1.2 Four Pruebas Format, Timing, & Administration

Four Tests and Their Timings

General DELE B1 assesses four skills, each worth 25 points. Learn the Spanish names of the tests so that instructions and response sheets are easy to recognize. A prueba is a test; a tarea is a task within it. Thirty reading items do not mean thirty separate texts.

The tests total 185 minutes: 70 + 40 + 60 + 15. Adding oral preparation gives 200 minutes, or 3 hours 20 minutes, before breaks, check-in and waiting. These are sums of component durations, not a promise of a single continuous appointment. Reading, listening and writing occupy 170 minutes. The center’s notification governs reporting times and the oral appointment, which may be scheduled separately.

Reading: Five Different Operations

Reading Task 1 matches six scored statements to nine short notices. Compare needs and practical conditions, such as a budget and a timetable. Follow the instructions for any worked example rather than assuming every notice is used.

Task 2 presents an informative text of about 400–450 words and six questions with three choices each. Identify both main ideas and specific details. Task 3 supplies three texts of about 100–120 words each, to be related to six statements. Keep the sources separate: a fact about one person is not evidence about another.

Task 4 removes six fragments from a text of about 400–450 words. Choose the six that fit from eight options, using links before and after each gap. Task 5 supplies a 150–200-word epistolary text with six gaps and three alternatives per gap. Here both grammatical form and lexical meaning matter. All five tasks contribute six scored items under the current level page and guide.

Listening: Read the Response Format First

Listening also contains five tasks and 30 scored items. The recordings are heard twice. The official recording controls the sequence and gives instructions and reading/checking periods; follow it rather than relying on a memorized pause duration.

• Task 1: Six brief messages, with a three-option question for each. Identify the main purpose or relevant information in each independent message.
• Task 2: A longer monologue about personal experience, with six three-option questions. The specifications give approximately 400–450 words. Track main ideas and detail without assuming a fixed biography or topic order.
• Task 3: Six brief news items, with six three-option questions. Recognize the central information in each story.
• Task 4: Six short informal monologues or conversations on a shared theme, matched to statements from a bank of nine. The task tests the general idea of each contribution.
• Task 5: A two-person conversation, with statements assigned to the man, the woman, or neither. These are speaker-attribution categories, not three different proposed answers to a comprehension question.

For example, if a woman says Yo prefiero viajar de noche and the man only agrees, the woman expressed the preference. Hearing agreement does not automatically make the statement something the man said. If the statement is absent, choose neither rather than guessing from general context.

Writing: Two Responses within One Hour

Task 1 asks for 100–120 words responding to a short input, such as a message, letter or forum contribution. The specifications describe an input of about 75–85 words. Identify the recipient, purpose and all required points before drafting.

Task 2 asks for 130–150 words, choosing one of two prompts. The output may describe or narrate experiences while expressing personal information and opinion. The option numbers do not permanently mean “narrative” and “formal letter.” Read the actual genre and instructions. A forum contribution does not automatically need an official-letter greeting.

A suggested practice split is 25 minutes for Task 1 and 35 for Task 2, including revision. This is OpenExamPrep advice. The official limit is 60 minutes for the writing test; the examiner does not award extra points for following our split. Write final responses in the designated spaces of the writing booklet and follow its materials instructions.

Speaking: Prepared and Spontaneous Work

Two examiners are present. The interviewer manages the interaction and gives a holistic rating. The other examiner listens and gives analytic ratings. Furniture placement and eye contact are not independent scoring categories.

The 15-minute preparation period concerns Tasks 1 and 2. Choose one of two topics and prepare a brief presentation and possible discussion points. Notes may be consulted, but the test is spoken communication: do not limit yourself to reading a script.

Task 3 is selected during the examination, not prepared in the earlier room. Task 4 continues from its everyday context. Listen to the role instructions; a service request, invitation or information exchange need not become a dispute.

Prepare the Administration as Well as the Language

Use the center’s notice to make a personal checklist: reporting time, identity document, oral appointment and required writing materials. A general guide cannot promise that every center starts at 09:00, provides stationery or uses the same break. Keep the identity document consistent with the registration details and request correction of errors promptly.

Practice answering on the official model response sheets. Check item numbers as you transfer marks and respect the test’s own time limit and recorded instructions. Know where final writing goes, so a polished draft is not left in an unmarked space. These habits protect work you have already completed without creating invented administrative rules.