Candidate Guide - DELF B2

The guide provides information on the following topics:

1. Important information for exam day

2. Structure and duration of the exam

3. Listening comprehension test

4. Reading comprehension test

5. Written production test

6. Oral production test

7. DELF exam registration

8. Tips for each exercise 

Important information for exam day

At the start of the exam, candidates must correctly complete their personal information on their answer sheet and follow the writing instructions:

• Write the candidate number, last name, and first name in the designated spaces.

• Use only a blue or black ink pen.

• Write clearly and legibly.

• Respect the required word count in the written production exercises.

• Count the number of words.

Use of draft sheets

• Candidates must not bring their own draft sheets.

• Invigilators provide draft sheets at the beginning of the test so that candidates can write keywords and ideas.

• If necessary, candidates can request additional sheets from the invigilators.

• Draft sheets must remain in the exam room.

• All draft sheets must be returned to the invigilators at the end of the exam.

Structure and duration of the exam

The DELF B2 consists of 4 tests.

Each test is scored out of 25 points, for a total of 100 points.

To pass the exam, candidates must:

• Obtain at least 50 points out of 100

• Obtain at least 5 points out of 25 in each test

Tests

• Listening comprehension — approximately 30 minutes

• Reading comprehension — 1 hour

• Written production — 1 hour

• Oral production — approximately 20 minutes + 30 minutes of preparation

The first three tests are collective.
The oral production test is individual.
The total duration of the collective tests is approximately 2 hours 30 minutes.

Listening comprehension test

Duration: 30 minutes
This is the first collective test of the exam.

Types of documents

• Monologues, dialogues, or informal discussions (friendly, professional)

• News bulletins, interviews

• Presentations of debates, course introductions, conferences, or public meetings

Exercise structure

• Exercises 1 and 2 – Detailed comprehension

  • Radio documents of 2 min 30 sec to 3 min

  • Two listens each

• Exercise 3 – Global comprehension

  • Three short documents (60–80 sec)

  • One listen per document

Practical tips

• Read the questions carefully before listening to anticipate the content

• During listening, do not try to answer immediately; listen carefully

• After the first listening, start answering the easiest questions

• Use the second listening to complete and check your answers

Reading comprehension test

Duration: 60 minutes
This is the second collective test, after listening comprehension.

• 3 exercises

• 5 documents (2 long texts and 3 short texts)

  • Long texts: 425–450 words

  • Short texts: 100–120 words

• Multiple-choice questions (MCQs)

Test procedure

• Read several documents (articles, messages, announcements, informative or argumentative texts)

• Answer a total of 20 questions

• Questions usually follow the order of the documents

• Time management is flexible, but it is recommended to work through the documents in order

Test objectives

• Identify useful information to complete a given task

• Analyze and understand the content and general meaning of a general-interest document

Practical tips

• Prepare by regularly reading Francophone press and texts on various themes:

  • Education, environment, work, health

  • Society, media, consumption, Internet, culture

• Acquire a wide range of vocabulary specific to these themes

• Practice identifying the tone of the text and the author’s opinion or intention

Written production test

Duration: 60 minutes
This is the third collective test, after reading comprehension.

Type of exercise

• Personal argumentative writing: contribution to a debate, formal letter, critical article, essay…

• Minimum length: 250 words

Test objectives

• Present facts clearly

• Argue with precise examples

• Convince the reader with a constructed, coherent, and logical text

Instructions

• The prompt specifies the situation, the type of production, and sometimes a plan to follow

• Candidates must adapt their text to the type of production:

  • Letter to an administration or responsible person (motivation letter, letter of complaint…)

  • Argumentative text (letters to the editor, forum post…)

  • Essay or critique on a given topic

What examiners expect

• Clear introduction

• Structured argumentation (ideas + examples)

• Precise vocabulary and logical connectors (however, on the other hand, moreover)

• Relevant conclusion

Practical tips

• Read the prompt carefully to understand the type of text, objective, and plan to use

• Structure the text with logical paragraphs

• Use connectors to link ideas (first, then, however, consequently, thus, finally…)

• Leave at least 5 minutes at the end to:

  • Count words

  • Proofread and correct spelling and grammar errors

How to count words

• A word is a group of characters separated by a space

• Examples:

  • “Je mange une pomme” = 4 words

  • “J’ai fait des travaux chez moi” = 6 words (“j’ai” = 1 word)

  • “Rendez-vous” = 1 word

Oral production test

Exam procedure

1. Arrival at the exam center

• Candidate arrives at the time indicated on the admission ticket

• Presents the admission ticket and ID

• Waits for their name or number to be called

2. Candidate call

• An invigilator or examiner calls the candidate

• Candidate is accompanied to the preparation room

3. Preparation

• Candidate draws two topics and chooses the one they prefer

• Candidate has 30 minutes to prepare

During preparation:

• Read the document carefully

• Identify the main problem or question

• Find arguments and examples to support ideas

• Choose a structure or plan suitable for the oral presentation

• Prepare the plan clearly

💡 Tip: write only keywords, ideas, symbols, or short phrases, not full sentences, so you don’t have to read during the oral exam

4. Presentation

Methodology in 3 steps: introduction, development, conclusion

Introduction:

• Present the document: type, source, date, author

• Summarize content: what the text/article is about

• State the main idea: the author’s opinion on the subject

• Announce the problem

• Present the plan of the presentation

Development:

• Develop arguments according to the chosen plan

• Illustrate each argument with precise examples

Conclusion:

• Give your personal opinion without adding new arguments

• Optionally, open the discussion with a question

• Pass the floor to the examiner

5. Discussion

• Examiner explores ideas from the presentation further

• Tests ability to argue and defend positions

Tips for success

• Be ready to convince and illustrate points with concrete examples

• Explain clearly if your point of view differs

• Stay calm, polite, and structured in responses

General preparation tips for DELF B2 oral

• Practice speaking regularly: speak French every day, even a few minutes

• Record yourself or talk with a friend to improve fluency and pronunciation

• Practice structuring a presentation: introduction – development – conclusion

• Learn to announce your plan and present ideas clearly

• Learn to argue: prepare arguments and concrete examples

• Practice explaining disagreement politely and clearly

• Read and listen regularly: articles, podcasts, videos in French

• Expand vocabulary and useful expressions: logical connectors, opinion expressions (“in my opinion,” “on the other hand,” “moreover,” “that said…”)

• Prepare keywords and short phrases to illustrate arguments quickly

• Simulate exam situations: timed exercises, role-plays, varied topics

DELF exam registration

For information on exam sessions and registration procedures, visit:
👉 https://godelf.com

Sample topics

Click the link below to see sample topics for DELF B2:
👉 https://www.france-education-international.fr/diplome/delf-tout-public/niveau-b2/exemples-sujets