DELF Exam

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All about DELF EXAM

DELF (Diplôme d’études en langue française) is the worldwide recognized official certificate awarded by the French Ministry of Education. The certificate has a lifelong validity and is available for all age groups. The exam is used to assess French language skills amongst different age groups and can be used as a gateway to French universities and exciting jobs in Canada, France and many other countries. 

Name of the Exam  DELF/DALF
Parts of the Exam  Listening (Comprehension Orale)
Speaking (Production Orale)
Reading (Comprehension Ecrite) 
Writing (Production Ecrite)
Overall passing marks  50/100
Pass mark per paper  5/25 in each section

What is the DELF Exam ?

The DELF is an abbreviation used for Diplôme d’études en langue française. It is a test for non-native French learners. This test helps in evaluating your level of French language proficiency. Whether you are a beginner or intermediate, this test has levels from A1 to B2 to cover every type of learner. Moreover DELF is one of the best and most useful diplomas in the field of French, mostly when you want to pursue a job in France or other French-speaking countries like Switzerland, Canada or Belgium or if you want to take admission in a French university. Here are the different levels of difficulty and certification for the DELF exam:

  • DELF A1: Breakthrough or beginner
  • DELF A2: Waystage or elementary
  • DELF B1: Threshold or intermediate
  • DELF B2: Vantage or upper intermediate
  • DALF C1: Effective Operational Proficiency or Advanced
  • DALF C2: Mastery or proficiency

Must Read: Study in Europe: A Complete Guide for International Students

Importance of DELF Exam

The DELF exam has immense benefits and is very common nowadays. These benefits include:

  • Employment Opportunities: DELF proves to be the solution if you are seeking employment opportunities. If you want to improve your employment prospects then this exam is perfect for you as you can pursue studies and travel or live abroad.
  • Common and Beneficial: if you want to pursue a career in French then DELF is your gateway to teaching French in the beautiful country of France or across the globe. The exam not only takes you to French universities but also to the professional business world of French speakers. 
  • Powerful Diploma: DELF is termed as the most powerful as in this exam you prove French language abilities after evaluation. 
  • Highly Competitive: This examination has four parts and is highly competitive. The DELF is taken by thousands of students across the globe from all age groups. The test takers are required to demonstrate their French language skills across 4 main components like Writing, Speaking, Listening and Reading to ace this exam.

Exam Format 

The DELF/DALF exam has different levels according to the age groups as well as level of proficiency. The format of the exam:

Exam Type Oral Comprehension Written Comprehension Written Production Oral Production
DELF A1 20 minutes 30 minutes 45 minutes 6 to 8 minutes with 10 minutes preparation
DELF A2 30 minutes 25 minutes 45 minutes  6 to 8 minutes with 10 minutes of preparation
DELF B1 25 minutes 45 minutes 45 minutes  15 minutes with 10 minutes of preparation
DELF B2 30-minute 60-minute  60-minute 20-minute PO with 30 minutes of preparation
DALF C1 40 minutes 50 minutes 2.5 hours  30 minutes with 60 minutes of preparation. 
DALF C2 3hours 30 minutes 3hours 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes with 60 minutes of preparation.
  • DELF A1 Listening (Comprehension Orale)  is of approximately 20 minute and of 25 marks. In this section comprehension questionnaires you had to answer from 3 or 4 very short recordings on everyday life that would be played twice. Moreover maximum duration of the recording would be 3 mins. 
  • DELF A1 Reading (Comprehension ecrite)  is 30 minutes of 25 marks . In this section you will get comprehension questionnaires that you’ve to answer with 4 or 5 written documents on everyday life.
  •  DELF A1 Writing (Production ecrite) is 30 minutes of 25 marks. It has two parts and in1st part you have to fill  a record, a form followed by the 2nd part that is writing simple phrases (postcards, messages, stories etc) on everyday topics. 
  • DELF A1 Speaking (Production orale)is of approximately 5~7 minutes and is of about 25 marks. It has 3 parts 
    • Guided conversation
    • Exchanging information
    • Role-play

Exam Scores

There are four parts in the DELF/DALF exam, namely, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Written Production and Oral Production. Each section is given a total mark of 25 and the passing mark for each section is 5 marks. The maximum mark for the exam is 100 and the passing marks are 50 marks.

Exam Fees 

There is a slight difference in the fees for international students( studying at Alliance Française) is INR 8850 to 11,800.The table given below shows the fees for each level of DELF. 

DELF Level Date of Exam Exam fee (Inc GST.)AFD Students Exam fee (Inc GST.)External Students
A1 TP Monday. 6th December Rs. 5,310 Rs. 8,850
A2 TP Tuesday, 7th December Rs. 5,310 Rs. 8,850
B1 TP Wednesday, 8th December Rs. 5,900 Rs. 10,620
B2 TP Thursday, 9th December Rs. 5,900 Rs. 10,620
C1 TP Friday, 10th December Rs. 8,260 Rs. 11,800
C2 TP Saturday, 11th December Rs. 8,260 Rs. 11,800
A1 Junior Friday, 10th December Rs. 5,310 Rs. 8,850
A2 Junior Thursday, 9th December Rs. 5,310 Rs. 8,850

All About the TEF Exam

How to Register?

 If you want to get yourself registered for the DELF examination then you must follow the following steps 

  • First you are required to get in touch with an accredited examination centre
  • In 164 countries there are more than 1000 examination centres making it easy for you to find an examination centre irrespective of the location. 
  • Then you are required to fill a registration form in which you have to enter your details,moreover this is the same for everyone. 
  •  Then you need to provide a photocopy of your ID card or passport followed by paying the registration fees with the help of accredited examination centers.

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Exam Dates

The DELF exam is held multiple times throughout the year. Here are the upcoming dates for the exam:

Registration Dates Dates
1st August 2021 20 September to 25 September 2021
24th September 2021 25 October to 30 October 2021
8th October 2021 08 November to 13 November 2021
25th October 2021 06 December to 11 December 2021

Top Institutes for DELF in India

There are only a few centres who conduct DELF for junior French language proficiency exams in India.The examination centres in India are given below but some of these change every year. 

Location States
North India Chandigarh, Delhi, Jaipur
East India Kolkata
West India Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Indore, Bhopal, Mumbai, Pune, Panjim.
South India Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Pondicherry, Mysore, Mangalore, Trichy, and Trivandrum

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Planning to study and work after learning french? Then giving the DELF is your gateway to these amazing destinations. Call us at 1800 572 000 and find out all you need to make your dream university into a reality today!

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