SIELE stands for the Servicio Internacional de Evaluación de la Lengua Española (International Evaluation Service of the Spanish Language) that assesses and certifies the Spanish language competency. Managed electronically, SIELE is a prestigious and internationally-recognized certification service that enables you to substantiate your communication skills in Spanish.
SIELE is promoted by the Instituto Cervantes, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), the Universidad de Salamanca and the Universidad de Buenos Aires, in collaboration with more than 75 institutions in more than 20 countries. UNAM-Canadá is one of two accredited institutions in Canada to issue this certification.
The certification entails four tests on different language competences:
- Reading comprehension (RC)
- Listening comprehension (LC)
- Written expression and interaction (WEI)
- Oral expression and interaction (OEI)
The candidate has the option to be evaluated on all four competencies (SIELE GLOBAL) or on only specific Spanish language skills and can choose from 5 possible combinations: RC + LC, RC + WEI, LC + OEI, OEI or WEI+OEI.
The registration is done electronically and by an appointment system on https://siele.org website and the exam is done in person at UNAM-Canadá or online on the scheduled date. Compared to other traditional certification systems, the main advantage of this model is that the exam is not pass or fail. Rather, the system informs the candidate of his or her level on a scale A1-C1 (0-250 points on each test). The candidate can download their certificate or report depending on the exam modality from “My page” in a maximum period of 3 weeks following the exam. The results are valid for five years.
Once you select your date and location for the exam, you will have FREE access to the Prepare SIELE online course corresponding to the modality you choose. There are 6 online courses designed for the preparation of the 6 SIELE exam modalities and 4 online courses for each of the 4 tests, according to the linguistic competencies evaluated.
SIELE enables your institution to internationally certify the Spanish language proficiency level of teachers, professors, and instructors wishing to teach Spanish. Your institution can also certify any staff working in international collaboration programs that require a certain level of Spanish language proficiency. SIELE certifies the required level for graduate and postgraduate degrees, thus expanding professional opportunities. This improves the university's brand by strengthening the employability of its students.
- Offers an assessment that enables registration and admission to international programs taught in Spanish-speaking countries;
- Accredits an access level to graduate and postgraduate programs in non-Spanish speaking countries;
- Identifies the level of Spanish proficiency (A1, A2, B1, B2 y C1) via a single exam;
- Certifies the required level for graduate and postgraduate degrees, thus expanding professional opportunities.