DELF A2: what a first French exam actually looks like
25 minutes of listening, 45 of writing, 8 minutes of speaking: what really happens on DELF A2 exam day.
The DELF A2 fits into half a day: 25 minutes of listening, 30 of reading, 45 of writing, then 6 to 8 minutes with two examiners. You need 50 out of 100, and at least 5 out of 25 in each paper. France set its 2027 school sessions for 11 May and 3 June (note of 14 April 2026).
What does the DELF A2 actually test?
A2 is not defined by the exam but by the Common European Framework of Reference. In its global scale, the Council of Europe describes an A2 user as someone who "can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment)" and who "can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information".
That definition mostly tells you what the exam will not ask. Nobody will ask you to defend an opinion, summarise a newspaper article or handle the subjunctive. You will be asked to say who you are, what you do, what you want to buy, what you did last weekend. Many English speakers overprepare, having studied French at school years ago, and lose points on sentences they cannot control.
The exam measures four skills separately: listening, reading, writing, speaking, each worth a quarter of the mark.
What does exam day look like?
The DELF A2 has three collective papers, taken in a room with the other candidates, and one individual paper. The Maison des langues at the University of Limoges, an accredited exam centre, sums up the difference: in the oral, each candidate is alone in front of two examiners.
The candidate handbook published by France Éducation international sets out the collective part. Listening comprehension lasts 25 minutes across four exercises: you listen to recordings and answer questions. Reading comprehension lasts 30 minutes, also four exercises. Written production lasts 45 minutes and asks for two texts of at least 60 words each.
The rest comes down to simple habits the handbook spells out. After registering, you receive a convocation with the place, date and time. On the day, you arrive 30 minutes early, with your identity document, your convocation and a pen, and your devices switched off. An expired passport or ID card is enough to be turned away at the door. The handbook adds two pieces of advice worth more than most methods: if you do not understand a word, try to understand the document as a whole, and write legibly, because a marker who cannot read your text cannot award points for it.
What do you say during the six to eight minutes of speaking?
This is the paper that worries people, and the shortest: 6 to 8 minutes, 10 minutes of preparation, three parts.
- The guided interview, about 1 minute 30, with no preparation. The handbook is explicit: you introduce yourself and talk about yourself, your family, your work or studies, what you like and dislike doing, your habits. This is the one part you can prepare entirely at home.
- The short monologue, about 2 minutes. You are given two topics, you choose one, you prepare for 5 minutes.
- The interactive exercise, 3 to 4 minutes, same choice and same preparation. The handbook describes it as playing a role, as in the theatre, to solve an everyday situation: you ask the price of something, you make suggestions.
Two misunderstandings are expensive. The first is reciting a memorised text: the examiners follow up with questions, and the text collapses. The second is falling silent while hunting for a word. Saying "how do you say, the thing for opening the door" earns points, because that is exactly the skill being assessed, coping with limited vocabulary.
Which version should you take, and when do you register?
The DELF A2 exists in several versions leading to the same diploma, with material adapted to age: tout public for adults, junior and scolaire for teenagers. DELF Prim is aimed at children who are beginners in French and in primary education.
In France, the school version follows an annual ministerial calendar. The note of 14 April 2026, published in the Bulletin officiel of 7 May 2026, sets the 2027 sessions for Tuesday 11 May and Thursday 3 June at levels A1, A2 and B1, and states that the cost of the papers and of printing the diplomas is covered by the state for school candidates.
Everywhere else, the point to remember is the registration deadline. The Swiss 2027 calendar shows it plainly: for the papers of 20 March 2027, registration closes on 8 January; for those of 22 May, on 12 March; for those of 18 September, on 6 August. Six to ten weeks of lead time. Fees vary from centre to centre, so the handbook points you to the centre nearest you. Once obtained, the diploma is valid for life.
What the diploma does not tell you about your French
A DELF A2 passed with 51 points and one passed with 92 give you the same piece of paper. Since each paper is marked out of 25 and 5 out of 25 is enough to avoid elimination, you can hold the diploma while remaining very weak in one skill. Worth knowing before assuming that an A2 guarantees a fluent conversation.
The CEFR says as much: at this level it is a matter of "simple and routine tasks". Following a meeting or reading a contract is out of reach. If your goal is administrative, check which level is required, which changes with the permit, then which exam is accepted: Canadian immigration, for instance, does not run on the DELF. For what comes next, the DELF B1 is the steepest step of the whole path.
One last reservation: nothing replaces a mock exam under real conditions, stopwatch included. Many A2 failures come not from the level of French but from time management on the written paper.
At Frenchee, lessons are live with qualified native teachers, one to one or in a small group of 3 to 5 students, with no subscription: the format that lets you rehearse the guided interview as often as you need and have your texts corrected by someone who knows the mark scheme. Our level test tells you where you are starting from.
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Aim for that exam with a clear plan
Start by pinning down your real level: ten minutes, no account. You will see exactly what stands between you and the goal.
