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DELE A1 exam format

How long the DELE A1 exam takes, what each prueba contains, and what every tarea asks you to do. The structure and timing below are the same ones used to assemble the practice papers on this site.

DELE · 105 minutes of timed pruebas, oral included · 55 questions and tasks · Comprensión de lectura, Comprensión auditiva, Expresión e interacción escritas and Expresión e interacción orales · 60% in each group to pass

Scored out of 100 in 2 groups, and every group has to clear its own line (60% in each group). The structure follows the Instituto Cervantes DELE A1 paper.

1 free mock

What to expect, prueba by prueba

Every DELE A1 paper here is assembled to the Instituto Cervantes structure: the same pruebas in the same order, the same tareas, the same clock. Open a prueba below to see every tarea inside it, so nothing on exam day comes as a surprise.

The full paper is 55 questions and tasks across 4 pruebas, about 105 minutes with the oral, scored out of 100. To pass you need 60% in each group: every group is passed on its own, and a strong one cannot carry a weak one.

Comprensión de lectura25 items · ~45 min · 25 pts

No audio here: printed passages, sentences and options against the section clock. The clock is the real opponent, so pacing matters more in Reading than anywhere else on the paper.

Part 1: Tarea 1Items 1-5 · 5 questions

One email to read, followed by five questions (1 to 5), each with three options labelled A to C.

Click the letter of the correct option for each question.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Part 2: Tarea 2Items 6-11 · 6 questions

Ten short messages labelled A to J and six sentences numbered 6 to 11. Each sentence goes with one message.

Click the letter of the matching message for each sentence. Four of the ten messages are not used.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Part 3: Tarea 3Items 12-17 · 6 questions

Ten informational notices labelled A to J and six short texts numbered 12 to 17, each of which goes with one notice.

Click the letter of the notice that matches each text. Four of the ten notices are never used.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Part 4: Tarea 4Items 18-25 · 8 questions

One informational text, then eight questions numbered 18 to 25, each with three options labelled A to C.

Click the letter of the correct option for each of the eight questions.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Comprensión auditiva25 items · ~25 min · 25 pts · audio ×2

Audio drives this whole section: in exam mode each clip plays up to 2 times, and it never pauses, rewinds or shows a transcript. Practice mode lifts the cap so you can replay freely. The questions are printed, so you read as you listen.

Part 1: Tarea 1Items 1-5 · 5 questions

Five short conversations between two people, each played twice. For each one there is a question and three pictures labelled A, B and C.

Click the letter of the picture that answers the question.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Part 2: Tarea 2Items 6-10 · 5 questions

Nine pictures labelled A to I and five spoken messages numbered 6 to 10. Each message is played twice.

Click the letter of the picture that goes with each message. Four of the nine pictures are not used.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Part 3: Tarea 3Items 11-18 · 8 questions

One person talking about other people, played twice. Names are listed on the left (11 to 18) and information about them on the right, labelled A to L.

Click the letter of the information that belongs to each name. Four of the twelve letters are not used.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Part 4: Tarea 4Items 19-25 · 7 questions

Seven unfinished sentences (19 to 25) and a box of nine options labelled A to I, then a conversation between two people, heard twice. The instruction allows 30 seconds to read the sentences first.

Click the letter of the option that completes each sentence. Two of the nine options are not used.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Expresión e interacción escritas2 items · ~25 min · 25 pts

Everything in this prueba is produced rather than chosen: each tarea is a text you type in Spanish, within the word range its instruction states. The answer box is plain text, so type accents and ñ the way you normally do.

Part 1: Tarea 1Items 1 · 1 question

A form to complete, with a total length of 15 to 25 words across all of its fields.

Type your response into the form, 15 to 25 words in total.

Marked by the AI examiner when your paper is graded: a band, the specific errors, and a corrected version. These are the points a plan unlocks, and your first free paper gets them once with a confirmed email.

Part 2: Tarea 2Items 2 · 1 question

A prompt describing a short text to write, with a recommended length of 30 to 40 words.

Type your response, aiming for the recommended 30 to 40 words.

Marked by the AI examiner when your paper is graded: a band, the specific errors, and a corrected version. These are the points a plan unlocks, and your first free paper gets them once with a confirmed email.

Expresión e interacción orales3 items · ~10 min · 25 pts

The oral is the last prueba of the same paper, sat with an examiner rather than on screen. Here that examiner is an AI interviewer in the oral room: each tarea is spoken aloud and timed like the real one, and typing is available as a fallback.

Part 1: Tarea 1Items 1 · 1 question · ~120s per turn

A list of points to cover in a personal presentation about yourself, lasting roughly one or two minutes.

Speak your presentation to the AI interviewer in the oral room, within the two minutes allowed.

Marked by the AI examiner when your paper is graded: a band, the specific errors, and a corrected version. These are the points a plan unlocks, and your first free paper gets them once with a confirmed email.

Part 2: Tarea 2Items 2 · 1 question · ~180s per turn

Five options on a topic, of which you choose three to talk about for roughly two or three minutes.

Speak about your three choices to the AI interviewer in the oral room, within the three minutes allowed.

Marked by the AI examiner when your paper is graded: a band, the specific errors, and a corrected version. These are the points a plan unlocks, and your first free paper gets them once with a confirmed email.

Part 3: Tarea 3Items 3 · 1 question · ~240s per turn

The interviewer asks you some questions on the topic of Tarea 2 (the second speaking task). Afterwards you ask the interviewer two questions on that same topic.

Answer and ask your two questions aloud with the AI interviewer in the oral room, within the four minutes allowed.

Marked by the AI examiner when your paper is graded: a band, the specific errors, and a corrected version. These are the points a plan unlocks, and your first free paper gets them once with a confirmed email.

DELE A1 questions, answered

How long is the DELE A1 exam?

The DELE A1 pruebas add up to 105 minutes of timed work, the oral included. The oral is 10 minutes of that, sat with the examiner.

What is on the DELE A1 exam?

The DELE A1 paper has 4 pruebas: Comprensión de lectura, Comprensión auditiva, Expresión e interacción escritas and Expresión e interacción orales. Between them they ask 55 questions and tasks worth 100 points in total, and each prueba is timed separately.

What score do you need to pass DELE A1?

You need 60% in each group to pass. The paper is scored in 2 groups (Grupo 1 (Comprensión de lectura + Expresión e interacción escritas), 30 of 50; Grupo 2 (Comprensión auditiva + Expresión e interacción orales), 30 of 50), and every group has to clear its line on its own. A strong group cannot carry a weak one, so the result is APTO only when all of them pass.

How much do you have to write for DELE A1?

The DELE A1 writing prueba asks for 15 to 25 words for Tarea 1 and 30 to 40 words for Tarea 2, in 25 minutes. Each range is stated in the tarea's own instruction, and every text is graded on the Instituto Cervantes scale for the level.

Is DELE A1 hard?

DELE A1 certifies CEFR A1. The honest answer is that difficulty is relative to where you are, which is what a timed mock exam is for: it measures you against the pass rule of every group rather than guessing.

See real DELE A1 questions

Free DELE A1 practice questions with the answer to each one, prueba by prueba. No account needed.

Ready to take a DELE A1 paper?

A full DELE A1 mock, assembled to the structure above and timed like the real thing. Your first one is free.

Go to the DELE A1 exam

DELE A1 Exam Format: Pruebas, Tareas and Timing · NexaProva