Quick Answer
The four exams differ on five dimensions: CEFR level (A2 for CIPLE and DELE, B1 for CELI 2, B2 for DELF), language variant, scoring rule, the civic test that sits beside them on the nationality route, and retake rules. DELF B2 has the highest level and a 5/25 floor per skill; CELI 2 needs 72/120 written plus 22/40 oral and keeps a passed part for a year; CIPLE A2 is one 55% weighted total (45/30/25); DELE A2 needs 30/50 in each of two groups. Which is hardest for you depends on your language background.
"Which exam is hardest?" is the wrong question — but it's understandable why people ask it.
The better question is: which exam is hardest for you, given your language background, your weaknesses, and how much time you have?
First, a side-by-side view of how the exams are built. Then, the analysis that actually matters: which exam is hardest given your specific starting point.
Note: Germany uses a different certificate system — typically B1 German via DTZ (integration course), Goethe B1, or telc Deutsch B1 — so it sits beside this CIPLE / DELE / DELF / CELI comparison, not inside it. See which certificate fits German citizenship and how to pass DTZ B1.
How the Four Exams Differ
Side by side on the dimensions that decide your preparation:
| Dimension | CIPLE A2 (Portugal) | DELE A2 (Spain) | DELF B2 (France) | CELI 2 (Italy) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEFR level | A2 | A2 | B2 | B1 |
| Variant | European Portuguese (PT-PT) | Spanish (Instituto Cervantes; accents vary) | French (DELF tout public) | Italian — CELI 2 or CELI 2 i (immigrant version) |
| Scoring | Suficiente from 55% weighted (45/30/25); no published per-component minimum | Apto: 30/50 in Grupo 1 (Reading + Writing) and 30/50 in Grupo 2 (Listening + Speaking) | 50/100 with at least 5/25 per skill | 72/120 written + 22/40 oral |
| Civic test on the route | 2026 law adds a separate knowledge requirement | CCSE | Examen civique (40 questions, 32 to pass) | None for the language step |
| Retake / carry-over | None — resit the whole exam | None — resit the whole exam | None — resit the whole exam | A passed part (written or oral) is kept for 1 year; the resit costs 70% of the fee |
The headline: DELF B2 has the highest level (B2 since January 2026) and the only per-skill eliminatory floor — below 5/25 in any skill fails the exam. CELI 2 is one level lower (B1) but has two separate minimums. CIPLE A2 and DELE A2 share the A2 level and differ in how much one weak skill can be offset.
But the same structure feels very different depending on the language you already speak. Keep reading.
DELF B2 — Highest Level, Per-Skill Floor
The level problem
B2 is upper-intermediate French. Since January 2026, this is the minimum for French citizenship — raised from B1. The jump from B1 to B2 is not incremental. It requires:
- Active vocabulary of 3,000+ words including abstract and formal vocabulary
- Ability to write structured argumentative essays (~250 words) with thesis, arguments, counter-argument, and conclusion
- Ability to present and defend a position in a 20-minute speaking test (after 30 minutes of preparation)
- Reading comprehension of complex texts including implied meaning
Pass difficulty: steep B2 bar.
The note éliminatoire
DELF B2 eliminates candidates who score below 5/25 (20%) in any single section — regardless of their overall total.
A candidate can score 62/100 overall and still fail because one section was below 5/25. This is the most punishing single rule across all four exams.
A common risk: Speaking, especially the discussion where the examiner challenges your position. Candidates who manage the monologue but freeze under questioning risk dropping below 5/25 in Speaking.
The examen civique complication
DELF B2 alone is not sufficient for French naturalisation since January 2026. You also need a passed examen civique — a separate 40-question civic test (32 correct to pass) on Republic values, institutions, rights, history, and society.
Effective French citizenship difficulty = DELF B2 + examen civique. Suggested plan: allow a few weeks of civic-syllabus drill on top of months of B2 language prep — similar to how CCSE stacks on DELE A2 for Spain. Side-by-side guide →
Who finds DELF B2 easiest (relatively)
Candidates who already have strong formal French from education or professional use. If you studied in a French university, worked in a French professional environment, or have been consuming French media (not just conversational French) for years, a suggested plan is 8–12 focused weeks to B2.
