What is the Difference Between DELF and DALF?

DELF vs. DALF

DELF and DALF are diplomas issued by the French Ministry of Education to non-French speakers to validate their level of French language skills.  

The diplomas are valid for life and are recognized worldwide. To get them, you must pass the DELF and DALF exams, which evaluate your communication skills in real-life scenarios using authentic documents.

What do DELF and DALF stand for?

DELF stands for Diplôme d’études en langue française (Diploma of French-language studies).  
DALF stands for Diplôme approfondi de langue française (Advanced diploma in French language).

DELF

Who is it for?

The DELF certificate is suitable for language learners of all levels, and there are a number of purposes for which students usually take the exam.  

If you wish to study a bachelor’s degree at a French university, you have to pass DELF B2 for entry into the first year.  

If you wish to enter the INBP (National Institute of Bakery and Pastry), you’ll sit an entrance exam that is similar to the DELF B2 exam, so a DELF preparation course is a suitable and helpful option.  

In Switzerland, some jobs in the public sector require certain levels of DELF.

What does it cover?

The DELF diploma covers the first four levels of the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL): levels A1, A2, B1 and B2, from elementary to upper intermediate.

What is the exam like?

You’ll take an exam for each of the four levels A1, A2, B1 and B2. Each exam tests you on four areas, covered in different papers:  

• Reading (marked out of 25)
• Writing (marked out of 25)
• Speaking (marked out of 25)
• Listening (marked out of 25)

Exams are marked out of 100. To pass any of the levels, you must score 50/100, with a minimum score of 5/25 in each area.  

In total across the four papers, DELF exams last:

• DELF A1: 1 hour 20 minutes
• DELF A2: 1 hour 40 minutes
• DELF B1: 1 hour 45 minutes
• DELF B2: 2 hours 30 minutes

How does the oral part of the exam work?

In the DELF speaking exams, you have 30 minutes to prepare a well-presented and argued presentation about a topic. After you’ve given the presentation you will be asked questions about it.  

Where is it recognized?

The DELF diploma is recognised all over the world – it is given by the French Ministry of Education so it is as official as it gets!  

DALF

Who is it for?

The DALF certificate is useful to anyone wanting to pursue higher education studies in France or in French, as it certifies you have the required language skills and you won’t need to take a separate language test.

If you’re planning on applying to study a master’s degree at a university in France, you have to pass DALF C1. It’s also open to you if you simply want to improve your French for pleasure – and if you enjoy working autonomously, you’ll really enjoy this course.  

DALF is also often the diploma of choice for anyone wanting to get a job in large companies where employees are expected to be fluent in French, which is the case in many large Swiss companies, for example.  

In Switzerland, there are also certain public-sector jobs for which you need to attain a certain level of DALF.

What does it cover?

The DALF diploma covers the last two levels of the Council of Europe’ s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL): levels C1-C2.  

What is the exam like?

You’ll take an exam for each of the two levels C1 and C2.  

The C1 exam tests you on four areas, covered in different papers:  

• Reading (marked out of 25)
• Writing (marked out of 25)
• Speaking (marked out of 25)
• Listening (marked out of 25)

Exams are marked out of 100. To pass either level, you must score 50/100, with a minimum score of 5/25 in each area.  

The C2 exam is slightly different and combines linked skills as follows:  

• Reading and writing (marked out of 50)
• Speaking and listening (marked out of 50)

To pass this exam, you must also score 50/100.  

In total across the four papers, DALF exams last:

• DALF C1: 4 hours
• DALF C2: 3 hours 30 minutes

How does the oral part of the exam work?

In the DALF speaking exam you have 60 minutes to prepare a well-presented and argued presentation about a topic. After you’ve given the presentation you will be asked questions about it.  

Where is it recognized?

As an official state-issued diploma, DALF is recognized all over the world.

What are the key differences between DELF and DALF?

Essentially, they certify you for different levels of ability. DALF, standing for Diplôme approfondi de langue française, or Advanced diploma in French language, shows you have reached a more advanced level of French language learning.  

Together, DELF and DALF cover the six levels of the Council of Europe’ s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) from A1-C2.  

While DELF corresponds to levels A1-A2 and B1-B2 (elementary and intermediate), DALF corresponds to levels C1-C2 (advanced).  

The exams at each level all differ, but they cover four areas:  

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading  
• Writing

DELF A1-B2 and DALF C1 exams all have one section on each of the above areas, but DALF C2 is different and combines listening and speaking in one section and reading and writing in another.  

What are the most challenging aspects of the DELF and DALF exams?

Each student may find different aspects challenging, but the areas most find a challenge include pronunciation and grammar, especially:  

• Tenses and tense concordance in subordinate phrases  
• Articles, complements and pronouns  
• Active/passive and the subjunctive  
• Verbs that take the subjunctive
• Verbs that take avoir or être

However, there’s no need at all to worry – these are all areas we cover at length in our preparation courses and your teacher will guide you through them all so you go into the exams with lots of confidence.  

How do you take the next step?

Whichever diploma you’re ready to start studying for, you’ll find our courses provide thorough preparation in a wonderful environment that gives you the immersive experience you’ll need.

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