ALL THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT THE SIELE EXAM
FAQs
SIELE is the International Spanish Language Evaluation Service that certifies the degree of proficiency in Spanish through electronic means. It is aimed at students and professionals from all five continents.
It is a multilevel exam in which the tasks of each test have a different degree of difficulty, which allows the candidate to be placed in his or her level of competence, from level A1 to level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
The SIELE has an advantage over other exams and that is its adaptability, as it has several modalities that combine the different tests in different ways: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written expression and interaction, and oral expression and interaction.
In addition, this exam is pan-Hispanic, incorporating the different linguistic variables of Spanish.
SIELE is an internationally recognised examination and has been created by the Instituto Cervantes, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the University of Salamanca and the University of Buenos Aires, which guarantees standards of quality and good practice in the preparation of the tests, and the use of different linguistic varieties of the Hispanic world.
Both the exam and the rest of the procedures are carried out entirely by computer. You can take this exam:
- At a centre authorised by SIELE, such as Hablamos. In this option, the candidate must go in person to the centre where he/she has made the reservation to complete the exam there.
- In remote, where the candidate takes the exam on their own computer and in the place of their choice, always supervised in real time to ensure the correct completion of the test.
The SIELE does not have any exam dates. Each examination centre publishes its own dates, so the candidate can choose where and when to take the exam.
You can take either a single multi-level test (SIELE GLOBAL) or five separate test modes based on a combination of different tests.
SIELE Global
The only multi-level exam that allows you to obtain the SIELE certificate, a document that includes the score obtained in each of the four tests and their equivalence with the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), as well as an overall score from 0 to 1000, which is the result of the sum of the score of each of the four tests.
Stand-alone modalities
These are five further examination modes based on a combination of the different tests.
Any of these five stand-alone modalities allows you to obtain an internationally recognised SIELE Report and the scores obtained are related to the CEFR levels.
It includes a score from 0 to 500 for S1, S2 and S3 with a total of two tests, and from 0 to 250 for S4 with one test, related to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Each exam modality has a different price.
Registration is done electronically through the following steps:
- Go to https://siele.org/reservas
- Select the place and type of exam you are interested in.
- Select the city and date you are interested in.
- Select the centre with the date and time you are most interested in. You can take the exam with Hablamos by clicking on the following link: https://siele.org/web/guest/encuentre-su-centro?friendlyURL=escuela-hablamos
- Register (if you are not already a user).
- Pay the amount of the exam you have chosen. The application uses PayPal, but if you don’t want to pay online, go to Hablamos where you can pay directly with us.
- Come to our Hablamos school 15 minutes before your exam time with an official identity document and your login details as a user of siele.org (email and password).
- It is promoted by the Instituto Cervantes, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the University of Salamanca and the University of Buenos Aires, which guarantees standards of quality and good practice in the preparation of the tests, and the use of different linguistic varieties of the Hispanic world. The validity of these SIELE certificates is 5 years.
- With SIELE, candidates project their profile internationally and strengthen it with a view to admission to training programmes at universities and selection processes in companies.
- It is agile and fast. The results are received within a maximum of three weeks and the candidate can print their certificate or report from the computer application.
- Adaptable. Different examination modalities are available to meet the different needs that users and institutions or companies may have.
- Flexible. The exam takes place at the SIELE test centre of your choice and on the day you choose. Educational institutions can create unified systems for training actions regardless of the country of residence of the students and/or professionals.
- Homogeneous. It is pan-Hispanic and incorporates different linguistic variants of Spanish.
Do you want to prepare for the exam with us? Find out about our special courses!
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COMPARATIVE TABLE BETWEEN THE SIELE AND THE DELE EXAMS
| DELE | SIELE | |
| Description | Diploma of proficiency in Spanish at a level of CEFR (A1-C2) | Certificate of knowledge of Spanish on a scale of points with equivalences to levels A1-C1 of the CEFR |
| Ownership | Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. The Instituto Cervantes has held the academic, economic and administrative direction since 2002 | Instituto Cervantes (IC), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Universidad de Salamanca (USAL), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) |
| Managed from | 1989 | 2016 |
| Origin | Spain | Spain, Mexico and Argentina |
| Validity | Indefinite | Five years |
| International recognition | International recognition in regulated education systems (e.g. Brazil, France and Italy), institutions, companies, universities, etc. In Spain: Spanish nationality, MIR, FIR, etc. |
International recognition in the higher education and university system, institutions, companies, etc. In Spain: MIR, FIR, etc. |
| Head of administrative and commercial management | Cervantes Institute | Successful technology and marketing company: Telefónica Educación Digital |
| Addressees | ELE and L2, schoolchildren, young people and adults | ELE, L2 and L1, young learners and adults |
| Form of administration | In examination centres, on paper, by means of international face-to-face examinations | In examination centres, on computer, and through a system of appointments that the centre itself announces throughout the year in a public and open calendar. Remote: the candidate takes the test on his or her computer at home and the test centre monitors the test in real time online. |
| Network of examination centres | More than 1,000 test centres worldwide | More than 1,600 test centres around the world |
| Integration of the varieties of Spanish | Yes, especially from B1 onwards | Yes, especially from B1 onwards |
| Examination tests | – Reading comprehension (CL) – Listening comprehension (CA) – Written expression and interaction (EIE) – Oral Expression and Interaction (EIO) In C1 and C2 the tests are integrated skills tests. |
– Reading comprehension (CL) – Listening comprehension (CA) – Written expression and interaction (EIE) – Oral Expression and Interaction (EIO) |
| No. of exams and levels | Six exams for adult audiences: A1 – C2 Two school exams: A1 – A2/B1 |
SIELE GLOBAL, an exam for adult audiences which integrates tasks from A1 to C1. And five independent modalities: S1: RC+LC; S2: RC+WEI; S3: LC+SEI; S4: SEI, y S5: WEI+SEI |
| Information on the outcome | Pass or fail on the candidate’s mastery of the level for which he/she is taking the examination | Spanish language proficiency score in each skill expressed on 250-point scales with equivalence to the levels of the CEFR. Total score out of 1000 |
| Type of certificate issued | Electronic certification of qualifications with official validity Official diploma for successful candidates | Certificate (SIELE GLOBAL) or Report (S1, S2, S3, S4 y S5) with official validity and a verification code |
| Communication of results | Maximum three months | Maximum three weeks |
| Compliance with international certification standards |  |
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| Página web | https://examenes.cervantes.es/es/dele/que-es | https://siele.org/ |
If you would like us to advice you regarding which exam is best for you, contact us at examenes@escuela-hablamos.com
