Gaining proficiency in your target language means the world to all the language learners out there. A cherry on top is when you are certified for your competency. As for French, DELF (Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française) and DALF (Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française) are the official qualifications awarded by the French Ministry of Education for non-French candidates. Under the framework of the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL), there are six levels.

French Level A1 – Exam Modules

Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking 

These are four competencies that one must master, to ace DELF. According to these competencies, the DELF exams are divided into four modules, viz. Compréhension orale, Compréhension écrite, Production écrite, and Production orale. Each module tallies up to 25 marks, hence making the total 100.

Compréhension orale (Listening):

At this level, your sheet would have three or four comprehension questionnaires which will be MCQs and fill-ups. You would be listening to very short recordings on everyday life situations for each set of questions twice. There would be a pause of 15 to 30 seconds before the first play and between the two plays so that you can read the questions well and later have enough time to answer. The entire listening comprehension should approximately take 20 minutes. The recordings must be heard carefully to mark the correct option or fill the blank with the right answer.  This may seem like a difficult part, but some practice, some podcasts, and calm and patient listening in the exam hall can do the trick!

Compréhension écrite (Reading)

This is one of the easiest modules, which is supposed to take 30 minutes. Here, you would have four questions, there would be a postcard or a message to read and answer the questions asked, or there are usually small advertisements or television program schedules and questions based upon it. All the questions just like listening are based on everyday life situations, like postcards or a message from a friend or family, advertisements of apartments for lease, booking a hotel, etc. You would be well-versed with the necessary vocabulary if you make an effort every day. Baby steps, dear learner! Baby steps!

Production écrite (Writing):

This module would always have come in two parts: A. Filling in a record or a form, and B. Writing simple postcards, short e-mails, messages, or even a response to an invitation. The word limit is always mentioned therefore you would know how much to write. This module generally is for 30 minutes. Something important there is grammar and spelling! While writing the sentences, keep the grammar in check and also make sure to proofread your work. This truly helps find the teeny-tiny errors that seem invisible while writing.

Production oral (speaking):

This module is divided into three parts: Firstly, you would be asked a few questions about you, your family, your hobbies, etc. This is spontaneous and takes about a minute or two. Secondly, you would have five to six cards flipped upside down and you would ask to choose any two. In addition to that, you also would be choosing from another set of cards flipped upside down for part three of the speaking test. There would be a word written on each of them and all you have to do is use the words to ask two different questions to the examiner. The objective of this is to verify your ability to understand a word, ask a question in the right context and even understand the response given by your examiner and react accordingly. Lastly, you would do a role play on the situation you picked at random earlier. Together with parts two and three of the speaking test, you get 10 minutes to prepare.

Then, Vous vous lancez!

Pronunciations are important!

You need not have a French accent, but make sure you pronounce it right. Speaking tests makes people anxious and it is human if you start panicking, try to calm down and take your time to be comfortable enough, take time to reformulate the sentences if you feel you are going wrong. That’s the key!

Here’s the link to a sample paper!

All the very best! Bon courage!