At B1, the writing section (produzione scritta) typically asks for short texts of different types — for example a personal or semi-formal message and a short description or account of an experience — each built around points you must address. The exact tasks and lengths depend on the exam (CILS and CELI differ) and are stated in each prompt. Graders look at four things, not one: did you complete the task, does the text read as connected prose rather than a list, how wide is your vocabulary, and how accurate is your grammar. A flawless text that skips a required point usually scores worse than a slightly imperfect one that covers everything — the most common mistake candidates make under time pressure. Italian adds its own traps: choosing Lei or tu and keeping it consistent, formal openings such as "Gentile" and closings such as "Cordiali saluti", and the passato prossimo/imperfetto choice whenever you narrate. Asagno's writing practice shows a real task, a model structure (opening → one short paragraph per point → closing) and — for exam-pack attempts — an AI examiner that grades your answer against these criteria and returns a corrected version with specific comments in Arabic and English.
What you'll learn
- The four grading criteria: task fulfilment, coherence, vocabulary range, grammatical accuracy
- A reusable structure: opening, one short paragraph per required point, closing
- Formal vs informal register — Lei vs tu, "Gentile Signora Rossi" vs "Cara Giulia", "Cordiali saluti" vs "Un abbraccio"
- Connectors that turn sentences into prose: inoltre, quindi, però, anche se, per questo motivo
- Narrating in the past without mixing up passato prossimo and imperfetto
- AI-scored practice on real prompts, with a corrected version and comments, not just a score
An annotated formal opening
"Gentile Signora Bianchi, Le scrivo in merito al contratto d'affitto dell'appartamento in via Roma 12." — "Dear Mrs Bianchi, I am writing to you regarding the rental contract for the apartment at Via Roma 12." Note the formal Gentile (not Ciao), Le — the polite "to you", traditionally capitalised in formal letters — and the subject stated in the very first sentence: exactly what graders look for in the first seconds of reading.
"Inoltre, vorrei sapere se le spese condominiali sono incluse." — "In addition, I would like to know whether the building service charges are included." One connector (inoltre) and one polite conditional (vorrei) turn a bare list of questions into connected, B1-level prose.
Frequently asked questions
How many words should a B1 writing answer be?
B1 writing tasks are short — often in the region of a hundred words or fewer per text — but exact ranges differ between CILS and CELI and between tasks, and each prompt states its own. The practice tasks here state the expected length for each prompt too. Writing far below the range costs task-fulfilment points; writing far beyond it mostly costs time.
Does spelling matter as much as grammar?
Grammar and vocabulary carry more weight than isolated slips, but in Italian some "spelling" mistakes are really meaning mistakes: a missing double consonant (pena vs penna) or a missing accent (e "and" vs è "is") changes the word. Consistent errors that make the text hard to follow also affect the coherence score.
Should I write with Lei or tu?
Follow the task: a landlord, an office or an employer you do not know means Lei; a friend or a colleague you know well means tu. What graders notice most is switching between the two within the same text.