DELE 2026 updates: new Escolar B2/C1 and keys to designing your preparation

The DELE landscape continues to evolve, both in the exam offerings and the criteria that define how to design effective preparation. We review the most relevant current updates, intended for students preparing for the exam as well as for those who design materials and courses.

Launch of the new DELE B2/C1 for Schools

The Instituto Cervantes has added a new specific exam for students aged 11 to 17 at level B2/C1 to its official catalog, first administered in the May 2026 session. It follows the same spirit as the well-known A2/B1 multi-level school format: a single test that allows candidates to obtain either a B2 or C1 diploma depending on their performance.

Its topics and tasks are adapted to the socio-educational context of adolescents, which opens the door for young students with an advanced level to certify it without having to take an exam with content designed for an adult audience.

Format updates in effect for preparation

If you are designing materials or providing preparation for advanced and general levels, it is worth keeping in mind the latest adjustments to the exam specifications:

  • C1 and C2 levels: the criteria and analytical scoring scales have been refined. The Written and Oral Expression and Interaction tests explicitly prioritize task fulfillment and linguistic mediation skills.
  • A2 level: maintains its consolidated format of 4 reading tasks and 4 listening comprehension tasks, with optimized durations (60 minutes for the reading test, 45 minutes for the listening comprehension test), focused on a pragmatic, everyday life profile.

Key points for designing preparatory units

Reading and listening comprehension

Direct focus on official question types (matching, multiple choice), respecting exact time limits per task.

Written expression and interaction

Systematic practice with Cervantes' correction scales: adequacy to format, grammatical range, coherence, and adherence to guidelines.

Oral test

Simulation of the pre-test preparation time and training for valued monologue and negotiation/interaction tasks with the interviewer.

"Knowing the correction scales well is not a technical detail: it's the difference between practicing blindly and practicing with purpose."

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Sources: Instituto Cervantes – New DELE B2/C1 exam for schools and official exam page.

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