The DELE or Spanish as a foreign language diploma is an official credential attesting to competence in and mastery of the Spanish language awarded by the Cervantes Institute on behalf of Spain’s Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.
Pursuant to the provisions of Royal Decrees 1137/2002 of 31 October, 264/2008 of 22 February and 1004/2015 of 6 November, the Cervantes Institute is the academic, administrative and financial authority responsible for the DELE diploma.
DELE exams are designed to the Council of Europe’s guidelines as set out in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR) and the manual entitled Relating Language Examinations to the ‘Common European Framework of References for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment’ (CEFR).
The language content that may be included in the DELE exams is set out in the Cervantes Institute syllabus; reference levels for Spanish (NRE) formulated by the Cervantes Institute further to CEFR descriptors.
The DELE diplomas cover all CEFR levels.
- Level A1.
- Level A2.
- Level B1.
- Level B2.
- Level C1.
- Level C2.
The Cervantes Institute offers the eight DELE exams listed below:
| CEFR level | DELE exams for students (from 11 to 17 years of age) |
General DELE exams (for candidates aged 16 or older) |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | DELE A1 for students | DELE A1 |
| A2 | DELE A2/B1 for students | DELE A2 |
| B1 | DELE B1 | |
| B2 | DELE B2 | |
| C1 | DELE C1 | |
| C2 | DELE C2 |
The Cervantes Institute is a member of the following international associations:
- Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE).
- Sistema Internacional de Certificación de Español como Lengua Extranjera (SICELE).
- Evaluation and Accreditation of Quality Language Services (EAQUALS).
The Cervantes Institute subscribes to international standards and good practice in language assessment and certification in:
- Exam formulation.
- Testing procedures and administration (including the possible administration of exams under special arrangements).
- Marking and analysis of general results (including a procedure for attending to candidates’ requests for review of their test results).
- User information (including a claims review procedure).
Candidates may register for any of the DELE exams with no need to have taken any specific course, sat a previous DELE or any other Spanish language exam.
Both the general and student DELEs are official, internationally acknowledged, indefinitely valid diplomas.
DELE diplomas, acknowledgement
DELE diplomas are acknowledged and highly reputed internationally, not only by public and private education authorities and institutions, but also in the business world and by chambers of commerce. They constitute an official guarantee of assessment and certification of linguistic competence in Spanish.
DELE diplomas have been adopted by the education authorities and formal education institutions in many countries as a supplement to their own assessment programmes. They are ideal for job promotion and accessing education in both Spain and other countries where the tests are administered.
In Spain, DELE diplomas are acknowledged by national, regional and local institutions and bodies, including the following.
- Spanish Ministry of Justice: DELE A2 or higher is a requisite for people from non-Spanish speaking countries to apply for Spanish citizenship. Citizenship information in the Ministry of Justice.
- Ministry of Health: DELE C1 or C2 for medical/pharmaceutical internships. Further information on specialised health care training.
- Recognition of equivalence of qualifications earned in another country: people with a DELE C2 diploma joining the Spanish education system via recognition of qualifications earned in another country are exempted from other tests of mastery of the Spanish language. Royal Decree 264/2008 on Spanish as a foreign language diplomas
- General State government and public bodies: DELE diplomas are deemed sufficient accreditation of a command of Spanish for any professional or academic activity in Spain for which the respective level of competence is required. Royal Decree 264/2008 on Spanish as a foreign language diplomas.
DELE diplomas are recognised by the French Ministry of Education. Information on the recognition of Spanish diplomas in other countries can be secured from the nearest Instituto Cervantes Centre.
DELE reports
Specific information on DELE exam design, administration and marking.
Research on DELE diplomas
Prieto, JM: Estudio del comportamiento de los examinadores de la prueba de expresión escrita mediante el modelo Many-Facet Rasch Measurement (MFRM) en el contexto de un examen de dominio: el Diploma de Español nivel A2. http://gredos.usal.es/.
