DELE vs SIELE: format, scoring, validity and nationality
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Choose the DELE if you are applying for Spanish nationality, need a C2 result or want a diploma that never expires. SIELE does not count for nationality. Choose SIELE if you need a result within three weeks of a date you pick and the institution asking for proof of Spanish accepts it.
| DELE | SIELE | |
|---|---|---|
| Levels | A1 to C2, one exam per level | A1 to C1 in one exam |
| Outcome | Apto or No apto | A score and a level band for each test |
| Dates | Fixed sittings | You book the day and time |
| Delivery | At an exam centre | On computer, at a centre or remotely |
| Time to results | Two to three months | Within three weeks |
| Validity | Never expires | Five years |
| Spanish nationality | A2 or higher meets the language requirement | Not accepted |
Who runs each exam
Under Real Decreto 1137/2002, Spain’s Minister of Education issues DELE diplomas, and the Director of the Instituto Cervantes issues them on the Minister’s behalf.
SIELE is promoted by the Instituto Cervantes, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the Universidad de Salamanca and the Universidad de Buenos Aires. The four institutions have assigned the commercial rights to Telefónica Educación Digital, which sells the exams.
Format and delivery
The DELE has a separate exam for each level. You register for one level and sit it on a fixed date at an exam centre. The speaking test can fall on a different day from the written tests. The level guides, from DELE A1 to DELE C2, give the tests and timings.
SIELE uses one computer-based exam for every level, so you do not choose a level in advance. The tasks vary in difficulty, and your score places you at a level. The full exam, SIELE Global, lasts three hours, with a 15-minute break after the first two tests.
| SIELE Global test | Tasks | Time | Marking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 5 tasks, 38 questions | Up to 60 minutes | Automatic |
| Listening | 6 tasks, 38 questions | Up to 55 minutes | Automatic |
| Writing | 2 tasks | Up to 50 minutes | SIELE examiners |
| Speaking | 5 tasks | Up to 15 minutes | SIELE examiners |
Five smaller modalities, S1 to S5, cover one or two of these tests and lead to a results report, an informe de resultados. Only SIELE Global leads to a certificate.
You book SIELE for the day, time and centre you want, or choose the remote-proctored exam when you start the booking. The remote exam needs a laptop or desktop PC, a camera, a headset with a microphone, a phone to photograph the room and a private room with a door where you are alone. For the computer’s operating system, the booking page lists only Windows 7, 8 and 10.
Scoring
A DELE result is Apto (pass) or No apto (fail). From A1 to C1, you need at least 30 of 50 points in each of two groups of tests. At C2, you need at least 20 points in each of the three tests. You must reach every minimum in the same session. The score calculator applies these rules.
SIELE has no pass or fail. Each test is scored out of 250 and placed in a level band, so one certificate can show B2 for reading and B1 for speaking. SIELE Global also gives a total out of 1000, the sum of the four test scores. The level bands differ from test to test, and siele.org gives no band for the total.
| Level | Reading | Listening | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | 217 to 250 | 211 to 250 | 215 to 250 | 215 to 250 |
| B2 | 178 to 216.99 | 164 to 210.99 | 167 to 214.99 | 176 to 214.99 |
| B1 | 118 to 177.99 | 112 to 163.99 | 104 to 166.99 | 125 to 175.99 |
| A2 | 66 to 117.99 | 66 to 111.99 | 69 to 103.99 | 76 to 124.99 |
| A1 | 33 to 65.99 | 33 to 65.99 | 34 to 68.99 | 40 to 75.99 |
| Below A1 | 0 to 32.99 | 0 to 32.99 | 0 to 33.99 | 0 to 39.99 |
Dates and results
The exam dates page lists the registration dates for each sitting. In 2027, C2 is offered only on 22 May and 13 November. For the 22 May sitting, registration closes on 7 April 2027. Results take two to three months and appear in your personal area on the Instituto Cervantes website.
SIELE has no fixed dates. The SIELE website says results arrive within three weeks. The purchase terms set a limit of 15 working days from the exam, counted on the exam centre’s official calendar, so a public holiday in that period can push the wait past three weeks. You can withdraw from a booking within 14 calendar days of the confirmation and get a full refund. You cannot switch a purchased exam to another modality.
Prices
SIELE prices vary by country and modality, and SIELE Global costs the same whatever level you reach. With Spain selected, the booking page lists SIELE Global at 155 EUR and the smaller modalities at 55 to 100 EUR.
DELE fees depend on the level, the country and the exam centre. For 2026, the Instituto Cervantes in Chicago lists fees for Chicago and Canada that rise from USD 128 for A1 to USD 210 for C2.
Spanish nationality
Unless an exemption applies, applicants for nationality by residence must pass DELE A2 or higher and the CCSE, both run by the Instituto Cervantes. DELE A2 for Spanish citizenship lists the exemptions. SIELE is part of the SICELE certification system. Spanish law makes SICELE certificates equivalent to DELE at the matching level, except in the nationality procedure. A SIELE certificate at any level therefore does not meet the requirement, and SIELE’s own recognition page says the same.
An official A2, B1 or B2 certificate in Spanish as a foreign language from an Escuela Oficial de Idiomas also meets the language requirement. A DELE A2 passed years ago still counts because the diploma never expires, while a CCSE certificate is valid for four years.
Other recognition
Spain’s 2026 call for specialised health training (formación sanitaria especializada) accepts DELE C1 or higher, or a SIELE certificate showing C1 in each of its four tests, which only SIELE Global can provide. A DELE candidate still waiting for the diploma can submit the exam centre’s certificate of an Apto result.
SIELE lists recognition by CRUE (the conference of Spanish university rectors) and by Brazil’s CAPES, which asks scholarship candidates for SIELE Global at B2. SIELE also says several US states accept it for the Seal of Biliteracy. SIELE’s purchase terms state that it cannot guarantee every institution will accept the certificate, and its booking page warns that some institutions may refuse the remote exam. Check with the institution before you buy, because there is no refund after the 14-day withdrawal period.
Which exam suits you
- For Spanish nationality, take DELE A2 or higher. Plan around the fixed exam dates and two to three months for results. The DELE A2 guide covers the exam.
- For C2, take the DELE.
- For a university, employer or scholarship that accepts SIELE and needs proof soon, SIELE gives a result within three weeks of a date you choose. If you plan to take it at home, first confirm that the institution accepts the remote exam.
- For Spain’s 2026 specialised health training call, either exam works at C1, but SIELE Global must reach C1 in every test.
- If you are unsure of your level, SIELE places each skill in a band, and there is no fail result. A DELE taken above your level can end in a No apto. The level test gives an estimate before you choose.
- For school-age candidates, the DELE has school versions at A1, A2/B1 and B2/C1. SIELE has none.