DELE turns your correct answers into points out of 25 and decides pass or fail by groups of pruebas; SIELE turns them into a score out of 250 and a CEFR level. Here is exactly how both work for reading.
Every item is worth one point if it is right and nothing if it is wrong; there is no penalty for a wrong answer. The raw total is then converted to the 25 points the prueba is worth:
At A1 and A2 there are exactly 25 items, so the raw total is already the score.
| Exam | Items | Points per correct answer | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| DELE A1 | 25 | 1 | 15 correct → 15 points |
| DELE A2 | 25 | 1 | 15 correct → 15 points |
| DELE B1 | 30 | 0.83 | 18 correct → 15 points |
| DELE B2 | 36 | 0.69 | 22 correct → 15.28 points |
| DELE C1 | 40 | 0.62 | 24 correct → 15 points |
| DELE C2 (Prueba 1) | 52 (26 reading + 26 listening) | 0.64 | 31 correct → 19.87 of 33.33 points |
At C2 there is no separate reading score: reading (Tareas 1-3) and listening (Tareas 4-7) form Prueba 1, 52 items converted to 33.33 points together.
APTO needs at least 30 of the 50 points in each group: Grupo 1 is Reading + Writing, Grupo 2 is Listening + Speaking. Each prueba is worth 25 points, 100 in all. The only results are Apto and No apto.
| Group | Pruebas | Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Grupo 1 | Reading + Writing | 30 of 50 |
| Grupo 2 | Listening + Speaking | 30 of 50 |
Reading is in Grupo 1 with Writing. Points compensate inside a group but not across groups: 18 points in Reading and 12 in Writing make exactly 30, a pass for Grupo 1, however the other group goes. A strong Grupo 1 cannot rescue a weak other group.
DELE C2 has three pruebas worth 33.33, 33.33 and 33.34 points. APTO needs at least 20 points in each of the three; there are no groups and no compensation between pruebas.
All pruebas must be taken. There are only two possible results: Apto, which gives the diploma for the level of the exam, or No apto.
SIELE reading is scored automatically. Each of the 38 items is right or wrong, and the total is converted to a score out of 250:
25 correct answers give 164.47 points.
The score places you at a CEFR level. SIELE is not pass or fail:
| CEFR level | SIELE Reading score (out of 250) |
|---|---|
| A1 | 33-65.99 |
| A2 | 66-117.99 |
| B1 | 118-177.99 |
| B2 | 178-216.99 |
| C1 | 217-250 |
| No level | Below 33 |
The same 164.47 is B1 in reading (118-177.99) but B2 in listening (164-210.99): the CEFR cut-offs are set per prueba.
You can take reading as part of these modalities:
| Modality | Pruebas | Points | Time | You receive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIELE Global | Reading + Listening + Writing + Speaking | 0-1000 | About 3 h | Certificate |
| SIELE S1 | Reading + Listening | 0-500 | 60 + 55 min | Report (informe) |
| SIELE S2 | Reading + Writing | 0-500 | 60 + 50 min | Report (informe) |
SIELE Global adds the four pruebas to a total out of 1000 and gives a certificate; the shorter modalities give a report (informe). Results arrive within three weeks and are valid for five years.
| DELE | SIELE | |
|---|---|---|
| Result | Apto / No apto, with your points per prueba | A score per prueba and a CEFR level |
| When | Usually about 2 months after the exam (about 3 for the May and November sessions) | Within 3 weeks |
| Document | A digital diploma (PDF with a verification code) | Certificate (Global) or report (S1-S5), valid 5 years |
The TestSucceed DELE and SIELE mock tests apply these rules to your answers: comprehension items are marked automatically and writing and speaking are scored by AI trained by our experts on the official criteria. Because the Cervantes does not publish everything examiners do, those scores are labelled as estimates. You can also practise one tarea at a time.
See what each tarea asks on the reading description page, try worked examples on the reading samples page, or read the reading FAQ.
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.