15. Postal

A postcard (una postal) is a brief personal message typically written on a postcard and sent from one person to another. It often shares travel experiences, vacation highlights, or personal greetings from a specific location.

The front of the postcard usually shows a picture representing the place visited. The text is written on the back of the card: the stamp and address go on the right side, while the date and message go on the left. In the exam, you only need to represent the back of the postcard.

Model text and key features

Modelo postal

Context Audience Purpose
  • Personal
  • Section A
  • Specific person you know (e.g., a friend)
  • A group of people you know, who live at the same address (e.g., a family)
  • Send greetings from a special location
  • Share experiences
  • Send updates

 

Key words

The following key words in the exam may suggest that the appropriate text type is a postcard (postal).

Español
Inglés
Informar
To inform
Dar noticias
To give news
Compartir
To share
Las vacaciones
Holidays
El viaje
Trip
El campamento
Camp
La estadía, la estancia
Stay
Key points at a glance
Format
Message
Language
  • On the right:
  • Stamp
  • Recipient 
  • Address
  • On the left:
  • Date
  • Greeting
  • Body
  • Closure, farewell and signature
  • Clear
  • Short
  • Includes:
    • Where you are
    • How you feel
    • Highlights: what you're doing, plans, weather, food...
  • Generally informal, depending on the audience
  • The tone is generally cheerful, friendly and warm
Key features, tips and examples

  • Draw a square with the word 'sello' or 'estampilla' (stamp)
  • Write the name and surname of the recipient.
  • Write the recipient's address (you may memorize an easy Spanish address).

Example: 

Famiia Guerrero

C/ Sol 18

46011 Valencia

España

  • Write the name of the place from where you are writing and the date.
  • Remember that you can't use ordinal suffixes in Spanish dates (e.g. 23rd) and that months are not capitalized.

Examples:

  • Cancún, 23 de junio de 2025
  • Cancún, 23/06/25

Postcard greetings tend to be informal, as they are normally sent to family or friends.

Examples:

  • ¡Hola, mamá y papá!
  • ¡Hola, Nerea!
  • Querida abuelita:

  • Because of the lack of space in a postcard, paragraphs are short.
  • In the opening line mention where you are and how you feel. You may also mention for how long you have been travelling.
  • Write about the highlights of your trip: what you are doing, what you have visited, what you are planning...
  • It is also quite common to mention the weather and food.

Examples of opening line:

  • ¡México es un sueño/paraíso!
  • ¡Ya estoy/estamos en México!
  • Te/Os escribo/escribimos desde Cancún.
  • Ya llevo/llevamos una semana viajando por México.

Examples of highligths:

  • Estoy/Estamos disfrutando mucho de...
  • Ayer hice/hicimos una excursión a...
  • Hace muy buen tiempo/muy bueno.
  • La comida es increíble/deliciosa.

  • You may end the postcard with an overal opinion or statement about how you feel.
  • The closure often includes a wish or loving statement.
  • The farewell should be short and warm (e.g., Besos).
  • Sign with your fake Spanish name or with an initial.

Examples:

  • Lo estamos pasando genial, pero os echamos de menos. (We're having a great time, but we miss you).
  • ¡Ojalá estuvieras aquí conmigo! (I wish you were here with me!)
  • Ojalá pudieras estar aquí... (I wish you could be here...)
  • ¡Nos vemos muy pronto! (See you very soon!)

 

Draw a postcard on your paper, clearly showing the division between the left side (message) and the right side (address). To avoid writing in a constricting space, you may draw an arrow from the message side of the postcard to the main body of the page, and write your text there. The examiner will understand that this is where your text would be written in a real-life postcard.
Test your skills

Escribe entre 70 y 150 palabras.

Llevas una semana de campamento de verano en un país hispanohablante. Escribe un texto a tus padres para contarles cómo te sientes, cómo está siendo tu experiencia en el campamento y qué planes tienes para los próximos días.

Blog   Carta  Postal

 

Reflect

  • What would be the second and third best text types for this task?
  • What would you have done differently if you were writing a letter instead of a postcard?
  • What would you have done differently if you were writing a blog instead of a postcard?

Click on the link to read a student sample for this prompt. Analyze it before reading the marking notes.

You can access a plethora of models, exam prompts, marking comments, and more in various areas of this site, particularly in the evaluation booklets at the end of each thematic unit. For quick access to all activities related to this text type, click on the 'POSTAL' tag on the Home Page. 

Download: Printable cheat sheet

Activities: Dados del Destino

  1. Preparation: In pairs or groups of three, roll the three dice with prompts for your location, companion, and mood. Record the result of the roll on this planning sheet.
  2. Collaborative and creative work: Write a postcard to your best friend, based on the dice prompts. You must speak about how you feel and what you are doing; what you have done and what you are planning to do; the landscapes, weather, food and people. Record your decisions in the planning sheet. Create your postcard on paper or digitally. 
  3. Reflection and peer feedback: Swap your postcard with another group. Identify the place and date, the greeting and farewell, the tone and register, and the main message. Have all the required elements been included? Score the postcard out of 15, based on the IB criteria, and justify your mark. Return the postcard along with your evaluation and feedback.

De Profe a Profe

Si no tienes tiempo de imprimir, recortar y montar los dados de la plantilla, unos dados tradicionales te harán el mismo papel. Las opciones correspondientes a cada número están en la hoja de planificación de la actividad. Por supuesto, puedes modificar las opciones a tu gusto. 

¿Por qué no pedir a tus alumnos que tomen la iniciativa de contactar a una escuela de BI en un país hispanohablante?  La idea es hacer un intercambio epistolar con postales. Si propones la actividad con carácter voluntario, tus alumnos podrán utilizarla para CAS.
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