ExamFinch.com My Study

Study guide

1.2 Exam Architecture: Four Pruebas & Two-Group Scoring System

Practice this exam

DELE A1 Study Guide Exam

Track your progress as you read

Finished sections get a check mark.

1 Introduction, Exam Architecture & Scoring

1.1 About the DELE A1 Exam: Purpose, CEFR Level & Registration 1.2 Exam Architecture: Four Pruebas & Two-Group Scoring System 1.3 Strategic Preparation: Study Schedule, Time Management & Exam Traps

2 Prueba 1: Comprensión de Lectura (Reading Comprehension)

2.1 Reading Tarea 1: One Personal Email or Postcard (5 Questions) 2.2 Reading Tarea 2: Notes, Signs & Short Notices (Match 6 Sentences to 9 Texts) 2.3 Reading Tarea 3: Matching People's Needs to Short Ads (6 of 9) 2.4 Reading Tarea 4: Extracting Details from One Informational Text (8 Questions)

3 Prueba 2: Comprensión Auditiva (Listening Comprehension)

3.1 Listening Tarea 1: Short Interpersonal Dialogues & Graphic Selection 3.2 Listening Tarea 2: Short Messages & Announcements Matched to Pictures 3.3 Listening Tarea 3: Eight Statements from One Monologue (Matching Beginnings and Endings) 3.4 Listening Tarea 4: One Conversation, Seven Sentences to Complete

4 Core Grammar I: Essential Verbs & Foundations

4.1 Subject Pronouns & Regular Present Tense (-ar, -er, -ir) 4.2 Ser vs. Estar: Permanent Identity vs. Temporary States & Locations 4.3 Essential Irregular & Stem-Changing Verbs 4.4 Reflexive Verbs, Daily Routines & Time Sequencing

5 Core Grammar II: Nouns, Modifiers & Structures

5.1 Gender, Number, Articles & Noun-Adjective Agreement 5.2 Expressing Likes & Preferences: Gustar, Encantar, Interesar & Parecer 5.3 Question Words, Demonstratives & Possessive Adjectives 5.4 High-Yield Verbal Periphrases: Ir a + Infinitivo, Tener que + Infinitivo, Estar + Gerundio

6 Essential Vocabulary: Numbers, Time & Daily Life

6.1 Cardinal Numbers (0–1,000), Telling Time, Calendar & Weather 6.2 Personal Data, Nationalities, Family Members & Descriptions 6.3 The Home, Furniture, Rooms & Spatial Prepositions

7 Situational Vocabulary: Shopping, Travel, Health, Work & Free Time

7.1 Food, Market Shopping, Restaurant Orders & Asking Prices 7.2 City Navigation, Public Transport & Asking for/Giving Directions 7.3 Physical Well-Being, Body Parts, Doctor Visits & Pharmacy Purchases 7.4 Studies, Work, Free Time & Communication

8 Prueba 3: Expresión e Interacción Escritas (Written Expression & Interaction)

8.1 Writing Tarea 1: Personal Data Form Completion & Questionnaires 8.2 Writing Tarea 2: Short Epistolary Texts (Emails, Postcards, Messages & Ads, 30–40 Words) 8.3 Writing Scales, Essential Connectors & Common Spelling Errors

9 Prueba 4: Expresión e Interacción Orales (Oral Expression & Interaction)

9.1 Oral Tarea 1: Personal Presentation (1–2 Minute Monologue) 9.2 Oral Tarea 2: Exposición de un tema (2–3 Minute Talk on a Topic) 9.3 Oral Tarea 3: Conversation with the Interviewer (and Your Two Questions) 9.4 Oral Scoring Scales, Pronunciation & Communication Repair

1.2 Exam Architecture: Four Pruebas & Two-Group Scoring System

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

The DELE A1 has four pruebas and 13 tasks: reading 45 minutes (25 items), listening 25 minutes (25 items), writing 25 minutes and speaking 10 minutes plus 10 minutes of preparation.

Grupo 1 combines reading and writing, and Grupo 2 combines listening and speaking; each group is worth 50 points.

