Writing is the third prueba of DELE and SIELE. DELE asks for two texts at every level up to C1 and three at C2, from a 15-25 word form at A1 to a 400-450 word text built from several sources at C2. SIELE asks for two texts in 50 minutes. Here is every tarea, with the official word ranges.
Writing is marked by trained raters against official scales. Word counts in the instructions are part of the task.
| Exam | Prueba | Time | Tareas | Scored items |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DELE A1 | Expresión e interacción escritas | 25 min | 2 | — |
| DELE A2 | Expresión e interacción escritas | 45 min | 2 | — |
| DELE B1 | Expresión e interacción escritas | 60 min | 2 | — |
| DELE B2 | Expresión e interacción escritas | 80 min | 2 | — |
| DELE C1 | Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas | 80 min | 2 | — |
| DELE C2 | Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas | 150 min | 3 | — |
| SIELE | Expresión e interacción escritas | 50 min | 2 | — |
DELE A1-B2 call this prueba "Expresión e interacción escritas". C1 and C2 add language use or mediation to the name, and at C2 it is Prueba 2.
Prueba
Expresión e interacción escritas
Time
25 min
Tareas
2
Level
A1
Prueba 3. Expresión e interacción escritas. 45-65 words of writing in total.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Completar un formulario | Fill in a form: basic personal details and short answers about yourself. | Instructions and the form layout; 15-25 words in total. |
| Tarea 2 Texto breve | Write a postcard, email, message or short letter covering the points listed (for example: what the flat is like, where it is, the price, how to contact you). | A situation and 4 or so content points; 30-40 words. |
At A1 both tareas are interaction tasks, written in the booklet. In Tarea 2, fewer than 20 words means the tarea is not assessed.
Prueba
Expresión e interacción escritas
Time
45 min
Tareas
2
Level
A2
Prueba 3. Expresión e interacción escritas. 130-150 words of writing in total.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Interacción escrita | Reply with a note, postcard, message or email covering every point listed. | A short text to answer (letter, note, invitation, email), 35-45 words; write 60-70 words. |
| Tarea 2 Expresión escrita (1 de 2) | Choose one option: Opción 1, an everyday personal topic; Opción 2, a biographical or narrative text from photos or data. | Write 70-80 words; every point in the chosen option must be covered. |
Prueba
Expresión e interacción escritas
Time
60 min
Tareas
2
Level
B1
Prueba 3. Expresión e interacción escritas. 230-270 words of writing in total.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Carta o mensaje | Write a letter, email, forum or blog message that answers the stimulus and covers every bullet point. | A note, ad, letter or message of 75-85 words; write 100-120 words. |
| Tarea 2 Composición (1 de 2) | Choose one option and write a composition, blog comment, diary entry or biography with description, narration and your opinion. | A short news item of 40-50 words as the stimulus; write 130-150 words. |
Prueba
Expresión e interacción escritas
Time
80 min
Tareas
2
Level
B2
Prueba 3. Expresión e interacción escritas. 300-360 words of writing in total.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Carta a partir de una audición | Listen twice to an informative recording, take notes, then write a formal or informal letter or email that reports what you heard and gives your opinion. | A news item, ad or comment of 200-250 words, heard twice; write 150-180 words. |
| Tarea 2 Artículo o reseña (1 de 2) | Choose one option: Opción 1, an article commenting a graph or table; Opción 2, a blog article or review based on a short text. | A chart, or a news item or synopsis of 200-250 words; write 150-180 words. |
In Tarea 1 the letter is built on what you hear, so taking notes while the recording plays is part of the task. The recording is played twice.
Prueba
Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas
Time
80 min
Tareas
2
Level
C1
Prueba 3. Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas. 400-470 words of writing in total.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Mediación: texto a partir de una conferencia | Listen twice to a talk, take notes, then write a text that summarises it, evaluates it and gives your opinion, for a given purpose and reader. | A lecture or presentation of 4.5-5.5 minutes per play; 30 seconds to read the instructions; write 220-250 words. |
| Tarea 2 Expresión o interacción (1 de 2) | Choose one option: a) a report or article from a graph or infographic; b) a formal letter or email (complaint, request, recommendation) answering a short text. | A chart, or a short ad, news item or letter to the press; write 180-220 words. |
Since April 2024 the C1 written prueba is called "Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas". Tarea 1 is a mediation task: you summarise and evaluate a talk you have heard twice.
Prueba
Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas
Time
150 min
Tareas
3
Level
C2
Prueba 2. Expresión, mediación e interacción escritas. 800-950 words of writing in total.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Mediación a partir de varias fuentes | Listen twice to an oral text and read 2-3 written texts, then write one text that integrates the relevant information (a letter, report, review, essay or article). | A talk or testimony of 4-6 minutes per play plus 1,000-1,300 words of reading; write 400-450 words. |
| Tarea 2 Reelaborar unas notas | Turn notes, an outline or slides into a formal text (minutes, report, email, review) for the reader and purpose given. | Notes of 100-125 words; write 200-250 words. |
| Tarea 3 Expresión o interacción escrita | Write a formal text (letter, report, web post) from a graph, data table, short news item or ad. | Write 200-250 words. |
Tarea 2: The 2024 guía gives 100-150 words for the notes; the 2024 specification gives 100-125.
C2 writing is Prueba 2, 150 minutes for three tareas. Tarea 1 carries the most weight in the score (42%), Tarea 3 33% and Tarea 2 25%.
Prueba
Expresión e interacción escritas
Time
50 min
Tareas
2
Level
A1-C1 (multilevel)
Prueba 3. Expresión e interacción escritas. 50 minutes for both tareas, split as you like; a live word counter and a Spanish keyboard on screen.
| Tarea | What you do | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Tarea 1 Respuesta a un mensaje (A1-B1) | Reply to a short letter or message (email, forum or blog post), informing, describing and narrating. | A text of 30-50 words; write 100-150 words. |
| Tarea 2 Artículo de opinión o carta (B2-C1) | Choose 1 of 2 options (about 30 seconds to choose) and write an opinion article or a letter to the editor covering the points listed. | A newspaper heading and lead of 50-70 words; write 250-300 words. |
You can move back and forth between the two tareas and divide the 50 minutes as you like. The word counts are recommendations.
| DELE | SIELE | |
|---|---|---|
| Levels | One exam per level, A1 to C2 | Two tareas covering A1-B1 and B2-C1 |
| Delivery | Handwritten on paper | Typed, with a word counter and Spanish keyboard |
| Length | 25-80 min, 150 min at C2 | 50 min for both tareas |
| Tareas | 2 (3 at C2) | 2 |
| Words | From 45-65 in all at A1 to 800-950 at C2 | 100-150 and 250-300 |
| Scoring | Scales of 0-3 per category; band 2 is the pass level | Four criteria scored 0-5, weighted to 0-250 |
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 writing samples page. How points are calculated and what you need to pass is on the writing scoring page, and common questions are answered on the writing 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.