Frequently Asked Questions

At EOI de Madrid-Embajadores, classes are taught in:

• • • German (from A1 to C2.1).
    • Spanish as a foreign language (from A1 to C2).
    • French (from A1 to C2.1).
    • English (from A1 to C2.2).

General explanation of levels:

• • • Beginner levels: A1 and A2 (one year per course).
    • Intermediate levels: B1 (one year) and B2 (two years: B2.1 and B2.2).
    • Advanced levels: C1 (one year) and C2 (two years: C2.1 and C2.2).

Consult this link to see the specific courses at EOI Embajadores.

Check which other schools teach Spanish on the following MAP.

• • For annual courses, the school year begins in September and ends in June. The application period approximately begins in April.

• • For semester-based courses, only for Spanish for foreigners courses:

• • • Those in the first semester begin in September and end in January. The application period approximately begins in April.

• • • Those in the second semester begin in February and end in June. The application period approximately begins in December.

The exact dates will be published on the website as the start of the course approaches.

• • This EOI teaches all its courses in the afternoon/evening (generally, from 4:30 PM to 9:30 PM).
  • The frequency of classes is two days per week (alternating: Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday) for annual courses, and four days per week (Monday to Thursday) for semester-based courses, which are intensive.
  • The classes have a variable duration depending on the number of hours of the course:

• • • Classes for 120-hour courses (generally A1) last 2 hours/day.
    • Classes for 135-hour courses (the rest of the levels) last 2 hours 15 minutes/day.

The specific course schedules are published, tentatively, when the enrollment period opens (usually in April) and are confirmed in July based on enrollments and approval by the Department of Education.

This school offers the following types of courses:

• • • In-person: two classes per week at the school.
    • Blended (Semi-presencial): one class at the school and one virtual class.

For semester-based (intensive) courses in Spanish for foreigners:

• • • In-person: four times per week at the school.
    • Blended (Semi-presencial): 2 classes at the school and 2 virtual classes.

The distribution of which days will be in-person and which will be virtual is determined once the final course offering is approved (usually at the beginning of the course) based on the center’s organizational needs.

The official courses are language preparation courses, not certification exam preparation courses.

• Updated information and instructions will be published when a new enrollment period opens. Check the NEWS (on the HOME page) or ENROLLMENT section.
• The general conditions and dates for pre-enrollment at an Official School of Languages in the Comunidad de Madrid are the same for all 35 Official Schools of Languages in this Community, and are established annually by the Department of Education of the Comunidad de Madrid. Subsequently, based on their own characteristics, each EOI adapts the dates for reservation and formalization of enrollment to its operations.
• In general, all information can be found on the website dedicated to language teaching in the Comunidad de Madrid. There are two different processes:

• • For official students (students of the center), group reservation must be made on the Raíces/Roble platform.
  • For newly admitted students (new students), admission and subsequent enrollment must be done through the Virtual Secretariat.

• The enrollment process for courses starting in September usually opens in April, although this date is merely indicative, as it depends on the regulations of the Comunidad de Madrid. Courses starting in February usually open their enrollment process in December.

To enroll in levels higher than A1 (beginner level), you must meet one of these requirements:

• • • Have passed the previous course at an EOI (equivalence of courses and levels from old study plans).
    • Have a valid certification or access title that proves your level. Here is a list of the official exam certifications accepted by the Comunidad de Madrid. FINAL COURSE COMPLETION CERTIFICATES ARE NOT ACCEPTED
    • Take a placement test before enrollment (see information in the next question: 9. If I don’t know my level, how do I know which course to enroll in?).

• To study at the EOI, you must be or turn 16 years old in the year you enroll.
• It is also possible to enroll at 14 years old (in the year of enrollment) as long as the language you enroll in is different from the first foreign language studied in Secondary Education. That is, if the minor studies English in high school, they could not enroll in that language (English) at the EOI, but they could study, for example, German or French.

