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DELE Levels

DELE, formally the Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (Spanish for “Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language”), is an official diploma course issued by the Spanish Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science to participants who pass a standardized test indicating their Spanish language proficiency. The diplomas are valid permanently.

Originally, the DELE existed in only three levels, but later on it developed into six levels, each corresponding to a certain level described by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The contents and duration of the tests vary.
Here are the DELE levels:

DIPLOMA DE ESPAÑOL (NIVEL A1)

Description: The test accredits the student’s ability to use the basic language in communication situations involving immediate needs or very common everyday matters.

Content and duration of test: The test consists of two parts. In the first part, where reading and writing skills are tested, candidates need to complete a reading comprehension (45 minutes) and tasks of written expression and interaction (25 minutes). In the second part, where speaking skill is tested, candidates need to finish a listening comprehension (20 minutes) and tasks of oral expression and interaction (15 minutes).

Passing conditions: The maximum possible score on the examination is 100 points. Candidates need to get 30 in each part of the exam in order to receive an overall “passing” grade.

DIPLOMA DE ESPAÑOL (NIVEL A2)

Description:The test accredits if the students can understand commonly-used everyday phrases and expressions related to areas of experience especially relevant to them (basic information about themselves and their families, shopping, places of interest, occupations, etc.).

Content and duration of test: The test consists of two parts. In the first part, where reading and writing skills are tested, candidates need to complete a reading comprehension (60 minutes) and tasks of written expression and interaction (50 minutes). In the second part, where speaking skill is tested, candidates need to finish a listening comprehension (35 minutes) and tasks of oral expression and interaction (15 minutes).

Passing conditions: The maximum possible score on the examination is 100 points. Candidates need to get 30 in each part of the exam in order to receive an overall “passing” grade.

DIPLOMA DE ESPAÑOL (NIVEL B1)

Description: The test accredits students capacity to:

  • Understand the main ideas of clear texts, in standard language, if they involve well-known topics related to work, studies or leisure.
  • Handle most of the situations in a trip
  • Produce simple texts about common topics or interested subject matters.
  • Describe experiences, events, wishes and hopes, as well as briefly justify opinions or explain plans.

Content and duration of test: The tests is divided into two groups, and there are two parts in each group. In the first group, candidates need to complete a reading comprehension test (70 min) and a listening comprehension test (40 min). In the second group, candidates have to finish a written expression and interaction test (60 min) and a spoken expression and interaction test (15 min + 15 min to prepare).

Passing conditions: To pass the test one must get a minimum of 60 points out of 100 in the examination, provided that he gets at least 30 points out of 50 in each group of tests.

DIPLOMA DE ESPAÑOL (NIVEL B2)

Description: The test accredits students capacity to:

  • Understand the gist of complex texts, no matter they are about concrete or abstract themes. Even technical texts should be understood, as long as they are within the candidates’ field of specialization.
  • Interact with native speakers with sufficient fluency and spontaneity, so that communication does not constitute an effort for the interlocutors.
  • Produce clear and detailed texts about diverse topics, as well as defend a point of view on general topics, stating the pros and cons of the different options.

Content and duration of test: The tests is divided into two groups, and there are two parts in each group. In the first group, candidates need to complete a reading comprehension test (70 min) and a listening comprehension test (40 min). In the second group, candidates have to finish a written expression and interaction test (80 min) and a spoken expression and interaction test (15 min + 15 min to prepare).

Passing conditions: To pass the test one must get a minimum of 60 points out of 100 in the examination, provided that he gets at least 30 points out of 50 in each group of tests.

DIPLOMA DE ESPAÑOL (NIVEL C1)

Description: The test certifies that the candidates have sufficient linguistic competence to:

  • Understand a wide variety of long, quite demanding texts, as well as recognise implicit meanings in them.
  • Express themselves fluently and spontaneously, without any obvious effort to find the right words.
  • Use the language flexibly and effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes.
  • Be able to produce clear, well-structured, detailed texts on topics having a certain level of complexity, with correct use of mechanisms for organising and articulating a cohesive text.

Content and duration of test: The test consists of four tests, classified in two groups (Group 1: Test 1 and test 3. Group: 2: Test 2 and test 4):

  • Test 1: Reading comprehension and use of language (90 minutes).
  • Test 2: Listening comprehension and use of language (50 minutes).
  • Test 3: Integrated skills. Listening comprehension and written expression and interaction (80 minutes).
  • Test 4: Integrated skills. Reading comprehension and oral expression and interaction (20 minutes) (and 20 minutes for preparation).

Passing conditions: The maximum possible score on the examination is 100 points. A minimum score of 30 is necessary for each of the two groups in order to receive an overall “passing” grade.

DIPLOMA DE ESPAÑOL (NIVEL C2)

Description: The test certifies that the candidates have sufficient linguistic competence to perfectly handle any kind of situation, proving a spontaneous capacity of adaptation to any context, with a great deal of semantic and grammatical precision. The language users express themselves fluently, with a high degree of specialization and complexity.

Content and duration of test: The exam consists of three tests:

  • Test 1: Use of language, reading and listening comprehension (105 minutes).
  • Test 2: Integrated skills: Listening and reading comprehension, and written expression and interaction (150 minutes).
  • Test 3: Integrated skills: Reading comprehension and oral expression and interaction (20 minutes+ 30 minutes for preparation).

Passing conditions: The maximum possible score on the examination is 100 points. A minimum score of 20 is necessary for each of the three tests.

The DELE examinations are carried out in a network of Cervantes Centres and in a wide network of DELE examination centres. There are currently more than 800 centres in over 100 countries.