Writing Practice ✍️
Showing 133 to 144 of 501 tasks
Showing 133 to 144 of 501 tasks
How to prepare for the YKI writing test
The YKI writing subtest (kirjoittaminen) assesses your ability to produce everyday and formal written Finnish. Depending on the test level, you are required to write three distinct tasks: informal messages to friends or acquaintances, formal customer inquiries or service requests, and opinion pieces on familiar societal issues.
Examiners evaluate task fulfillment, clear structural organization, appropriate register (formal vs. informal language), vocabulary variety, and grammatical accuracy. Consistent practice with prompt timers and model answers is key to passing.
Mastering formal and informal registers
In formal tasks (such as a complaint to a housing manager or an inquiry to an employer), use standard polite greetings like 'Hei' or 'Hyvä vastaanottaja', maintain neutral sentence phrasing, and close with 'Ystävällisin terveisin'. Avoid spoken language (puhekieli) in formal contexts.
In informal messages (a note to a neighbor, an invitation to a friend), contractions and casual phrases like 'Moi' or 'Nähdään pian' are appropriate. The critical rule is consistency: never mix slang and rigid bureaucratic forms within the same message.
Structure of a high-scoring opinion piece
An opinion piece should follow a clear three-part template: an opening that introduces the topic and states your stance, a middle body that presents two or three justified reasons with connectors (ensinnäkin, toiseksi, lisäksi), and a concise conclusion summarizing your viewpoint.
Always address every single bullet point mentioned in the exam prompt. Omitting even one sub-prompt directly lowers your task achievement score, regardless of how good your grammar is.
Worked example: make a useful service request
Original practice example, not a released exam task or an assessed model.
Your course moves to Tuesday at 18.00, when you work. Write to the course organiser: explain the problem, ask about another group and say when you are available.
Hei! Kurssin uusi aika, tiistai kello 18, ei sovi minulle, koska olen silloin töissä. Voisinko vaihtaa toiseen ryhmään? Pääsen osallistumaan keskiviikkoisin kello 17 jälkeen. Jos sopivaa ryhmää ei ole, voinko saada tämän viikon tehtävät sähköpostitse? Ystävällisin terveisin, AinoEnglish meaning
Hello! The new course time, Tuesday at 18.00, does not suit me because I am at work then. Could I change to another group? I can attend on Wednesdays after 17.00. If there is no suitable group, could I receive this week’s assignments by email? Kind regards, Aino.
Try it: Find the problem, the main request and the available time. What makes ‘Kurssin aika ei sovi. Voitteko auttaa?’ less useful to the recipient?
Worked answer and explanation
The model names the conflicting time and explains why it is difficult. It asks to change groups and gives a specific alternative: Wednesdays after 17.00. The shorter version leaves the organiser guessing what help and times would work.
‘Koska’ connects the problem to its reason. ‘Voisinko’ makes a clear, polite request. The optional email request gives a fallback, but it does not replace the three required parts of the task. Several different responses could work; this model is not a graded answer.
Next attempt: Rewrite the message for a dentist’s appointment. Change the recipient, reason and available time. Check that your new details agree with each other and that you explicitly ask for a replacement appointment.
Frequently asked questions
How many tasks are on the YKI intermediate writing test?
The intermediate (keskitaso) writing subtest consists of 3 tasks: usually one short informal message, one formal message/email, and one longer opinion piece.
Is correct spelling more important than answering the question?
No. Communicative clarity and fulfilling all parts of the prompt are prioritized. Minor spelling errors that do not hinder understanding are forgiven, whereas failing to address the prompt will result in a lower score.
Can I use spoken Finnish (puhekieli) in the writing test?
Only in clearly informal messages (like a text to a friend). In formal emails and opinion pieces, always use standard written Finnish (kirjakieli).
How is the writing subtest graded?
Certified YKI evaluators grade your texts using official CEFR criteria covering task completion, coherence, register, vocabulary range, and grammatical accuracy.