How to succeed on your DELF A1 exam

If you have been taking French classes for a while, you know that several exams are available to prove your level of French. As the official center for DELF exam in Vancouver, we will give you a few tips on things to think about and work as part of the preparation for your DELF exam.

At the end of the article, you’ll be able to download a DELF A1 preparation guide so you can practice at home.

There is a specific DELF exam for each level of French knowledge (A1, A2, B1, B2), according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The test is divided into a collective or group section and an individual session that can take between 1 hour and 20 minutes up to 3 hours and a half to present, depending on the level

DELF sections

The collective part covers oral comprehension, written comprehension, and written expression.

The individual test covers oral expression only

We will be presenting a series of articles that will cover the exam for each level, specifically for adults. We will talk about DELF Prim’ and Junior exams for kids and teenagers later. In this article, we will cover how to successfully present your DELF A1 exam.

General advice for the overall examination process:

If you don't know or remember a word in French, try finding a synonym or explaining it in another way. Try your best not to use English!

If you don't understand what the evaluator is saying, ask them to repeat or speak slowly, you are allowed to and won’t lose points doing that! It's always valid rather than giving an answer that doesn't make sense. An example of this question can be: « 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 connect sentences or ideas, try using words like "et", "parce que ", "mais" etc.

The oral expression examinations are done by an evaluator and consist of three parts: a simple interview, an exchange of information, and a simulated conversation.

For the guided interview, consider that they will ask you simple questions regarding your family, activities, hobbies, etc. It's best to try to practice by preparing a short speech beforehand.

There is a part that implies exchanging information, and you must be able to ask questions using the interrogation forms like "qu'est-ce" "que", "comment", "pourquoi", "où", "quand", "qui", "quel", etc.

Simulated dialogue

For the simulated dialogue, consider formulating your speech in the following order:

Greet the person: don't forget to start by greeting the person with a "Bonjour monsieur/madame."

Ask questions: For example, « quand est le cours de tennis? À quelle heure?” Combien ça coûte ? », or « combien coûte le sac? Quelles couleurs vous avez ? », etc.

Request for something using the phrase « je voudrais…, s’il vous plaît ».

Finish your speech in a polite matter and incorporate « merci » et « au revoir »

These are some general tips to consider for your DELF A1 exam; however, practicing by doing simulation exams is highly beneficial to ensure a positive outcome in your DELF exam.

You can also download a DELF Tout Public A1 preparation guide by filling out this form:

Need extra preparation? Consider one of our French classes to learn the content that will lead to the exam and prepare for the DELF exam.
Want to present your DELF exam in Vancouver? Register today for one of our upcoming tests!