DELF B1: what the new format changed and what the examiner is really listening for
100 points, 50 to pass, and since March 2020 a 45 minute reading paper. The DELF B1 explained paper by paper.
The DELF B1 is marked out of 100 points, 25 per paper, and you need 50 to pass with no score below 5 out of 25. Since March 2020 the reading paper has lasted 45 minutes instead of 35, with three exercises instead of two. Here is what that format asks of you, paper by paper.
What does B1 actually mean?
In the Common European Framework, B1 opens the independent user band, and the French education ministry's own Éduscol portal calls it the « niveau seuil », the threshold level. It is the point where you stop surviving in the language and start managing on your own.
The Council of Europe global scale describes a B1 speaker as able to understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters, deal with most situations likely to arise while travelling, produce simple connected text, and describe experiences, events, hopes and ambitions while briefly giving reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
That last clause is the one to remember. A2 asks you to describe, B1 asks you to say why. English speakers are often caught out there, not by vocabulary but by connectors: French expects the reasoning to be spelled out with parce que, en effet, c'est pourquoi, where English often lets tone carry the argument. Our level test gives you a starting point.
How do the four DELF B1 papers work?
Three papers are sat as a group on the same day, according to the candidate handbook published by France Éducation international.
- Listening: 25 minutes, 25 points, three exercises built on three recordings, namely an everyday conversation, a work related radio programme and a general interest radio programme.
- Reading: 45 minutes, 25 points. Read documents and answer questions.
- Writing: 45 minutes, 25 points. One text only, and the handbook is explicit: at B1 you must write a minimum of 160 words.
The speaking test is taken separately, face to face with an examiner. It lasts 10 to 15 minutes, preceded by 10 minutes of preparation, and is also worth 25 points. It has three parts: a guided interview about yourself, an interaction task where you play out a situation, and the expression of a point of view based on a short prompt document.
The total is therefore 100 points. You need 50 for the diploma, and anything below 5 out of 25 in a single paper disqualifies you. A school version of the B1 also exists in French secondary schools: the note of 15 April 2025 set its 2026 sessions for 12 May and 4 June.
What did the new format change in 2020?
The group papers were redesigned for reliability. The presentation kit on the DELF evolutions from France Éducation international sets out the changes, which took effect for A2, B1 and B2 in March 2020 and for A1 from late 2021.
Three points matter at B1.
- Reading moves from 35 to 45 minutes, from two to three exercises and from five to six documents, with slightly fewer items, down from 32 to 30.
- Listening keeps its structure: three exercises, three recordings, 20 items.
- Open questions disappear from both comprehension papers, as do true or false items requiring justification.
Total time for the group papers rises from 1 hour 45 to 1 hour 55. More importantly, your comprehension is no longer assessed through your ability to write. Good news if writing slows you down, bad news if you were counting on vague answers: a closed question format does not forgive approximation.
How do you prepare without revising at random?
The format dictates the preparation: spread your remaining weeks across the four papers rather than betting everything on grammar.
For listening, train on the exact three genres of exam day. An ordinary conversation, a professional radio extract and a general interest programme behave differently: the first is fast and relies on implication, the other two are denser in information. Listen twice, the second time with a transcript.
For reading, practise locating information without reading every word. Three exercises in 45 minutes leave you roughly a quarter of an hour per block, including transferring your answers.
For writing, 160 words is a floor, not a target. Aim for 180 to 200 and keep five minutes to check agreements and tenses.
For speaking, the 10 minutes of preparation apply only to the third part. Use them to note one opinion, two arguments and one example, never a script to read out. If you have been stuck for a while, The B1 plateau: why your French stops improving, and how to move again deals with exactly that. And if you have not yet chosen your exam, compare first with TCF or DELF: which French test should you choose based on your goal, which matters especially for Canadian immigration files, where the TEF and TCF, not the DELF, are the tests requested.
What the diploma does not tell you
The marking scheme allows very uneven profiles. With 6 out of 25 in writing offset by strong scores elsewhere, you reach 50 points and walk away with the same diploma as a candidate who was solid across the board. A DELF B1 does not guarantee B1 in all four skills.
Second limit: the diploma is for life, your skills are not. A B1 passed six years ago and never maintained is still valid on paper but says little about your French today.
Third limit: the two formats coexisted for several years, and the candidate handbook still mentions two or three reading exercises depending on the version. Trust the sample papers from your exam centre rather than an older preparation book.
Finally, B1 is not a comfort level. It is enough to live in French and for several administrative procedures, but not to follow a degree or argue a case, which is what the DELF B2 is for. And if you have a file to submit by a fixed date, a test with more frequent sessions may suit you better than a diploma held rarely in your city.
At Frenchee, DELF preparation happens in live classes with qualified native teachers, one to one or in small groups of three to five students, with no subscription. It matters most for the speaking test, the one paper you cannot revise alone.
Sources
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.
