Technology and Social Media in Everyday Life (Writing)
Technology and social media writing tasks cover describing which apps, devices and platforms are used and how, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of social media, recounting a specific problem technology has caused, and recommending safer or more responsible use.
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Method
- Read the bullets and separate habitual use (present tense, object pronouns) from a specific incident (preterite) and from advice or opinion, which usually needs a modal or impersonal structure.
- Plan technology nouns and the pronouns that replace them (el móvil - lo uso; las redes sociales - las reviso) so sentences do not repeat the same noun twice.
- Build the habits bullet with a frequency phrase (paso demasiado tiempo en el móvil, reviso las redes sociales cada hora) to avoid a bare, unqualified statement.
- Build the pros-and-cons bullet with a connective showing balance (por un lado... por otro lado... / sin embargo) rather than listing only advantages or only disadvantages.
- Build the incident bullet in the preterite with a subordinate clause (un día, vi un comentario que era muy cruel) and the advice bullet with an impersonal or subjunctive structure (es importante que los jóvenes tengan cuidado, hay que pensar antes de publicar).
- Check object pronoun agreement (lo/la/los/las must match the gender and number of the noun replaced) and check reflexive verbs used for social habits (conectarse, comunicarse) are conjugated correctly.
- Check accents on tech vocabulary: móvil, aplicación, también, and on the subjunctive forms used in the advice bullet.
Worked example
Write a short paragraph in Spanish for a school assembly about social media. Mention: which apps you use and why; an advantage and a disadvantage of social media; what you think people should do to use it more responsibly.
- PLAN bullet 1: name an app plus a pronoun to avoid repetition - uso Instagram; lo uso para hablar con mis amigos.
- PLAN bullet 2: one advantage (mantenerse en contacto) and one disadvantage (perder tiempo/compararse con otros) linked by a contrast connective.
- BUILD bullet 1 with an object pronoun for range: Uso varias redes sociales, sobre todo Instagram, y lo reviso varias veces al día. Lo refers back to Instagram.
- BUILD bullet 2 balancing both sides: Por un lado, las redes sociales nos permiten mantenernos en contacto con amigos lejanos; por otro lado, mucha gente pasa demasiado tiempo comparándose con los demás, lo cual puede afectar la autoestima.
- BUILD bullet 3 with an impersonal/subjunctive structure: En mi opinión, es importante que todos pensemos antes de publicar algo y que tengamos cuidado con la información personal que compartimos.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Replace the noun with the correct pronoun: 'Reviso mis mensajes cada hora.' becomes 'Los reviso cada hora' or 'Las reviso cada hora'?Show answer
Answer: Los reviso cada hora - mensajes is masculine plural, so the pronoun must be los.
Q2Fill the gap with the present subjunctive: Es importante que la gente ___ (tener) cuidado en internet.Show answer
Answer: tenga - present subjunctive of tener, third person singular, used for the impersonal subject la gente.
Q3Correct the error: 'Paso demasiado tiempo en mi movil y esto me hace sentir cansado.'Show answer
Answer: Paso demasiado tiempo en mi móvil y esto me hace sentir cansado - móvil needs an accent on the o.
Q4Translate into Spanish: 'I think social media has both advantages and disadvantages.'Show answer
Answer: Creo que las redes sociales tienen tanto ventajas como desventajas.
Q5Translate into English: 'Un día, vi un comentario muy cruel sobre una amiga mía y se lo conté a un profesor.'Show answer
Answer: One day, I saw a very cruel comment about a friend of mine and I told a teacher about it.
Q6Give the Spanish for 'screen time' and 'to share (a post)'.Show answer
Answer: el tiempo de pantalla and compartir (una publicación).
Q7Which pronoun correctly replaces 'las fotos' in 'Comparto las fotos con mis amigos'?Show answer
Answer: las - Las comparto con mis amigos; las agrees with the feminine plural noun fotos.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Write about technology and social media in Spanish. Answer all four bullet points in Spanish. Write approximately 40 words in Spanish. - which apps or social media you use and why - how much time you spend online each day - a problem you or a friend has had online - your opinion on whether social media is good for teenagers
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Write for a school website about technology in daily life. You must mention: - describe how you use technology and social media in daily life - describe the advantages and disadvantages of social media, with examples - describe a time when technology caused a problem for you or someone you know - say what you think people should do to use social media more safely and responsibly
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See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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