1.2 Four Pruebas Format, Timing, & Administration

DELE B1 — Spanish Language Diploma Intermediate

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1 Chapter 1: Exam Structure, Logistics, & Scoring System

1.1 DELE B1 Qualification & CEFR Standards 1.2 Four Pruebas Format, Timing, & Administration 1.3 Scoring System: Two Groups & the 30/50 Threshold Rule

2 Chapter 2: Essential B1 Grammar — Past Tenses & Narrative Control

2.1 Pretérito Indefinido vs. Pretérito Imperfecto 2.2 Pretérito Perfecto & Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto 2.3 Habitual Actions, Time Markers, & Duration Structures

3 Chapter 3: Essential B1 Grammar — The Subjunctive Mood

3.1 Present Subjunctive Formation & Irregular Stems 3.2 Subjunctive with Wishes, Influence, & Emotions 3.3 Impersonal Expressions & Future Temporal Clauses

4 Chapter 4: B1 Sentence Structure, Connectors, & Syntax

4.1 Discourse Connectors & Textual Cohesion 4.2 Direct & Indirect Object Pronouns & Combination 4.3 Ser vs. Estar, Por vs. Para, & Verbal Periphrases

5 Chapter 5: B1 Thematic Lexicon & Sociolinguistic Domains

5.1 Daily Life, Housing, & Neighborhood Services 5.2 Work, Education, & Professional Communication 5.3 Travel, Leisure, Health, & Environmental Awareness

6 Chapter 6: Prueba 1 — Reading Comprehension: Matching & Text Analysis

6.1 Tarea 1: Matching Candidate Profiles to Short Notices 6.2 Tarea 2: Extended Informative Text Multiple-Choice 6.3 Tarea 3: Locating Specific Information Across Three Texts

7 Chapter 7: Prueba 1 — Reading Comprehension: Cloze & Linguistic Precision

7.1 Tarea 4: Gapped Text Fragment Insertion 7.2 Tarea 5: Grammar & Vocabulary Cloze 7.3 Reading Time Management & Distractor Traps

8 Chapter 8: Prueba 2 — Listening Comprehension: Announcements & Monologues

8.1 Tarea 1: Short Announcements & Advertisements 8.2 Tarea 2: Extended Personal Monologue 8.3 Tarea 3: Radio News Bulletins & Specific Facts

9 Chapter 9: Prueba 2 — Listening Comprehension: Conversations & Multiple Speakers

9.1 Tarea 4: Multiple Speaker Matching on a Common Theme 9.2 Tarea 5: Informal Everyday Dialogue 9.3 Active Listening Techniques & Double-Listen Protocol

10 Chapter 10: Prueba 3 — Written Expression: Interaction & Correspondence

10.1 Tarea 1: Letters, Emails, & Forum Responses 10.2 Register, Salutations, & Sign-Off Formulas 10.3 Word Count Management (100–120 Words) & Error Prevention

11 Chapter 11: Prueba 3 — Written Expression: Narrative & Opinion Composition

11.1 Tarea 2: Choosing a Prompt and Following Its Genre 11.2 Structuring a 130–150 Word Narrative or Opinion Essay 11.3 Analytic Scoring Rubric for Written Expression

12 Chapter 12: Prueba 4 — Oral Expression: Monologue & Follow-Up Discussion

12.1 The 15-Minute Preparation Period & Note-Taking Strategy 12.2 Tarea 1: 2–3 Minute Prepared Monologue 12.3 Tarea 2: Interactive Discussion with the Examiner

13 Chapter 13: Prueba 4 — Oral Expression: Photo Description & Role-Play

13.1 Tarea 3: Photograph Description & Guided Follow-Up 13.2 Tarea 4: Spontaneous Everyday Role-Play Simulation 13.3 Oral Evaluation Rubric (Holistic vs. Analytic) & Fluency

1.2 Four Pruebas Format, Timing, & Administration

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

The four tests last 70, 40, 60 and 15 minutes, totaling 185 minutes of testing.

Oral preparation adds 15 minutes, giving 200 minutes before breaks and administration.

Listening Task 5 assigns statements to the man, the woman or neither.

Oral preparation covers Tasks 1 and 2; Task 3 involves choosing a photo during the exam.

Writing requires 100–120 words and 130–150 words within 60 minutes.

Last updated: October 2026

Four Tests and Their Timings

General DELE B1 assesses four skills, each worth 25 points. Learn the Spanish names of the tests so that instructions and response sheets are easy to recognize. A prueba is a test; a tarea is a task within it. Thirty reading items do not mean thirty separate texts.

