The DELE C1 reading paper (Prueba 1, “Comprensión de lectura y uso de la lengua”) has 5 tasks and 40 questions, and lasts 90 minutes. The texts are long, so timing is everything: about 16 minutes per task at most, finish in 80 minutes and use the remaining 10 to read the listening questions, which are in the same booklet and start straight afterwards.

In this guide I walk you through the five tasks one by one: which texts come up, how to read each one and the usual traps in the answer options.

What does the DELE C1 reading paper look like?

  • Task 1: an administrative, legal, commercial or corporate text (contracts, rules, instructions, terms and conditions, reports) of 650 to 750 words, with 6 three-option questions.
  • Task 2: a press, literary or blog text of 550 to 650 words with 6 gaps. You have 7 fragments to place, so one is left over.
  • Task 3: an opinion piece, editorial, column or popular-science article of 550 to 650 words, with 6 three-option questions.
  • Task 4: six short texts (100-150 words each) on the same topic, such as book reviews, event programmes or conference summaries, and 8 statements that you match with the right text.
  • Task 5: an informative text (press, scientific or academic) of 375 to 425 words with 14 gaps and three options for each. It's grammar and vocabulary in context.

That's 40 questions in total. They're all worth the same and wrong answers don't lose points. The texts can come from different varieties of Spanish, not just Spain's.

How should I split the 90 minutes?

Reading and listening are in the same booklet and taken back to back, with no break: you'll be in the room for around 140 minutes before the pause ahead of the writing paper. Once 90 minutes have passed, the listening audio starts playing, wherever you are.

That's why I recommend doing the reading paper in 80 minutes and spending the remaining 10 reading and underlining the listening questions and options, especially those for its Tasks 1 and 3. That way, when the audio starts, all you have to do is listen.

To get there, give each task a maximum of 16 minutes. For Tasks 1 to 4, this is the split I suggest:

  • 4 minutes to read and underline the questions (or the fragments, or the statements).
  • 9 minutes to read the text and answer.
  • 3 minutes to check the ones you weren't sure about and copy your answers onto the sheet.

Task 5 is slightly different: 2 minutes to read the text, 11 for the gaps and 3 to check.

You can do the tasks in any order. If Task 2 is the one you find hardest (that's the most common case), leave it until last so it doesn't drain your motivation or eat your time early on. Just be very careful not to mix up tasks when you copy your answers onto the answer sheet, which is filled in with a pencil.

At first you'll go over time; that's normal. Speed comes from practising with practice exams and a timer.

Task 1: how do I read the legal or administrative text?

A contract, terms of use, a set of regulations or a report. It's usually divided into five or six paragraphs and the questions follow the order of the text: there's almost always one answer per paragraph.

My method:

  1. Read each question and underline its key words.
  2. Before moving on to the next question, read its three options and underline what makes them different. There are almost always two very similar ones and one that's more different.
  3. With everything underlined, go back to the first question and read the text until you find the answer.
  4. Read the second question and keep reading from where you stopped. And so on to the end.

The trap: the wrong options contain details that do appear in the text but don't answer the question, or they change one detail: a deadline, a condition, an exception. Pay close attention to expressions like “salvo” (except), “a excepción de” (with the exception of) or “siempre que” (provided that). And remember that the correct answer has to be backed up by something explicit in the text: the most logical answer isn't always the right one.

Task 2: how do I place the fragments?

A text with six gaps and seven fragments. The leftover one is often one of two very similar fragments: if two look very alike, be suspicious.

The link between a fragment and its gap isn't usually just about topic (“they're about the same thing”), but about grammar: pronouns, connectors, verb tenses, agreement.

My method:

  1. Read the seven fragments first and underline the clues: determiners and pronouns (este, aquel, ella, su, nuestro…), verb endings that give away the subject, connectors and discourse markers. Also notice whether the fragment starts with a capital letter or not, and whether it ends with a full stop or a comma.
  2. Write the main idea of each fragment and who the subject is in the margin.
  3. Go gap by gap, reading what comes before and what comes after. Sometimes the link is with what follows.
  4. Don't rule out a fragment just because you've already used it. If you're torn between two, write both letters for now.
  5. At the end, read the whole text with your fragments in place. That read confirms or undoes your choices. On the answer sheet, only one letter per gap.

For more on this, here's how to do the DELE fragments task.

Task 3: how do I spot the “almost right” option?

The format is like Task 1 (six questions in order, usually one per paragraph), but the text is an opinion piece. Irony, nuance, the author's intention and attitude all come into play, so you need to read more closely.

My method: the same as in Task 1. Read each question with its options and underline what makes them different; then read the text in order, answering as you find each answer. If in doubt, go back to the question: the question is what counts.

The most typical traps:

  • Overgeneralising. The text says “muchos jóvenes” (many young people) and the option says “todos los jóvenes” (all young people).
  • Reversing cause and effect. The text says A causes B and the option says B causes A. It's tricky because both ideas appear in the text.
  • Changing the author's attitude. The author criticises something and the option says they defend it, or that they're neutral. Read the verbs and evaluative adjectives carefully.
  • True, but not what the author says. In the DELE, what you know about the topic doesn't count: only what the text says does.

