Reading is the first prueba of every DELE exam and of SIELE. DELE sets one paper per level, from four short tareas at A1 to a 90-minute reading and language-use prueba at C1; SIELE packs A1 to C1 into one 60-minute test whose tareas get harder as you go. Below is every tarea at every level, with the official text lengths, item counts and timings.
The reading prueba always comes first on exam day. It is scored automatically: one point per correct answer, no penalty for wrong ones.
| Exam | Prueba | Time | Tareas | Scored items |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DELE A1 | Comprensión de lectura | 45 min | 4 | 25 |
| DELE A2 | Comprensión de lectura | 60 min | 4 | 25 |
| DELE B1 | Comprensión de lectura | 70 min | 5 | 30 |
| DELE B2 | Comprensión de lectura | 70 min | 4 | 36 |
| DELE C1 | Comprensión de lectura y uso de la lengua | 90 min | 5 | 40 |
| DELE C2 | Uso de la lengua, comprensión de lectura y auditiva (Tareas 1-3) | 60 of 105 min | 3 | 26 |
| SIELE | Comprensión de lectura | 60 min | 5 | 38 |
DELE A1-B2 call this prueba "Comprensión de lectura". C1 and C2 add language use or mediation to the name, and at C2 reading and listening share Prueba 1.
Prueba
Comprensión de lectura
Time
45 min
Tareas
4
Scored items
25
Prueba 1. Comprensión de lectura. 595-925 words of input in total.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Correo o postal | Answer 5 multiple-choice questions (A, B or C); the last one has picture options. | One short email, postcard or similar personal text, 150-175 words. | 5 (Q1-5) |
| Tarea 2 Notas, avisos y carteles | Match 6 short sentences to 6 of the texts. | 9 very short texts with graphic support (notes, agenda entries, ads, signs, notices), 20-30 words each; the model paper prints 10 (A-J) including the worked example, so 3 are not used. | 6 (Q6-11) |
| Tarea 3 Anuncios | Match 6 statements by people (10-25 words each) to 6 of the ads. | 9 short ads or informational texts (brochures, catalogues), 20-30 words each; 10 in the model paper including the example. | 6 (Q12-17) |
| Tarea 4 Texto informativo | Answer 8 multiple-choice questions (A, B or C). | One informative text from promotional material, signs, tickets or agendas, 175-210 words. | 8 (Q18-25) |
Reading and listening come in one question booklet, and you mark your answers on a separate answer sheet (Hoja de respuestas). There is no official time per tarea: the 45 minutes are yours to divide.
Prueba
Comprensión de lectura
Time
60 min
Tareas
4
Scored items
25
Prueba 1. Comprensión de lectura. 1,325-1,725 words of input in total.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Correo personal | Answer 5 multiple-choice questions (A, B or C). | One personal letter or email, 250-300 words. | 5 (Q1-5) |
| Tarea 2 Textos breves | One multiple-choice question per text. | 8 short texts (ads, very short articles, posters, forum posts, event notices), 50-80 words each. | 8 (Q6-13) |
| Tarea 3 Tres textos | Match 6 questions or statements to text A, B or C. | 3 informative or promotional texts (blogs, recipes, job offers), 100-120 words each. | 6 (Q14-19) |
| Tarea 4 Texto narrativo | Answer 6 multiple-choice questions on main ideas and changes of topic. | One narrative text (biography, diary, blog entry, story, news), 375-425 words. | 6 (Q20-25) |
Prueba
Comprensión de lectura
Time
70 min
Tareas
5
Scored items
30
Prueba 1. Comprensión de lectura. 1,490-1,820 words of input in total.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Relacionar personas y textos | Match 6 statements by people (20-30 words) to 6 of the texts; 3 texts are not used. | 9 short texts (ads, listings, messages, notices), 40-60 words each. | 6 (Q1-6) |
| Tarea 2 Texto informativo | Answer 6 multiple-choice questions (a, b or c). | One informative text, 400-450 words. | 6 (Q7-12) |
| Tarea 3 Tres textos | Match 6 questions to text A, B or C. | 3 texts (anecdotes, travel tips, experiences, news, biographies), 100-120 words each. | 6 (Q13-18) |
| Tarea 4 Texto con fragmentos | Put 6 of 8 fragments (A-H) back into the gaps; 2 fragments are not used. | One text of 400-450 words with 6 gaps. | 6 (Q19-24) |
| Tarea 5 Completar un texto | Choose the right option (a, b or c) for each gap: grammar and vocabulary. | One letter, email or letter to the editor, 150-200 words, with 6 gaps. | 6 (Q25-30) |
B1 has 30 items, so each correct answer is worth 25/30 of a point: 20 correct answers give 16.67 points out of 25.
