How To Prepare For DELF B2 In One Month And Ace It

You need to prove your French skills, so you have signed up for a DELE exam. Every morning brings you closer to the day of the test, but you are still not sure how to tackle it head-on. If that’s the case, this post is for you. Buckle up and let’s learn how to prepare for the DELF B2 exam in just one month!

If you only have a vague idea of what B2 means, I highly recommend reading this guide to CEFR proficiency levels. It will be helpful. If language testing terminology hasn’t scared you off, let’s dive right in.

Background: My Experience with DELF

I had been planning to take the DELF exam since October 2017. Then, I woke up at the end of April 2018 and realized that the test was in June. Yikes! If I had procrastinated a bit longer, I would have had to write a post on “how to prepare for DELF in two weeks.” I’m not sure if I would have aced it, though.

Back in April, I assessed my proficiency level to be somewhere between A2 and B1. I needed to reach C1 by September to be able to study French.

The gap between A2 and C1 felt like an eternity. I had to eliminate two extreme options: DELF A2 for its lack of usefulness and DELF C1 for its difficulty. Choosing between B1 and B2 was a tough decision. Unfortunately, I came across Canadian statistics of average mean scores for DELF, and B2 exams had the lowest pass rate. But despite that, I registered for the B2 exam.

In June, I took the B2 level test and, two weeks later, received my results: 72.5 out of 100, which meant that I had passed. Since then, I have been waiting for the official diploma so that I can proudly display it on my wall. [Update: Here it is]

So, being two levels below the required proficiency, how did I manage to prepare for the DELF B2 in just one month and successfully pass it? And how can you do the same?

Well, there are ten things you should consider doing.

1. Plan and Register in Advance

Planning is crucial because the DELF exam is only offered four times a year (unless you are willing to travel to another country to take it, of course). So, please do your homework and find the test dates beforehand. Register in advance and get your textbooks. Keep everything at hand. It will save you a lot of stress when it’s time to start preparing for the test.

After registering, make a study plan. From that day on, your daily routine should revolve around the exam. Allocate at least 1.5 hours a day for preparation, but keep in mind that this is the bare minimum. I studied for 2-3 hours every day.

The reason you need to study so much is that there is very little correlation between your actual ability to use French in real life and what is tested on French language exams. No matter how fluent you are in French, you still need to prepare for the DELF B2. Otherwise, believe it or not, you risk failing it. (Passing the test, however, does not necessarily mean fluency or “working proficiency.” You may ace your DELF and still struggle to order a cup of coffee at Charles de Gaulle Airport.)

2. Understand the Format of the DELF B2 Exam

DELF B2 preparation starts with making every attempt to understand the structure of the test.

(There are different test formats for different proficiency levels. If you want to familiarize yourself with the structure of A2, B1, C1, or C2 exams, the CIEP website is at your service.)

The B2 exam lasts up to 3.5 hours. This includes a 2.5-hour written part and a one-hour speaking part. Please refer to the table below for details (note that you will only have 30 minutes to prepare for the DELF B2 interview).

Duration Score PART 1 Listening 30 minutes / 25 PART 2 Reading 60 minutes / 25 PART 3 Writing 60 minutes / 25 PART 4 Speaking preparation 30 minutes – Speaking up to 20 minutes / 25

All sections of the DELF B2 exam follow this order, but you still have some flexibility with reading and writing. For example, you may choose to finish your essay first and then do all the readings. Furthermore, you will have the answer sheet with you throughout the test, allowing you to check and proofread your answers for every part of the test, including listening.

3. Understand the Grading and Passing Scheme

DELF has unique grading criteria (at least when compared to other language tests like IELTS).

The entire test is graded out of 100. Each part of the exam is worth 25 points. To pass the DELF B2 and obtain your diploma, you must meet two conditions:

• Score at least 50 out of 100 points.
• Earn at least 5 points for each part of the exam.

So, acing your strongest part and using that score to compensate for your weakest skill is not a viable strategy.

4. Know Your Weakest Point

Let’s come back to my example. The speaking part of any language test is the major source of headache, terror, and general uneasiness for me. To put it simply, this is the part I know I’m likely to fail. When it comes to reading and writing, however, I don’t have too many worries; these two are usually my strongest skills.

So, what is the best strategy to prepare for the DELF B2, given these constraints? Here is what my plan looked like:

1. Make sure to get at least 5 points for speaking (so that I don’t fail the test completely).
2. Make sure to get the highest possible score for reading and writing (to compensate for the points lost in speaking).
3. Practice listening to beat the odds.

