DELE exam for C1 language level
The DELE exam at level C1 is 4 hours and 20 minutes longer than the one at level B2 and has a different structure:
Reading comprehension and language use
This examination unit Comprensión de lectura y uso de la lengua is designed to last 90 minutes and consists of multiple-choice questions on several texts. In addition, the participants have the task of finding information from a group of short texts, assigning missing paragraphs to the respective texts and adding a fill in the gap.
Listening comprehension and language use
This is followed by a 50-minute part of the exam on Comprensión auditiva y uso de la lengua. Several voice recordings are played here in the form of dialogues, interviews or discussions, for which the participants are then given multiple-choice questions.
Listening comprehension, written expression and written interaction
In the examination part Destrezas integradas, comprensión auditiva y expresión e interacción escritas, the skills of listening comprehension, written expression and written interaction are tested in interaction.
The test participants have 80 minutes to write two texts:
- an argumentative and explanatory text based on a previously heard text from the professional or academic field.
- a formal text based on a newspaper article or an academic text.
Reading comprehension, oral expression and oral interaction
The fourth part of the examination, Destrezas integradas, comprensión de lectura y expresión e interacción orales, again combines several skills. This time it’s reading comprehension and oral expression and interaction.
This part takes 20 minutes to complete. In addition, there are 20 minutes of preparation time in which the test participants receive a text from the professional, academic or public sector. This text must then be presented orally. Various questions follow about this lecture. Finally, the test participants have to talk to their examiner about the given image material and come to an agreement with him.
The first three examination units are completed in one day. In some test centers it is possible to move the fourth section of the DELE exam a few days forward or to postpone it.
Evaluation scale of the DELE exam for the C1 language level
To evaluate the DELE exam at C1 language level, the four examination units are grouped into two groups:
- Group 1: Reading Comprehension and Language Use + Integrated Skills (Listening Comprehension and Written Expression and Written Interaction)
- Group 2: Listening Comprehension and Language Use + Integrated Skills (Reading Comprehension and Oral Expression and Oral Interaction)
Each group is rated on a scale from 0 (low) to 50 (high) points. This results in a maximum number of 100 points. The minimum number of points to pass the test is 60 points. However, there is the restriction that at least 30 out of 50 points must be achieved in each group. With a score of 29 in group 1 and 31 in group 2, the DELE would not have been passed, although a total of 60 points were achieved.
Standing for Diploma de Espanol Como Lengua Extranjera according to beautyphoon, the DELE is assessed as “passed” or “failed”. The exact number of points is not included in the assessment.
Preparation for the DELE
The Instituto Cervantes offers various learning aids to prepare for the DELE exam. Some practice questions and sample tests are available for free on the official website.
There is also the possibility of completing a DELE preparation course in one of the Institutos Cervantes in German-speaking countries. These courses take place twice a year and start about six weeks before the exam dates.
Exam dates and test centers for the DELE
There are numerous test centers around the world that offer DELE exams on several fixed dates each year. For test participants from German-speaking countries, for example, the Institutos Cervantes in Berlin, Bremen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Vienna could be considered.
The official DELE website provides an overview of all test centers and the upcoming exam dates. The registration to the DELE exam is usually done on each test center. The registration period ends five to six weeks before the relevant exam date. However, it is advisable to register early as the exam dates for the DELE can be booked out quickly.
The DELE results are announced about three months after the exam. When choosing the exam date, it is therefore essential to take into account the deadlines of the universities to which the test results are to be subsequently transmitted.