DELE Exam Preparation Manual (Advanced Level)

The Diploma in Spanish (Advanced Level) proves an excellent knowledge of the Spanish language, as one would use in a professional exercise. Within the levels of the A.L.T.E (Association of Language Testers in Europe), the DELE (Advanced Level) corresponds to Level 5: Good User, and within the levels of the Marco común europeo de referencia par las lenguas, to Level C2: Mastery.

The descriptions of these levels are based upon the principal that the teaching of languages should facilitate to its users the methods for satisfying their communication needs, and be structured around the four classic skills- productive and receptive, visual and oral- which, at the same time are situated in three environments: sociocultural, work, and academic. These descriptions are written in terms of that which the speaker can do, which does not necessarily mean that on the official exam they evaluate these skills, but that the possessor of the diploma is capable of realizing them.

The person who obtains the Diploma in Spanish (Advanced Level) is capable of adequately producing and understating any type of written and oral expression in practically any circumstance, including those with distortions, noise, or other interference. They comprehend the general sense of the expressions, as well a the majority of the details. They can always understand and interpret texts, as long as they are not too colloquial or specialized, as well as function in practically any register, tone, or variety of Spanish, although it is not expected to be able to distinguish every type of dialectical, regional, or vulgar variety of Spanish.

Their speech can solve practically any communicative need. Their mastery of Spanish grammatical resources and diction is very elevated. Their ability to use their linguistic resources and to reflect upon them is close to that of a native speaker.

Page 7 shows the complete scheme of each test comprising the exam. The following figure also shows the time available to complete each test, and the most common schedules of most of the exam centers.

We recommend that you visit the official DELE Exam Website. You can consult the dates, locations, and prices of the exams in the countries where they are held, see sample exams, related sites, centers for exam preparation, and other resources. Search on this page for the section called Resources for preparation.

After reading all of this text and considering the information which you now have about the DELE (Advanced Level), consider these two questions:

1. What does taking an exam of this type consist of?
2. What does preparing for an exam like this consist of?

Our answers:

1. The exams for obtaining the Spanish Diploma are a formal way of demonstrating that you have a strong level of Spanish. This consists of setting before you a series of tests of certain difficulty, adapted to that which you are being evaluated on, which you have to complete using your linguistic and cognitive skills, and limited by a series of emotional and circumstantial factors. Among the most determinant factors for success in this test, one is time, as you must complete the tests in a strict amount of time, and the other being the fact that it must be completed individually: on the day of the exam, you will find yourself alone in front of your paper for the written tests, and alone again in front of the interviewer during the oral test.