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DELE C1 exam format

How long the DELE C1 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 · 240 minutes of timed pruebas, oral included · 75 questions and tasks · Comprensión de lectura y uso de la lengua, Comprensión auditiva y uso de la lengua, Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas and Expresión, mediación e interacción orales · 60% in each group to pass

Compared with DELE B2, the CEFR band moves from B2 to C1, the paper runs 240 minutes instead of 210, it asks 75 questions and tasks instead of 71. On the paper itself, the longest writing task rises from 180 words to 250.

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 C1 paper.

1 free mock

What to expect, prueba by prueba

Every DELE C1 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 75 questions and tasks across 4 pruebas, about 240 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 lectura y uso de la lengua40 items · ~90 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

A text, followed by questions numbered 1 to 6, each with three options labelled a, b and c.

Click the letter of the correct option for each of questions 1 to 6.

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

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

A text from which six paragraphs have been removed (gaps 7 to 12), and seven proposed fragments labelled A to G.

Click the letter of the fragment for each gap. One of the seven fragments is not used.

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

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

A text to read and six questions numbered 13 to 18 on it, with options a, b and c.

Click the letter of the correct option for each question on the text.

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

Part 4: Tarea 4Items 19-26 · 8 questions

Six texts labelled A to F and eight statements numbered 19 to 26.

Click the letter of the text each statement corresponds to. The instruction notes that some texts must be chosen more than once.

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

Part 5: Tarea 5Items 27-40 · 14 questions

A text with gaps numbered 27 to 40, fourteen in all, with options a, b and c for each one.

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

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

Comprensión auditiva y uso de la lengua30 items · ~50 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

An extract from a lecture or interview about which some notes were taken, heard twice, and twelve options labelled A to L. The instruction allows one minute to read the options first.

Click the letter of each of the six options that corresponds to what you heard. Six of the twelve are not used.

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

Part 2: Tarea 2Items 7-14 · 8 questions

Four conversations, each played twice, and eight questions numbered 7 to 14 with options a, b and c.

Click the letter of the correct option for each question on the conversations.

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

Part 3: Tarea 3Items 15-20 · 6 questions

An extract from an interview, played twice, and questions numbered 15 to 20 with options a, b and c. The instruction allows one minute to read the options first.

Click the letter of the correct option for each of questions 15 to 20.

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

Part 4: Tarea 4Items 21-30 · 10 questions

Ten short dialogues, each played twice, and questions numbered 21 to 30 with options a, b and c.

Click the letter of the correct option after each dialogue.

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

Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas2 items · ~80 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 lecture played twice, during which you may take notes, and then instructions for a text of 220 to 250 words.

Type your response following the instructions, between 220 and 250 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 writing options, of which you choose only one, to be written in 180 to 220 words.

Type your response to your chosen option, between 180 and 220 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, mediación e interacción orales3 items · ~20 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 · ~300s per turn

A text to present on for three to five minutes: summarize its main points, evaluate it (clarity, the author's intent, the strength of the arguments), and give your opinion on the topic. You may consult notes, but not just read them out.

Give the presentation aloud to the AI interviewer in the oral room, within the five 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 · ~360s per turn

An interview in which the interviewer questions you about the topic of the Tarea 1 (first speaking task) text, lasting four to six minutes.

Answer the interview aloud with the AI interviewer in the oral room, within the six 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 · ~360s per turn

A negotiation with the interviewer to reach an agreement on a concrete question, lasting four to six minutes.

Negotiate aloud with the AI interviewer in the oral room, within the six 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 C1 questions, answered

How long is the DELE C1 exam?

The DELE C1 pruebas add up to 240 minutes of timed work, the oral included. The oral is 20 minutes of that, sat with the examiner.

What is on the DELE C1 exam?

The DELE C1 paper has 4 pruebas: Comprensión de lectura y uso de la lengua, Comprensión auditiva y uso de la lengua, Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas and Expresión, mediación e interacción orales. Between them they ask 75 questions and tasks worth 100 points in total, and each prueba is timed separately.

What score do you need to pass DELE C1?

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 C1?

The DELE C1 writing prueba asks for 220 to 250 words for Tarea 1 and 180 to 220 words for Tarea 2, in 80 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 C1 hard?

DELE C1 certifies CEFR C1. 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 C1 questions

Free DELE C1 practice questions with the answer to each one, prueba by prueba. No account needed.

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A full DELE C1 mock, assembled to the structure above and timed like the real thing. Your first one is free.

Go to the DELE C1 exam

DELE C1 Exam Format: Pruebas, Tareas and Timing · NexaProva