CELI 2 — B1 With Two Separate Minimums
The level problem
CELI 2 is B1 — intermediate Italian. Italy is the only country among the four that requires B1 for citizenship. Portugal and Spain require A2; France requires B2 since January 2026. CELI 2 sits one full CEFR level above CIPLE and DELE.
B1 requires:
- Vocabulary of approximately 2,500 words
- Ability to understand newspaper articles and formal letters
- Writing formal texts (letters, opinion pieces) with correct register
- Sustained conversation on familiar social topics
Pass difficulty: moderate B1 bar. One CEFR level above CIPLE and DELE, one below DELF B2.
The 72/120 + 22/40 rule
CELI 2 requires at least 72/120 on the written part (Reading, Writing, Listening) and 22/40 on the oral part. Inside the written part there are no individual skill minimums, so strong reading can compensate for weaker listening — but Speaking has its own minimum.
The carry-over advantage
Where CELI 2 becomes more manageable is the carry-over policy: if you pass the written or the oral part but fail the other, the passed part is kept for one year. You only retake the part you failed.
For candidates who are stronger on paper than in Speaking (a common profile), this means you can effectively split the exam across two sittings — pass the written part first, then focus entirely on Speaking for the retake.
Who finds CELI 2 easiest (relatively)
Candidates who already speak Spanish or Portuguese — Italian shares significant vocabulary and grammar with both. Starting from a Romance language base, a suggested plan is 3–4 months of focused study to B1 rather than 6+ months from zero.
CIPLE A2 — The Weighting Trap
Why it catches fluent speakers
CIPLE A2 is an A2 exam — elementary Portuguese. The 55% pass mark looks low, so many candidates expect it to be easy. For many, it isn't.
The reason: everything rides on one weighted total.
You need a 55% weighted total: Reading+Writing 45%, Listening 30%, Speaking 25%. There is no published per-section floor, but 30% in Reading+Writing with 70% elsewhere gives only 52% — a fail.
Why this trap catches people: the Listening section uses European Portuguese audio at natural speed, and each text is played twice. Candidates who speak Brazilian Portuguese often find the accent, rhythm and vowel reduction of European Portuguese harder than expected.
The breakdown
| Section | Weight | Official minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Reading & Writing | 45% | None published |
| Listening | 30% | None published |
| Speaking | 25% | None published |
Listening carries 30% of the total. There is no separate floor, but a weak Listening score pulls the weighted total down fast.
What this means in practice
Example: 70% in Reading+Writing, 35% in Listening and 60% in Speaking gives 31.5 + 10.5 + 15 = 57% — a narrow pass. Drop Listening to 25% and the total is 54% — a fail.
CAPLE does not publish section-level failure statistics; the example only shows how the weighting works.
Who finds CIPLE easiest (relatively)
Candidates who already have exposure to European Portuguese — whether from living in Portugal, consuming Portuguese media, or studying European Portuguese specifically. The accent gap is the main obstacle. Suggested plan: 6–8 weeks of daily European Portuguese listening practice.
DELE A2 — Two Groups, Each Must Pass
How the Grupo rule works
DELE A2 groups skills into two pairs: Reading + Writing and Listening + Speaking. You need 30/50 in each pair, out of 100.
This means:
- A strong Writing score can compensate for a weaker Reading score
- A strong Listening score can compensate for a weaker Speaking score
- You only fail if an entire pair falls below 30/50
That is more forgiving than DELF (a floor in every skill) or CELI 2 (a separate 22/40 oral minimum), but stricter than CIPLE, where one weighted total lets any skill offset another.
How it compares
Compensation works inside each Grupo only: a strong Reading score cannot rescue a weak Listening + Speaking group.
The CCSE complication
DELE A2 alone is not sufficient for Spanish citizenship. You also need to pass the CCSE (Conocimientos Constitucionales y Socioculturales de España) — a separate civic knowledge exam covering Spanish history, constitution, and society.
CCSE adds approximately 6–8 weeks of additional preparation. Some candidates find CCSE harder than DELE A2 because it tests specific factual knowledge in Spanish that isn't part of normal language learning.