Do the same. Understand what you’re good at and what you’re afraid of. Break down your DELF B2 preparation project into smaller, focused subtasks. It will help you get a clearer picture of the skills you should concentrate on improving. In my case, it came down to focusing on reading and writing. I also worked on listening, though less intensely. But. I didn’t work much on speaking.

It may sound counterintuitive. However, there is a good reason to focus on your strongest skills, especially if you’re pressed for time. Nobody can prepare perfectly for DELF B2 in one month. And if you haven’t written much in French, all you want to do is ensure that this skill doesn’t fail you, not become a second Victor Hugo.

Similarly, I didn’t expect to drastically improve my speaking skills in 30 days. In fact, I never spoke French to a real live person before the test. My preparation for this part was limited to self-talk and some Pimsleur. I got 10.5/25 for this part—which is a pathetic score, of course—but that was all I needed.

But what about the other parts?

5. Read the DELF B2 Preparation Guide

Read the guide. Please read the guide. I can’t emphasize it enough. It is essential to your success because the book tells you exactly what is expected of you.

I used “Reussir le DELF. Niveau B2“. In my case, it was a really old edition (2006), but it worked very well for me in 2018. Nonetheless, I still recommend using the newer 2016 edition or even both. The main reason is that these guides are the only sources of sample exams. You can’t find them on the Internet—yet, you will need them more than anything else.

Also, all DELF B2 guides are in French, and it’s a good thing. If you can’t understand the textbook, you should probably ask yourself whether B2 is actually your proficiency level.

The textbook is full of exercises, which will give you a sense of what the test looks like before you actually take it. So please don’t skip the next step:

6. Solve All the DELF B2 Preparation Exercises

Let’s be straightforward: these exercises are there for a reason.

Furthermore, you will be doing exactly the same exercises from the same textbook using the same answer keys if you choose to take a DELF preparation course. It would just cost you an extra $600, that’s it. (But, of course, you will also have someone who will force you to do these exercises if you choose this option.)

If you can organize yourself without outside assistance, then the textbook is all you need to prepare well for DELF B2. Speaking from personal experience, I can say that it will make you 100% ready for the listening and reading parts. You will:

• Know what kind of texts to expect on the DELF B2 exam.
• Understand how to approach each of the tasks.
• Learn how to write different types of answers.
• Get immediate corrective feedback (if you check your answers in the “corrigés” section).
• Get to know your most common mistakes.

Having those exercises done will help you prepare for the DELF B2 reading and listening sections. However, writing and speaking will require a different approach.

7. Memorize “Les Formules de Politesse”

On the DELF exam, nobody wants you to speak or write in a familiar style. Keep that for WhatsApp.

What this exam really is, is an exercise in fine writing and eloquent speaking. In other words, you have to be coherent, and the things you say must comply with the French understanding of what is polite.

And here you hit the wall of French pragmatics because what is appropriate in formal English is not so appropriate in formal French. Voilà.

The DELF B2 guide literally spells out all the expressions you may need for the writing part of the test (the letter). I wrote them all down and simply memorized them as chunks:

• “…Madame le Juge…“
• “…Je me permets de vous écrire pour…“
• “…Je vous prie de croire, Monsieur, à l’expression des mes meilleurs sentiments…“

Ugggghh. La France, c’est compliqué. C’est bien ça.

This strategy saved me tons of time on the actual test. I wrote a good half of the letter by heart. All I had to do afterward was compose the body of the letter according to the instructions.

8. Know Your Connectors

Okay, politeness formulas can help you prepare for the DELF B2 writing part—great. But what about speaking?

The good news is that you don’t have to express yourself like King Louis XV of France. The bad news is that examiners will still expect you to be somewhat coherent and logical.

It can be really challenging when you don’t speak a language very well. It gets even worse when you have to talk about a topic you’re not too familiar with (which is often the case). So, what on Earth can save you in the interview when you’re locked in a room with two Frenchmen furiously writing while you’re. uhm. trying to express yourself?

That’s right: connectors and retractors. The former are the words like “however”, “nevertheless”, “apart from that”, “by the way”, “unfortunately”, “meanwhile” and so on (in French, of course). The latter are the things you should say as soon as your examiner gives you a puzzling look… “Oh, I meant to say”, “I’m afraid I’ve expressed myself vaguely”, “let me clarify that” – something along these lines. And remember that it’s fine to correct yourself: we do it all the time.

