Épreuve
Fondations
Level
A2
The DELF A2 exam, mapped
Four papers, 100 points. Here's what each paper asks, how long you get, and the two numbers that decide whether you pass.
By the end of this lesson
- Say what each of the four papers is worth, and name the two numbers that decide pass or fail.
- Plan your exam day: 1 h 40 of listening, reading and writing together, then a short speaking test.
- Name how many exercises each paper holds, and see where the heaviest points sit.
- Explain what the A2 level asks of you, so you stop trying to understand every single word.
You can lose points at A2 without making a single mistake in French. Not knowing the shape of the paper is enough. Candidates run out of time in the reading. They write forty words when the task wants sixty. They spend the speaking prep on the wrong part.
This lesson maps the whole exam. You get the four papers and what each one is worth. Then come the timings of the day, the exercises inside each paper, and what A2 really asks of you.
Four papers, one hundred points
The A2 is four separate papers, one for each skill. Compréhension de l'oral is listening, compréhension des écrits is reading, production écrite is writing, and production orale is speaking.
| The paper | What it measures | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Compréhension de l'oral | Listening | 25 |
| Compréhension des écrits | Reading | 25 |
| Production écrite | Writing | 25 |
| Production orale | Speaking | 25 |
| Total | 100 |
Each paper is marked out of 25, so the whole diploma runs on 100 points. You pass at 50.
There's a second number, and it's the one that surprises people. Anything below 5 out of 25 on a single paper fails you outright. Look at what that means in practice. A candidate scores 21 in listening, 18 in reading, 15 in writing and 4 in speaking. That's 58 out of 100, eight points above the bar, and it's still a fail. The 4 sits under the floor, and no total can rescue it.
So the goal isn't one brilliant paper. It's four papers that all clear 5 out of 25, and that changes where your revision hours go.
One more thing about the diploma itself. Each DELF level is its own diploma, so you don't need the A1 before you sit the A2. The ladder runs DELF A1, then A2, then B1, then B2, then DALF C1 and C2. A2 is the second rung, and every level tests the same four skills, interaction included. Further up, a B2 exempts you from the language test at French universities. And once you have it, you have it, because a DELF diploma doesn't expire.
Point d'étape 1/4
0 / 3
Q1How much is each A2 paper worth, and what total do you need to pass?
Q2A candidate scores 21 in listening, 18 in reading, 15 in writing and 4 in speaking. What happens?
Q3Do you need the DELF A1 before you can sit the DELF A2?
The shape of your exam day
Three of the four papers are taken together, in one room, with all the other candidates. They run in a fixed order, and the whole block lasts 1 h 40.
| When | What | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Together, in one room | Compréhension de l'oral | 25 min |
| Compréhension des écrits | 30 min | |
| Production écrite | 45 min | |
| Separately, with an examiner | Production orale | about 8 min, after 10 min of prep |
Your listening time isn't really yours. The recording sets the pace. You get a short pause to read the questions, then the two plays. After that you get about thirty seconds to finish your answers before the next document starts. Reading and writing are yours to manage, so put a watch on the desk and check it. Forty-five minutes for two short texts goes faster than anyone expects.
The speaking test is scheduled on its own, sometimes on another day. You get about 8 minutes with the examiner, which makes it the shortest paper of the four.
Before it you get 10 minutes of preparation, and it's worth knowing exactly what they cover. Those 10 minutes are shared by parts 2 and 3 only. Part 1 gets none, because it's about your own life and needs no preparation.
Bring two things to the exam centre. Your convocation is the letter giving your date, your time and your room. Your photo ID has to carry the same name as the convocation. Check that the evening before, not at the door.
Point d'étape 2/4
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Q1How long does the collective session last, the block that holds listening, reading and writing?
Q2The 10 minutes of preparation before the oral cover which parts?
Q3What do you have to bring to the exam centre?
Inside the four papers
Here's the level of detail that actually changes your revision. Each paper has a fixed shape, and knowing it removes most of the day's surprises.
Listening and reading are built the same way. Four exercises each, marked 6, 6, 6 and 7, for 25 points. In listening, every recording is played twice, so a detail you miss on the first pass isn't lost yet.
| Exercise | Listening (25 min) | Reading (30 min) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Six very short recordings, some answered with a picture | Six short texts to match to six readers | 6 |
| 2 | Three recordings, six questions | One text, six questions | 6 |
| 3 | One longer recording, six questions | Three texts, six questions | 6 |
| 4 | Four situations to match to the right label | One text, five questions | 7 |
Notice what isn't there. Neither paper asks you to write a sentence of your own. You tick boxes and you match items, and the one vrai ou faux in the reading needs no justification written under it.
