DELE B2 · STRATEGY
Exam Strategy
Strategic advice to tackle the DELE B2 exam and optimize your performance in each section.
Reading comprehension
Time: 70 minutes
- Read all the questions first to know what information to look for in the text.
- Underline keywords and connectors that indicate cause, contrast, or conclusion.
- Manage time: allocate roughly 17 minutes per task and reserve time to review.
- Quickly discard clearly incorrect options and confirm the answer with the cited fragment.
Listening comprehension
Time: 40 minutes
- Listen the first time without taking notes to grasp the global idea and the speaker's tone.
- Take notes of names, dates, and signal words (e.g., 'sin embargo', 'por lo tanto').
- Verify your answers before moving on to the next piece.
- In true/false questions, look for explicit confirmation in the audio and don't assume inferences outside the text.
Written expression and interaction
Time: 80 minutes
- Plan both texts before writing: outline the structure and main ideas in 5-7 minutes.
- Use appropriate connectors (sin embargo, por consiguiente, en definitiva) to demonstrate lexical range and cohesion.
- Control the length: the short text should not exceed 120 words and the essay around 250-300.
- Review spelling and agreement errors at the end, focusing on the most frequent verb tenses in B2 (e.g., subjunctive).
Oral expression and interaction
Time: ~35 minutes
- Practice responses of 30-45 seconds for each question, maintaining fluency and avoiding long pauses.
- Use filler formulas (e.g., 'en mi opinión', 'según mi experiencia') to gain time and organize ideas.
- Actively listen to the examiner and rephrase their questions to confirm understanding before answering.
- Control your pronunciation and intonation, focusing on the clarity of final sounds and avoiding excessive reductions.