A candidate needs at least 30 points in Grupo 1 and at least 30 points in Grupo 2; a total of 60 or more does not pass if one group is below 30.

Writing and speaking ratings out of 3 convert to points with the formula direct score × 25 ÷ 3, so a direct score of 2 equals 16.67 points.

Results arrive in about two months (about three for May and November), and a candidate who fails must re-register and take all four pruebas again.

Last updated: October 2026

1.2 Exam Architecture: Four Pruebas & Two-Group Scoring System

The current DELE A1 model has been used since the April 2020 sitting. It has four tests ( pruebas ), 13 tasks ( tareas ) and a pass/fail result based on two scoring groups. Knowing exactly what each task looks like lets you practise the right skills and pace yourself.

The Four Pruebas at a Glance

  • Prueba Skill Time Tasks / items Points
  • 1 Comprensión de lectura (reading) 45 min 4 tasks, 25 items 25
  • 2 Comprensión auditiva (listening) 25 min 4 tasks, 25 items 25
  • 3 Expresión e interacción escritas (writing) 25 min 2 tasks 25
  • 4 Expresión e interacción orales (speaking) 10 min + 10 min preparation 3 tasks 25
  • Total about 1 h 55 min including oral preparation 13 tasks 100

Pruebas 1, 2 and 3 are held on the official exam date in the centre's timetable, from 9:00 local time. Prueba 4 may be held that day or on another day immediately before or after, according to the centre's convocation. The reading and listening questions are printed in one booklet, and you mark your answers on a separate answer sheet ( Hoja de respuestas ).

  • Detailed Task Architecture
  • Prueba 1: Comprensión de lectura (45 minutes, 25 items)

Tarea Items (Modelo numbering) Input What you do

1 5 (1–5) One personal email, postcard or similar text, 150–175 words Three-option multiple choice; the last item has picture options

2 6 (6–11) Nine very short texts of 20–30 words: notes, diary entries, catalogue items, ads, instructions, signs and notices Match six short sentences to six of the texts

3 6 (12–17) Nine short ads or leaflet items of 20–30 words Match six statements by people (10–25 words) to the right ad

4 8 (18–25) One informational text of 175–210 words: notices, posters, labels, tickets or agendas Three-option multiple choice

The total reading input is between 595 and 925 words. Each correct answer earns 1 point, and wrong answers lose nothing.

Prueba 2: Comprensión auditiva (25 minutes, 25 items)

Important

Double playback : every recording is played twice . The recorded instructions match the booklet, and there are pauses before and after each recording to read the questions and mark answers. Speech is slow and clearly articulated.

Tarea Items (Modelo numbering) Input What you do

1 5 (1–5) Five very short dialogues (two or three turns, 30–40 words each) Choose one of three pictures for each question

2 5 (6–10) Five very short messages or announcements (15–30 words), face to face or over a public-address system Match each message to one of eight pictures

3 8 (11–18) Eight short statements (15–25 words each) from one monologue Match eight sentence beginnings to eight of eleven endings

4 7 (19–25) One conversation of 160–185 words between two people Complete seven short sentences, choosing from eight options

The total listening input is 505–735 words.

Prueba 3: Expresión e interacción escritas (25 minutes, 2 tasks)

Tarea 1 : complete a form, on paper or in an electronic layout, with short answers about yourself or about immediate needs (15–25 words).

Tarea 2 : write a short epistolary text, such as a postcard, email, message or short letter (30–40 words). The input may be a postcard, email, message, short letter, ad or note, and the instructions list the points ( pautas ) to include.

Together the two answers total 45–65 words. Two independent raters each give a holistic score from 0 to 3 for each task; the two tasks count 50% each and the raters' scores are averaged.

Prueba 4: Expresión e interacción orales (10 minutes + 10 minutes of preparation)

Preparation : in the Modelo 0 instructions, you get 10 minutes before the test to prepare Tareas 1 and 2. You may take notes into the room and look at them, but you may not simply read them out.

Contact questions : the interviewer opens with a few unscored questions to put you at ease.

