1.2 Four Pruebas & Official Test Administration
Key Takeaways
DELE A2 has 13 tasks: Reading 4 tasks/25 items (60 min), Listening 4 tasks/25 items (40 min), Writing 2 tasks (45 min), Speaking 3 tasks (12 min plus 12 min preparation).
Reading Tarea 4 is a 375–425-word narrative text with six three-option questions; the exam has no grammar cloze.
The written tests start at 9:00 local time on the exam date; the oral may be the same day or a nearby day set by the centre.
DELE A2 candidates in Spain must show both their original TIE and their original passport, and expired originals are accepted.
Quick Summary: The DELE A2 (2020 version) has four tests, called pruebas: Reading (60 min, 25 items), Listening (40 min, 25 items), Writing (45 min, 2 tasks) and Speaking (12 min, plus 12 min of preparation, 3 tasks). The three written tests are held on the official exam date from 9:00 local time. The oral test may be held that day or on a nearby day set by your exam centre.
The Official Structure (2020 Version)
The Instituto Cervantes lists the tests in the order they are administered:
| Prueba | Skill | Time | Tasks and items | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Comprensión de lectura | Reading | 60 min | 4 tareas: 5 + 8 + 6 + 6 = 25 items | 25 |
| 2. Comprensión auditiva | Listening | 40 min | 4 tareas: 6 + 6 + 6 + 7 = 25 items | 25 |
| 3. Expresión e interacción escritas | Writing | 45 min | 2 tareas: interaction + expression (130–150 words in total) | 25 |
| 4. Expresión e interacción orales | Speaking | 12 min + 12 min preparation | 3 tareas: presentation, photo description, simulated conversation | 25 |
The exam counts 13 tasks in total (4 + 4 + 2 + 3). The reading and listening items are all closed-response: multiple choice with three options (A, B, C) or matching. You mark your choices on a separate Hoja de respuestas (answer sheet).
Task-by-Task Map
Prueba 1: Reading (60 minutes)
- Tarea 1 (5 items): read one personal letter, email or similar text (250–300 words) and answer 5 three-option questions.
- Tarea 2 (8 items): read 8 short texts (ads, notices, posters, brief articles, blog or forum posts; 50–80 words each) and answer one three-option question on each.
- Tarea 3 (6 items): read 3 texts of 100–120 words and match 6 statements or questions to the text they refer to.
- Tarea 4 (6 items): read one narrative text (a biographical note, diary, blog entry, story, news item or travel-guide text; 375–425 words) and answer 6 three-option questions.
Reading and listening share a single question booklet (cuadernillo). Total reading input is 1,325–1,725 words.
Prueba 2: Listening (40 minutes, every recording played twice)
- Tarea 1 (6 items): six short face-to-face conversations; each question has three picture options.
- Tarea 2 (6 items): six short radio extracts (news headlines, programme clips, ads, event announcements) with three-option questions.
- Tarea 3 (6 items): one conversation between two people; decide whether each statement refers to the man, the woman or neither.
- Tarea 4 (7 items): seven short messages (public-address or radio announcements, answering-machine messages); match each to one of ten statements.
Prueba 3: Writing (45 minutes)
- Tarea 1 – Interacción escrita: reply to a short text (35–45 words) with a note, postcard, message, email or short letter of 60–70 words.
- Tarea 2 – Expresión escrita: choose one of two options and write a short composition of 70–80 words. One option is about an everyday topic in your personal life; the other is a biographical or narrative text based on photos or data.
Prueba 4: Speaking (12 minutes after 12 minutes of preparation)
- Tarea 1 – Presentación (2–3 min): a short prepared monologue on one of two topics.
- Tarea 2 – Descripción de una fotografía (2–3 min): a short monologue describing one of two photos of everyday life.
- Tarea 3 – Conversación (3–4 min): a simulated conversation with the examiner in a situation linked to the photo you described.
Exam Day: What the Official Rules Say
Written tests. The Instituto Cervantes states that on the exam date the three written tests (reading, listening and writing) are given from 9:00 in the morning, local time, at every centre. Punctuality is mandatory; a candidate who doesn't appear is marked No presentado. Your centre emails you a convocatoria (call letter) with the exact place and times. The official material does not publish a fixed timetable for breaks, so follow your centre's schedule.
Oral test. The speaking test is held in person at the exam centre (never online). It may take place on the written exam day or on days before or after it, as set by the centre. If you cannot attend your oral appointment, only the centre can decide whether to change it.
What to bring. Bring these three items:
- the registration receipt (resguardo de inscripción) sent by the online system or the centre;
- the original photo ID you registered with, or your passport (EU citizens may also use their national ID card);
- the official call letter (convocatoria) from the centre.
Special rule for DELE A2 in Spain. Candidates sitting DELE A2 or DELE A2-NA in Spain must show both their TIE (foreigner identity card) and their passport, both originals. The FAQ confirms that expired documents are accepted for this purpose. EU citizens may replace them with their national ID card or EU registration certificate. Narrow exceptions exist for theft, loss, renewal, court retention or visa retention if you bring supporting documents dated within the last four months.
Identification and room rules.
- Candidates are identified and photographed before the test.
- Hats, caps, veils and burkas must be removed for identification. A headscarf is allowed if the face oval and the ears remain visible.
- Bags, phones, smartwatches and other devices must be left outside your reach; the centre is not responsible for them.
- Any incident on the day must be reported on a complaint form at the centre on the same day.
How the Listening Recording Runs
The listening audio is continuous and controls the timing. According to the official model exam transcript:
- Each task begins with its instructions and usually an example.
- In Tarea 2 you get 10 seconds to read each question before its recording; Tarea 3 gives 30 seconds to read the six statements; Tarea 4 gives 45 seconds to read the ten statements.
- Every text is played twice, with short pauses.
- After each task the narrator says "Complete ahora la Hoja de respuestas" and allows 30 seconds (45 seconds after Tarea 4) to fill in the answer sheet.
There is no single long transfer period at the end, so transfer answers task by task.
How many times is each recording played in Prueba 2 (Comprensión auditiva)?
Once in Tareas 1 and 2, and twice in Tareas 3 and 4.
As many times as the candidate asks during the 40 minutes.
Three times, to support candidates who are not native speakers.
Twice for every text in all four tasks, with pauses built into the recording.
Which description of the DELE A2 reading test (Prueba 1) matches the official 2020 specifications?
Four tasks with 5, 8, 6 and 6 items: a personal letter, eight short texts, matching statements to three texts, and a long narrative text with multiple-choice questions.
Four tasks with 5, 5, 6 and 9 items, ending with a grammar cloze in which candidates fill gaps in a text.
Five tasks with 5 items each, all based on public notices and signs.
Three tasks with 25 items in total, including a form that candidates complete by hand.
A candidate registered for DELE A2 in Spain for a nationality application. Her passport expired last month. According to the Instituto Cervantes FAQ, what should she bring to enter the exam room?
A photocopy of her passport certified by a notary.
Nothing, because the exam centre already has her NIE on file.
Her original TIE and her original passport; expired originals are accepted for this purpose.
Only a digital photo of her residence card on her phone.
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.