The DELF, or Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française, is an official language certification from the Ministry of Education in France. It allows people to gain recognised certification for their French language ability. The test diploma is for candidates who come from non-French speaking countries or don’t have a secondary or higher French diploma. There are over 1000 certified test centres in around 174 countries where you can take the test. The test is targeted at adults with a language range of A1-B2 on the CEFR.

The diploma tests all four language skill areas. They are reading, writing, listening, and speaking. There are 4 levels of the DELF qualification and potential candidates can choose which level to take, depending on their own language ability. A1 and A2 are considered basic user levels and B1 and B2 are more independent language user levels.

The test time varies depending on the level of exam you sit. For example, A1 test is 1 hour and 20 minutes, where as the B1 test is 1 hour and 45 minutes long.

• Listening - ranges from 3-8 minutes per recording in length, depending on exam level. It is comprehension questionnaires and you usually get to hear them twice, except in B2.
• Speaking - ranges from 5-7 minutes to around 20 minutes of conversation. You also get time to prepare.
• Reading - these are comprehension questionnaires on different types of text.
• Writing - A1/A2 have 2 writing parts and B1/B2 have only one writing task, as it is longer.

Each skill area is graded out of 25, with a total for the exam out of 100. You need to score a minimum of 5/25 in each skill to be given a grade. The pass mark for the whole exam is 50/100.

Remember to take you time and read all the questions carefully. Reading through texts and questions, highlighting keywords that will help you find the answers. Listen to understand and then focus on answering the questions. Plan out your writing before you start, so to limit the mistakes and not run out of ideas. Use the preparation time in the speaking test to plan out what you want to say and the lexis you want to use.

GlobalExam can help you pass your DELF exam, if you are willing to put in the time and effort. We have a range of resources to help you study and guide you through the exam in general. Our online programme gives you access to activities to develop your language skills, practice exam questions to fine-tune those exam skills, a timed test practice to experience real exam conditions, and the ability to track your progress throughout this journey, along with vocabulary and grammar study sheets. We also have a blog full of information, help, and tips to support your learning.