Here are some quick tips for your mediation tasks:

  1. There should be a bit of an introduction- there needs to be some context to your task. But please, do not make that introduction way too long (that may happen to some students, especially in mediation in writing). You have a limited number of words, and what you need to do is mediate the text. (You might be given the introduction to the task in the exam- in that case, do not introduce your mediation task any more: go to the point).
  2. Imagine you are talking to your friend, your boss, …whomever you are mediating the text for (as instructed in the task).
  3. If you decide to use the verb ‘explain’, please remember you use ‘explain’ as the verb ‘say’: I’m going to explain the main ideas…/ I’m going to explain to you the main ideas…
  4. Stick to the number of words mentioned in the task. Writing some more words is OK. Writing 200-250 words if you are supposed to write 150 will show, and you will get fewer points for not fulfilling the task, for not summarising appropriately…
  5. Please do not copy expressions in the source text literally (mediation in writing). Rephrase, use different words to express the same idea instead. Remember you are supposed to show your mediating skills by:
    • selecting the most relevant information
    • summarising the main ideas/content
    • paraphrasing

Likewise, in the mediation in speaking task, please, DO NOT TRANSLATE LITERALLY from Spanish into English.