← Back to all DELE levels

Intermediate

DELE B1 exam format

How long the DELE B1 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 · 185 minutes of timed pruebas, oral included · 66 questions and tasks · Comprensión de lectura, Comprensión auditiva, Expresión e interacción escritas and Expresión e interacción orales · 60% in each group to pass

Compared with DELE A2, the CEFR band moves from A2 to B1, the paper runs 185 minutes instead of 157, it asks 66 questions and tasks instead of 55. On the paper itself, the tareas go from 13 to 16, the longest writing task rises from 80 words to 150.

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 B1 paper.

1 free mock

What to expect, prueba by prueba

Every DELE B1 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 66 questions and tasks across 4 pruebas, about 185 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 lectura30 items · ~70 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 1-6 · 6 questions

Six short texts in which people explain what they are looking for (1 to 6), and ten texts describing different options (A to J).

Click the letter of the option text that suits each person. Four of the ten texts are not matched.

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

Part 2: Tarea 2Items 7-12 · 6 questions

One text, then six questions numbered 7 to 12, each with three answers labelled a, b and c.

Click the letter of the correct answer for each question.

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

Part 3: Tarea 3Items 13-18 · 6 questions

Three texts, A, B and C, in which people tell of their experience, and six questions numbered 13 to 18.

Click A, B or C for the text each question refers to.

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

Part 4: Tarea 4Items 19-24 · 6 questions

A text from which six fragments have been removed, leaving gaps numbered 19 to 24, and eight candidate fragments labelled A to H.

Click the letter of the fragment that belongs in each gap. Two of the eight fragments are not used.

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

Part 5: Tarea 5Items 25-30 · 6 questions

A text with six gaps numbered 25 to 30, and three options, a, b and c, for each gap.

Click the letter of the option that fills each gap correctly.

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

Comprensión auditiva30 items · ~40 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 1-6 · 6 questions

Six advertisements, each played twice, with questions numbered 1 to 6 and options a, b and c. The instruction allows 30 seconds to read the questions first.

Click the letter of the correct option for each advertisement.

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

Part 2: Tarea 2Items 7-12 · 6 questions

One person describing what their life is like, heard twice, and six questions numbered 7 to 12 with answers a, b and c. The instruction allows 30 seconds to read the questions first.

Click the letter of the correct answer to each question.

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

Part 3: Tarea 3Items 13-18 · 6 questions

A radio program carrying six news items, played twice, and questions numbered 13 to 18 with answers a, b and c. The instruction allows 30 seconds to read the questions first.

Click the letter of the correct answer for each news item's question.

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

Part 4: Tarea 4Items 19-24 · 6 questions

Ten statements labelled A to J, then six people (19 to 24), each heard twice. The instruction allows 20 seconds to read the statements first.

Click the letter of the statement that matches each speaker's topic. Four of the ten statements are not used.

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

Part 5: Tarea 5Items 25-30 · 6 questions

A conversation between two people, heard twice, and statements numbered 25 to 30. The instruction allows 25 seconds to read the statements first.

Click A for the first speaker, B for the second, or C when a statement refers to neither.

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

Expresión e interacción escritas2 items · ~60 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 message you have received, which you answer in writing in 100 to 120 words.

Type your reply, between 100 and 120 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.

Part 2: Tarea 2Items 2 · 1 question

Two options, of which you choose only one and write the text it asks for, 130 to 150 words long.

Type your response to your chosen option, between 130 and 150 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 orales4 items · ~15 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 · ~180s per turn

The topic you chose, to present on your own for two or three minutes.

Present the topic aloud 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 2: Tarea 2Items 2 · 1 question · ~240s per turn

A conversation with the interviewer about the topic of Tarea 1 (the first speaking task), lasting three or four minutes.

Converse 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.

Part 3: Tarea 3Items 3 · 1 question · ~180s per turn

The photograph you chose, to describe for one or two minutes, after which the interviewer asks you questions.

Describe the photo and answer the questions aloud with 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 4: Tarea 4Items 4 · 1 question · ~180s per turn

A simulated situation to play out in conversation with the interviewer for two or three minutes.

Hold the conversation aloud with 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.

DELE B1 questions, answered

How long is the DELE B1 exam?

The DELE B1 pruebas add up to 185 minutes of timed work, the oral included. The oral is 15 minutes of that, sat with the examiner.

What is on the DELE B1 exam?

The DELE B1 paper has 4 pruebas: Comprensión de lectura, Comprensión auditiva, Expresión e interacción escritas and Expresión e interacción orales. Between them they ask 66 questions and tasks worth 100 points in total, and each prueba is timed separately.

What score do you need to pass DELE B1?

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 B1?

The DELE B1 writing prueba asks for 100 to 120 words for Tarea 1 and 130 to 150 words for Tarea 2, in 60 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 B1 hard?

DELE B1 certifies CEFR B1. 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 B1 questions

Free DELE B1 practice questions with the answer to each one, prueba by prueba. No account needed.

Ready to take a DELE B1 paper?

A full DELE B1 mock, assembled to the structure above and timed like the real thing. Your first one is free.

Go to the DELE B1 exam

DELE B1 Exam Format: Pruebas, Tareas and Timing · NexaProva