DELE B2 in 2027: Format, Dates, Fees and Words
Facts last checked on 30 September 2026 against the Instituto Cervantes' official exam guide. 2027 session dates are published by the Instituto Cervantes; check them before you plan.
The DELE B2 is the Spanish certificate universities, Erasmus offices and many employers ask for, and it is a demanding exam: four papers, two pass groups, and writing and speaking tasks that mark argument and register as much as vocabulary. This post walks through each paper, the pass rules, fees and dates, and the language that actually decides the grade.
The four papers
| Paper | Time | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Comprensión de lectura | 70 min | 4 tasks, 36 items: a long text, short texts to match, sentences to put back, a gapped text |
| Comprensión auditiva | 40 min | 5 tasks, 30 items: conversations, an interview, speakers to match, a long talk |
| Expresión e interacción escritas | 80 min | A formal or informal letter or e-mail written from notes on an audio (150-180 words), then an opinion article on a graph or data, or a blog article or review (150-180 words) |
| Expresión e interacción orales | 20 min + 20 min prep | Evaluate proposals to solve a problem, describe a situation from a photo, comment on survey data |
How it is marked
The four papers form two groups: reading with writing, and listening with speaking. Each paper is worth 25 points. You need at least 30 of 50 in each group and 60 of 100 overall. A writing task with fewer than 100 words scores zero, so count your words.
Fees and dates
In 2026 the B2 costs €204 in Spain; each country sets its own fee (for example €235 in Germany, 685 zł in Poland, CHF 358 in Switzerland). The B2 runs in several sessions a year; in 2026 they were in May, October and November, with registration closing about six to seven weeks before each one. That makes March-April and September the months to book, and the weeks just before a deadline the busiest for preparation.
The words that decide the grade
The reading and listening papers reward a broad B2 vocabulary on public topics: work, education, health, housing and cities, science, the environment, politics, the economy, culture and the media. The productive papers reward something narrower and more learnable:
- Connectors and discourse markers: en primer lugar, sin embargo, no obstante, por lo tanto, a pesar de que, en definitiva. The rubric's "coherencia" band depends on them.
- Phrases for each task: opening and closing a formal letter, stating the purpose, complaining politely, recommending; evaluating proposals (me parece acertado que, lo más conveniente sería); speculating from a photo (puede que, estará + gerundio, da la impresión de que).
- Data language for the graph task: las tres cuartas partes, la inmensa mayoría, se observa un aumento de, el 77 % prefiere.
- Collocations and word families: tomar una decisión, desempeñar un papel; emplear, empleo, desempleo, empleador.
- The subjunctive by function: opinion in the negative, doubt, wish, purpose, concession.
A realistic plan
Twelve weeks is a comfortable runway if you are solidly B1. A good split: the first eight weeks on vocabulary and phrases, 15 to 20 minutes a day with spaced repetition; weekly timed practice with the official model exams; the last two weeks on full papers and the phrases for the speaking tasks.
Our Spanish DELE B2 Exam Kit covers the B2 vocabulary by DELE topic, the writing and speaking phrases for each task, connectors, collocations and grammar in context, with audio in natural-sounding text-to-speech voices and a plan that ends before your exam date. See which Spanish level you need if the certificate is for nationality rather than university.
Words on Repeat is not affiliated with the Instituto Cervantes.