Inside an exercise, the questions aren't worth the same either. Item values run from 0.5 to 2.5 points, and each value is printed next to its question. Read those numbers before you answer, because one 2.5 item is worth five 0.5 items.
The writing paper gives you 45 minutes and two tasks. Each one is marked out of 12.5 points, so neither weighs more than the other. The first asks you to tell about an experience and give your impressions of it. The second asks you to answer a message you have received. Each task asks for at least 60 words, and the sheet says so in print. Aim for 60 to 80. Under 60 you lose marks for an unfinished task, and well over 80 you spend minutes you need elsewhere. Below 30 words the whole exercise scores zero, so that floor is not negotiable.
Consigne type · production écriteA2 · exercice 2 · 60 mots minimum
Votre amie Salma vous invite à fêter son nouvel appartement samedi soir. Vous lui répondez. Vous la remerciez, vous acceptez son invitation, vous demandez à quelle heure venir et vous proposez d'apporter quelque chose. (60 mots minimum)
ENYour friend Salma is inviting you to celebrate her new flat on Saturday evening. You write back. You thank her, you accept her invitation, you ask what time to come and you offer to bring something. (60 words minimum)
Count the verbs in that instruction. Thank, accept, ask, offer. Each of the four is checked on its own, so leaving one out costs you points even when your French is clean.
The speaking paper has three parts, and its marking hides one important detail.
| Part of the oral | How long | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Entretien dirigé | about 1 min 30 | 4 |
| Monologue suivi | about 2 min | 4 |
| Exercice en interaction | about 4 min | 4 |
| Your French, across all three parts | 13 | |
| Total | 25 |
The three parts weigh exactly the same, whatever their length. Each one is judged on a single criterion, réalisation de la tâche, meaning how well you carried the task out.
Thirteen of those 25 points have nothing to do with your ideas. They pay for your vocabulary, your grammar and your pronunciation, and they're collected across all three parts. More than half the paper therefore marks your French, which is why a simple correct sentence beats an ambitious one that falls apart.
Point d'étape 3/4
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Q1How are the 25 points shared across exercises 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the listening or reading paper?
Q2How are the 12 task points shared between the three parts of the oral?
Q3What does the A2 writing paper ask for?
Q4Out of the 25 points of the oral, how many reward your French itself?
What A2 actually asks of you
A2 is the second level of the European framework, and its official name is utilisateur élémentaire, an elementary user. That name tells you what's on the syllabus and, just as usefully, what isn't.
The topics stay close to daily life. You talk about yourself, your family, shopping, the place you live, your work and your studies. Nothing technical turns up, and nothing abstract either.
On the two comprehension papers, one wrong belief costs candidates more than any gap in grammar. You aren't expected to understand every word. Documents carry words above your level on purpose. Your job is to find the piece of information the question asks for. A recording about a train can hold three words you've never met and still be perfectly answerable.
On the two production papers, that same limit works in your favour. You describe, you recount, you ask, you thank. Simple structures do all of that, so the useful revision is everyday vocabulary and a solid passé composé.
Modèle · quatre phrases que l'examen redemande
Je m'appelle Ana, j'ai vingt-huit ans et j'habite à Lisbonne depuis trois ans.
Se présenter. The entretien dirigé opens on exactly this. A name, an age, a city and one number, in a single sentence.
Samedi dernier, je suis allée au marché avec ma sœur et nous avons acheté des fruits.
Raconter au passé. The first writing task and the monologue both want a short story. The passé composé carries almost all of it at A2.
C'était très agréable, mais il y avait beaucoup de monde.
Donner ses impressions. The first writing task asks for your impressions, not only the facts. Two short reactions are enough to earn those points.
Merci beaucoup pour ton invitation. Je viendrai avec plaisir et j'apporterai un dessert.
Réagir à un message. The second writing task lists the acts to perform, such as thank, accept and offer. Give one clear sentence to each.
Here's one last way to use this lesson. Read the point tables again the week before your exam. Knowing where the 7 points sit is worth an hour of vocabulary lists. Knowing that 13 of the speaking points mark your French is worth another.
Point d'étape 4/4
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Q1Do you have to understand every word of an A2 document?
Q2Which topics belong to the A2 syllabus?
Q3To tell a past experience at A2, which tool covers most of the work?
Key takeaways
- Four papers, 25 points each, 100 in total. You pass at 50.
- Under 5 out of 25 on one paper fails you, whatever the other three scores say.
- The collective session lasts 1 h 40. Listening 25 minutes, reading 30, writing 45.
- Speaking is about 8 minutes with an examiner, after 10 minutes of prep for parts 2 and 3.
- Listening and reading hold four exercises each, worth 6, 6, 6 and 7 points.