DELE Passing Scores: How Every Level Is Marked, A1 to C2

Both rules come to 60%, but the 60% is counted separately for every group, or at C2 for every prueba. Your total out of 100 doesn't decide the result. A candidate with 60 can pass, and a candidate with 79 can fail.

The rules below are the ones Instituto Cervantes publishes for each level. Our DELE mock exams are marked by the same rules, so this is also how to read a NexaProva result.

How DELE A1, A2, B1, B2 and C1 are marked

These five levels have four pruebas, or papers, and each is worth 25 points. For marking, the four papers are paired into two groups of 50 points:

• Group 1 (Grupo 1): Comprensión de lectura (reading) and Expresión e interacción escritas (writing)
• Group 2 (Grupo 2): Comprensión auditiva (listening) and Expresión e interacción orales (speaking)

You need at least 30.00 points in each group, which is 60% of 50. If both groups reach 30, the result is Apto. If either group falls short, even by one point, the result is No apto.

C1 keeps the same pairing. Its two production papers now carry “mediación” in their names, Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas and Expresión, mediación e interacción orales, but writing still sits with reading and speaking still sits with listening.

The official rules set a minimum for each group and none for the separate papers. So inside a group, a strong paper can make up for a weak one. Listening 21 and speaking 9 add up to 30, and Group 2 passes. Between the two groups, points don't move. A perfect 50 in Group 1 does nothing for a 29 in Group 2.

Both groups also have to pass in the same exam session. If you pass Group 1 at one sitting and miss Group 2, the Group 1 pass doesn't carry over, and you need both groups again at the next sitting.

Each level has a format guide with the timing and the tareas inside every prueba: the DELE A1 guide, the DELE A2 guide, the DELE B1 guide, the DELE B2 guide and the DELE C1 guide.

How DELE C2 is marked

C2 drops the groups. It has three pruebas, and you need 60% in each, which is at least 20 points per prueba:

• Prueba 1 combines use of language, reading and listening.
• Prueba 2 is writing.
• Prueba 3 is speaking.

Since 20 points is 60% of each prueba, the three carry equal weight, about 33.3 points each. The minimum is set for each prueba as a whole, so the use of language, reading and listening in Prueba 1 all feed one score.

C2 has no partner papers. A strong Prueba 1 can't rescue a weak speaking score, and two excellent pruebas can't carry a third that lands at 19. The same-session rule applies here too, so all three pruebas have to reach 20 at one sitting.

The DELE C2 format guide shows what each prueba contains and how long it runs.

DELE passing scores at every level

Every level is out of 100, and the result is always Apto or No apto.

Four example DELE scores, worked through

The numbers below are examples, but the arithmetic is the real rule.

B1: 73 points, No apto

• Group 1: reading 24 + writing 20 = 44. It needs 30, so it passes.
• Group 2: listening 18 + speaking 11 = 29. It needs 30, so it misses by one point.
• Total: 73 out of 100. Result: No apto.

Seventy-three looks like a safe score, and Group 1 cleared its line by 14 points. None of those 14 can move across to Group 2.

A2: 62 points, Apto

• Group 1: reading 22 + writing 8 = 30. That's exactly on the line, so it passes.
• Group 2: listening 17 + speaking 15 = 32. It passes.
• Total: 62 out of 100. Result: Apto.

That's 11 points below the B1 example and a pass. A writing score of 8 out of 25 is weak, but there's no minimum for a single paper, and reading carried it.

B2: 60 points, No apto

• Group 1: reading 19 + writing 16 = 35. It passes.
• Group 2: listening 14 + speaking 11 = 25. It misses by five points.
• Total: 60 out of 100. Result: No apto.

A total of 60 is 60%, yet this is a fail, because Group 2 is under 30. The same 60 split 30 and 30 would pass.

C2: 82 points, No apto

• Prueba 1: 32. It passes.
• Prueba 2: 31. It passes.
• Prueba 3: 19. It needs 20, so it fails.
• Total: 82 out of 100. Result: No apto.

The first two pruebas are close to full marks, and the result is still a fail. At C2, 19 in any one prueba is enough to fail.

What the scoring rule means for your preparation

Start with the pairing. Reading carries writing, and listening carries speaking. When you know your weakest paper, look at its partner, because that's the paper that has to make up the difference.

Say speaking is your weak paper and you expect around 12 out of 25. To reach 30 in Group 2 you'll need 18 in listening, which is 72% of that paper. Every point you add in listening is a point Group 2 doesn't need from speaking.

Then spread your effort. A group that sits at 31 has one point of margin, and one bad task on the day can take it. Getting both groups comfortably past 30 is worth more than pushing your strongest group toward 50. Points above 30 in one group raise your total, but they don't change the result.

At C2 there are no partners. Each prueba needs 20 on its own, so the weakest of the three should get more of your time than the other two.

Plan to pass everything at one sitting. If you failed only Group 2 last time, keep Group 1 in your study plan, because it has to pass again.

Last, practice under the same rule. Our DELE mock exams run all six levels, A1 to C2, under real conditions and are marked by the official group rule. The results page shows each group against its own line, with the number of points it needs, so you can see which group is close to failing before exam day. A total of 73 looks fine. A Group 2 of 29 tells you what to work on.

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