Write the form the task names: Every Paper 1 task names a text type (il tipo di testo) — a blog, an email, an article, a speech and so on — and you must write that form, not a generic essay. Text types fall into three families: personal texts (a blog, a diary, an email to a friend), professional texts (a formal letter, a report, a proposal) and mass-media texts (an article, a review, an interview, a speech, a leaflet). Each family has its own conventions (le convenzioni) and typical register, and getting them right protects Criterion C.
- il tipo di testo
- the text type — the form you must write
- i testi personali
- personal texts: l'email, il blog, il diario
- i testi formali/professionali
- professional texts: la lettera formale, la relazione, la proposta
- i testi dei media
- mass-media texts: l'articolo, la recensione, l'intervista, il discorso, l'opuscolo
- le convenzioni / gli elementi
- the conventions — the features that mark out each text type
- il registro
- the register — formal or informal, set by the type and reader
The form is named — use it: The text-type word is almost always printed in the prompt («blog», «email», «articolo», «discorso»…). Underline it first, then ask: what features does this form need? Writing the right form is the easiest way to bank Criterion C marks.
Each form has its features: Each text type has key conventions — the features the examiner expects to see — and a typical register. Learn the handful you're most likely to be asked for. The table below gives the must-haves for four common forms.
| Tipo di testo | Elementi principali | Registro tipico |
|---|---|---|
| Blog | Titolo + rivolgersi al lettore + saluto finale | semiformale |
| Lettera formale | Gentile/Egregio… + Lei + Cordiali saluti | formale |
| Articolo | Titolo + sottotitoli + frase d'apertura | semiformale |
| Discorso | Saluto al pubblico + domande retoriche | dipende dal pubblico |
Features before sentences: Blog → titolo e rivolgersi al lettore · Lettera formale → Gentile/Egregio… e Cordiali saluti · Articolo → titolo e frase d'apertura · Discorso → saluto al pubblico e domande retoriche. Sketch the features before you write a single sentence — they're the backbone the examiner looks for.
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Find it, then serve it: Handling the text type is the same routine every time: find the form named in the prompt, recall its conventions, pick the register, and frame the answer with the right opening and closing. Do this before you develop any content.
Spot and serve the text type
1
Find the text-type word in the prompt
Underline the form the prompt names — «blog», «email», «articolo», «discorso». That word fixes everything that follows.
2
Recall its conventions
Bring to mind the features that form needs — title, greeting, headline, rhetorical questions — so you can include them.
3
Pick the register
Choose formal (Lei) or informal (tu/voi) based on the text type and its reader — a formal letter is Lei, a blog is semiformal.
4
Frame it (opening & closing)
Set up the opening (title or greeting) and the closing (sign-off or conclusion) before filling the body — the frame is what the examiner checks.
Find → Recall → Register → Frame
The frame protects Criterion C: Even a strong body scores poorly if the frame is missing — no title on a blog, no greeting on a letter. Set the opening and closing first: that frame is exactly what Criterion C rewards in the text type.
Identifying the type, worked through: Here's a real-style prompt taken through the moves — finding the text type and listing its must-have conventions before any writing. Tap Mostra traduzione to see the English explanation, or 🔊 to hear the Italian.
IB-style task — riconoscere il tipo di testo e i suoi elementi
Dal compito agli elementi del tipo di testo
- Compito: «Scrivi un discorso da tenere all'assemblea della tua scuola sull'importanza del riciclaggio.»
- Tipo di testo = un discorso. La parola chiave del compito è «discorso».
- Elementi obbligatori: un saluto al pubblico (Buongiorno a tutti, cari compagni), domande retoriche per coinvolgere chi ascolta e una chiusura con un invito all'azione.
- Registro: dipende dal pubblico — qui è la scuola, quindi corretto ma vicino, rivolto a chi ascolta («voi / a voi»).
- Piano rapido: saluto → perché il riciclaggio è importante → due azioni concrete → un ultimo invito all'azione.
Conventions are non-negotiable: Once you've named the text type, its conventions are non-negotiable — a speech needs a greeting and rhetorical questions, a blog needs a title and a sign-off. List them in your plan and tick them off as you write to secure Criterion C.
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Right form vs costly mistakes: Marks lost on text type rarely come from weak Italian — they come from writing a generic essay, missing the conventions, or using the wrong register for the form. Here's the contrast.
La forma giusta
- Scrivi la forma che il compito richiede.
- Usa gli elementi del tipo di testo.
- Metti un titolo in un articolo, un titolo in un blog.
- Adatta il registro al tipo di testo.
Errori tipici
- Write a generic essay regardless of the named form.
- Miss the conventions — no title, no sign-off.
- Use the wrong register for the type (tu in a formal letter).
- Iniziare a scrivere senza inquadrare la forma.
A great essay can still score low: If the task asked for a blog and you wrote a polished essay, Criterion C drops — the examiner can't see the form. Name the text type out loud in your head, then give it the features expected. That alone protects those marks.