DELF B1 Exam Preparation Strategies.pdf

DELF B1 Exam Preparation
Strategies
Website - https://lingorelic.com/ Phone - +91 9056131830

WHAT IS DELF?
The DELF (Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française) is a French language
diploma provided by the Education Ministry of France to students proficient
in French. The DELF B1 certification is based on the Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). It is a lifetime asset and
an internationally recognized certification of your linguistic proficiency in
French. It can qualify you for study, work, and several other career
opportunities. Besides, a minimum DELF B1 level is required for
candidates who wish to get permanent nationality in France or in
Switzerland.
In the exam, your proficiency is evaluated based on four language skills:
Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing.
Website - https://lingorelic.com/
Phone - +91 9056131830
Bonjour! The DELF B1 exam seems to be quite difficult to most French learners,
especially because the difference between levels A2 and B1 is so huge. Today,
let’s talk about all that you must know to get prepared for your DELF B1 in
Zirakpur.

Phone - +91 9056131830
NOTE: March 2020 onwards, the exam format for the Listening and Reading
modules has been modified (all open-ended questions have been replaced
by MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions). However, the new format has not yet
been made active worldwide. Some centers have started implementing the
new format while others still continue to use the old one. So you should be
mentally prepared to face any format in the exam. In any case, it should not
be a huge challenge, because even if you prepare as per the old format, the
MCQ- type format is easier so you end up being trained for a more difficult
exam pattern while you find the new one comparatively easy.
Old Format of the DELF B1 exam:

New Format of the DELF B1 exam:

Below are all the differences highlighted between the old and the new
DELF B1 exam formats for Listening and Reading modules:
Old format New Format
Phone - +91 9056131830
Listening Reading
Duration- 25
mins
Duration- 35
mins
Total: 3 audio
documents
Total- 2
exercises
Question type-
MCQ and Open-
ended
Question type-
MCQ and Open-
ended
Maximum
duration of
documents: 6
mins
Each audio
played twice
Total marks- 25 Total marks- 25
No negative
marking
No negative
marking
Listening Reading
Duration- 25
mins
Duration- 25
mins
Total- Multiple
audio
documents
Total- Multiple
exercises
Question type-
MCQ
Question type-
MCQ
Maximum
duration of
documents: 6
mins
Total marks- 25
Each audio
played twice
No negative
marking
No negative
marking
Total marks- 25

Please note that the new exam format has not yet been implemented in all
centers. It will be slowly made active. Mostly it will be progressive in countries
other than France around 2023. You are suggested to contact your exam center
to confirm if the new format has been implemented at their center. For online
practice material as per the new format, you may stick to the already published
material in the books Réussir le DELF B1 and Hachette Préparation à
l’examen B1. Also, you may practice on RFI Savoirs to find mostly MCQ type
questions. Here are some useful websites with transcriptions with French
subtitles like Mediatheque, France2 and Le journal en Français facile.
The DELF B1 exam is of 100 marks (each module is of 25 marks). You need a
minimum of 50 overall and a minimum of 5 in each sub-test to qualify.
Obviously, it is much better to get a higher score in each sub-test.
To prepare for the exam, here are a few tips you need:
BEFORE THE TEST
Usually, you will need around 1 month for the exam-specific preparation for each
module of DELF B1 to get familiarized and to practice as per the exam format. Here’s
what you must know about the individual tasks in each module:
PRODUCTION ORALE: SPEAKING
This is an individual test. You will have 3 tasks:
– A Guided Conversation: The examiner will try to get to know you more. This is a 2-
3 minute task. The jury may ask you questions about you, your likes, dislikes,
habits, hobbies, and about things and people that surround you. This task is done
without preparation.
– A Roleplay/ Dialogue with the jury (3- 4 minutes)- You will be given a simple daily
life situation (formal or informal), and you will have to discuss, solve a problem or
persuade the examiner. This task is done without preparation.
– Expressing a point of view (5- 7 minutes)- This task is like a monologue in which
you will be expected to talk about the positive/ negative sides or cause/
consequence related to a particular topic. You will have 10 minutes to prepare for this
task.
Then, you will give a conclusion and express your point of view. You are ideally
suggested to not let the examiner talk a lot since it is a monologue. Once you’ve
finished, the examiner may ask you 2- 3 questions related to the discussion and you
will have to answer them.

