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DELE A1 Speaking Structure & Evaluation Criteria | OralPrep Guide

The DELE A1 speaking test (Instituto Cervantes) is called Prueba de Expresión e Interacción Orales. It is designed for beginners, so the tasks are short and highly guided.

The official timing is: 10 minutes in the exam plus 10 minutes of preparation. Below is the exact structure and what examiners evaluate.

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Structure of the DELE A1 Speaking Test

The test is divided into three tasks:

1. Personal presentation (1–2 minutes)

You speak about basic identity information in a short monologue.

  • Typical content: name, origin, age, studies/work, family, daily routine.
  • Goal: show you can produce simple, clear sentences.
  • Tip: prepare 8–10 safe sentences you can adapt.

    • 2. Short talk about a topic (2–3 minutes)

    You speak about your immediate environment, supported by a sheet with verbal stimuli.

  • Example themes: your home, your neighborhood, food, hobbies.
  • Goal: describe and explain with very basic connectors (“y”, “pero”).

    • 3. Conversation with the interviewer (3–4 minutes)

    You interact about what you just presented, and you also ask two prepared questions.

  • What they look for: reacting, asking for clarification, basic turn-taking.
  • Tip: learn 3 repair phrases: “¿Puede repetir?”, “No entiendo”, “¿Qué significa…?”

    • Official Evaluation Criteria

    According to the official rubric, there are two criteria:

    1. Use of language (Uso de la lengua) Pronunciation, basic vocabulary, and simple grammar.

    2. Task achievement (Cumplimiento de la tarea) Whether you answer what is asked and maintain a basic interaction.

    The evaluation is split between two roles: Interviewer (40%) + Grader (60%), with a 0–3 band scale.

    Example (Task 1)

    “Hola, me llamo Ana. Soy de Italia y tengo veintidós años. Vivo en Madrid. Estudio español y trabajo en una cafetería. En mi tiempo libre me gusta caminar y escuchar música.”

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