DELF B2 essay example: a model response with examiner commentary

The prompt: what the candidate was asked to write

Before looking at the model response, here is the task as it might appear in a DELF B2 production écrite:

Vous lisez dans un journal local le compte rendu d'un débat municipal sur la fermeture de la bibliothèque de votre quartier pour raisons budgétaires. Vous décidez d'écrire une lettre au directeur de ce journal pour exprimer votre point de vue sur cette décision et convaincre les lecteurs de l'importance de préserver ce service public.

Écrivez cette lettre (environ 250 mots).

This task asks for a formal letter, addressed to a newspaper editor, arguing in favour of preserving a local library. The candidate must: adopt the letter format, take a clear position, argue it with development, and use an appropriate formal register throughout.

The model response

Monsieur le Directeur,

J'ai pris connaissance avec intérêt du compte rendu consacré au projet de fermeture de la bibliothèque de notre quartier. Cette décision, présentée comme une simple mesure d'économie budgétaire, me semble pourtant lourde de conséquences pour l'ensemble de la communauté.

En premier lieu, la bibliothèque remplit une fonction sociale que nul équivalent numérique ne saurait pleinement assurer. Elle constitue, pour de nombreux habitants, notamment les étudiants et les familles aux revenus modestes, un accès gratuit et serein à la culture, aux ressources documentaires et à un espace de travail. Supprimer ce service reviendrait à aggraver les inégalités culturelles que les pouvoirs publics s'engagent pourtant à combattre.

Par ailleurs, la bibliothèque joue un rôle de lien social souvent sous-estimé. Les ateliers de lecture, les animations pour enfants et les permanences d'aide administrative qui y sont organisés contribuent à maintenir une vie de quartier que les budgets numériques, aussi généreux soient-ils, ne peuvent pas recréer.

Certes, les contraintes budgétaires sont réelles et la mairie est tenue d'en tenir compte. Cependant, la fermeture d'un équipement collectif de cette nature génère des coûts sociaux difficilement mesurables, mais bien réels à long terme.

Je vous serais reconnaissant de bien vouloir publier cette lettre afin que ce débat reste ouvert. La décision finale appartient aux élus, mais l'opinion des habitants mérite d'être entendue.

Je vous prie d'agréer, Monsieur le Directeur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées.

[Signature]

Criterion-by-criterion commentary

Criterion 1: task completion and respect of the instruction

The candidate addresses the task fully. The format is correct: a formal letter with an appropriate opening (Monsieur le Directeur), a body with developed arguments, a closing request consistent with the task (publishing the letter), and a formal closing formula.

The position is clear from the second sentence of the first paragraph: the candidate opposes the closure. The task asked for a point of view and an effort to convince readers: both are present. The length is appropriate for 250 words.

What would have failed this criterion: omitting the letter format and writing an essay instead, failing to take a position, or writing only about the topic in general without addressing the specific situation in the prompt.

Criterion 2: coherence and cohesion

The structure is explicit and well-signalled. The opening paragraph introduces the topic and states the thesis. The second paragraph develops the first argument (social access function) and is introduced with En premier lieu. The third paragraph develops the second argument (social bonding role) and is introduced with Par ailleurs. The fourth paragraph introduces a concession (Certes) and then rebuts it (Cependant). The closing paragraph returns to the letter format with a request.

The transition from concession to rebuttal in paragraph four is one of the strongest signals of B2-level coherence. It shows the candidate can acknowledge complexity without abandoning the position.

Connectors are varied: pourtant, En premier lieu, notamment, Par ailleurs, aussi... soient-ils, Certes, Cependant. None is repeated.

Criterion 3: lexical range and accuracy

The vocabulary extends well beyond A-level basics. Several choices are worth noting:

• lourde de conséquences (heavy with consequences) instead of importante.
• nul équivalent numérique ne saurait pleinement assurer (no digital equivalent could fully fulfil) instead of internet ne peut pas faire la même chose.
• ressources documentaires (documentary resources) instead of livres.
• inégalités culturelles (cultural inequalities), a domain-specific compound.
• équipement collectif (collective facility) instead of service public repeated.
• coûts sociaux difficilement mesurables (social costs that are difficult to quantify).

None of these choices is flashy. They are precise. At B2, lexical precision scores better than lexical exuberance.

Lexical precision at B2 means choosing the exact word, not the most impressive word. Lourde de conséquences earns marks because it is accurate. Not because it is rare.

Criterion 4: grammatical control

Several structures at B2 and above are deployed correctly:

• Conditional with ne saurait (literary/formal use of savoir + infinitive for impossibility): nul équivalent numérique ne saurait pleinement assurer.
• Concessive construction with subjunctive: aussi généreux soient-ils (however generous they may be). This is a high-register concessive that correctly triggers subject-verb inversion and subjunctive.
• Relative clause with que: la décision finale appartient aux élus, mais l'opinion des habitants mérite d'être entendue.
• Correct use of tenir compte de in the conditional: la mairie est tenue d'en tenir compte.

There are no agreement errors. Verb tenses are consistent throughout. The complex sentence in paragraph three (Les ateliers de lecture, les animations pour enfants et les permanences d'aide administrative qui y sont organisés contribuent à maintenir une vie de quartier que les budgets numériques, aussi généreux soient-ils, ne peuvent pas recréer) is the longest in the essay and shows the candidate can manage multi-element sentences without losing grammatical control.

What this response does not do

A model response can mislead as much as it helps if the commentary stops at what worked. Here is what this response does not do, and why those choices were made:

It does not enumerate three arguments. At 250 words, three arguments means each gets about 40 words of development. That is too thin. Two arguments with 60 words each is more convincing.

It does not try to be neutral. The task asked for a position. Some candidates hedge because they feel uncertain about their view. The examiner is not evaluating whether the position is correct, only whether it is argued coherently.

It does not use elaborate vocabulary for its own sake. The word choices above are precise, not show-off. Permanences d'aide administrative is more precise than services, not more impressive. Precision is what gets the mark.

It does not start with Je me permets de vous écrire pour..., the most overused opening in DELF letters. Starting directly with the context (J'ai pris connaissance avec intérêt de...) is more confident and better received.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the only way to structure a DELF B2 letter?

No. The structure here (two developed arguments plus a concession) is one reliable approach. Some candidates use three shorter arguments. Some open with a broader context statement before narrowing to the thesis. What matters is that the structure is clear, the arguments are developed, and the text reaches a conclusion.

Can I use the same connectors as in this model?

Yes, but treat them as examples of the category they represent, not as phrases to memorise. If Par ailleurs connects the first and second arguments here, it does so because the second argument adds a new dimension to the same position. The connector follows from the logic, not the other way around.

Does the closing formula really matter?

Yes. The formal closing formula (Je vous prie d'agréer... or an equivalent) is part of the letter format. Omitting it or replacing it with Cordialement is a register error that costs criterion 1 marks. The formula is long and must be learned exactly.

How do I know if my own essay is at B2 level?

The clearest signs: your thesis is stated explicitly in the introduction, each body paragraph makes one argument and develops it with evidence or reasoning, your connectors are varied and match the logical relationship they claim to signal, and your register is formal and consistent. If any of these are missing, that is the gap to close.

For more annotated examples like this one, our corrected DELF B2 sample paper walks through a full exam, writing included.

Written by

Camille Fournier

Camille teaches French and coaches candidates through DELF preparation. She writes about exam technique: what each task is really marked on, and how to spend your time in the room.