CELGA 4 (Galician C1) exam-day guide
CELGA 4 (Galician C1) · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Official photo ID
Bring the same identity document you used at registration (DNI, passport, or residence card). The name must match your registration exactly. If you registered with a document you no longer hold, confirm with the provider which alternative ID they accept before exam day.
Exam appointment confirmation
Print or save to your phone the email or receipt confirming your session, time, and venue. Some centres ask to see it at reception; confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is required.
Venue location and access plan
Check the exact building, room, and entrance in advance. CELGA sessions are often held in secondary schools or official language centres, and entrances may differ from the main door. Plan to arrive with margin for security checks and finding the room.
Travel and timing buffer
Aim to be at the venue well before the stated start time; arriving late can mean being refused entry once the listening test has begun. Confirm with the provider the exact cut-off for admission.
Black or blue pens (two or more)
Written answers are normally completed in ink. Bring spare pens and a pencil plus eraser in case the centre uses machine-readable answer sheets. Confirm with the provider which writing instruments are permitted.
Wristwatch (non-smart)
Rooms may not have a visible clock, and phones must usually be switched off and stored. A simple analogue watch helps you pace the reading and writing sections. Smart watches are almost always prohibited.
Clear water bottle
A small transparent bottle with the label removed is usually accepted. Confirm with the provider whether drinks are allowed at the desk in your centre.
No notes or study materials at the desk
Leave dictionaries, vocabulary lists, and phone apps behind. CELGA is designed to test unaided performance, and materials found at the desk can lead to invalidation. Use the final days for review, not for last-minute cramming in the room.
Phone switched off and stored
Switch off (not silent) and place your phone in your bag or in the designated area as instructed. A phone sounding during the test can be treated as misconduct.
Medical or access needs already arranged
If you need extra time, a separate room, or other adjustments, these must normally be requested in advance with supporting documentation. Confirm with the provider that your arrangement is confirmed for this session.
Rest, food, and hydration plan
The full CELGA 4 battery (comprehension, production, and interaction components) can run for several hours. Eat a proper meal beforehand and know whether there will be a break; confirm with the provider the expected total duration and break policy.
Backup plan for transport disruption
Identify a second route to the venue and a contact number for the centre. If a strike or weather event threatens your arrival, contact the provider as early as possible to ask about rescheduling; do not assume a later session will be offered.
Plan the day
Do a timed full mock under exam conditions, ideally at the same time of day as your session, to calibrate pacing. Review your error patterns rather than new material: agreement and gender, verb tenses in narrative writing, discourse connectors, and the register expected in formal letters or emails. Re-read the task instructions for each paper so that on the day you recognise the format instantly. Prepare your documents and bag, and confirm the venue and start time.
Light review only: skim your own notes on recurring mistakes, the structure of a formal letter, and a handful of linking expressions. Prepare clothes, ID, pens, watch, water, and travel plan. Avoid intensive study late at night. Sleep at your normal time; fatigue costs more marks in the listening and reading papers than one extra hour of revision gains.
Eat a proper breakfast and arrive at the venue with generous margin. Switch off your phone before entering the room and follow the invigilator's instructions on where to leave belongings. In the minutes before the start, read the instructions on the cover of each paper carefully, note the mark allocation and suggested timing, and decide the order in which you will tackle tasks if the paper allows choice.
Read the questions before each recording starts and underline key words. Answer as you listen; do not wait for the end. If you miss an item, mark your best guess and move on immediately so you do not lose the next answer. Transfer answers to the answer sheet exactly as instructed and check spelling and accents at the end if time allows.
Skim the whole text once for gist, then read the questions and locate the relevant paragraphs. Allocate time per text and stick to it; do not let one difficult item consume the section. For matching and gap-fill tasks, check that the completed sentence is grammatically coherent, not just plausible in meaning.
Read every task and note the required text type, audience, register, and word count. Spend a few minutes planning before writing. Reserve the final minutes for checking agreement, verb forms, accents, punctuation, and whether you actually addressed every point in the prompt. A well-organised, accurate text scores better than a longer, error-strewn one.
Greet the examiner and interlocutor politely in Galician. Listen to the full question before answering, and use the preparation time if one is given. If you do not understand, ask for clarification in Galician rather than switching to Spanish or English. Keep talking: fluency and communicative strategies are assessed, and silence costs marks. Self-correct calmly and finish your turn.
Note down what felt difficult while it is fresh, for future study or a retake decision. Keep your appointment confirmation and any receipts. Results and certificate procedures are set by the organising institution, so confirm with the provider the publication date and how to request a review or duplicate certificate if needed.
Rules to check
Bring the identity document used at registration and present it when requested. The name on the document must match your registration; if it does not, you may be refused entry. Confirm with the provider how to correct a name discrepancy before the session.
Arrive before the stated start time. Admission after the listening component has begun is normally refused, and no extra time is granted for lateness. Confirm with the provider the exact admission cut-off for your centre.
Switch off mobile phones, smart watches, and any other electronic devices and store them as instructed. Using or even holding such a device during the test is typically treated as misconduct and can lead to invalidation of your paper.
Do not bring dictionaries, grammar references, notes, or pre-prepared written material into the test room. CELGA assesses unaided performance; any such material found at the desk may invalidate your result.
Follow the invigilator's instructions at all times and do not communicate with other candidates once the test has started. Looking at another candidate's paper or allowing yours to be seen can be treated as cheating.
Ask the invigilator for permission before leaving the room. Toilet breaks are usually permitted but are not compensated with extra time, and movement during the listening paper may be restricted. Confirm with the provider the break policy for your session.
Write your answers in the format and place indicated, using the permitted writing instruments. Answers written outside the designated spaces or in an unapproved format may not be marked.
Results, pass marks, and certificate issuance are determined by the organising institution and the applicable official regulations. Do not rely on second-hand information about scoring; confirm with the provider the marking scheme, publication dates, and the procedure for requesting a review.