How to choose the right text type in IB Spanish B Paper 1.

In Paper 1, you are given a few tasks and you choose one. Many students pick the topic they like most and then decide what to write. The better habit is the opposite: decide what the task is really asking, and let that choose the text type for you.

1. Read the task for audience, purpose and context

Before you think about format, underline three things in the prompt:

• Who you are writing to (a classmate, a school director, readers of a magazine).
• Why you are writing (to inform, persuade, complain, advise, tell a story).
• Where the text will appear (a blog, a school newsletter, a formal letter).

These three answers narrow your options far more than any list of formats can.

2. Match purpose to text type

A few examples of how purpose points to a format:

• Persuade or give an opinion: an article, a speech or an opinion piece lets you build an argument with a clear position.
• Share an experience informally: a blog post or a personal letter allows a closer, more personal voice.
• Inform a specific audience with a clear structure: a brochure, a report or a set of guidelines suits headings and organised information.
• Request or complain formally: a formal email or letter needs the right register and a clear request.

The question is never “which format do I like?” but “which format would a real writer use here?”

3. Respect the conventions, without overdoing them

Each text type has features the reader expects: a headline and sub-headings for an article, a greeting and sign-off for an email, a direct address to the audience in a speech. Include the essentials, but do not spend your word count on decoration. The examiner is looking for a convincing text for that audience, written in accurate, varied Spanish.

4. Common mistakes

• Choosing a text type you cannot sustain for the whole word count.
• Using a casual register in a text for a formal reader, or the reverse.
• Writing an essay when the task asks for something shorter and more direct.
• Copying a memorised template that does not fit the question.
• Forgetting the audience halfway through.

5. A 60-second checklist before you start

1. Who am I writing to, and why?
2. What register fits that reader?
3. Which format would feel natural for this situation?
4. Do I know the two or three conventions I must include?
5. Can I develop my ideas well within the word limit?

Always check the current subject guide and task wording for the exact requirements of your level and session.

I have gathered the main text types, their conventions and examples in a guide that my students use to train. You can get it for free below.