• If you have never studied the language or your knowledge is very basic, then it is advisable to start at level A1.
• If you have some knowledge of the language in question, but you do not know your level, the EOIs of the Comunidad de Madrid organize placement tests at the beginning of the enrollment process to find out your level and thus be able to enroll in the corresponding course.

• • • The result of these tests indicates the level you can access, NOT the level you have.
    • Taking the tests does not guarantee, in any case, a spot in the enrollment process. Moreover, this does not exempt you from submitting the admission application or paying the corresponding fees.
    • The price of the placement test is €19.
    • The result has no academic validity. It only serves to start studying at an EOI.

• The written part will be done online, while the oral part will be done in-person.
• Registration will be done through the Virtual Secretariat and the payment of fees through the Comunidad de Madrid fee payment website/application.
• We recommend paying attention to our NEWS section and PLACEMENT TESTS to stay informed about the dates and processes of the regular and special placement tests organized by this school.

• A1 level courses (120 hours) cost €222.
• Courses from level A2 to level C2.2 (135 hours) cost €250.
• The price, which is for the entire course, includes classes and evaluations, including the certification exam (except for A1, B2.1, and C2.1 level courses, which do not have a certification evaluation).
• Teaching materials are not included in the price.

• • The payment of fees, of any kind (courses, administrative fees, placement tests, issuance of titles, etc.), is made through the Comunidad de Madrid fee payment website/application.
  • For annual courses or the first semester, payment can be made in a single installment at the time of formalizing the enrollment or split into two installments (at the time of formalizing the enrollment and in December).
  • Second-semester courses are paid in a single installment at the time of formalizing the enrollment (approximately in January).
  • Generally (applicable depending on the procedure), there are several cases for reduction or exemption of fees:

• • • • General large family (Familia numerosa general): 50% discount.
      • Special large family (Familia numerosa especial): 100% discount.
      • Victim of gender-based violence: 100% discount.
      • Victim of terrorism: 100% discount.
      • Recognized disability equal to or greater than 33%: 100% discount.

• • Each procedure has a specific numeric code (QR) assigned for fee payment. You can consult the codes for EOI Embajadores, as well as the cases for exemption or reduction of fees, at the following link: QR Codes.

• • Once enrollment is formalized (for a course or an exam), the conditions established by the Comunidad de Madrid for fee refunds are very specific. You can consult them at the following link.
  • The student’s personal circumstances (finding a job, incompatibility with other studies, conflict with another exam, change of address, family health issues, etc.) that prevent participation in the paid activity do not entitle to a fee refund.
  • You can request a fee refund at the following link.

Students of this EOI can request the following certificates:

• • • Academic certificate: shows the grades obtained in a specific course. It is free.
    • Proof of enrollment: justifies that the student is enrolled in a course at this school. It is free.
    • Official certification title: accredits passing the certification exam and, therefore, a specific level. It has a cost of €31.53.

At the end of the course, NO certificate will be issued until the evaluation process it affects is completely closed. You can request them through our ONLINE PROCEDURES section.

• • The certification titles from the EOIs are official titles, so they are valid throughout the Spanish territory for any procedure with the Spanish Administration (civil service exams, competitions, nationality, university studies, etc.).
  • Recognition in other geographical areas will depend on the institutions themselves.

• There are several types of evaluation: the ordinary continuous evaluation for promotion, the extraordinary evaluation for promotion, and the certification evaluation (the latter does not exist for levels A1, B2.1, and C2.1).
• The ordinary evaluation represents a continuous assessment, so it will take place throughout the course according to the provisions agreed upon by each department. The teacher will inform the students about the operation and dates of this process. Opting for this type of evaluation implies a minimum of attendance and class work, which will also be determined by each department.
• The extraordinary evaluation represents a second chance for evaluation for those students who could not participate in the ordinary session or who have not passed all the language activities (reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written expression, oral expression, and, if applicable, mediation). In the latter case, you only need to do the activities that have not been passed. The dates will be communicated by the teacher and on the website throughout the course. Tentatively, they are usually held from the second half of May.
• The certification evaluation, which all official students (regardless of whether they have passed the progress evaluation) or external (libre) students (external students who do not study at the school) can take, will take place on the dates set by the Department of Education. These will be published throughout the course. Tentatively, they are usually between May and June.
• Consult the EXAMS section.

