At Cronopios Idiomas, as a center accredited by the Cervantes Institute, we offer you the possibility to both take official Spanish exams and prepare for them in individual and group courses. Specifically, the most requested official Spanish exam at our center is the DELE.
The DELE, an acronym for Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language, is an official title that certifies the command of the Spanish language of a non-native person who has learned it. The DELE diploma is awarded by the Cervantes Institute, an institution belonging to the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport of Spain.
The DELE is not a simple test of linguistic knowledge but an exam of proficiency in Spanish; that is, it evaluates the candidate’s ability, as a social agent, to use the language in different real-life communicative situations. Currently, the teaching and learning of foreign languages are governed by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Therefore, this diploma is based on that document and on the Curricular Plan of the Cervantes Institute, which is its application to Spanish.
As it is an internationally recognized language certificate in both public and private institutions, obtaining a DELE diploma can serve different purposes: undertaking undergraduate, postgraduate, or doctoral studies at a Spanish university; validating a foreign degree; obtaining Spanish nationality; certifying your level of Spanish through an official title, or simply challenging yourself to improve your level of Spanish.
Before registering for the DELE, you should know your level of Spanish. There are six levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2, which are grouped into three blocks by user type:
And each of them is evaluated in a specific DELE exam. Additionally, there are special exams for school-age students (A1E and A2-B1E).
Like other official language exams, DELE diplomas have a very specific structure and are divided into different parts corresponding to the language skills being evaluated. Thus, from DELE A1 to DELE B2, the exams consist of the following parts:
While the DELE C1 also consists of four parts, they integrate some skills, and therefore it differs from the previous ones:
And finally, due to the inherent complexity of the C2 mastery level, the structure of this exam is different, dividing its parts as follows:
The final test of the DELE is the oral part and is composed of different tasks. Depending on the level, they can be a monologue or a presentation on a given topic, the description of a photograph, the simulation of a negotiation, etc. This test is carried out individually, and the candidate will have preparation time in a classroom, where support staff will provide them with the material for the tasks they need to prepare. Once the preparation time is over, they will move to the examination room where an examiner will conduct the exam and issue an overall grade, while another teacher, located outside the candidate’s field of vision, will grade their linguistic performance according to a scale of descriptors (fluency, linguistic range, task completion, etc.).
Due to the specificity and intrinsic difficulty of this type of exam, the candidate must familiarize themselves with it beforehand and practice it in order to pass and complete its different tasks on time. Whether on their own or in a specific DELE course, candidates can prepare with different manuals (like Las claves del nuevo DELE by Difusión, DELE by Edelsa, etc.) and familiarize themselves with the specific tasks. If you want to see the structure and format of a DELE exam now, you can get a free sample on the Cervantes Institute website:
To prepare well, you should practice the different tasks of each part with a stopwatch to measure the minutes each one takes, so that you have enough time to complete them properly on the day of the exam.
The closed-response tasks, that is, the reading and listening comprehension tasks, will be completed in pencil, while the open-response tasks, such as those in the written expression test, will be completed with a pen. The candidate will be provided with all the necessary material in the examination room.
The final result of the exam will be PASS (APTO) or FAIL (NO APTO). The score is calculated by grouping the different parts into two groups: the reading comprehension test and the written expression and interaction test form one group, while the listening comprehension and the oral expression and interaction tests make up the second group. In both groups, you must achieve a minimum of 30 points to get a PASS result. Also, if you want to know the specific points for each task, these are detailed in the task’s instructions.
DELE exams are held several times a year, and the dates can be consulted on the Cervantes Institute website, which is also where registration takes place. In general, they are offered seven times a year, once a month, except in January, March, June, August, and December, at both accredited Cervantes Institute centers in Spain and its locations outside the country. An important fact to keep in mind is that not all levels are offered in every exam session, as may be the case for the C1 and C2 levels. On the other hand, you should pay attention to the registration deadline, which is a few months before the exam date.
Level: A2
Enrollment open until: January 8
Level: A2, B2
Enrollment open until: February 12
Level: A2, B2, C1, C2
Enrollment open until: April 9
Level: A2
Enrollment open until: May 14
Level: A2
Enrollment open until: July 16
Level: A2
Enrollment open until: September 3
Level: A2, B2, C1, C2
Enrollment open until: October 8
Unlike other language exams, the DELE diploma is valid indefinitely.
As it is an exam held on the same date in all centers worldwide, its correction and the release of results usually take a couple of months. These will be communicated via email. Since 2025, the diplomas for passed DELE exams are issued in digital format and sent to the candidate’s email along with the certificate of grades.
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