Test Duration Tasks and response type
Comprensión de lectura 70 minutes Five tasks; 30 selected-response items
Comprensión auditiva 40 minutes Five tasks; 30 selected-response items
Expresión e interacción escritas 60 minutes Two original written texts
Expresión e interacción orales 15 minutes Four spoken tasks; another 15 minutes for preparation

The tests total 185 minutes : 70 + 40 + 60 + 15. Adding oral preparation gives 200 minutes , or 3 hours 20 minutes , before breaks, check-in and waiting. These are sums of component durations, not a promise of a single continuous appointment. Reading, listening and writing occupy 170 minutes. The center’s notification governs reporting times and the oral appointment, which may be scheduled separately.

Reading: Five Different Operations

Reading Task 1 matches six scored statements to nine short notices. Compare needs and practical conditions, such as a budget and a timetable. Follow the instructions for any worked example rather than assuming every notice is used.

Task 2 presents an informative text of about 400–450 words and six questions with three choices each. Identify both main ideas and specific details. Task 3 supplies three texts of about 100–120 words each, to be related to six statements. Keep the sources separate: a fact about one person is not evidence about another.

Task 4 removes six fragments from a text of about 400–450 words. Choose the six that fit from eight options, using links before and after each gap. Task 5 supplies a 150–200-word epistolary text with six gaps and three alternatives per gap. Here both grammatical form and lexical meaning matter. All five tasks contribute six scored items under the current level page and guide.

Listening: Read the Response Format First

Listening also contains five tasks and 30 scored items. The recordings are heard twice. The official recording controls the sequence and gives instructions and reading/checking periods; follow it rather than relying on a memorized pause duration.

Task 1: Six brief messages, with a three-option question for each. Identify the main purpose or relevant information in each independent message.

Task 2: A longer monologue about personal experience, with six three-option questions. The specifications give approximately 400–450 words. Track main ideas and detail without assuming a fixed biography or topic order.

Task 3: Six brief news items, with six three-option questions. Recognize the central information in each story.

Task 4: Six short informal monologues or conversations on a shared theme, matched to statements from a bank of nine. The task tests the general idea of each contribution.

Task 5: A two-person conversation, with statements assigned to the man, the woman, or neither . These are speaker-attribution categories, not three different proposed answers to a comprehension question.

For example, if a woman says Yo prefiero viajar de noche and the man only agrees, the woman expressed the preference. Hearing agreement does not automatically make the statement something the man said. If the statement is absent, choose neither rather than guessing from general context.

Writing: Two Responses within One Hour

Task 1 asks for 100–120 words responding to a short input, such as a message, letter or forum contribution. The specifications describe an input of about 75–85 words. Identify the recipient, purpose and all required points before drafting.

Task 2 asks for 130–150 words , choosing one of two prompts. The output may describe or narrate experiences while expressing personal information and opinion. The option numbers do not permanently mean “narrative” and “formal letter.” Read the actual genre and instructions. A forum contribution does not automatically need an official-letter greeting.

A suggested practice split is 25 minutes for Task 1 and 35 for Task 2, including revision. This is ExamFinch advice. The official limit is 60 minutes for the writing test; the examiner does not award extra points for following our split. Write final responses in the designated spaces of the writing booklet and follow its materials instructions.

Speaking: Prepared and Spontaneous Work

Two examiners are present. The interviewer manages the interaction and gives a holistic rating. The other examiner listens and gives analytic ratings. Furniture placement and eye contact are not independent scoring categories.

The 15-minute preparation period concerns Tasks 1 and 2 . Choose one of two topics and prepare a brief presentation and possible discussion points. Notes may be consulted, but the test is spoken communication: do not limit yourself to reading a script.

Oral task Published duration What to do
1 2–3 minutes Give a brief prepared presentation
2 3–4 minutes Discuss the selected topic with the interviewer
3 2–3 minutes Choose a photo from two options, describe it and answer related questions
4 2–3 minutes Take part in a simulated everyday situation connected to the photo

Task 3 is selected during the examination, not prepared in the earlier room. Task 4 continues from its everyday context. Listen to the role instructions; a service request, invitation or information exchange need not become a dispute.

Prepare the Administration as Well as the Language

Use the center’s notice to make a personal checklist: reporting time, identity document, oral appointment and required writing materials. A general guide cannot promise that every center starts at 09:00, provides stationery or uses the same break. Keep the identity document consistent with the registration details and request correction of errors promptly.

Practice answering on the official model response sheets. Check item numbers as you transfer marks and respect the test’s own time limit and recorded instructions. Know where final writing goes, so a polished draft is not left in an unmarked space. These habits protect work you have already completed without creating invented administrative rules.