In the DELE oral test, two examiners score you: the entrevistador gives a global impression and the calificador scores each tarea in detail. SIELE speaking is scored afterwards from your recordings. Here are the scales and weights at every level.
Your performance is marked against official scales in which every category runs from 0 to 3:
| Band | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 3 | Clearly above the level of the exam |
| 2 | At the level of the exam: the pass level |
| 1 | Below the level of the exam |
| 0 | Blank, off-topic or illegible (writing); far below the level (speaking) |
The weighted result, at most 3, is converted to the 25 points of the prueba (33.33 or 33.34 at C2):
A result of exactly 2, the pass band, gives 16.67 of 25 points. At C2 the same result gives 22.22 of 33.33.
How the categories and tareas are weighted depends on the level:
| Exam | Who scores what | Categories | Tarea weights |
|---|---|---|---|
| DELE A1 | Calificador scores each tarea (60%); entrevistador scores the whole test (40%) | Uso de la lengua 66%, Cumplimiento de la tarea 34% | T1 20%, T2 35%, T3 45% of the calificador’s part |
| DELE A2 | Calificador per tarea (60%); entrevistador global (40%) | Uso de la lengua 66%, Cumplimiento de la tarea 34% | T1 25%, T2 25%, T3 50% of the calificador’s part |
| DELE B1 | One holistic score for the whole test (40%) + two analytic scores (60%) | Coherencia, Fluidez, Corrección, Alcance | T1+T2 together and T3+T4 together, 50% each |
| DELE B2 | One holistic score for all three tareas (40%) + analytic score per tarea (60%) | Coherencia, Fluidez, Corrección, Alcance | T1 35%, T2 35%, T3 30% of the analytic part |
| DELE C1 | Entrevistador: holistic, whole test (40%); calificador: analytic per tarea (60%) | Fluidez 22%, Corrección 22%, Alcance 22%, Cumplimiento de la tarea 34% | Each tarea 20% of the total |
| DELE C2 | Entrevistador: holistic (40%); calificador: analytic per tarea (60%) | Fluidez 22%, Corrección 22%, Alcance 22%, Cumplimiento de la tarea 34% | Each tarea 20% of the total |
Scores are given live in the room, from what you do in each tarea. The contact questions at the start are not scored.
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 |
Speaking is in Grupo 2 with Listening. Points compensate inside a group but not across groups: 12 points in Speaking and 18 in Listening make exactly 30, a pass for Grupo 2, however the other group goes. A strong Grupo 2 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.
Accredited SIELE raters score your recordings on two criteria, Uso de la lengua (language use) and Cumplimiento de la tarea (task fulfilment), each 0-5. One scale covers Tareas 1-3 and another Tareas 4-5. The weighted result gives a score out of 250.
The score places you at a CEFR level. SIELE is not pass or fail:
| CEFR level | SIELE Speaking score (out of 250) |
|---|---|
| A1 | 40-75.99 |
| A2 | 76-124.99 |
| B1 | 125-175.99 |
| B2 | 176-214.99 |
| C1 | 215-250 |
| No level | Below 40 |
You can take speaking as part of these modalities:
| Modality | Pruebas | Points | Time | You receive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIELE Global | Reading + Listening + Writing + Speaking | 0-1000 | About 3 h | Certificate |
| SIELE S3 | Listening + Speaking | 0-500 | 55 + 15 min | Report (informe) |
| SIELE S4 | Speaking | 0-250 | 15 min | Report (informe) |
| SIELE S5 | Writing + Speaking | 0-500 | 50 + 15 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 speaking description page, try worked examples on the speaking samples page, or read the speaking 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.