Currently, there is only one exam session.

To retake the exam in case of not passing, it will be necessary to enroll (in the course or for the external exam) and pay the corresponding fees.

• • For the promotion evaluation, both ordinary and extraordinary, it is necessary to pass all language activities with a 5 out of 10 and obtain an average of at least 5 to advance to the next course. Having one activity below that grade means not promoting.
  • For the certification evaluation, it is also necessary to pass all language activities with a 5 out of 10. However, the required average to obtain the official title is 6.5 points. Having one activity below that grade means not getting the certificate.
  • Official students who take the exam without having passed the progress evaluation will also need to pass all parts and achieve the 6.5 average to get the certificate and promotion to the next level. This means that if you have not promoted, passing all parts and obtaining an average above 5 but below 6.5 in the certification test does not grant the right to advance to the next course.

• • The teacher will organize an informative evaluation session in which they will communicate the results to the students after the exams.
• • Likewise, the grades will be made public on the RAÍCES platform.

If you do not remember your credentials to access Raíces, please write an email to info.embajadores@educa.madrid.org with the following information:

• • • Subject: recover Raíces credentials.
    • Name and surname(s).
    • Language, level, schedule (time and day), and group you are studying in.

You will be sent an email with the new credentials.

The first time you access Raíces, you will be asked to change the password.

Here is a tutorial on how to do it.

The VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS (Aulas Virtuales) are a different platform from Raíces.

Here is the link to the Virtual Classrooms of EOI Madrid-Embajadores.

To access them, you will need your EducaMadrid credentials (not your Raíces credentials) which your teacher will have provided you at the beginning of the course.

These credentials allow you to access your course’s Virtual Classrooms (they are not the Raíces ones), if they are used. To recover them, contact the teacher responsible for your group.

As a general rule, each course can be taken a maximum of two times. If these two years are used up, you will have to take the certification test for the corresponding level as an external (libre) candidate.

Yes, it is possible to enroll in a course already passed.

However, this type of enrollment has a series of restrictions:

• • The student will not appear on the official grade reports (as they have already passed the course). Therefore, this course is no longer passed nor can you promote to the next level.
  • You will not have the right to take the certification exam, even if you had not passed it previously. To take it, you must do so as an external (libre) candidate, paying the corresponding fees.
  • You do have the right to take the rest of the exams and class activities and, of course, you will be informed of your progress.

The online procedures that can be done can be consulted and requested through the ONLINE PROCEDURES section of this website. There you will find detailed information on each of the processes.

To find out if a teacher will be absent, you can consult the section STUDENTS > Teacher Absences.

Each department establishes minimum attendance percentages. Consult your teacher to find out what they are. If you exceed the limit of absences, you will lose the right to ordinary continuous evaluation. In no case do you lose the right to the extraordinary evaluation or the certification evaluation.

You can consult the school calendar for the current academic year in the STUDENTS > School Calendar.

• Yes. You can consult the current hours and operation of the library and study room in the section STUDENTS > Library/Study Room.
• Remember that to use the library you need your student ID card. Ask at the reception (conserjería) about how to get one (you will need a passport-sized photo).

• Students who are not enrolled in courses at this school can take the certification exams as external candidates (por libre). On this website you have more information about it.
• Under no circumstances will non-official students be admitted to classes.
• The external sessions for certification tests are:
  • May-June session. This is for all languages and levels at the school. The registration period approximately begins in April.
  • February session. This is an special session, only for C1 level of English. The registration period approximately begins in December.

Yes, there are scholarships from the Ministry of Education to study at the EOI. You have more information on the following website.

For this question, you must contact the competent immigration authorities.

As a general rule, a minimum of 20 in-person hours per week is required to apply for a student stay visa. The annual courses at this school have a maximum of 5 hours per week, while the semester-based courses (only for Spanish as a foreign language) reach 10 hours per week.