.
TIPS FOR THE DELF B1 SPEAKING EXAM:
1.Don’t forget to start by greeting the jury upon entering and say goodbye before
leaving. “La formule de politesse” is very important in French culture!
2. Request the jury to repeat in case you do not understand them. Examiners are
instructed to reformulate for the candidate if they are not able to understand
something, so don’t be fearful.
3. Have a confident, calm, and relaxed attitude! Instead of feeling judged and
uncertain about your speaking, let your energy and attention be channelized into
believing in yourself. As long as you can express yourself using good sentences and
ideas without doubting yourself and blocking, the jury will encourage you since they
understand that you are still a learner. “Fake it till you make it”, this strategy really
works!
4. To be confident, revise all your grammar and vocabulary well before the exam so
you do not doubt your sentences while speaking.
5. Never do mental translations to French from any other language. Instead, try using
all the vocabulary and expressions you have available, and practice rephrasing your
sentences if you are blocked and speak differently when you think you cannot recall a
specific word.
6. Do not be too harsh on yourself desperately wanting to build a French accent.
Remember, learning a foreign language is an act of immense courage and so people
from different cultural backgrounds and different stories have different ways of
speaking. If your French pronunciations are correct, nobody will judge you for your
accent. So rather than focusing on building an accent, focus on pronouncing the
words right.
7. For each task in the Speaking test, strictly follow the structure that has been taught
to you by your French trainer. This enables you to be disciplined while presenting
and makes it easier for the jury to follow you. If your structure is not well-planned, it
will seem disorderly and difficult to follow and you lose marks
8. Use different synonyms, connectors, tenses, moods, and other linguistic elements
to show the jury that you can bring variety into your oral presentation.

Website - https://lingorelic.com/ Phone -+91 9056131830
9. Add relevant examples. This will help you not only justify your point but also to
present the time duration of each task. The examiner evaluates through this that you are
capable of elaborating upon what you speak. The jury is not going to verify if you are
narrating the truth. You will be assessed based on your linguistic skill in French. So if
you cannot recall a real-life experience, create a story to support your point as an
example.
COMPRÉHENSION ORALE: LISTENING
As already mentioned, this module has an old format and a new format. In any case,
this is a collective test in which you will listen to 3 or more audios about daily life
situations. Each audio has a duration of 6 minutes maximum and is played two times.
You will have to answer the questions on your sheet. The questions in the old format
are a combination of MCQs and open-ended questions. However, the new format
comprises of all MCQs which makes the task comparatively easier. In general,
students are recommended to answer the questions between the 1st and the 2nd
listening. There is no negative marking in the test.
TIPS FOR DELF B1 LISTENING TEST:
1. You will have 30 seconds to 1 minute before the audio starts. During this time, read
all the questions quickly before the audio starts. To proceed, underline the important
keywords in the questions.
2. ALWAYS use the rough sheets that are provided to you. They’ve been provided to
you for an important purpose. In listening, their purpose is to write down the
keywords that you can understand from the audio. Write them down in the order you
hear them because then you can relate them to the questions asked.
3. Do not desperately try to understand every single word in the audio. You will not
have the time for it. Instead, note down keywords, jot them down and use them to
answer.
4. Do not worry about the keywords/ info that you have missed. Instead, focus on the
further audio to not lose that info too.
5. For subjective questions (as per the old exam format), do not write complete
sentences. The keywords/ main idea is enough. Also, do not worry about spelling
mistakes or grammar here. As long as your keywords are correct, you get full points.
6. If you have initially attempted your answers in pencil, do attempt your final answers
in pen. Answers in pencil are not evaluated even if they are correct.
7. Try to answer as many questions as possible between the first and second listening
of the audio.
8. After the second listening, complete the remaining answers.
9. There is absolutely no negative marking in the exam. So do answer every single
question instead of leaving any blanks for what you don’t know.

