Instituto Cervantes - Spanish Language School

The "Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE)", issued by the Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Spanish Ministry for Education and Science, are official qualifications accrediting levels of competence and command of the Spanish language. They are the only officially accredited qualifications issued by the Ministry for Education of the Kingdom of Spain that are administered internationally. They are recognized worldwide by private companies, chambers of commerce and public and private educational systems.

The Diplomas in Spanish are complementary certificates to other official educational programs in foreign languages in many institutions. They also constitute a tool that facilitates personal promotion in academic and professional contexts. The Diplomas in Spanish are ideal for gaining promotion within the labor market and for accessing educational institutions, both in Spain and in the more than 90 countries where the tests are administered.

The Instituto Cervantes has established collaborative agreements with the relevant departments of the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Education, as well as with other academic institutions of international prestige in the teaching of Spanish, especially regarding the production of examinations and evaluation.

Preparation for the Cervantes Institute "DELE" exam

CPI offers a 4 week preparation course for the "DELE" examination.

One-on-one classes total 4 hours per day, 5 days per week beginning at 8:00 a.m. and finishing at 12:00 p.m., with a 20 minute break at 10 a.m. This preparatory course is available at each of the 3 CPI campuses: Heredia, Monteverde, and Flamingo.

The program includes oral and written exercises along with extensive practice taking past DELE exams. Because this test is very important for you, CPI has created a program model that is easily customized to your personal needs and abilities, permitting the professor to systematically clear up your individual doubts about the DELE exam topics.

Our DELE preparation course starts with a placement test on the first day of classes; based on the results, the CPI Academic Coordinator will recommend the appropriate DELE exam level for which the student should prepare.

The "Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE)" official qualification accrediting levels of competence and command of the Spanish language are as follows:

Diploma de Español Nivel A1 (Starter level): This qualification attests to sufficient linguistic ability for a very basic range of the most commonly simple expressions used in the Spanish-speaking world and in order to satisfy immediate needs of a concrete type.
Diploma de Español Nivel A2 (Waystage or Elementary level): This qualification attests to sufficient linguistic ability for understanding a basic range of the commonly simple and immediate relevance of expressions used in the Spanish-speaking world (basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).
Diploma de Español Nivel B1 (Inicial / Beginner level): This qualification attests to sufficient linguistic ability for understanding and responding appropriately in most normal day-to-day situations and for expressing desires and needs in a basic way.
Diploma de Español Nivel B2 (Intermedio / Intermediate level): This qualification validates sufficient linguistic ability to get by in average day-to-day situations in normal communication circumstances, which do not require specialized use of the language.
Diploma de Español Nivel C2 (Superior / Proficiency level): This qualification accredits the necessary linguistic competence to integrate in situations requiring an advanced use of the language and knowledge of the cultural customs embedded within it.

To prepare for any of the described levels CPI recommends a 4 week program. Should you want to prepare for 2 or more levels, the guideline remains at 4 weeks per level.

PRICE: The 4 week program, one-on-one classes, 4 hours per day costs $1,600; accommodation is separately priced, please click here to view the options.
Starting dates for the DELE exam preparation course are:

SESSION I: APRIL 2010
Registration date for the DELE	From February 22nd to April 16th
Starting date at CPI	Monday, April 19th
Finishing date at CPI	Friday, May 14th
Date of the examination	May 21st or 22nd according to the country of the examination

SESSION II: JULY 2010
Registration date for the DELE	From July 12th to July 30th
Starting date at CPI	Monday, July 19th
Finishing date at CPI	Friday, August 13th
Date of the examination	August 20th

SESSION III: OCTOBER 2010
Registration date for the DELE	From September 1st to October 15th
Starting date at CPI	Monday, October 18th
Finishing date at CPI	Friday, November 12th
Date of the examination	November 19th or 20th according to the country of the examination

REGISTRATION: Registration for the Diplomas in Spanish test can only be done through an accredited Examination Centre. If you wish to obtain information on Examination Centres, please refer to the section entitled Candidates / Examination Centres.
EXAMINATION: After finishing your preparation at CPI, the following week you can take the test, location options are:

Costa Rica – there are 3 Examination Centres in Costa Rica; 2 in the Central Valley close to CPI Heredia and one close to CPI Flamingo.
Or travel to another accredited Examination Centre of your preference.

Should you decide to take the test in Costa Rica accommodation and extra classes would be available for a discounted price.

The Instituto Cervantes notifies candidates of their results within approximately three months from the exam date. The Diplomas Department at the Instituto Cervantes will then arrange for individual diplomas to be sent to candidates through the Examination Centers at which they registered.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Keep in mind, to solidify your Spanish foundation, an excellent complementary measure to the DELE preparation course would be to start your Spanish immersion with regular classes through our Standard Spanish program any Monday, year round prior to the DELE dates listed above.

WHAT IS DELE? Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera.

Preparation for the Cervantes Institute "DELE" exam