Wrong way: “This option sounds good, I'll go with it.”

Right way: “This option says the author criticises mass tourism. I look for the sentence: in the third paragraph it says ‘la masificación ha terminado por desfigurar el paisaje’ (overcrowding has ended up disfiguring the landscape). That's criticism. Option b says the author defends regulated tourism, but the text doesn't say that; option c says they're neutral, and they're not. I'll mark a.”

Task 4: how do I match the statements with the texts?

Six short texts on the same topic and eight statements. You decide which text each statement belongs to. Since there are more statements than texts, at least one text will match more than one statement.

It's the most manageable task if you approach it well, because the information is in the text: you just have to recognise it in other words.

My method:

  1. Read the eight statements and underline what makes each one different.
  2. Read the first text and sum it up in your own words in about four words. That mini summary forces you to understand, not just read.
  3. Compare your summary with what you underlined in the statements and assign the ones that fit.
  4. Repeat with each text and, at the end, check that no statement is left unassigned.

The paraphrase trap. The statement almost never uses the words in the text. For example, the text says “Desde pequeña, los libros fueron mi refugio en los momentos difíciles” (Ever since I was little, books were my refuge in hard times) and the statement says “Encontró en la literatura un consuelo en su infancia” (She found comfort in literature as a child). Books become literature, refuge becomes comfort, since I was little becomes as a child. And watch out: several texts may talk about something similar, but only one fits the exact nuance of the statement.

Task 5: how do I fill the 14 gaps?

This is where you show your grammar and vocabulary. In each gap, two of the three options can't go there, and grammar tells you why. It's not a “which sounds better” task, but a “which is correct and why” task.

My method: first read the whole text without looking at the options and write in each gap what you would put. Often it comes naturally, and it's when you see the options that the doubts start. Then go gap by gap and choose. At the end, reread the whole text; if something jars, work it out with grammar, not a hunch.

What to revise:

  • Indicative, subjunctive or conditional, and the different subjunctive tenses.
  • Future and conditional, simple and perfect.
  • Imperfect, preterite (indefinido) and present perfect.
  • Direct and indirect object pronouns.
  • Verbs with prepositions.
  • Verb periphrases and collocations: tomar una decisión, asumir un riesgo, cobrar relevancia, sentar las bases.
  • Near-synonyms, where what decides is the nuance or which other word they combine with.

An example. “La empresa ___ la decisión de cerrar la fábrica: a) hizo, b) tomó, c) dio” (The company ___ the decision to close the factory). In Spanish a decision is “taken”: the answer is b). The other two don't collocate with “decisión”.

For revision, you may find the most useful structures for the DELE C1 and C2 helpful.

Which mistakes should I avoid?

  • Reading whole texts before you know what you're being asked.
  • Choosing an option because it shares words with the text.
  • Going over 16 minutes on a task and starting the listening without having read its questions.
  • Mixing up tasks when copying answers onto the sheet if you do them in a different order.
  • Leaving questions blank: wrong answers don't lose points.

To build speed, this article may help: how to read faster and more effectively in the DELE. And read the Spanish press every day, even just one article: it gets you used to the register and vocabulary of these texts.

Frequently asked questions about the DELE C1 reading paper

How many points do I need to pass Prueba 1?

There's no minimum for reading on its own. Prueba 1 (25 points) forms Group 1 with the writing paper (25 points), and you need at least 30 out of 50 across the two. Within the group, one paper makes up for the other; the groups don't compensate for each other.

Can I write in the booklet?

Yes. Underline, cross out options and take notes. Only the answer sheet is marked.

Do wrong answers lose points?

No. A blank answer scores 0, just like a wrong one. If you're torn between two, pick one.

What if I run out of time on a task?

Before time is up, mark something for every question you have left. In Task 2, use the pronoun and connector clues to assign fragments by elimination.

Which task is the hardest?

Task 2 is usually the one people find hardest and most demotivating. That's why you can leave it until last, as long as you stick to its 16 minutes.

In short

  • 5 tasks, 40 questions, 90 minutes. Every question is worth the same and wrong answers don't lose points.
  • About 16 minutes per task: finish in 80 and use 10 to read the listening questions.
  • T1 and T3: questions with their options first, then the text in order, one answer per paragraph.
  • T2: fragments first, grammar clues and a final full read.
  • T4: a mini summary of each text; at least one text will match more than one statement.
  • T5: read without the options and justify each gap with grammar.
  • You can change the order of the tasks, but take care when copying answers onto the sheet.

If you want to prepare reading and the rest of the exam with a clear method, my DELE C1 course gives you strategies for each paper, commented examples, a community, a Q&A chat and group calls. Torn between B2 and C1? Take the level test first. And if you'd like free resources and reminders before each exam session, sign up for the newsletter.

¡A por el DELE! 🇪🇸