Why take the DELF-DALF exam?
The DELF-DALF diploma is recognized the world over, and grows in popularity every year. In France, it is a prerequisite foraccess to higher education, with some institutions requiring a DELF (B2) or DALF (C1) diploma as part of their admission requirements, depending on their specialization.
It is also essential for anyone wishing to settle in France to work, or for other reasons that will sooner or later require an application for citizenship or a residence permit. It testifies to a high level of French language skills, a crucial asset when looking for a job.
But even for learners who don’t have such objectives, exam preparation can be a key factor in developing their expressive skills. Indeed, when examiners assess the oral and written production parts of the test, purely linguistic criteria (grammar, vocabulary, syntax) account for only a small half of the points awarded, with the ability to use the language in concrete communicative situations accounting for the rest of the assessment.
A high score therefore requires not only knowledge of the language itself, but also a demonstration of how the user uses it to solve communicative problems.
During the preparatory sessions, students are placed as close as possible to exam conditions, and trained to use the language in its “natural” interactive function.
What awaits us at the exam?
All international examinations of this type include tests of oral and written comprehension and production.
Here are some examples of practical tasks:
- at elementary levels – effective participation in simulated dialogues inspired by real life, writing an informal letter, commenting on social media, ability to talk about different areas of everyday life, such as work, leisure, interpersonal relationships, etc.
- at more advanced levels, much more demanding tasks – writing an article, an essay, a formal request or letter, a long monologue on more abstract subjects, with a clear plan, a problematic and a well-constructed argument.
The higher the level to be reached, the more important it is to organize the preparation process carefully.
Firstly, to immerse ourselves in certain areas of the information world in order to deepen our knowledge and our thinking on a variety of subjects that we may encounter on the exam. The advantage of this approach, rather than the constraint, is that it allows you to familiarize yourself with fields that are as yet unknown. At the same time, it’s a good idea to practise choosing and selecting sound arguments and good examples, using precise wording and terminology. And, of course, since the candidate is ultimately expected to produce a substantial, personal and well-considered monologue/text, he or she is advised to start practicing what he or she has learned as soon as possible.
Awareness of the importance of the methodological aspects of the various tasks is a very reliable indicator of outstanding success.
From advanced levels onwards (B2+), the focus is on problem formulation, sentence structuring and argumentation. These tasks are incredibly challenging and intellectually stimulating , and go beyond mere language skills. Taking the exam is therefore an excellent opportunity not only to broaden your intellectual horizons, but also to form your own point of view on a wide range of social and cultural phenomena.
Practical advice from an examiner
Having already taken this type of exam, even in another language, is an invaluable experience.
Candidates who have passed, for example, TOEFL or IETLS (for English), are considerably more confident about their DELF-DALF than those taking it for the first time. If your long-term goal is to achieve a B2 or C1 level, consider taking a lower level first, then registering for the diploma you wish to obtain at the next session. The structure of the exams and the conditions for taking them are very similar for all levels except C2. By seeing first-hand how everything works from the inside, you’ll be better able to cope with the stress of getting that all-important grade.
Now let’s talk about preparing for the DELF-DALF.
Before registering for the exam, you need tobe sure which diploma you are eligible for. Ideally, you should have an interview with a teacher who is familiar with the distribution of levels. Once you’re sure that your language skills match the diploma you’re aiming for, you need to organize your preparation in advance, making it systematic and conscious.
There are now many resources available to help you prepare for the test yourself. This method is suitable for those who have already had successful experience of language exams, who know exactly what their level is, and who have a great capacity for self-organization. The best advice is to choose a good DELF-DALF preparation book, do all written assignments carefully and without cheating, record your oral answers on a Dictaphone, immerse yourself in the language as much as possible and vary your sources.
Working in a group or individually with an experienced tutor, it’s much easier to master the methodology, find the resources, maintain a good pace and, above all, get clear feedback on your work.
Whatever form of preparation you choose, one of the prerequisites for exam success isdaily exposure to information, alternating sources (interviews, lectures, podcasts, magazines…) and modes of obtaining information (listening and reading). A fairly common error in self-learning is the recurrence and monotony of the resources used. Intuitively, we all tend to choose information that we are used to and that is convenient to absorb, whereas ideally, we should be able to work with very different types of information, both in terms of content and presentation.
Also practiceactive listening and analytical reading.
When working with groups to prepare for DELF DALF, an important part of the process is to discuss documents recommended or found by students, checking for understanding, highlighting issues and arguments, commenting, forming personal positions and debating.
As you prepare, you should also study the assessment criteria carefully. Understanding them in depth will give you a clear idea of which aspects you need to pay more attention to, which aspects you need to “work on”, and how to structure your answer more consciously in order to gain maximum extra points. In group work, there is always a mutual evaluation of the answers by the participants and an assessment by the teacher.
In addition to the evaluation criteria, you need to master the structure and distinctive features of the different forms of expression encountered in the exam. Depending on your level, you’ll need to understand the differences between an essay and an article, the structure of a business letter, the different types of outline for a monologue, the characteristics of a synthesis, and so on. And, of course, practice all possible forms of expression repeatedly.
As part of the practice of written work, our students always write by hand (which corresponds to examination conditions), record their monologues on a tape recorder and monitor the time spent on the work.
The language component of the exam, as mentioned above, does not form the basis of the answer evaluation, but it certainly plays an extremely important role. So, in order to get the best score, it’s important to improve your language skills during your preparation. More specifically, natural language application tasks (as opposed to exercises) help to identify typical learner errors and rework them in the context of the statement.
Depending on the diploma, some categories of error do not lead to a reduction in points (higher-level errors), while others are assessed more strictly (lower-level errors).
In conclusion, preparing for and taking the DELF DALF exam is a great source of motivation for learning French, allowing you to mobilize and consolidate all your previous knowledge and skills, and deepen your understanding of the French mentality and cultural code. If you have correctly identified your level and organized your preparation consciously and systematically, achieving a high score on the exam is entirely possible.
