Exam guide · from INEP's own documents
The Celpe-Bras exam: how it works, with every past paper
The Celpe-Bras is Brazil's official certificate of Portuguese for speakers of other languages. One exam places you at one of four levels: you write four texts for real situations and talk for 20 minutes with two examiners. Here is how it works and how it's marked, the dates, and the past papers, linked to the official files.
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What it is and who it's for
Celpe-Bras stands for Certificado de Proficiência em Língua Portuguesa para Estrangeiros. It is awarded by INEP, the Brazilian government's institute for educational assessment, and tests Brazilian Portuguese.
It's for people whose first language isn't Portuguese. Brazilian universities ask for it for admission, including on the PEC-G and PEC-PG exchange programmes; some professional bodies ask for it to register foreign professionals or validate their diplomas; and the Ministry of Justice accepts it as one way to prove you can communicate in Portuguese when you apply for naturalisation.
It's one exam for every level. You don't choose a level to sit: the same tasks are marked on a scale, and the certificate states the level you reached.
How the exam works
Two parts, both about using Portuguese for something: there is no separate grammar or vocabulary section. Grammar and vocabulary count for how well they make your text work for its reader.
The written part (Parte Coletiva)
Four tasks in one three-hour session. Each gives you something to watch, hear or read, then asks you to write a text of a set genre (a letter, an email, an article…) as a set person, to a set reader, for a set purpose. Using the information from the input, in your own words, is part of the task.
Task 1 has its own 30 minutes, and the video is played twice. After that the audio for Task 2 is played twice, and you organise the rest of the time across Tasks 2, 3 and 4 yourself; you can go back to Task 1.
| Task 1 | A video | 30 minutes, on its own |
|---|---|---|
| Task 2 | An audio recording | Shared: 2 hours 30 minutes for Tasks 2–4 |
| Task 3 | A written text | |
| Task 4 | A written text |
The oral part (Parte Individual)
Twenty minutes, face to face, recorded. Two examiners are in the room: one talks with you (the avaliador-interlocutor), the other only listens and marks (the avaliador-observador).
The first five minutes are a conversation about you and your interests, based on the questionnaire you fill in when you register. Then come three short real texts, mostly words and pictures together (a news item, an advert, a cartoon, a graph), called elementos provocadores: you have about five minutes on each, reading it, saying what it's about and discussing it.
How it's marked, and the levels
Each written task is marked from 0 to 5 by two markers working separately, against INEP's published grid; a third marks it if they disagree by more than a point. The grid looks at the text as a whole: adequação contextual (does it take the right role, address the right reader and do what the task asks, in the right genre), adequação discursiva (is it coherent and well connected) and adequação linguística (is the vocabulary and grammar right for the situation). Your written score is the average of the four tasks.
In the oral part, the examiner you talk with gives one overall mark from 0 to 5; the observer marks six things from 0 to 5: understanding, interaction, fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Your oral score is the average of the two examiners' marks.
Your level is set by the lower of the two scores, so you need at least Intermediário in both parts to get a certificate.
| Level | Score (0–5) |
|---|---|
| No certificate | 0,00–1,99 |
| Intermediário | 2,00–2,75 |
| Intermediário Superior | 2,76–3,50 |
| Avançado | 3,51–4,25 |
| Avançado Superior | 4,26–5,00 |
From INEP's Documento-base and the 2026/2 edital.
Dates and registration
Next: Exam abroad, Celpe-Bras 2026/224 November 2026 · in 23 days
Registration is on INEP's Celpe-Bras system, in the window each edital sets.
Past papers
INEP's past exams are kept in the University of Rio Grande do Sul's public archive. Our index lists every task since 2020, with the genre to write, who it's for and what it's about, and links to the official video, audio and booklet. Filter it by genre to see every reader's letter, or by theme.
The latest editions
- Celpe-Bras 2026/1Article · Open letter · Email · Proposal
- Celpe-Bras 2025/2Letter · Letter · Tribute · Crônica
- Celpe-Bras 2025/1Website text · Column · Email · Reader's letter
Practise the writing
Our writing room has past tasks and our own, a timer set to the exam's, and feedback on your text against the markers' criteria. Start with the genres the exam asks for most: the email and the [carta do leitor](/celpe-bras/writing/carta-do-leitor).
Open the writing roomWhat's my level?
A rough guide from a CEFR level, like the one our free level test gives you, to the Celpe-Bras level you might reach.
| Your CEFR level | Likely Celpe-Bras level |
|---|---|
| A1–A2 | Below Intermediário: no certificate yet |
| B1 | Intermediário |
| B2 | Intermediário Superior / Avançado |
| C1–C2 | Avançado Superior |
A rough guide, not an equivalence: there is no official table between the CEFR and the Celpe-Bras, and the exam judges whether your texts do their job for their reader, which a level test doesn't measure.
Get the dates by email
Tell us which edition you're aiming for. We'll email you when its dates are official and when registration opens, and send a short study plan as the exam gets closer. No spam; unsubscribe in one click.
Questions
What is the Celpe-Bras?
Brazil's official certificate of proficiency in Portuguese for foreigners (Certificado de Proficiência em Língua Portuguesa para Estrangeiros), awarded by INEP. One exam, with a written and an oral part, places you at one of four levels: Intermediário, Intermediário Superior, Avançado or Avançado Superior.
How much does the Celpe-Bras cost?
For Celpe-Bras 2026/2, the fee in Brazil was up to R$ 259,00. Abroad, each test centre sets its own fee; for private centres and those linked to Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, INEP suggested the equivalent of US$ 190. Some centres charge less. Each edition's edital sets the fees, so check the current one before you pay.
When are the Celpe-Bras exams in 2027?
INEP hasn't published the 2027 dates yet; they come out in each edition's edital. In 2026 there were two editions, with registration in February and July. The Celpe-Bras 2027 page shows the dates as soon as they're official.
What level do I need for naturalisation, university or validating a diploma?
It depends on who's asking. For naturalisation, the Ministry of Justice lists the Celpe-Bras certificate as one of the documents that prove you can communicate in Portuguese; its page names no minimum level. Universities and professional bodies set their own requirements, including the level, so ask the institution you're applying to.
Does the Celpe-Bras expire?
INEP sets no expiry date. Each institution that asks for the certificate decides its own rules, which can include how recent it must be.
How does the oral part work?
Twenty minutes with two examiners: five minutes of conversation about you and your interests, then about five minutes on each of three short texts with pictures, which you read and discuss. It's recorded, and both examiners mark it.
Where can I find past papers?
The past exams are in the University of Rio Grande do Sul's public Acervo Celpe-Bras. Our past-papers index lists every task since 2020 by genre, theme and year, linked to the official files.
How can I prepare on my own?
Work with past papers: do each task in its time, then check your text against the three questions the markers ask (right role, reader and genre; coherent; the right Portuguese for the situation). Read and listen to real Brazilian news, opinion pieces and podcasts, since every task is built on them. And practise talking about a short text with pictures for five minutes.
How long do the results take?
About two months. For Celpe-Bras 2026/2, the exam in Brazil was on 20 October 2026 to 23 October 2026 and the results were set for 15 December 2026; abroad, where it was sat later, for 15 January 2027. The edital sets the results date for each edition.