With more than 400 million native speakers, Spanish is one
of the most popular international languages other than English and Mandarin.
Besides, more than 60 million of people use Spanish as their second language.
The facts above make Spanish as the most interesting language to learn in the
world now.
To measure someone’s proficiency in using Spanish, there is
no doubt that standardized tests is needed as the strongly considered evidence
about how good someone’s Spanish skills are. In this case, we may relate the
test as the one similar to TOEFL or IELTS that are given to test someone’s
proficiency in English. The result of the test will be an official certificate
stating that the one joined the test has reached certain level in Spanish. Below
are two of some Spanish standardized tests or certification to take and get
considered certification in Spanish.
- DELE (Los Diplomas de Espanol como Lengua Extranjera)
DELE - Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language- is a
certification granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Spain. The
institution that conducts the tests or examinations for the certification is Instituto Cervantes while the
preparation, correction and the whole evaluation are handled by the University
of Salamanca. The tests are divided into some different levels:
Diploma de Espanol A1 is for very basic range of
common and simple expressions in Spanish.
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Diploma de Espanol A2 is for basic range of
common and simple expressions in Spanish.
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Diploma de Espanol B1 is for sufficient
linguistic ability in understanding common and simple expressions.
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Diploma de Espanol B2 is for validating
linguistic ability in understanding and responding common expressions in daily
situations.
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Diploma de Espanol C1 is for the fluency and
ease of language structure usages.
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Diploma de Espanol C2 is for advanced use of the
language including specified cultural embedded within it.
- CELU (Certificado de Espanol: Lengua y Uso)
The Certification of Use of Language in Spanish or CELU is a
standardized certification designed for Spanish non-native speakers who need
the certification of Spanish to be used in some Spanish spoken countries. Most
applicants join the certification for either studying or working and this one
is considered as supported or required document. The test of CELU is valid in
Argentina, Brazil and China.
The applicants who can join the certification are the ones
who are non-native speakers of Spanish and are 16 years old or more. There are
two levels can be tested by joining the certification: Intermediate and
Advanced. The tests are conducted twice a year on June and November. The
application usually opens for applicants three months before the test.
There are two different sections of the test given to the
applicants: written and oral test. For the written test, the applicants should
finish all the questions given related to reading, listening and writing skills
with 3 hours of time given. For oral test, the applicants have around 15 to 20
minutes to read short texts and discuss the texts in the end.
