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 at the French university.

Levels of DELF Exam

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

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

Importance of The 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.

Also Read: Education in France and Public Universities in France

Exam Format 

The DELF/DALF exam has different levels according to age groups as well as levels 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 minutes and 25 marks. In this section of comprehension questionnaires, you had to answer 3 or 4 very short recordings of everyday life that would be played twice. Moreover, the 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 in 1st part you have to fill in a record, and a form followed by the 2nd part which is writing simple phrases (postcards, messages, stories, etc.) on everyday topics. 
• DELF A1 Speaking (Production orale)is of approximately 5~7 minutes and is about 25 marks. It has 3 parts
  • Guided conversation
  • Exchanging information
  • Role-play

Exam Scores

There are four parts to 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.

DELF 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	Exam fee (Inc GST.)AFD Students	Exam fee (Inc GST.)External Students

A1 TP	Rs. 5,310	Rs. 8,850
A2 TP	Rs. 5,310	Rs. 8,850
B1 TP	Rs. 5,900	Rs. 10,620
B2 TP	Rs. 5,900	Rs. 10,620
C1 TP	Rs. 8,260	Rs. 11,800
C2 TP	Rs. 8,260	Rs. 11,800
A1 Junior	Rs. 5,310	Rs. 8,850
A2 Junior	Rs. 5,310	Rs. 8,850

Also Read: All About the TEF Exam

How to Register?

For registration in the DELF examination, you must follow the following steps 

• Get in touch with an accredited examination center.
• In 164 countries there are more than 1000 examination centres making it easy for you to find an examination centre irrespective of the location. 
• Fill out 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.

Also Read: TEF vs TCF: Which is the Best for International Students?

DELF Exam Dates 2023

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

Exam Period (Type of Exam)	Registration Dates	Exam Dates
March 2023 (Tout Public)	13 February 2023	13/03: A1, 14/03: A3, 15/03 B1, 16/03: B2, 17/03: C1, 18/03: C2
April 2023 (DELF Junior)	17 March 2023	17/04: A1, 18/04: A2,19/04: B1, 20/04: B2.
April 2023 (DELF Prim)	18 January 2023 to 7 February 2023	18/04: A1.1, 19/04: A2, 20/04: A1
June 2023 (Tout Public)	12 May 2023	12/06: A1, 13/06: A2, 14/06: B1,15/06: B2, 16/06: C1, 17/06: C2.
July 2023 (DELF Junior and Tout Public)	16 June 2023	17/07: A1 TP, 18/07: A2 TP/B2 J,19/07: B1 TP/B1 J, 20/07: B2 TP/A2 J,21/07: C1 TP/A1 J, 22/07: C2 TP.
September 2023 (Tout Public)	11 August 2023	11/09: A1, 12/09: A2, 13/09: B1,14/09: B2, 15/09: C1, 16/09: C2.
December 2023 (Tout Public)	3 November 2023	04/12: A1 TP, 05/12: A2 TP/B2 J,06/12: B1 TP/B1 J, 07/12: B2 TP/A2 J,08/12: C1 TP/A1 J, 09/12: C2 TP
December 2023 (DELF Prim and DELF Junior)	4 September 2023 to 19 October 2023	13/12: A1.1, A1 J, 14/12: A2, A2 J,15/12: A1, B1 J, 16/12: B2 J.

Top Institutes for DELF Exam in India

There are only a few centers conducting 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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FAQs

This was all about the DELF exam. Planning to study and work after learning French? Then the DELF is your gateway to study abroad destinations. Call us at 1800 572 000 and find out all you need to make your dream university a reality today!