Guide to prepare the official Spanish DELE A1 exam:

UPGRADE

If you have knowledge of the first level of Spanish and want to certify it, we are going to explain to you today how you can do it and how you can prepare the exam on your own so that it is a success. This can also help you if you are a teacher of Spanish for foreigners, so that you can prepare your students to take the tests with the greatest guarantee.

The DELE A1  is an official exam that the Instituto Cervantes organizes several times a year to certify your level of Spanish . It is divided into the usual levels of the Common European Framework of Reference; that is, those that we can usually find in language schools: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.

The DELE A1 is an internationally recognized diploma that makes people come into contact with Spanish for the first time and evaluates their level from the beginning of their studies. The DELE A1 helps students to have access to the Spanish-speaking world , improves their academic training and gives them the confidence to continue advancing in the rest of the certifications.

This diploma certifies that the student will be able to function, using elementary language, in communication situations that have to do with immediate needs or with very everyday issues, in an easy way.

Structure of the DELE A1 exam:

The DELE A1 exam consists of different tests, organized into two groups:

• Group 1: Reading-writing skills . It is about reading comprehension (45 minutes, 4 tasks) and written expression and interaction (25 minutes, 2 tasks).
• Group 2: Oral skills . We talk about listening comprehension (25 minutes, 4 tasks) and oral expression and interaction (15 minutes). In this last part of oral expression and interaction you will have to start by making a personal presentation; A second task you have is to present a topic for 2-3 minutes and in the third task you will have to have a conversation with the interviewer about the topic of task 2.

In the written expression test, the instructions that appear in the test statement about the number of words and text format must be strictly followed. It is highly advisable not to do anything beyond that, as they could penalize you and suspend the test.

Take a good look at the following table, in which everything is more specified and visually explained:

We leave you the specifications published by the Cervantes Institute, they will surely help you a lot, in addition to this complete guide with which you can solve all the doubts related to the exam.

Tips to prepare for the exam:

• It is not a complex test. It is a test that requires prior knowledge of the language. If you prefer, before entering fully with the test, we recommend that you take a general Spanish book level A1, so you can check if you know and control the structures and essential vocabulary of the level.
• The first thing you should do is find an exam center, the one that suits you best, since it is the one that will inform you of everything exactly and officially. You must be in contact with them from the moment you decide to take this exam. Many of the Spanish academies for foreigners have official status and do these tests, you can ask at the closest one and they will inform you of everything.
• Try to find native speakers to chat with . Today you will surely have access to information and contacts, either directly or online, of Spanish speakers who are interested in exchanging languages. It will help you a lot. There are many meetings in different cities, you can find someone who will help you especially for the oral test.
• Prepare all the exam tests, with the same intensity and the same desire. Since this test is only certified if all its parts are approved, it is essential that you work globally. Take a good look at the characteristics of each test described above; Be rigorous, we advise you a lot, and practice a lot depending on how they are so that you arrive at the exam and do it with ease. Do not forget to also work the duration of each test.
• Much order. Use the classic study media, they give a lot of results: a lot of visual scheme, with colors, drawings, photos, etc. Visual memory is great and maybe it’s time to put it into practice, cheer up!
• Direct contact with the language and whenever you can and in all possible ways: television, radio, readings, contacts, films, music, newspapers, books, etc.
• And so that you know exactly what the test is like, look at the exam model that Cervantes has for the public ; It will help you a lot: and they also provide you with a sample answer sheets .

DELE A1 exam scores

A PASS grade is required in each of the test groups in the same examination session. The maximum possible score is 100 points. To receive a PASS grade , you need to obtain a minimum score of 30 in each group.

The final grade is PASS or FAIL.

Take a good look at what the Instituto Cervantes says regarding the qualification of the tests:

• The candidate will have the results of the DELE exam within a period of approximately three months from the holding of the written tests.
• The Instituto Cervantes will inform the candidates of the publication of the qualifications through the email they have indicated at the time of registration.
• Candidates will have access to their official qualification certification in their restricted access to the Instituto Cervantes portal.
• The DELE qualification certificate is electronically signed by the Institute and has a Secure Verification Code that will allow the authenticity of the paper copy to be verified by institutions or entities to which the candidate presents said certificate.
• Candidates who have obtained the overall qualification of APTO will receive the corresponding accrediting diploma, issued by the Cervantes Institute on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training of Spain, which will be sent to them through the corresponding examination center.
• It is the responsibility of the candidates to keep their postal information up to date with their respective Exam Center until they are sure of receipt of all the documentation related to the tests.

In the event of disagreement with the grade obtained, candidates may submit a single request for review of grades within the established term through the form offered in their private space on the Instituto Cervantes exam portal.

An analysis process will then begin, after which the Cervantes Institute will proceed to notify the candidate of the final resolution of their case within a maximum period of three months.

Important:

1. Requests for access, return or reproduction of the examination test documentation will not be attended .
2. In the process of reviewing grades, a candidate may obtain a lower grade in the exam tests, if in the review of grades it is detected that there has been an incidence of over-scoring in a test, or if a lower grade is assigned by the qualifiers experts.

Inscription:

Registration to take the DELE can be done in two ways:

• Online, from the Cervantes website, in the case of candidates in Spain.
• In each examination center, in the case of DELEs that take place outside of Spain.

Parents, guardians or legal representatives must register minors or persons without legal capacity to act , taking into account that they must provide a different email address for each of the candidates they register.

It is the obligation of the candidate , whatever the means of registration, to check the correctness of all the data that appears in the receipt that he receives as proof of his registration, both with regard to his personal data and as regards the level, chosen date and place of the call for the DELE diploma.

If you do it in Spain, online:

Registration and the corresponding payment for the DELE exam tests must be done online, after having registered , within the user’s private space offered by the Instituto Cervantes website.

If you register at the exam center outside of Spain you have to formalize the registration, in the DELE exam centers recognized by the Instituto Cervantes, you must provide:

• Original and photocopy of your passport or official identity document with an assimilable photograph containing the following information : name and surname, nationality and place and date of birth. The data declared by the candidate in the registration application form must correspond to those of the aforementioned identification document.
• Documentation accrediting payment of registration fees.

The payment of the registration fees can be made by means of payment determined by the corresponding exam center, always specifying the concept “DELE Registration” together with the date of the call and the academic level of the desired diploma.

The registration fee for the DELE exams depends on the level of Spanish of each diploma, and the country in which the registration is made. Each candidate must consult the price of the chosen diploma at the  DELE examination center of the country where they wish to take the tests. For registrations in non-school DELE exams in exam centers located in Spain, candidates, after registering , can check the price of each exam during the purchase process.

Good luck! I’m sure everything is going very well and you easily get your diploma. And we hope that you will be encouraged to continue with the next levels, of which we will inform you little by little.