Tarea 1, Presentación personal (1–2 min) : a short monologue covering the points on a single lámina. In the Modelo these are name, age, nationality, where you live, job or studies, character and languages.

Tarea 2, Exposición de un tema (2–3 min) : choose one of two láminas, then three of its five options about your immediate personal world (Modelo topic: Mi semana ).

Tarea 3, Conversación con el entrevistador (3–4 min) : answer the interviewer's questions about your Tarea 2 topic, then ask the interviewer two questions about it.

Two examiners are present. The interviewer ( entrevistador ) leads the test and gives two global marks, for Uso de la lengua and Cumplimiento de la tarea , worth 40% of the oral score. The rater ( calificador ) does not take part in the conversation and marks each task for the same two categories, worth 60%.

The Two-Group Scoring System & the 30/50 Rule

The maximum score is 100 points , 25 per prueba, but the result is not a simple percentage. The pruebas are grouped: +----------------------------------+----------------------------------+

  • | GRUPO 1 (50 points) | GRUPO 2 (50 points) |
  • | Prueba 1: Reading 25 | Prueba 2: Listening 25 |
  • | Prueba 3: Writing 25 | Prueba 4: Speaking 25 |
  • | Minimum to pass: 30.00 | Minimum to pass: 30.00 |
  • +----------------------------------+----------------------------------+

The only possible results are APTO (pass) and NO APTO (fail). You are APTO only if you reach 30.00 points in Grupo 1 and 30.00 points in Grupo 2 . The official FAQ confirms that 60 or more points in total is not enough if one group is below 30, and you must take every prueba to be graded.

How Points Are Calculated

Reading and listening : one point per correct item, so the score is a whole number from 0 to 25.

Writing and speaking : examiners give ratings from 0 to 3. After the weighting of scales and tasks, the result is a direct score out of 3, which is converted with this formula: puntuaci o ˊ n final = puntuaci o ˊ n directa × 25 3 \text{puntuación final} = \frac{\text{puntuación directa} \times 25}{3} puntuaci o ˊ n final = 3 puntuaci o ˊ n directa × 25 ​

A direct score of 2, the band that describes A1, gives 2 × 25 3 = 16.67 \frac{2 \times 25}{3} = 16.67 3 2 × 25 ​ = 16.67 points. In writing, four ratings are averaged (two raters × two tasks), so converted scores move in steps of about 2.08 points (14.58, 16.67, 18.75 and so on).

Candidate Comparisons (Illustrative)

  • Candidate Reading Writing Grupo 1 Listening Speaking Grupo 2 Total Result
  • A (balanced) 15 16.67 31.67 14 16.67 30.67 62.34 APTO
  • B (strong reading) 24 22.92 46.92 13 14.58 27.58 74.50 NO APTO
  • C (internal offset) 21 10.42 31.42 17 14.58 31.58 63.00 APTO
  • D (weak speaking) 22 20.83 42.83 20 8.33 28.33 71.16 NO APTO
  • Key Insights

Asymmetric failure (Candidate B) : 74.50 points overall, but Grupo 2 reaches only 27.58, so the result is NO APTO. Surplus points in Grupo 1 cannot be moved to Grupo 2.

Compensation inside a group (Candidate C) : a weak writing score (10.42) is offset by strong reading (21), so Grupo 1 still reaches 31.42.

Band 2 is not automatically a pass : Candidate A's speaking at the A1 band (16.67) still needs at least 14 listening items, because 16.67 + 13 = 29.67 would fail Grupo 2.

Results, Reviews and Retakes

Results : published in about two months , or about three months for the May and November sittings. The Instituto Cervantes emails you, and your certificate of results (electronically signed, with a secure verification code) appears in your private area of the exam portal. APTO candidates also receive a digital diploma.

Review ( revisión de calificaciones ): within one month you may submit a single review request. It costs 60% of the exam price and is refunded if the result changes from NO APTO to APTO. The review re-checks administration, re-verifies the reading and listening answers, and arranges a third independent rating of writing and speaking (speaking from the recording). A review can also lower a score.

Retakes : there is no second chance within a sitting and no carrying over of passed pruebas. To try again you register and pay again, then take all four pruebas .