Effective Spanish citizenship exam difficulty = DELE A2 + CCSE, which makes the total process more demanding than it appears from the language exam alone.
Who finds DELE A2 hardest (relatively)
Candidates whose Spanish is conversational but whose formal written Spanish is weak. Writing is a common weak point in DELE A2 for these candidates.
The Language Difficulty Factor: Which Language Is Easiest to Learn?
The ranking above focuses on exam structure. But if you're choosing between citizenship options, the language itself matters enormously.
Illustrative study ranges for English speakers (not official figures — they vary widely with background, intensity and teaching):
| Language | Difficulty for English speakers | Illustrative hours to A2 | Illustrative hours to B1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish | Easier | 150–200 hrs | 300–400 hrs |
| Italian | Easier | 150–200 hrs | 300–400 hrs |
| Portuguese (EU) | Medium | 200–250 hrs | 400–500 hrs |
| French | Medium | 200–250 hrs | 400–500 hrs |
Spanish and Italian are generally considered easier for English speakers due to more consistent phonetics and closer vocabulary overlap. However, CELI 2 requiring B1 (not A2) largely erases Italian's language-ease advantage.
Practical implication: If you're starting from zero and have equal citizenship eligibility across countries, Spanish to DELE A2 is probably the fastest path to a certificate. But this analysis only applies if you genuinely have a choice.
Which Exam Is Hardest For You: A Decision Matrix
| Your situation | Likely hardest exam | Likely easiest exam |
|---|---|---|
| Native/fluent Spanish speaker | DELF B2 | DELE A2 |
| Native/fluent Portuguese (Brazilian) | CIPLE A2 (listening trap) | DELE A2 |
| Strong formal French, weak speaking | DELF B2 Speaking | CIPLE A2 |
| Starting from zero, 6 months available | DELF B2 | DELE A2 |
| Starting from zero, 3 months available | CELI 2, DELF B2 | DELE A2, CIPLE A2 |
| Weak listening across all languages | CIPLE A2, DELF B2 | CELI 2 (listening offsets inside the written part) |
| Strong reading/writing, weak speaking | DELF B2 | CELI 2 (carry-over) |
Difficulty Assessment Checklist
Official Source
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I choose which exam to take? Only if you have citizenship eligibility in multiple countries. Your target country determines which language proofs it accepts. If you're eligible for both Portuguese and Italian citizenship, you can choose between CIPLE A2 and CELI 2 B1.
Is DELF A2 still relevant? DELF A2 is required for the French multi-year residence permit. It is no longer sufficient for citizenship (which requires B2 since January 2026) or the 10-year residency card (which requires B1).
I speak Spanish natively — is DELE A2 easy? Not necessarily. Native speakers of Spanish often score well overall but underperform in formal written tasks. The DELE A2 Writing section tests formal register and task completion, which native speakers don't automatically produce correctly in an exam context.
Is there an exam that's genuinely easy? DELE A2 and CIPLE A2 share the lowest CEFR level of the four. For a confident Spanish speaker with 6–8 weeks of exam-specific preparation, it is achievable. "Easy" in absolute terms doesn't exist — every exam requires preparation.
What if I fail the hardest exam and don't have another citizenship option? Retake it. DELF B2 retakes still demand B2-level repair; CELI 2 retakes are easier when you carry a passed part to the next session. Failing once is part of the process for many candidates.
Prepare for Any of the Four Exams
Prep2go covers CIPLE A2, DELE A2, DELF B2, and CELI 2 B1 — exam-format exercises and readiness by section, with a study plan tied to your exam date.
CIPLE A2 → | DELE A2 → | DELF B2 → | CELI 2 →
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More DELF Preparation Resources
- Complete DELF A2 exam structure: sections, scoring, note éliminatoire rule, and passing tips
- DELF B2 Anki deck (2,000+ words, clear audio, sample cards)
- DELF A2 printable flashcards (1,000 cards, PDF + QR audio)
- Prep2Go iPhone app — DELF vocabulary flashcards on your phone, no Anki setup
- DELF A2 mock tests, speaking practice, and study plan
Last updated: September 2026.