Listening is the second prueba of every DELE exam and of SIELE, and every recording is played twice. Here is each tarea at each level: what you hear, how long it is, how much time you get to read the questions, and what you have to answer.
Recordings are made in a studio to sound like real speech. From B1 upwards they come from different varieties of Spanish.
| Exam | Prueba | Time | Tareas | Scored items |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DELE A1 | Comprensión auditiva | 25 min | 4 | 25 |
| DELE A2 | Comprensión auditiva | 40 min | 4 | 25 |
| DELE B1 | Comprensión auditiva | 40 min | 5 | 30 |
| DELE B2 | Comprensión auditiva | 40 min | 5 | 30 |
| DELE C1 | Comprensión auditiva y uso de la lengua | 50 min | 4 | 30 |
| DELE C2 | Uso de la lengua, comprensión de lectura y auditiva (Tareas 4-7) | 45 of 105 min | 4 | 26 |
| SIELE | Comprensión auditiva | 55 min | 6 | 38 |
DELE A1-B2 call this prueba "Comprensión auditiva". C1 and C2 add language use or mediation to the name, and at C2 reading and listening share Prueba 1.
Prueba
Comprensión auditiva
Time
25 min
Tareas
4
Scored items
25
Prueba 2. Comprensión auditiva. 505-735 words of recordings; every text is played twice.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Conversaciones breves | One question per dialogue with 3 picture options (A, B or C). | 5 very short dialogues between two people, 30-40 words each, slow and clear. | 5 (Q1-5) |
| Tarea 2 Mensajes y anuncios | Match each message to one of the pictures; the model paper has 9 pictures (A-I) including the example, so 3 are distractors. | 5 very short messages or announcements, 15-30 words each. | 5 (Q6-10) |
| Tarea 3 Monólogo: relacionar | Match 8 sentence beginnings (for example, names of people) to 8 of 11 continuations. | One monologue split into 8 short statements, 15-25 words each. | 8 (Q11-18) |
| Tarea 4 Conversación: completar frases | Complete 7 short sentences by choosing a word or phrase from a box of 8 options. | One conversation between two people, 160-185 words; 30 seconds to read the sentences first. | 7 (Q19-25) |
Tarea 4: The A1 specification says "complete with information from the text", but the guía and the Modelo 0 show a selected-response box, which is what the exam uses.
The recordings include the instructions, an example and the reading time before each tarea. The Modelo 0 recording lasts about 20 minutes including the pauses.
Prueba
Comprensión auditiva
Time
40 min
Tareas
4
Scored items
25
Prueba 2. Comprensión auditiva. 975-1,465 words of recordings; every text is played twice.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Conversaciones | One question per conversation with 3 picture options. | 6 informal conversations (shops, restaurants, stations), 50-80 words each. | 6 (Q1-6) |
| Tarea 2 Radio | One multiple-choice question per item, 3 text options. | 6 short radio items (news, ads, event information), 40-60 words each. | 6 (Q7-12) |
| Tarea 3 Conversación: ¿quién lo dice? | Decide whether each of 6 statements refers to the man (A), the woman (B) or neither (C). | One conversation between two people, 225-275 words; 30 seconds to read the statements. | 6 (Q13-18) |
| Tarea 4 Mensajes y anuncios | Match 7 messages to 7 of 10 statements. | 7 announcements, instructions, ads or answering-machine messages, 30-50 words each; 45 seconds to read. | 7 (Q19-25) |
Prueba
Comprensión auditiva
Time
40 min
Tareas
5
Scored items
30
Prueba 2. Comprensión auditiva. 1,540-1,930 words of recordings; every text is played twice.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Mensajes breves | One multiple-choice question per message (3 options). | 6 short monologues (voicemail messages, ads, notices), 40-60 words; 30 seconds to read. | 6 (Q1-6) |
| Tarea 2 Monólogo largo | Answer 6 multiple-choice questions. | One speaker describing personal experiences, 400-450 words; 30 seconds to read. | 6 (Q7-12) |
| Tarea 3 Noticias | One multiple-choice question per news item. | A radio or TV news programme with 6 short items, 350-400 words in total; 30 seconds to read. | 6 (Q13-18) |
| Tarea 4 Experiencias | Match 6 speakers to 6 of 9 statements. | 6 short monologues or conversations on one theme, 50-70 words each; 20 seconds to read. | 6 (Q19-24) |
| Tarea 5 Conversación: ¿quién lo dice? | Decide whether each of 6 statements refers to speaker A, speaker B or neither (C). | One conversation, 250-300 words; 25 seconds to read. | 6 (Q25-30) |
Tarea 5: The 2014 guía describes this tarea as three-option multiple choice; the 2018 specification and the Modelo 0 show the A/B/C format used today.
