Spanish academic writing course
Annotated Spanish academic writing: hedges, reporting verbs, full model essay, error clinic, and a four-week assessed plan.
What academic Spanish is for
Not “sounding fancy.” It is controlled claims, fair attribution, and concession — the same muscles as workplace formal writing, with denser hedges. If you only memorize rare nouns, examiners and supervisors still hear calques.
Annotated model essay (mobility)
La movilidad urbana se ha convertido en un eje central de las políticas locales. Los datos disponibles sugieren que la mejora del transporte público reduce, en cierta medida, el uso del automóvil en las horas punta. No obstante, los efectos no son automáticos: dependen de la frecuencia del servicio y del precio. En la medida en que las ciudades combinan infraestructura y tarifas asequibles, los resultados tienden a ser más claros. Según informes municipales recientes, la percepción de seguridad también condiciona el cambio modal. Cabe señalar que este análisis no agota factores como la planificación residencial.
Annotation: opener states topic without “yo creo”; sugieren / en cierta medida hedge; No obstante concedes; En la medida en que limits; Según attributes; Cabe señalar closes scope.
Essay skeleton (reuse weekly)
- Topic sentence (no throat-clearing).
- Evidence claim with hedge.
- Concession + return.
- Attribution to a source.
- Scope limit / further factor.
Four-week assessed plan
- Week 1 — Copy the skeleton with new facts from a media sheet; score hedges (0–2).
- Week 2 — Neutralize an opinion column into academic tone.
- Week 3 — Error clinic: fix five advanced mistakes, then rewrite clean.
- Week 4 — Timed 150-word essay (15 minutes) + oral 90-second summary of the same argument.
Error clinic (expanded)
- hacer una decisión → tomar/adoptar una decisión
- en base a → sobre la base de / basándose en
- Yo creo que es obvio que… → Los resultados indican que…
- actualmente used for “actually” → en realidad / en este momento (choose sense)
- Connector salad without paragraph jobs → one job per paragraph
Reporting verb ladder
Neutral: según, indicar, señalar. Stronger: sostener, afirmar. Soften: matizar, sugerir. Drill by rewriting one news lead three ways.
Pair with academic register pack, collocations, and C1 production.
Worked drill 1
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 2
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 3
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 4
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 5
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 6
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 7
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 8
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 9
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 10
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 11
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 12
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 13
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 14
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 15
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 16
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 17
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 18
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Worked drill 19
Take a 90-word news summary in spanish and rewrite it as an academic paragraph: add one hedge, one concession, and one attribution. Speak the paragraph once. If you cannot say a clause, simplify the written version until speech and writing agree. Score task/register/markers/control (0–2 each).
Hedge quick list
- Cabe señalar que… — Neutral academic pointer
- Los datos sugieren que… — Soft claim from evidence
- En cierta medida… — Concession / limit
- No obstante… — Contrast without chatty 'pero' overuse
- En la medida en que… — Conditional framing
Reporting verbs quick list
- Según… — Attribute a source
- X sostiene que… — Stronger stance attribution
- X matiza que… — Softer / clarifying attribution
Output workshop Academic register pack Collocations C1 assessed tasks
FAQ
- How should I practice this course?
- Follow the four-week plan: skeleton reuse, neutralize opinion, error clinic, then a timed essay plus oral summary. Score task/register/markers/control each Friday.
- Is this only for exams?
- No. Exam manuals are a gym. This course trains academic and formal writing you can reuse in study and work.