COMPRÉHENSION ÉCRITE: READING
As per the old format, the Reading module of DELF B1 is to be finished in 35 minutes.
The new format, however, is to be finished in 45 minutes. There are 2-3 reading
passages related to which some questions are to be answered. The old format has a
combination of open-ended questions and MCQs while the new format has all MCQs.
Your aim is to identify and analyze important details in the texts based on which you
answer the questions.
TIPS FOR DELF B1 READING TEST:
1. First, read the text in detail. Some candidates make the mistake of first reading
the questions and then skimming through the document to find the answers. This
way they end up wasting their significant time because the test design is such
that it is not so easy for a learner to skim through a document and get the
answers So always read the text first, then answer the questions. Then give a
second reading to the document, this reading should be quicker. This time you
will observe that you can understand the text better than the first time, so now
you can answer the rest of the questions and make changes to the previous ones
if need be.
2. There is absolutely no negative marking in the test. So always answer every
single question instead of leaving blanks
3. For the old format, in subjective questions, do not waste time writing full
sentences. The keywords/ the main idea is sufficient. Also, spelling mistakes and
grammatical errors do not affect your marks in this module. As long as your
keywords are correct, you are awarded full marks.
4. If you’ve initially attempted your answers in pencil, do attempt your final answers
in pen. Answers written in pencil are not evaluated even if they are correct.
5. In the old format, in case of the True/ False questions that require justification,
quote the exact sentence in its entirety from the document instead of writing in
your own words.
PRODUCTION ÉCRITE: WRITING
In this module of 45 minutes duration, you will have 1 task (Letter, Essay, Article). The
word limit is 160-180 words. You will have to write a clear and coherent composition
to discuss your opinion about a topic and the assessment will be done based on your
grammatical skills, range of vocabulary, the structure of content presented, and a few
other elements

TIPS FOR DELF B1 WRITING TEST:
1. To be confident about your writing, revise your grammar and vocabulary well
before the exam so you do not doubt your sentences during the exam.
2. ALWAYS use the rough sheets provided to you. They’ve been provided to you for
an important purpose which is to jot down your ideas, make a mind- map, and
then write your complete task here. Further, you take the remaining time to copy
down the text on the answer sheet. This way you make it look more presentable,
organized, and with the least amount of errors.
3. Use different synonyms, expressions, connectors, tenses, moods, and other
grammatical components to show your ability to bring about variety in your writing
presentation.
4. Always follow the structure for writing that has been taught to you by your trainer.
The paragraphs must be neatly divided using connectors and transition words.
5. Add relevant examples to support what you need to justify. If you can’t think of a
real-life experience, create an imaginary story and use it. You are assessed
based on your French language abilities and so nobody verifies if it is the reality.
6. Attempt your final answer in pen. Even the best of answers written in pencil are
not considered.
7. Do not exceed the word limit. This way you end up not only making more
mistakes in the composition but also it is a waste of time and so you get lesser
marks on the test.
DURING THE TEST
STAY RELAXED! Be calm and relaxed, confident and optimistic that your decision to
learn French is an act of extreme courage! Your attitude during the exam decides a lot
about your performance!
GREETINGS: For Speaking, start by greeting the examiner and seeking permission
to enter. Don’t speak anything in any language other than French.
REQUEST TO REPEAT IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND: If you cannot understand
something that the jury says, do ask them to repeat it. They will make it easier for you.
USE THE ROUGH SHEETS TO PLAN WELL: For Speaking, while you still have time
to prepare your monologue, use the rough sheets. They have an important purpose. If
you don’t plan and jot down your ideas there, you won’t make it as effective. The
same is true for the Listening and Writing modules. In Listening, use rough sheets to
write down the keywords that you understand. Further, relate them to answer the
questions. In Writing, draft your answer on the rough sheet and then copy it down
presentably in the answer sheet.

Now that you’ve got the smartest tips for DELF B1 exam preparation, you are good to
go!
If this blog was helpful to you, check out my other blogs here: BLOG
Bon apprentissage!
If you are looking for French Exam Preparation for any level, for online French classes
in Zirakpur, or for guidance related to DELF exam dates, centers, and registration,
WhatsApp +91- 9056131830 to discuss the details and to have a free counseling +
demo session booked.
KEYWORDS: In Listening, do not desperately try to understand the whole audio. Try
to understand the global idea while noting down the keywords in order.
ATTEMPT YOUR PAPER IN PEN: At the end, attempt all the final answers in pen.
You are not awarded marks if you have answered in pencil even if the answer is
correct.
READ THE TASK CAREFULLY: Read each instruction attentively. In Speaking,
Listening, and Reading, focus on interrogatory words and answer as per them. In
Writing, identify the tense(s) in which the task is to be attempted and answer
accordingly.
DON’T COPY THE QUESTION: In Writing, do not copy the exact question in your
answer. This will not get you any marks. In Speaking, do not say the exact sentences
from the extract. Instead, rephrase and write/ speak in your own words. In Writing,
add accords (extra “e” and the extra “s” for feminine and plural subject/ object), if
needed.
REVISE: Do not leave your answers unreviewed. Review and correct all possible
mistakes before the examiner gets to do so.

DELF B1 Exam Preparation Strategies.pdf

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