DELF A1 preparation guide for teens

Alliance Française Vancouver is the official center for the DELF exam in Vancouver. To help our students succeed in their DELF exams, we have created a series of articles that provide tips to think about and work on as part of the DELF A1 preparation for teenagers from Grade 8 to 12.

This article covers the DELF A1 level, specifically for teenagers. There is also a test for children called DELF Prim which will be covered in another post.

You will also be able to download a DELF A1 sample guide with exercises to practice.

The DELF A1 Junior, or DELF for teens, is divided into two sections: collective session and individual evaluation.

The collective evaluation is divided into three sections, and the individual examination is held by 2 examiners.

To obtain your DELF A1 diploma, you must have a minimum of 50 points over 100.

Suggestions for oral comprehension

Read the instructions and questions carefully before the first audio play.
The questions will appear in the order that follows the audio’s organization.
Usually there are images that accompany each question. Use these images to understand the situation.
If you don’t understand a word, try to understand the overall context of the document.
During the first audio play, if you cannot answer a question, answer the following questions.
During the second audio replay, verify and complete your answers.
Pay attention to exercise no.4, there are 5 conversations and 6 images, so there is one image that does not correspond to the conversations in the audio tape.

Advice to consider for the written comprehension

Carefully read the document. Consider the most important information of each article (type of document, who wrote it, when, and why).
Highlight or underline the most important information.
The questions will follow the order of the article.
There are images that come with the questions, use these images to understand the situation.
If you do not understand a word, try to understand the overall context.
Re-read what you wrote and verify your answers.
Start by the exercise that you prefer. Carefully read the instructions and questions before starting.

The written production

Pay attention to your handwriting: the answers must be clear.
Read attentively the instructions, identify the theme and what you need to do. Think of the type of document that you must write (a postcard, an email) and identify who you must write to (will you write “tu” or “vous”?).
Use a draft paper to write down your ideas.
Write simple and short sentences with the words that you know.
Use the correct ways of addressing people (« cher/chère », « Madame/Monsieur ») and the polite forms (« salut », « à bientôt »).
Use words as “et” and “alors” to link your ideas.
Re-read what you wrote and verify the spelling and grammar.
Count the number of words and write them on the bottom of your exam.

On the first exercise :

Pay attention to your writing: your reply must be clear.
Fill out all the criteria.
“Nom” refers to the last name.
“Prénom” refers to first name.
The « nationalité » is not the same as the country, for example :
- Country = “Allemagne” / Nationality= “Allemande”
- Country = “Japon” / Nationality = “Japonais”

For the oral expression, consider

If you don’t know a word in French, try to find a word that means the same thing or explain it in another way.
If you don’t understand what the examinator is saying, ask him to repeat or to speak slowly. For example : « Excusez-moi, je ne comprends pas » / « Est-ce que vous pouvez répéter / « Est-ce que vous pouvez parler plus lentement, s’il vous plaît ? »
To link your sentences, use words like « et », « parce que », « mais » etc.

For first part, the guided interview :

The evaluator will ask you simple questions about yourself (your family, pet, activities)

For the second part, the exchange of information:

You must know the interrogative phrases like: qu’est-ce que, comment, pourquoi, où, quand, qui, quel, etc.

For the third part, the simulated dialogue

Start by greeting the person: « Bonjour monsieur/madame »
Ask for information. Examples: « quand est le cours de tennis ? À quelle heure » « Combien ça coûte ? », or « combien coûte le sac ? Quelles couleurs vous avez ? », etc.

Ask something with « je voudrais…, s’il vous plaît »
Finish your speech with« merci » and « au revoir »

These are some general tips to consider for your DELF Junior A1 exam; however, practicing by doing simulation exams is highly beneficial to ensure a positive outcome in your DELF exam. You can also improve your DELF outcome by joining our Spring Break DELF preparation camp!

You can download a DELF Junior A1 sample preparation exam here:

Did you know that in British Columbia you can use your DELF certificate to get external credits from Grade 10 to 12? Find out more on our blog article DELF Junior: How to get external credits for schools.

Need extra preparation? Consider our Spring break camp on DELF preparation for Grade 8 to 12.

Want to present your DELF exam in Vancouver? Register today for one of our upcoming tests!