pero' → 'sin embargo,' 'no obstante,' 'ahora bien'
• Instead of 'también' → 'asimismo,' 'del mismo modo,' 'cabe añadir que'
• Instead of 'porque' → 'dado que,' 'en vista de que,' 'habida cuenta de que'
• Instead of 'por eso' → 'por consiguiente,' 'de ahí que' (+ subjunctive)', 'lo cual implica que'
• Instead of 'en mi opinión' → 'desde mi punto de vista,' 'a mi modo de ver,' 'cabe sostener que'
• To introduce a counterargument → 'si bien,' 'a pesar de que,' 'aunque es cierto que'

How do you use the stimulus text without just summarising it?

This is where a lot of candidates go wrong. Some ignore the stimulus text completely — which damages their Adecuación score. Others spend half their word count summarising it — which wastes space and scores nothing extra.

The correct approach: reference it in one or two sentences in your introduction to frame the topic, then use it as a launching pad for your own argument. You can quote a phrase from it if it's genuinely useful, but you should immediately move to your analysis or stance. The stimulus is context. Your argument is the essay.

A useful formula: 'El texto presentado señala que [one-line summary]. Esta afirmación invita a reflexionar sobre [broader issue], especialmente en un contexto en el que [your framing].' That's your introduction done in three sentences — and it demonstrates you've engaged with the input without being trapped by it.

What grammar structures will actually lift your Alcance score?

At B2, grammar range is one of the most visible ways to separate yourself from the pack. The following structures are relatively low-risk — they don't require C1-level complexity — but they're noticeably absent from lower-band essays.

Use the passive voice where it fits naturally: 'Se ha demostrado que,' 'Es ampliamente reconocido que.' Use the subjunctive in subordinate clauses: 'Es fundamental que las instituciones adopten medidas,' 'No parece que este problema vaya a resolverse.' Use nominalisation — turning verbs into nouns — for a more formal register: 'el deterioro del medioambiente' rather than 'cómo el medioambiente se deteriora.'

Conditional structures also score well: 'De implementarse estas medidas, los resultados serían significativos.' This is a B2 conditional inversion — it sounds formal and it's correct. Practice it until it feels natural, because it will almost certainly be applicable whatever topic comes up.

• Passive voice: 'se ha demostrado que,' 'está ampliamente documentado que'
• Subjunctive in subordinates: 'es esencial que,' 'no es probable que'
• Nominalisation: 'el aumento de,' 'la ausencia de,' 'el impacto de'
• Conditional inversion: 'de + infinitivo, + condicional'
• Relative clauses with preposition: 'el problema al que nos enfrentamos,' 'la solución en torno a la cual gira el debate'

What are the most common mistakes that cost candidates marks?

Register drift is the biggest one. You start formal and then, three sentences in, you write 'y la verdad es que esto no tiene mucho sentido.' That's a conversational register. Once you've established formal tone, maintain it all the way to the final full stop.

Vague thesis is the second. 'Hay aspectos positivos y negativos' is not a thesis. It is an observation that anyone with a pulse could make. Examiners want to see a position. Even if you don't personally believe it, take one.

Repetitive vocabulary is the third. If you write 'importante' four times in 280 words, your Corrección y léxico score suffers. Keep a mental list of alternatives: 'crucial,' 'relevante,' 'decisivo,' 'de gran alcance,' 'significativo.'

Finally: not leaving time to re-read. Budget two minutes at the end of Tarea 2 to scan for agreement errors, missing accents on subjunctive forms (estén, sean, haya), and any sentence you can't actually parse yourself. If you can't follow it, the examiner won't.

A realistic writing schedule: how do you prepare for this in the weeks before the exam?

Write one full Tarea 2 essay every four to five days. Any more than that and you're not processing feedback — you're just producing output. Any less and you're not building the mechanical fluency that exam conditions demand.

After each essay, score it yourself against the four criteria using a simple 1–4 scale. Then pick the single weakest criterion and focus your next practice specifically on improving it. If your Alcance keeps scoring 2, your next practice session is about grammar structures — not another full essay.

Find a native speaker, tutor, or language exchange partner to read at least two or three of your essays before exam day. The patterns in your errors — agreement mistakes, false register, recurring vocabulary gaps — are invisible to you and obvious to them. One session of honest feedback is worth ten more essays written into the void.

Sample prompt and how to attack it

Prompt: A magazine has published a short article arguing that universities should make a gap year compulsory before students begin their degrees. You have been asked to write a formal article (250–300 words) for the magazine's letters section responding to this idea and offering your own position.

Your move: Paragraph 1 — acknowledge the debate, state your position (for or against — pick one). Paragraph 2 — strongest argument: e.g. the personal development case for it, with a concrete example. Paragraph 3 — counterargument: e.g. economic inequality means not everyone can afford it; then refute: universities could fund it. Paragraph 4 — restate position with a forward-looking recommendation.

Notice that the topic almost doesn't matter. The structure, the markers, the grammar structures, the register — those are the same regardless of whether the prompt is about technology, education, the environment, or social media. Exam topics at B2 are predictable enough that you can prepare for the form without knowing the exact content.

Know your level before you walk in

One thing that genuinely helps is being honest about where your Spanish actually is before you start drilling exam technique. If you're still consolidating B1 grammar, spending hours on B2 essay structure is premature — the structures won't stick because the foundations aren't there yet.

If you're not sure whether you're solidly at B2 or still crossing the line from B1, Nivelo's free five-minute CEFR test gives you a calibrated read on your level. It won't replace a full practice exam, but it tells you honestly where you stand on the actual scale — not the one your language app made up. That's a useful data point before you commit months to B2 exam prep.

The one mindset shift that changes everything

Stop thinking of Tarea 2 as a test of what you know about the topic. The examiner doesn't care whether your views on compulsory gap years are correct, interesting, or original. They care whether your Spanish is accurate, varied, well-organised, and appropriately formal.

That's actually good news. It means you're not being tested on knowledge — you're being tested on a craft you can practise and improve in measurable steps. Every essay you write, scored honestly against the four criteria, is direct preparation. The structure in this post is repeatable. The markers are learnable. The grammar structures are finite.

The candidates who score full marks on Tarea 2 aren't necessarily the ones with the best Spanish in the room. They're the ones who understood what the task was actually asking — and prepared for exactly that.