Prueba
Comprensión de lectura
Time
70 min
Tareas
4
Scored items
36
Prueba 1. Comprensión de lectura. 1,750-1,950 words of input in total.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Texto informativo | Answer 6 multiple-choice questions (a, b or c). | One complex informative text, 400-450 words. | 6 (Q1-6) |
| Tarea 2 Cuatro textos | Match 10 questions ("¿Quién dice que...?") to texts A-D; texts are used more than once. | 4 personal texts (opinions, anecdotes) on one topic, 130-150 words each. | 10 (Q7-16) |
| Tarea 3 Texto con fragmentos | Put 6 of 8 fragments (A-H) back into the gaps; 2 are distractors. | One text of 400-450 words with 6 gaps; the fragments are short, 15-20 words. | 6 (Q17-22) |
| Tarea 4 Completar un texto | Choose the right option (a, b or c) for each gap: grammar and vocabulary. | A literary, historical or biographical text, 400-450 words, with 14 gaps. | 14 (Q23-36) |
Prueba
Comprensión de lectura y uso de la lengua
Time
90 min
Tareas
5
Scored items
40
Prueba 1. Comprensión de lectura y uso de la lengua. Texts from at least three varieties of Spanish.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Texto administrativo o legal | Answer 6 multiple-choice questions (a, b or c). | Rules, terms and conditions, a contract or a report, 650-750 words. | 6 (Q1-6) |
| Tarea 2 Texto con párrafos | Put 6 of 7 paragraphs (A-G) back into the text; 1 is not used. | A journalistic, literary or blog text, 550-650 words, with 6 paragraph gaps. | 6 (Q7-12) |
| Tarea 3 Artículo de opinión | Answer 6 multiple-choice questions, including inference and the author’s attitude. | An opinion piece, editorial, column or popular-science article, 550-650 words. | 6 (Q13-18) |
| Tarea 4 Textos breves relacionados | Match 8 statements to texts A-F; some texts are chosen more than once. | 6 short related texts (book reviews, event programmes, abstracts of talks), 100-150 words each. | 8 (Q19-26) |
| Tarea 5 Completar un texto | Choose the right option (a, b or c) for each of 14 gaps: grammar and vocabulary. | A popular-science, academic or journalistic text, 375-425 words. | 14 (Q27-40) |
Since April 2024 the C1 reading prueba is called "Comprensión de lectura y uso de la lengua": Tarea 5 is a grammar-and-vocabulary cloze, and the texts come from at least three varieties of Spanish.
Prueba
Uso de la lengua, comprensión de lectura y auditiva (Tareas 1-3)
Time
60 of 105 min
Tareas
3
Scored items
26
Prueba 1. Uso de la lengua, comprensión de lectura y auditiva (Tareas 1-3). Reading is the first 60 minutes of Prueba 1, which has 7 tareas and 52 items in all.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Completar un texto (léxico) | Choose the right option (a, b or c) for each of 12 gaps: precise vocabulary and collocations. | A journalistic, essay or literary text, 300-400 words. | 12 (Q1-12) |
| Tarea 2 Texto con párrafos | Put 6 of 7 paragraphs (A-G) back into the text; 1 is not used. | A journalistic, essay or literary text, 550-600 words. | 6 (Q13-18) |
| Tarea 3 Textos académicos breves | Match 8 statements to texts A-F; texts can be chosen more than once. | 6 short academic texts (reviews, abstracts of papers or talks), 100-150 words each. | 8 (Q19-26) |
At C2, reading is not a prueba of its own. Tareas 1-3 are the first 60 minutes of Prueba 1, followed by 45 minutes of listening (Tareas 4-7, on the listening page). The whole Prueba 1 is scored together, out of 33.33 points.
Prueba
Comprensión de lectura
Time
60 min
Tareas
5
Scored items
38
Prueba 1. Comprensión de lectura. Tareas get harder from A1 to C1; you cannot go back to an earlier tarea.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Textos breves (A1) | One multiple-choice question per text (3 options). | 5 short texts (messages, emails, ads, notices), 40-80 words each. | 5 |
| Tarea 2 Correo o carta (A2) | Answer 5 multiple-choice questions. | One letter or email, 250-300 words. | 5 |
| Tarea 3 Tres textos (B1) | Match 8 statements to text A, B or C. | 3 texts (anecdotes, travel tips, news, job offers), 100-120 words each. | 8 |
| Tarea 4 Dos textos con fragmentos (B2) | For each text, choose the fragment for each of its 4 gaps from 5 options (1 distractor). | 2 texts of 230-280 words with 4 gaps each. | 8 |
| Tarea 5 Completar un texto (C1) | A 12-gap cloze with 3 options per gap: 4 grammar, 4 vocabulary and 4 discourse-marker items. | One specialised text, 375-425 words. | 12 |
SIELE is taken on a computer. You cannot go back to a tarea once you have left it; inside Tarea 1 you can move between questions, and in Tarea 4 you can switch between the two texts. The clock is always visible and the prueba locks at 60:00.
| DELE | SIELE | |
|---|---|---|
| Levels | One exam per level, A1 to C2 | One multilevel test from A1 to C1 |
| Delivery | Paper, at an exam centre | Computer, at a centre or remotely |
| Length | 45-90 min, or 60 of the 105 min of C2 Prueba 1 | 60 min |
| Items | 25-40 depending on level | 38 |
| Answers | Marked on a separate answer sheet | Clicked on screen; no going back between tareas |
| 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 reading samples page. How points are calculated and what you need to pass is on the reading scoring page, and common questions are answered on the reading 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.