Spain Diplomatic Career 2026 English Test Calendar

Spain held the compulsory English written phase of its diplomatic-career second exercise on March 7, 2026. Mandatory English and French oral sessions ran from March 10 through April 29, with candidate appointments published week by week.

English and French were both required. Candidates wrote a summary and related essay in each language, then read their work aloud, presented a random topic and answered questions. They needed at least 5/10 in each language.

The call offered 36 places and completed its opposition phase July 8. Start a free SpeakShark conversation for general current-affairs speaking and use the Diplomatic School and BOE rules for the opposition.

Key takeaways

• The first exercise ran February 15, 2026.
• Written English ran March 7, 2026.
• Mandatory oral language sessions ran March 10 to April 29.
• Written English and French each allowed 120 minutes.
• Candidates needed at least 5/10 in English and French separately.
• The call offered 36 positions.

In this guide: calendar | written English | oral dates | oral format | scoring | optional languages | full process | positions | status | research | FAQ

2025 call and 2026 test calendar

The ministry labels the process Convocatoria 2025 because the call was published December 15, 2025. Its examinations occurred in 2026.

The English text itself identifies March 7 as the second-exercise written date.

The oral phase did not have one English date for everyone. Candidates were assigned to public sessions across eight published weekly calendars.

This article covers the current completed 2025 call, not the 40 positions announced in Spain's 2026 public employment offer for a future call.

March 7 written English phase

The second exercise tests English and French, both compulsory.

For each language, candidates receive a text that can concern political, economic, social or cultural current affairs. They must write in that same language:

1. A summary capturing the source's main ideas in their own words.
2. An essay closely connected to the text's key concepts.

The English source used an extract about media responsibility, political polarisation, misinformation and freedom of speech. Its exact topic does not guarantee what a future call will use.

The commission evaluates synthesis, analysis, coherent argument, vocabulary and structures, grammatical and lexical accuracy, and spelling.

Text length itself is not the decisive criterion. The notice emphasises quality of analysis and expression.

For writing fundamentals, use English speaking and writing skills, English vocabulary and speaking skills, and beginner speaking mistakes. The ministry's March 7 source remains the realised format evidence.

Mandatory language oral weeks

The Diplomatic School published oral appointments in these blocks:

The sessions were public at the Diplomatic School in Madrid. The weekly notices listed names, dates and time slots.

Some calendars were revised. Candidates therefore needed the newest weekly PDF rather than a copied first version.

English and French were handled inside the same mandatory-language exercise. A session appointment was not only an English conversation detached from the candidate's French requirement.

English oral format

The oral phase follows directly from the written work.

The candidate:

1. Opens the identified envelope containing their written compositions.
2. Reads the English and French work aloud.
3. Randomly receives one topic for English and one for French.
4. Gets two minutes to prepare an outline for both topics.
5. Speaks for no more than five minutes in English.
6. Speaks for no more than five minutes in French.
7. Answers selection-body questions for up to 15 minutes after each presentation.

The oral assessment adds fluency, interaction and pronunciation to the written criteria.

The two-minute preparation covers both language topics, not two separate two-minute windows under the wording of the call.

The jury can ask about the presented topic or any other issue it considers relevant. Memorising one current-affairs speech is therefore insufficient.

For general interaction, practise English conversation topics for adults, English job interview role plays, office small talk, and practice speaking alone. Start free speaking practice without treating it as opposition scoring.

English and French must each reach 5 out of 10

The selection body scores the complete written and oral work from 0 to 10 for each compulsory language.

The second-exercise base score is the average of the English and French marks.

Examples:

A strong English result cannot repair French below 5, and vice versa.

The final exercise score can also include an optional-language bonus, but only after the candidate passes both mandatory languages.

Optional language bonus

Candidates could declare one optional language from:

• German.
• Arabic.
• Chinese.
• Portuguese.
• Russian.

The optional test repeats the written summary and essay pattern with 120 minutes, followed by public reading, a five-minute topic presentation and up to seven minutes of questions. It uses one minute of preparation for the random topic.

Candidates who failed the mandatory English or French stage could not take the optional-language stage.

The optional score does not allow the full second-exercise result to exceed 10.

Where English sits in the four-exercise opposition

Every opposition exercise is eliminatory.

