Apto DELE
Menu

DELE for schools: A1, A2/B1 and B2/C1

The Instituto Cervantes page on who can sit the school exams gives ages 11 to 18 and sends older candidates to the general exams. Its A1 school page, the B2/C1 guide and its current school page give 17 as the top age, so a candidate aged 18 should check with the exam centre.

DELE A1 for schools (A1E)

The exam awards A1. Each test is marked out of 25. Group 1 is reading and writing and group 2 is listening and speaking, 50 points each.

Test Time Tasks Group
Reading Comprensión de lectura 45 minutes 25 items in 4 tasks 1
Listening Comprensión auditiva 25 minutes 25 items in 4 tasks 2
Writing Expresión e interacción escritas 25 minutes 2 tasks
  1. Interacción escrita
  2. Interacción escrita
 1
Speaking Expresión e interacción orales 10 minutes plus 10 to prepare 3 tasks
  1. Presentación personal
  2. Exposición de un tema
  3. Conversación con el entrevistador
 2

DELE A2/B1 for schools (A2/B1E)

The exam awards A2 or B1. Each test is marked out of 25. Group 1 is reading and writing and group 2 is listening and speaking, 50 points each.

Test Time Tasks Group
Reading Comprensión de lectura 50 minutes 25 items in 4 tasks 1
Listening Comprensión auditiva 35 minutes 25 items in 4 tasks 2
Writing Expresión e interacción escritas 50 minutes 2 tasks
  1. Interacción escrita
  2. Expresión escrita
 1
Speaking Expresión e interacción orales 12 minutes plus 12 to prepare 4 tasks
  1. Describir una fotografía
  2. Diálogo en situación simulada
  3. Realizar una presentación breve
  4. Participar en una conversación
 2

DELE B2/C1 for schools (B2/C1E)

The exam awards B2 or C1. Each test is marked out of 25. Group 1 is reading and writing and group 2 is listening and speaking, 50 points each. Candidates take the speaking test in pairs, and its 25 minutes are for the pair.

Test Time Tasks Group
Reading and use of language Comprensión de lectura y uso de la lengua 75 minutes 32 items in 5 tasks 1
Listening Comprensión auditiva 45 minutes 30 items in 4 tasks 2
Writing and mediation Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas 80 minutes 2 tasks
  1. Mediación escrita
  2. Expresión o interacción escrita
 1
Speaking and mediation Expresión, mediación e interacción orales 25 minutes plus 20 to prepare 4 tasks
  1. Resumir un texto
  2. Entrevista sobre el tema de la T1
  3. Contar una anécdota en pasado
  4. Negociación para llegar a un acuerdo
 2

How one exam awards two levels

DELE A2/B1 for schools and DELE B2/C1 for schools each award the higher level when both groups reach its minimum, and the lower level when both groups reach the lower minimum. DELE A1 for schools needs 30 points in each group, as the general exam does.

Exam Level Points needed in each group
A1E A1 30 of 50
A2/B1E A2 20 of 50
A2/B1E B1 36 of 50
B2/C1E B2 24 of 50
B2/C1E C1 36 of 50
  • A candidate sits DELE A2/B1 for schools and scores 40 points in group 1 and 28 in group 2. B1 needs 36 in both groups and group 2 is below that, so the result is A2. With fewer than 20 points in either group, the result is NO APTO.
  • A candidate sits DELE B2/C1 for schools and scores 40 points in group 1 and 30 in group 2. C1 needs 36 in both groups and group 2 is below that, so the result is B2. With fewer than 24 points in either group, the result is NO APTO.

Upcoming DELE school sittings

Registration closes 6 weeks before the written exam.

Written exam Levels Registration opens Registration closes
A1, A2/B1, B2/C1 Closed on
A1, A2/B1, B2/C1
A1, A2/B1, B2/C1

Today's registration status

Registering and fees

School candidates register with an exam centre that holds the school exams, and the centre sets how to pay. Parents or guardians register their children, with a different email address for each child. The speaking test can be on another day, before or after the written tests, as the centre sets.

Each school exam costs the same as one general exam in the same country: DELE A1 for schools as A1, DELE A2/B1 for schools as B1 and DELE B2/C1 for schools as C1. In Spain, at 2026 prices, that is EUR 112, EUR 173 and EUR 225. The fees page has the price in every country.

Results and reviews

School results take about three months from the written tests. For the November 2026 sitting that puts them around February 2027, an estimate from that lead time.

For 2026 sittings, a review costs 60% of the exam price before discounts and is paid in euros. The fee is refunded if the review moves the candidate up to the higher level of A2/B1E or B2/C1E, for example from A2 to B1, or changes NO APTO to APTO. The results guide explains how to ask for a review.

Which exams are on offer

The current Instituto Cervantes school page names only two school diplomas, A1 and A2/B1, while its calendar lists A1, A2/B1 and B2/C1 for every school sitting. Ask the exam centre which school exams it holds before you register.

Sources