The DELE Spanish diplomas are official qualifications accrediting the degree of competence and mastery of the Spanish language, awarded by the Cervantes Institute on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain.

The Cervantes Institute is entrusted with the academic, administrative and economic direction of the DELE diplomas, in accordance with the provisions of Royal Decrees 1137/2002 of October 31, RD 264/2008 of February 22 and RD 1004/2015 of 6 November.

The DELE exams are designed following the guidelines of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and the Manual to relate exams to the CEFR, both works of the Council of Europe.

The repertoire of linguistic contents that can be included in the DELE exams is included in the curriculum plan of the Cervantes Institute. Reference Levels for Spanish (NRE), developed by the Cervantes Institute based on the descriptors of the CEFR.

The DELE Diplomas cover all levels of the CEFR:

Diploma of Spanish level A1.
Diploma of Spanish level A2.
Diploma of Spanish level B1.
Diploma of Spanish level B2.
Diploma of Spanish level C1.
Diploma of Spanish level C2.
The Instituto Cervantes offers eight DELE exams:

CEFR levels DELE exams for schoolchildren (aimed at students from 11 to 17 years old) General DELE examinations (aimed at candidates from 16 years of age)
A1 DELE A1 for schoolchildren DELE A1
A2 DELE A2 / B1 for schoolchildren DELE A2
B1 DELE B1
B2 DELE B2
C1 DELE C1
C2 DELE C2
Instituto Cervantes is a member of the following international associations:

European Association of Entities Certifiers of Linguistic Competence (ALTE);
International Certification System of Spanish as a Foreign Language (SICELE);
European Association for the Quality of Language Services (EAQUALS).
Instituto Cervantes subscribes to international standards and good practices in linguistic evaluation and certification in the processes of:

Development and development of tests.
Test management and administration device (which includes the possibility of administering tests under special conditions).
Qualification and analysis of results (which includes a procedure by which requests for review of qualifications submitted by candidates are met).
Information to the users (that includes a procedure of attention of claims).
Candidates can register for any of the DELE exams without having to take any previous specific course, or have previously taken a DELE exam or other lower level Spanish exam.

Both in the case of the general DELE exams and the school exams, the DELE Spanish Diplomas have official validity, indefinite validity and international recognition.

Recognition of DELE diplomas
The DELE diplomas are internationally recognized, and enjoy great prestige, not only between institutions and public and private educational authorities but also in the business world and among chambers of commerce. They are an official guarantee in the evaluation and certification of linguistic competence in Spanish.

In many countries, the DELE have been adopted by education authorities and regulated schools as a complement to their own evaluation programs. They are ideal to facilitate job promotion and access to education both in Spain and in the other countries where the tests are carried out.

In Spain, the DELE diplomas are recognized by national, regional and local institutions and bodies, such as:

Ministry of Justice of Spain: DELE A2 or higher for the requirement of knowledge of Spanish in Spanish citizenship application processes for persons from non-Spanish-speaking countries or territories. Information on nationality in the Ministry of Justice.
Ministry of Health: DELE C1 or C2 for access to MIR, FIR. More information on specialized health training.
Homologation of studies conducted in another country: people who have a DELE C2 and are incorporated into the Spanish educational system by validation of studies conducted in another country will be exempt from performing other tests of Spanish proficiency. Royal Decree 264/2008 by which the diplomas of Spanish as a foreign language are regulated.
General State Administration and public bodies: The Spanish diplomas (DELE) are considered sufficient accreditation of competence in Spanish for any professional or academic activity in Spain for which the corresponding level of competence is required. Royal Decree 264/2008 by which the diplomas of Spanish as a foreign language are regulated.
In France, the DELE diplomas are recognized by the French Ministry of Education.

If you wish to obtain information on the recognition of Spanish diplomas in another country, you can contact the nearest Instituto Cervantes center.

DELE Reports:
Specific information on the design, administration and qualification processes of DELE exams.

Investigations on the DELE
Prieto, JM: Study of the behavior of the examiners of the written expression test using the Many-Facet Rasch Measurement model (MFRM) in the context of a domain test: the Diploma of Spanish level A2. http://gredos.usal.es/

Download related files:
Elaboration of the DELE