The first exercise had 135 minutes and no penalty for wrong or blank answers. Its cut score was set by the selection body after reviewing candidate performance.

The third exercise required a 120-minute current-affairs essay and later public reading with up to 30 minutes of questions.

The fourth exercise required oral exposition of four randomly selected syllabus topics. Candidates needed at least 5/10 in every exercise.

The opposition total is the sum of all four scores. Ties are resolved first by the fourth-exercise score, then third, second and first in that order.

Thirty-six open-access positions

Thirty-five positions came from the 2025 public employment offer. One additional disability-reserve place was carried from an unfilled 2024 allocation.

The later 2026 public employment offer contains 40 Diplomatic Career positions for a future process. It does not retroactively enlarge this 36-position call.

After completing the opposition, successful candidates become trainee officials and enter a practical Diplomatic School course. It can start within two months of the approved opposition list and last up to six months.

Status after July 8

The official current page publishes:

• Candidates passing the fourth exercise.
• Candidates passing the full opposition phase.
• Weekly session histories for every exercise.
• The English and French source texts.

The next stage is the practical selective course rather than another English opposition exam.

Candidates should use the current-call page, not the BOE 2026 employment-offer table, to identify their process.

For source discipline, see questions before booking an English test. The call, weekly schedule, source text, result resolution and course are different evidence.

Spanish candidates should keep Spain public-employment language requirements, Spain EOI B2 equivalences, EOI English mediation, Spanish teacher B1 requirements, and IELTS dates in Spain separate from this diplomatic opposition.

How we researched this guide

On August 28, 2026, we opened the official Convocatoria 2025 page through the existing browser profile. We checked the 30-page BOE call, March 7 English source, eight mandatory-language oral calendars and July 8 opposition results.

The BOE supplied English and French formats, timing, scoring and positions. The source text confirmed the written English date. Weekly calendars established March 10 through April 29 as the actual mandatory oral period.

We did not call this a 2026 call, merge the future 40-position offer, invent one universal oral date or use SpeakShark customer data.

We are a speaking improvement tool. We are not an exam preparation provider, and we are not affiliated with Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Diplomatic School, BOE or any exam board. For test format, booking and official practice material, go to the exam body directly. Use SpeakShark to make your spoken English stronger, and use official material to learn the test.

FAQ

The English written phase of the second exercise was held March 7, 2026. English and French were both compulsory. Candidates had up to 120 minutes for each language to write a summary and a related essay in the source language, without dictionaries or other reference works.

Mandatory language oral sessions began March 10 and continued through April 29, 2026. The Diplomatic School published candidate schedules week by week for March 10-13, March 16-20, March 23-27, March 30-31, April 6-10, April 13-17, April 20-24 and April 27-29.

Candidates first read their English written work aloud. They then receive two minutes to prepare outlines for one randomly selected English topic and one French topic. Each presentation lasts no more than five minutes, followed by questions from the selection body for up to 15 minutes per language.

The selection body scored the complete written and oral work from zero to ten separately for English and French. Candidates needed at least five points in each mandatory language to progress. The second-exercise score was the average of both languages, plus any permitted optional-language bonus.

The December 2025 call offered 36 open-access positions in Spain's Diplomatic Career, comprising 32 general-access places and four reserved for candidates with disability of at least 33%. Thirty-five came from the 2025 public employment offer and one unfilled disability-reserve place came from 2024.

Although labelled Convocatoria 2025, its four opposition exercises ran in 2026. The ministry published candidates passing the fourth exercise and the opposition phase on July 8. Successful candidates then enter the practical Diplomatic School course, which can begin within two months and last up to six months.

For general spoken English, start free daily practice. Premium costs $10 for one month, $25 for three months, or $69 for one year. See pricing.

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Sources

1. Spanish diplomatic Convocatoria 2025 page, checked for all dates and results.
2. Official BOE call, checked for test structure and scoring.
3. March 7 English source, checked for the written date.
4. First mandatory oral week, checked for the March 10 start.
5. Final mandatory oral week, checked for the April 29 end.
6. July 8 opposition result, checked for current status.
7. BOE 2026 public employment offer, checked only to distinguish the future 40-position allocation.
8. SpeakShark pricing, checked for current free and paid options.

The ministry can revise weekly sessions, results and course instructions. Confirm the current call page and candidate notice before acting.