DELE A1 Syllabus 2026

DELE A1 (awarded by the Instituto Cervantes) certifies basic, breakthrough-level Spanish at CEFR A1 — the ability to understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very simple phrases. It has four test groups, is graded Apto / No apto, and the diploma is permanent.

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DELE A1 exam pattern

SectionQuestionsDuration
Comprensión de Lectura2560 min
Comprensión Auditiva2040 min
Expresión e Interacción Escritas250 min
Expresión e Interacción Orales115 min
Total48165 min

Marking: 1 mark per correct answer, no negative marking. Scale: 0–100.

DELE A1 syllabus — topic-wise

Comprensión de lectura (Reading)

Comprensión auditiva (Listening)

Expresión e interacción escritas (Writing)

Expresión e interacción orales (Speaking)

How to cover the DELE A1 syllabus

DELE A1 is the beginner Spanish diploma from Instituto Cervantes, marked out of 100 across two groups — reading/writing and listening/speaking — with a 30/50 minimum in each. Because the diploma is issued by Spain’s Ministry of Education, it never expires, but failing either group means no diploma.

✅ Preparation tips

  • Balance the two groups; you need at least 30/50 in each, not just a good total.
  • Rehearse the short oral interaction aloud — speaking is a common weak spot.
  • Practise official Instituto Cervantes model exams to learn the task formats.

⚠️ Common mistakes

  • Neglecting the speaking/listening group while over-focusing on reading and writing.
  • Assuming a strong total can offset a group that falls below 30/50.

Frequently asked questions

What is the DELE A1 syllabus?

The DELE A1 syllabus covers Comprensión de lectura (Reading), Comprensión auditiva (Listening), Expresión e interacción escritas (Writing), Expresión e interacción orales (Speaking). DELE A1 (awarded by the Instituto Cervantes) certifies basic, breakthrough-level Spanish at CEFR A1 — the ability to understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very simple phrases. It has four test groups, is graded Apto / No apto, and the diploma is permanent.

What is the DELE A1 exam pattern?

DELE A1 — Instituto Cervantes (español A1) has 48 questions across 4 sections in 165 minutes with no negative marking.

How many sections are there in DELE A1?

DELE A1 is organised into 4 sections: Comprensión de Lectura, Comprensión Auditiva, Expresión e Interacción Escritas, Expresión e Interacción Orales.

Where can I practise the full DELE A1 syllabus for free?

Wrexa Edge offers 10 free full-length DELE A1 mock tests that cover the entire syllabus in the real exam interface, with instant scoring and topic-wise analysis.

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