9. Mock the Test

When I say “mock the test,” I don’t mean that you should solve one full DELF B2 sample test. I mean that you should find all available sample papers (both online and in print) and deliberately go through each one until you’ve completed them all.

Preparing for the listening and reading sections on your own shouldn’t be a problem as long as you have test samples and answer keys. However, the challenges lie in the writing and speaking sections because you may not have anyone to provide feedback.

There are countless ways to write a letter or present your defense during the interview. However, the sample answer at the end of the textbook, if available, will only provide one such approach. What should you do in this case?

What I did was compare my own writing with the sample. I focused mainly on fixed expressions, politeness formulas, ways to connect ideas, and constructing arguments. As long as my writing resembled the sample, I considered it correct. It may not be the most sophisticated strategy, but it works when you genuinely aim to improve your writing.

One important tip: make sure to write your answers by hand. Firstly, it improves your chances of recalling your practice during the test. Secondly, it trains your hand for the exam and minimizes the impact of slow handwriting on your test performance.

10. Read DELF B2-Specific Texts (and a Lot)

Finally, focus on expanding your vocabulary in the most common DELF topics: politics, economics, business, IT, ecology, and education.

Poor vocabulary can be detrimental to your performance in every section of the test. In the listening part, you will be asked to spell things out. In the reading part, texts will be filled with technical terms that you need to know (or else you’ll have to derive their meaning from the context). As for writing and speaking, the importance of a broad vocabulary cannot be overstated.

So, if you’ve completed all the exercises from the textbook but still have some time to prepare for the DELF B2, be sure to read the French press.

Reading the French press… Photo by Us Wah

Your personal collection should include Le Monde, RFI, Courrier International, Libération, L’actualité, and other exemplary French journalism sources.

It may be boring as hell. I have to admit that I, too, would prefer reading Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code in French. But sometimes, you have to do what you have to do.

While you may have prepared for the DELF B2, there will still be a lot waiting for you on the test day. Following the right strategies during the exam will save you time, energy, and nerve cells. Read the second part of the post to learn how to approach the exam most efficiently. Good luck!

Підготовка до іспитів DELF/DALF

У школі J’adore le français ми успішно готуємо наших студентів до іспитів DELF і DALF, використовуючи найновіші примірники екзаменів та спеціальні підручники, які розроблені саме для знайомства з форматом екзамена та його тонкощами і секретами. Наші студенти стабільно складають іспити на високі бали (завжди більше 70, прохідний бал – 50) та вступають до французьких університетів, знаходять собі роботу у Франції, підписують робочі контракти або виходять заміж за французів.

ЩО ТАКЕ DELF І DALF?

DELF (Диплом про вивчення французької мови) та DALF (Диплом про поглиблене вивчення французької мови) –дипломи на знання французької як іноземної мови, які видаються Міністерством національної освіти Франції.

Розроблені експертами CIEP (Міжнародний центр педагогічних досліджень), сертифікати поділяються на 6 окремих рівнів згідно Загальноєвропейських Рекомендацій з мовної освіти.

Екзамени були запроваджені Міністерством Освіти Франції в 1985 році, контроль якості проведення здійснює одна з державних освітніх установ у Парижі —Міжнародний центр педагогічних досліджень— CIEP. DELF і DALF офіційно визнані Міністерством Освіти Франції та Європейською Радою Іноземних Мов.

Сертифікати на знання французької мови DELF/DALF видаються Міністерством освіти та молоді Франції після проходження відповідно екзамену. Дипломи DELF та DALF підтверджують рівень володіння французькою мовою кандидатів-іноземців.

DELF і DALF включають в себе 6 окремих дипломів, які відповідають шести рівням «Загальноєвропейських рекомендацій з мовної освіти, викладання, вивчення та оцінювання.”

Екзамени приймаються в 1 186 акредитованих екзаменаційних центрах в 173 країнах світу, в тому числі в Україні, у центрах Альянс Франсез.

На кожному рівні оцінюються 4 мовні навички: аудіювання та усне мовлення, читання та письмо.

Всі 6 дипломів DELF-DALF повністю незалежні. Таким чином, кандидат, в залежності від рівня, може записатись на той чи інший іспит.

Отримання диплому DELF-DALF дозволяє визначити рівень володіння мовою учбових закладів, для можливих роботодавців, а також для будь-яких інших установ.

DELF B2 необхідний при вступі до вищих навчальних закладів Франції та франкомовних країн, так і до численних франкомовних закладів, а також для процесу іміграції, зокрема в Квебек.