About DELE

Isabella & Ferdinand® Academia de Español® is an authorized academy to administer and prepare students to take the "Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera" (DELE or Diploma for Spanish as Foreign Language in English), an international examination that measures a student's language aptitude in Spanish.

The DELE Spanish diplomas are official titles accrediting the degree of competence and proficiency in the Spanish language, granted by the Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.  The Instituto Cervantes is responsible for the academic, administrative and economic management of the DELE diplomas, in accordance with the provisions of Royal Decrees 1137/2002 of 31 October, RD 264/2008 of 22 February and RD 1004/2015 of 6 November. 

DELE exams are designed according to the guidelines of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and the Manual for Linking Exams to the CEFR, both works of the Council of Europe. 

The repertoire of language content that can be included in the DELE exams is included in the Curriculum Plan document of the Instituto Cervantes. Reference Levels for Spanish (NRE), developed by the Instituto Cervantes from the MCER descriptors.

Who can take the test?

General DELE exams are aimed at the literate public of all ages, although they are aimed at the adult public from the age of 16. Parents, guardians or legal representatives must register minors or persons without legal capacity to act.

We offer the:

• DELE Course (In Person/Online)

• DELE Exam Preparation

• DELE Yearly

• DELE Examiner Accreditation Course.

What levels does the DELE cover?

DELE Spanish Diplomas are official titles certifying degree of competence and mastery of the Spanish language, granted by Spain's Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.
The Instituto Cervantes organizes examination sessions, while the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain designs the exams and is in charge of corrections and the final evaluation of all exams.

A1 – A2. Our preparation courses are designed for all-age postulants, but mostly for schoolchildren and all it’s content will be based on the A1-A2 DELE exam content.

B1-B2. Course oriented to describing the parts of the DELE B2 exam and getting familiar with it´s four tests: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written expression and interaction and oral expression and interaction. 

C1- C2. You Will learn the necessary linguistic competences to integrate in situations requiring an advanced use of the language and knowledge of the cultural customs embedded within it as well as the necessary content in order to pass your C1-C2 DELE exam.

DELE Spanish Diplomas are divided into six levels:

• Spanish Diploma Level A1 (Breakthrough)
  Certifies that the student is able to communicate using the language in a basic way in situations having to do with immediate needs or everyday situations. 

• Spanish Diploma Level A2 (Waystage)
  Certifies that the candidate can understand commonly used, everyday phrases and expressions related to areas of experience especially relevant to them (basic information about themselves and their families, shopping, places of interest, work, etc.).

• Spanish Diploma Level B1 (Threshold)
  Certifies candidates’ capacity to understand the gist of clear texts, in standard language, if they involve well-known topics related to work, studies or leisure. It also certifies students’ ability to deal with most situations that occur while travelling in areas where Spanish is spoken; to produce simple and coherent texts about familiar topics, or topics of personal interest; and lastly to be able to describe experiences, events, wishes and hopes, as well as to be able to briefly express opinions or explain plans.

• Spanish Diploma Level B2 (Vantage)
  Certifies students’ ability to interact with native speakers with a sufficient degree of fluency and spontaneity to enable easy and natural communication between interlocutors; produce clear and detailed texts about diverse topics, as well as defend an opinion about general topics, expressing the pros and cons for each argument; and lastly, understand the gist of complex texts about both concrete and abstract topics, including technical texts, provided they are within the candidate’s area of expertise. 

• Spanish Diploma Level C1 (Effective Operational Proficiency)
  Certifies sufficient linguistic competence to understand a wide variety of lengthy, and somewhat demanding texts, as well as to grasp implicit meaning in the same; to express themselves fluently and spontaneously without apparent effort to find the right words; to be able to use the language flexibly and effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes; and finally, to be able to produce clear, well-structured, and detailed texts about topics of some complexity, correctly using mechanisms of organization, articulation, and cohesion in the text.

• Spanish Diploma Level C2 (Mastery)
  Certifies sufficient linguistic competence to communicate effectively in any situation, proving ability to spontaneously adapt to any context, with a high degree of precision. The language users show subtle control of nuances which allow for fluent and natural expression in all interactions.

Recognition of DELE exams. 

DELE diplomas are internationally recognised and have a great prestige, not only among public and private educational institutions and authorities but also in the business world and among chambers of commerce. They are an official guarantee in the evaluation and certification of language proficiency in Spanish

2024 DELE EXAM DATES AND REGISTRATION DEADLINES

DELE exams are offered on several dates throughout the year. Please note that each exam date does not necessarily include all exam levels.

Pay special attention to the registration deadlines and make sure to register in advance.

Note: We will only conduct the exam for scholars - young learners at Washington DC.

Levels to Evaluate:

• A1 Scholar | $110

• A2 | $115

• B1, A2/B1 Scholar | $135

• B2 | $155

• C1 | $170

• C2 | $185

Structure of the exams according to the level.

The general exam structure of the general DELE A1 - B2 exams is as follows:

The general structure of the DELE C2 exams is as follows:

Examination schedule