CertAcles explained: Spain's university language certificate, the 50% in every skill, and what a B2 costs

There is no single CertAcles exam. Each accredited university language centre writes and runs its own, to a common model, and ACLES's accreditation committee checks that the centres keep to it. That is why dates, fees and even the pass mark can differ between, say, Valencia, Salamanca and Barcelona.

The model sets the floor every centre must meet: all four skills are tested (listening, reading, writing, speaking), with optional use-of-English tasks; the exam lasts between 70 and 250 minutes whatever the level; the speaking is an interview, with two examiners and recorded where possible; writing and speaking are marked by two examiners where possible; and published exam tasks are never used. A task may be reused after two years, but never a whole past paper.

A certificate is only issued if you reach the level. It states the language, the CEFR level, the exam date and, where the centre does so, the result per skill.

ACLES's model recommends that the overall result be at least 60%, with 50% as the minimum, and that the candidate reach at least 50% in each skill. It also says each university's own criteria are respected.

In practice the centres we read use the 50% line. ACLES's centralised candidate guide weights the four skills 25% each and says the level is reached with 50% overall, and that the sections are not averaged unless you have 50% in each skill. The UPV page says the same: 50% overall, and 50% in each of the four skills. Its FAQ asks whether you can pass by making up for one skill with another, and answers: no.

Our reading: with 25% weights and a 50% floor in every skill, the overall 50% is reached automatically by anyone who clears all four floors. So the real rule is simply half marks in each of the four skills, and one weak skill fails the certificate however good the others are. That is the opposite of exams that average, such as the Michigan ECPE.

In the centralised guide, writing is marked by two examiners and averaged; if they disagree, a third marker is used and the two closest marks are averaged.

ACLES's centralised guide covers A2 to C1. Its approximate total times: A2 90–130 minutes, B1 155–200, B2 155–200, C1 195–250. Speaking is done in pairs, with a monologue and an interaction; at B1 it takes 15–20 minutes.

ACLES's table of recognised certificates adds a rule for multi-level exams: the level recognised is the lowest level reached in any skill.

Individual centres offer fewer levels per sitting. UPV's November 2026 sitting is B2 and C1 in English only.

UPV runs CertAcles in May and November, open to its own community and to the public, from age 16, and you do not need to have taken one of its courses.

Fees since May 2026: B2 €88 for UPV members and €113 for the public; C1 €94 and €120. No refund once registration closes, except for documented medical or serious causes on the exam day, and even then not the admin costs.

November 2026: B2 speaking 16–20 November and the written papers on Saturday 21 November; C1 speaking 23–27 November and the written papers on Saturday 28 November. Registration closed on 26 October (B2) and 1 November (C1). Speaking is on a different day from the written papers, and the exact slot is emailed to you.

ACLES's centralised guide says results are published online within one month of the exam, and that reviews and appeals follow each university's own rules.

Neither ACLES's model nor UPV's page states an expiry date. The certificate carries the exam date, and each university, employer or public body decides how recent it must be. Check the call you are applying to.

Other ways to prove English at a Spanish university include Cambridge English, Linguaskill, Aptis and Trinity ISE; which ones count is set by each university.