She passed her DELF B2 exam!

My former student, Andrea, has passed the DELF B2 exam, and I am so proud of her!

The DELF/DALF exams are given by the French government to assess what your French language level is. The levels are A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2.

A B2 certificate is the one most often requested if you want to live, work, or study in a French speaking country. You are tested on reading, writing, listening comprehension, and speaking. It is not easy.

When I heard Andrea had passed, I interviewed her about her experience, and what it really took to get this certificate! Watch the video or if you prefer, you can read Andrea’s thoughts on it from our conversation below.

Tell us about your French learning journey before we met

I had two years of French in high school, and I had two years at Clemson University. And then I had a 20 year break! A few months before I joined the French Fluency Accelerator I was doing Duolingo, things like that. Then about the time I joined I also hired a private tutor that I met with once a week.

What happened since 2022?

I continued with my tutor, and with the Daily French Bath. I listened to music until it got too comfortable, then I added listening to podcasts and Sirius XM’s news station from Montreal. I began forcing myself into situations where I had to use my French. Travel was one way, and then I joined a podcast!

I love American football, especially Clemson, and I would tweet in French about it. Somebody found me, his name is JoJo, and he talked me into doing a French podcast with him about Clemson football.

How did you decide to take the DELF B2 exam?

My tutor, Thibault, told me that I needed a goal. While I would love to live in France or Canada, that’s not what is pushing me. So he suggested taking the DELF. The test is only given three times a year. I decided in December to shoot for the June exam.

What was the study process like?

I worked with my tutor for several months. Then in April I was shocked to find out he thought the test was in September, not June! So I hired an additional tutor who specialized in the DELF to work with me the 30 days leading up to the test.

I took two sessions a week with each tutor, working through a prep book with one, and focused on my weakest area, speaking, with the other. Every time I met with him I had to prepare a debate. I looked up practice questions and prepared two for each of our sessions.

I used an app called Radio France for listening practice, and I practiced listening for 2 1/2 hours every day during my daily walks. I supplemented that with YouTube where I followed French comedians like Franjo and episodes of The Hot Ones.

Then I watched some simulated DELF exams, and I got terrified! They were intense. I felt like I was nowhere near these people. But I kept telling myself that they were speaking perfectly for the demonstration, and I just had to get 50% to pass.

What was the DELF B2 test like?

I had to go to Chicago for the test, and it was a long drive, so I went the night before. As I drove, I listened to a playlist I made to pump me up. I couldn’t sleep anyway, I was so nervous. So the morning of the exam I did some last minute studying.

I remembered that a lot of times on the written portion you had to write a formal letter, often to the mayor. I had practiced but I wasn’t totally prepared, so I looked up a template and memorized it. The language and layout they want is very specific.

The Listening Portion: You leave all your belongings outside. We were taken into a room with long tables, and we sat apart from each other. I realized the sound was coming from the television at the front of the room so I got as close as I could. They pass out blank paper, the test booklet, and then it starts right in. The acoustics are terrible! It was very difficult to understand.

The Reading Comprehension and Writing Portions: After that you have time to do this on your own. I took out the scrap paper and brain-dumped the letter I had memorized. I also wrote down some words and phrases you’re expected to work in to the written and oral to demonstrate B2 level. Lo and behold, the written was a formal letter to a mayor! You have to count your words, so I did the entire letter on my scratch paper before I wrote it in the booklet because I had to add to it.

The Oral Portion: You are given an appointment, mine was about an hour after the end of the written. I was taken to a room, given an envelope, and asked to fish out two pieces of paper, choose one, and use that for my debate topic. I was given about 15 minutes to prepare but I was watched the whole time. I wrote out everything I thought I could say, then I went to the room. It was extraordinarily intimidating. I summarized what it asked me, gave my argument which did not last very long, and then he asked me follow-up questions. I felt like it lasted less than ten minutes, and thought, “that’s not a good sign.”

The Results

I kept reading it over and over - it says succès, it wouldn’t say that if it wasn’t good! You need to score 50 overall, but at least 5.0 in each area.

What would you say to our viewers?

When I was with you in the French Fluency Accelerator it reframed how I studied. I learned how to meet my own goals. You have to go at it in a multidimensional way - you need to learn grammar, but you also need the French bath, and speaking practice. The community helped me with practicing speaking, it gave me a mini-goal every week.

If I had to give any advice, I wish I’d had this mantra sooner: “Be patient, be consistent, and trust the process!”

Your next steps

If you like this way of learning French, you will love to learn with me as a student or client. Please check out:

My 1-1 coaching program, The French Transformation, if you need to improve your French fast.
My group program, The French Fluency Accelerator, if you’d like to join a community of students from all over the world. We have weekly practice calls together and the best online video library to learn French.