The CIPLE has strict rules, and a few of them cancel your exam on the spot: arriving late for the listening, a phone on the desk, your own name on the paper. Everything below comes from CAPLE's rules for sitting the exams and its FAQ. CIPLE Ready is not affiliated with CAPLE; if your exam centre tells you something different, follow the centre.
The checklist
- Your original ID, the same document you registered with: Portuguese citizen card, passport or residence permit. Not a copy, not a photo.
- A blue or black pen, plus a spare. The two written texts must be in pen.
- A pencil and an eraser for the reading and listening answer sheets.
- Your registration confirmation. Keep it: you look up your result with your candidate code.
- The address and room of your exam centre, and a plan to be there 20 minutes early.
Scrap paper is provided by the centre, so you don't need to bring any.
What is not allowed
- Phones, laptops, smartwatches and any other personal electronic device.
- Dictionaries, books and your own notebooks.
- Correction fluid or tape. Cross out neatly instead.
- Your name or any personal detail anywhere in the paper. If a task asks you to sign a message, use an invented name.
Timing: the rules that matter most
- Be at the exam room 20 minutes before the start.
- More than 15 minutes late for the reading and writing paper: you cannot sit it.
- Not there when the listening starts: you cannot sit it. There is no late entry.
- Missing any component cancels the whole exam. The one exception is speaking: if you are late or absent for a justified reason, you can ask the centre for a new time.
- You can leave the room during a paper only in an emergency and with the invigilator's permission, and you stay until the paper's official end.
How the day runs
| Paper | Time | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reading & Writing | 75 minutes | 45% |
| Break | 15 minutes | |
| Listening | 30 minutes | 30% |
| Speaking, in pairs | about 15 minutes per pair, at a time set by the centre | 25% |
According to CAPLE's CIPLE page, in international sessions the written paper starts at 15:00 and the listening at 16:30; in the CIPLE-P sessions in Portugal they start at 09:00 and 10:30. The speaking test is video-recorded, as CAPLE's rules require, and is done in pairs whenever possible. What each paper contains: reading and writing, listening, speaking.
What gets an exam cancelled
- Arriving too late, as above, or missing a component.
- Not handing back the answer sheets and question papers.
- Using a phone or another device, a dictionary or notes, or correction fluid. You get one warning; if it continues, the exam is cancelled.
- Copying, helping someone copy or exchanging information about the exam.
- Disrupting the exam or being disrespectful to staff or other candidates. You are asked to leave immediately.
- Writing your name or identifying yourself anywhere in the paper.
If something goes wrong
You can't come. The €95 fee is never refunded. If you miss every paper for reasons that are not your fault, you have five working days from the day after the exam to ask to move your registration to the next session at the same centre: a written request to CAPLE, handed in at the centre, with proof of the reason. This works only once.
You need special conditions. Tell the centre when you register. For dyslexia confirmed by a medical certificate, CAPLE recommends playing each listening track one extra time and giving a third more time in the other papers. People with a visual or motor disability that prevents the written papers, and people aged 60 or over who cannot read or write, can sit the speaking component only. Contact the centre before you register.
The night before
- ID, pens, pencil and eraser in your bag.
- Route and travel time checked, with 20 minutes to spare.
- No new material. A light 20-minute review, then sleep.
Results appear on CAPLE's website, where you look them up with your candidate code. If you passed, you collect your certificate at the exam centre 15–20 working days after the results are published. The free 11-page CIPLE guide has an exam-day checklist too.
Frequently asked questions
What ID do I need for the CIPLE?
The original of the document you registered with: a Portuguese citizen card, a passport or a residence permit. A photocopy or a photo on your phone is not enough.
How early should I arrive for the CIPLE?
CAPLE asks candidates to be at the exam room 20 minutes before the start. More than 15 minutes late for the reading and writing paper, or late for the listening, and you cannot sit that paper.
Can I use a pencil in the CIPLE?
Yes, for the reading and listening answers, together with an eraser. The two written texts must be in blue or black pen. Correction fluid and tape are not allowed.
What if I miss the exam because I am ill?
The fee is not refunded. If you miss every paper for reasons that are not your fault, you can ask within five working days to move your registration to the next session at the same centre, with a written request and proof. This can only be done once.