Prueba
Comprensión auditiva
Time
40 min
Tareas
5
Scored items
30
Prueba 2. Comprensión auditiva. 1,590-1,980 words of recordings; every text is played twice.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Conversaciones breves | One multiple-choice question per conversation (a, b or c). | 6 short conversations, 40-60 words each; 30 seconds to read. | 6 (Q1-6) |
| Tarea 2 Conversación: ¿quién lo dice? | Decide whether each of 6 statements refers to the man (A), the woman (B) or neither (C). | One conversation, 250-300 words; 20 seconds to read. | 6 (Q7-12) |
| Tarea 3 Entrevista | Answer 6 multiple-choice questions. | A radio or TV interview, 400-450 words; 30 seconds to read. | 6 (Q13-18) |
| Tarea 4 Monólogos breves | Match 6 speakers to 6 of 9 statements. | 6 short monologues or conversations (experiences, opinions, advice), 50-70 words each. | 6 (Q19-24) |
| Tarea 5 Conferencia o discurso | Answer 6 multiple-choice questions. | A talk, speech or monologue about projects or experiences, 400-450 words; 30 seconds to read. | 6 (Q25-30) |
Prueba
Comprensión auditiva y uso de la lengua
Time
50 min
Tareas
4
Scored items
30
Prueba 2. Comprensión auditiva y uso de la lengua. Every recording is played twice; at least three varieties of Spanish.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Conferencia: elegir notas | Choose the 6 notes (from 12, A-L) that match the talk. | A monologue (talk, lecture, presentation, documentary), 4.5-5.5 minutes, 700-750 words; 1 minute to read the options. | 6 (Q1-6) |
| Tarea 2 Cuatro conversaciones | Two multiple-choice questions per conversation, including opinions and intentions. | 4 conversations, 1.5-2 minutes each (220-300 words). | 8 (Q7-14) |
| Tarea 3 Entrevista o debate | Answer 6 multiple-choice questions. | A media interview or debate, 5-6 minutes (750-900 words); 1 minute to read. | 6 (Q15-20) |
| Tarea 4 Diálogos breves | One question per dialogue on what an idiomatic or colloquial expression means or intends. | 10 brief everyday dialogues, 15-20 seconds each (38-45 words). | 10 (Q21-30) |
Since April 2024 the C1 listening prueba is called "Comprensión auditiva y uso de la lengua": Tarea 4 tests the meaning of colloquial expressions. The times given are per play.
Prueba
Uso de la lengua, comprensión de lectura y auditiva (Tareas 4-7)
Time
45 of 105 min
Tareas
4
Scored items
26
Prueba 1. Uso de la lengua, comprensión de lectura y auditiva (Tareas 4-7). Listening is the last 45 minutes of Prueba 1; every recording is played twice.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 4 Conferencia: elegir anotaciones | Choose the 5 statements (from 12, A-L) that match the talk. | A monologue (talk, lecture, academic paper, report), 4.5-5.5 minutes per play; 1 minute to read. | 5 (Q27-31) |
| Tarea 5 Conversación: hombre, mujer o ninguno | Decide whether each of 7 statements refers to the man (H), the woman (M) or neither (N). | A conversation, debate or talk show, 3.5-4.5 minutes; 30 seconds to read. | 7 (Q32-38) |
| Tarea 6 Entrevista o debate | Answer 6 multiple-choice questions. | A media interview or debate, 4-5 minutes; 1 minute to read. | 6 (Q39-44) |
| Tarea 7 Actitudes y sentimientos | For each of 8 speakers, choose the attitude or feeling (relief, scepticism, resignation...) from 12 statements including the example. | 8 short everyday monologues with idiomatic expressions, 15-20 seconds each. | 8 (Q45-52) |
At C2, listening is the second half of Prueba 1 (Tareas 4-7, 45 minutes), after 60 minutes of reading (Tareas 1-3, on the reading page). The whole Prueba 1 is scored together, out of 33.33 points.
Prueba
Comprensión auditiva
Time
55 min
Tareas
6
Scored items
38
Prueba 2. Comprensión auditiva. Each recording plays automatically twice; the recording sets the time of its tarea; no going back.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Conversación (A1) | Complete 5 short statements with options from a common bank of 15. | A conversation of 150-170 words, at most 2 minutes, slow and clear. | 5 |
| Tarea 2 Noticias de radio (A2) | Answer 5 multiple-choice questions. | Radio news or fragments, 250-300 words, at most 3 minutes. | 5 |
| Tarea 3 Experiencias (B1) | Match 8 speakers to 8 of 11 statements. | 8 short monologues or conversations on one topic, 50-70 words each, at most 5 minutes. | 8 |
| Tarea 4 Entrevista (B2) | Answer 8 multiple-choice questions, including inference. | A radio or TV interview, 550-600 words, at most 4 minutes. | 8 |
| Tarea 5 Conferencia en fragmentos (C1) | For each of 6 fragments, choose which of 3 options states an idea it contains. | A long academic monologue of 450-500 words, at most 4 minutes, split into 6 fragments. | 6 |
| Tarea 6 Conferencia: elegir ideas (C1) | Pick the 6 ideas (from 12 options) expressed in the talk. | A long academic monologue of 450-500 words, at most 5 minutes. | 6 |
Each recording starts automatically and plays twice; the tarea ends when the audio ends, and you can move on early with "Siguiente" but never go back. There is an untimed sound check before the prueba.
| DELE | SIELE | |
|---|---|---|
| Levels | One exam per level, A1 to C2 | One multilevel test from A1 to C1 |
| Delivery | Paper booklet, recording played in the room | Computer, headphones; audio starts automatically |
| Length | 25-50 min, or 45 of the 105 min of C2 Prueba 1 | 55 min |
| Plays | Every text twice | Every text twice |
| Items | 25-30 depending on level (26 at C2) | 38 |
| Result | Points out of 25 towards Apto / No apto | Score out of 250 and a CEFR level |
DELE gives a diploma at one level: you pass or fail that level. SIELE gives a score and places you at a level from A1 to C1. The test format overview compares them in full.
Worked examples from real practice tareas, with answers and explanations, are on the listening samples page. How points are calculated and what you need to pass is on the listening scoring page, and common questions are answered on the listening FAQ.
When you are ready, practice every tarea in the TestSucceed app or sit a full timed mock test with feedback from AI trained by our experts.
Written by Kirill O'Nayd
Language test expert and educator at TestSucceed, where he builds the DELE and SIELE practice tasks and mock tests and has spent years taking apart how each Instituto Cervantes prueba awards its points. See all TestSucceed preparation materials.