How are French DELF B2 students graded?

DELF B2 is the best level of the DELF exam, and it is aimed at students who have a good level of French. The exam is made up of four parts:

Listening, and answer questions about what you heard.
Reading, and answer questions about what you read.
Writing a formal or informal text of approximately 260 words.
Speaking about a topic and be able to confirm their point of view.

Each part is graded out of 25 points, for a total of 100 points.

There are two versions of the DELF B2: the old version, which is still in effect but will soon be completely replaced by the new one. That’s why I recommend that you see and train both versions of the DELF B2.

In any case, the differences are relatively small for you as a candidate. The main differences are the number of exercises per skill assessed and the almost systematic use of multiple choice questions.

What do you need to know about the French DELF B2 exam?

DELF B2 diploma valid for life

The DELF B2 diploma is a diploma that is valid at all times. You do not need to retake it after x years. Once you have obtained it, your DELF B2 diploma will be valid for the rest of your life.

Of course, if you don’t practice French for many years, even though your diploma will remain valid, your actual level of French will not be as good as it once was.

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Duration of the collective tests during the DELF B2

Be aware of the duration of the group tests, i.e. oral comprehension, written comprehension and written production.

In most test centers around the world, these three tests are taken one after the other, with very short breaks in between.

Listening comprehension takes 30 minutes.
Reading comprehension takes 1 hour.
Written production takes 1 hour.

This may not seem like much compared to some exams you may have taken before, but remember that this is an exam in a foreign language (French) and it is very tiring to stay focused on all the particularities of French: its grammar, spelling, sentence construction, etc.

So, when you’re preparing for the DELF B2, also think about anticipating situations where fatigue and the stress of an exam may come up.

And above all, at the end of your DELF B2 written production, that is to say at the end of the two and a half hours of the exam that you will have already taken, keep five minutes of strength and concentration to reread the text that you have just written.

It is very important that you take these few minutes to correct the small spelling mistakes that you can correct by yourself!

Receive your DELF B2 diploma

Very quickly after the exam, usually within 48 hours, you will know if you have passed and what your grades are.

However, to receive your final DELF B2 diploma, it will take time, time and more time… Don’t forget that it is the French administration that takes care of it.

This may explain this 😉

How is the French DELF B2 exam graded?

The DELF B2 scoring system

You will receive your DELF B2 diploma if you obtain at least 50 points out of 100.

Please note! A score of less than 5/25 in any of the four skills is eliminatory.

This means, for example, that if you have :

25/25 in oral production (speaking exam)
25/25 when you write the text
25/25 when you answer the questions in the text you read
but if you have 3/25 on the listening comprehension questions, you will not get your DELF B2.

Note: this scoring system is the same for all four DELF levels: A1, A2, B1 and B2.

DELF B2 diploma and grades

Another important thing is that the marks you get in the DELF B2 are recorded on your diploma. So, if you need the DELF B2 for work or to go to college, the people you present your diploma to, will know your scores…

It’s up to you to decide if it’s only necessary to have the diploma or if it’s also important to have good grades.

The differences between the old and new versions of the French DELF B2 exam

For the DELF B2 as well as for the other levels of the DELF (DELF A1, DELF A2 and BELF B1) there are two versions of the exams.

At the time of writing, the two versions coexist and students can take either one or the other.

What are the differences between the two versions of DELF B2?

Actually, the differences are not very big for those of you who will take the exam.

There are important differences in the registration system for candidates and in the marking instructions, but for the DELF B2 exam, the differences are very small.

For example, the new version of the DELF B2 essentially favors multiple choice questions. This choice was made to harmonize the scoring as much as possible and to minimize the examiner’s subjectivity.

Another difference lies in the number of exercises. In the old version, listening comprehension often included only two different listening exercises, whereas the new version generally includes four.

This ensures that the candidate does not fail the test entirely if one of the documents is too difficult for him/her or if he/she understands a key word that he/she does not know.

Although the DELF B2 has been around for a while, there is a new version of the exam that will soon be replacing it. I recommend that you sit for both versions of the exam, as the differences are relatively small.

The four parts of the DELF B2 are listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Each part is graded out of 25 points, for a total of 100 points. In order to pass the DELF B2 exam, you need at least 50 points.

But watch out for the elimination mark of 5! So, work on all your skills 👍😀