The Official A1 Exam
What the certificate is and who runs it
The qualification this course targets is the Certificat de nivell inicial de català (A1), aligned with the CEFR. Where you sit it depends on where you live:
In Catalonia
• The CPNL (Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística) runs free Inicial (A1) courses for adults that lead to the certificate, all over Catalonia.
• University language services certify A1 through common interuniversity exams coordinated by CIFALC — open to the public, not only students.
→ Course & certificate routes, official portal: llengua.gencat.cat/en/serveis/aprendre_catala/a-catalunya
→ How the certificate levels work (A1 → C2): intercat.cat/en/certificates
Outside the Catalan-speaking area
The Institut Ramon Llull (IRL) runs the official exams abroad (150+ host sites, typically each May; registration opens in late winter). Be aware: the IRL ladder starts at Bàsic (A2) — there is no separate IRL A1 paper. So if you live abroad, this course is either (a) your preparation for an A1 sitting at a university CIFALC centre, or (b) the first, solid half of the road to the IRL A2 Bàsic, whose format the mock exam below mirrors at A1 difficulty.
→ What the IRL exams are: llull.cat/english/aprendre_catala/certificats_intro.cfm
→ How registration works: llull.cat/english/aprendre_catala/certificats_inscripcio.cfm
The four papers
A1/A2-level Catalan certificates test four skills. Weighting varies slightly by convener, but the shape is stable:
| Paper | What happens | Typical length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Comprensió oral (listening) | Short dialogues/announcements, played twice; tick true/false or multiple choice | ~15–20 min |
| 2. Comprensió lectora (reading) | Notices, short e-mails, simple texts; matching and multiple choice | ~30 min |
| 3. Expressió escrita (writing) | Fill in a form with personal data + write a short text (note/postcard, ±40 words) | ~30 min |
| 4. Expressió oral (speaking) | Personal questions (name, origin, family, routine, likes) + a simple role-play | ~10 min |
What examiners reward at A1 — and the classic English-speaker traps
Reward: communication over perfection. Full short sentences (Em dic… / Soc de… / M'agrada…); correct ser/tenir; numbers and times said confidently; the vaig + infinitive past; asking for repetition in Catalan rather than freezing (Pots repetir, si us plau? earns goodwill — silence doesn't).
Traps: ① *Tinc trenta — age needs anys: Tinc trenta anys. ② *Soc un professor — no article with jobs: Soc professor. ③ agreement — *M'agraden el cafè (singular → agrada). ④ pronouncing every letter — final infinitive -r and final -t after n/l are silent. ⑤ answering Com estàs? with *Soc bé — it's Estic bé / Molt bé. ⑥ forgetting possessive articles — la meva germana, never *meva germana.