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DELE C2

Understand virtually everything you hear or read and express yourself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely.

Exam length
5 h 5 min
Next bookable sitting
Saturday 22 May 2027
To pass
20 in each test

Work out your C2 score C2 speaking timer

The three tests

Each test is scored on its own.

1

Use of language, reading and listening

Uso de la lengua, comprensión de lectura y auditiva

105 minutes, 52 items, 33.33 points

  1. Task 1 Cloze

    Choose one of three options for each of twelve gaps in a demanding text.

  2. Task 2 Missing paragraphs

    Rebuild a text by putting removed paragraphs back in place.

  3. Task 3 Statements and texts

    Match eight statements to the texts they refer to.

  4. Task 4 Summary

    Listen and choose the statements that summarise what you heard.

  5. Task 5 Who says it

    Listen to a conversation and decide whether each of seven statements belongs to the man, the woman or neither.

  6. Task 6 Interview

    Answer six questions with three options each about a recording.

  7. Task 7 Speaker intentions

    Listen to eight short monologues and match each one to one of eleven communicative intentions.

2

Integrated skills: listening, reading and writing

Destrezas integradas: comprensión auditiva y de lectura y expresión e interacción escritas

150 minutes, 3 tasks, 33.33 points

  1. Task 1 Text from several sources

    Write a text that draws on a recording and two or three written sources.

  2. Task 2 Text from notes

    Turn a short set of notes into a finished text suited to a given situation.

  3. Task 3 Composition

    Write a report, article, letter or review from short prompts or charts.

3

Integrated skills: reading and speaking

Destrezas integradas: comprensión de lectura y expresión e interacción orales

20 minutes plus 30 to prepare, 3 tasks, 33.34 points

  1. Task 1 Presentation

    Present a topic using the material you prepared.

  2. Task 2 Conversation

    Discuss your presentation with the examiner.

  3. Task 3 Headlines

    Read two newspaper headlines on the same topic and discuss them with the examiner until you reach an agreement.

How the score works

The three tests are marked out of 33.33, 33.33 and 33.34. You need at least 20 points in every test, in the same sitting. The result is APTO or NO APTO, and the diploma never expires.

Use of language, reading and listening 24 of 33.33
Integrated skills: listening, reading and writing 21 of 33.33
Integrated skills: reading and speaking 22 of 33.34

APTO

Every test reaches 20.
Use of language, reading and listening 30 of 33.33
Integrated skills: listening, reading and writing 25 of 33.33
Integrated skills: reading and speaking 19 of 33.34

NO APTO

The total is 74, but test 3 scores 19, under 20.

Check your own scores in the calculator

Next C2 sittings

Registration is done with the Instituto Cervantes, where you choose an exam centre and see its fee.

Exam day Levels Registration
  • A1
  • B1
  • B2
  • C1
  • C2
Closed on 30 September 2026
  • A1
  • A2
  • B1
  • B2
  • C1
  • C2
Opens 18 November 2026, closes 7 April 2027
  • A1
  • A2
  • B1
  • B2
  • C1
  • C2
Opens 18 November 2026, closes 29 September 2027

Official calendar and registration

Who sits DELE C2

C2 is the highest DELE level: an ability to understand almost everything you hear or read and to express yourself with precision. Teachers of Spanish, translators and health professionals (who need C1 or C2 for Spain’s specialised health training) are typical candidates.

How the exam is built

C2 has three tests and no groups. Test 1 covers use of language, reading and listening (105 minutes, 52 items). Test 2 combines listening and reading with three writing tasks (150 minutes). Test 3 is speaking from texts you read (20 minutes, after 30 minutes of preparation). Each test is worth a third of the marks, and you need at least 20 points in every test in the same sitting.

How to prepare

Test 1. Seven tasks in one sitting, so pace matters as much as accuracy. Since 2024 the listening section includes matching eight short monologues to the speaker’s intention, which often turns on colloquial expressions.

Test 2. Task 1 asks you to write a text that draws on a recording and written sources; use all of them. Task 2 asks you to turn a set of notes into a finished text for a given situation. Follow the text type and word limits in each instruction exactly.

Test 3. Build your presentation from the material you are given, then defend it in conversation. In the last task you read two headlines on the same topic and discuss them with the examiner until you agree.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a strong total as a pass. One test under 20 points means NO APTO.
  • Ignoring one of the sources in test 2 task 1.
  • Writing in the wrong genre for the situation described.