DELF B1 exam-day guide
DELF B1 · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Convocation (summons) from your centre
It shows your candidate number, the address, the room and the exact reporting time. Download and print it as soon as it is available. Confirm with the provider whether a digital copy on your phone is accepted or whether a paper copy is required.
Valid photo ID
Passport or national identity card. The name must match your registration exactly, and the document must still be valid on exam day. Check both now, not on the morning.
Two or three blue or black pens, plus a spare
Bring more than you need; ink failures happen. Confirm with the provider whether pencil, eraser or correction fluid is permitted on the answer sheets.
A non-connected watch
Rooms normally have a clock, but a plain watch helps you pace the 45-minute papers. Confirm with the provider whether watches are allowed in your centre; smartwatches are not.
Water and a small snack
Useful if your oral slot is hours after the written papers. Confirm with the provider whether drinks and food are allowed in the waiting area or the exam room.
Phone switched off and stored as instructed
Decide in advance where it will go: left at home, handed in, or off in your bag far from your desk. Do not keep it in a pocket during the tests.
Your route and arrival plan
Work out the journey beforehand and aim to arrive well before the reporting time so that a delay does not cost you the exam. Confirm the check-in procedure and how early the doors open with the provider.
Nothing written on your hands, arms or notes
No annotated vocabulary lists, no grammar cheat sheets, no dictionary. Everything you need must be in your head.
Oral preparation strategy
Rehearse a short structured opinion (position, two arguments, example, conclusion) and a few phrases for asking someone to repeat or clarify. You normally get preparation time and paper to plan; confirm the exact format and timing of the oral with the provider.
A one-page reminder of the four parts and their timings
Listening, reading, written production, oral production, each scored out of 25. Read it the day before so that no time is lost to surprise on the day.
A realistic self-check of your written production
Know in advance how you will spend the writing time: a few minutes planning, most of it writing, the last minutes checking agreement, tenses and the word limit stated in the instructions.
Sleep and a normal breakfast
A long exam day rewards stamina more than last-minute revision. Do not try to learn new grammar in the final hours.
Plan the day
Confirm the practical logistics with your centre: address, reporting time, ID requirements, permitted materials, and whether your oral falls on the same day or another day. Do one short timed practice of each written part so you feel the pace, then stop adding new content.
Write your oral plan template on a single card and practise it out loud three or four times, timing yourself. Speaking fluently matters more than using ambitious structures.
Pack your bag: convocation, ID, pens, watch, water, snack. Lay out clothes. Check the transport timetable for the morning.
Light review only: the structure of each paper, useful connectives, and the phrases you will use if you do not understand a question in the oral. Then stop and sleep early.
Eat breakfast, leave with time to spare, arrive early, keep the ID and convocation in your hand, and switch the phone off before you enter the building.
Read the questions during the pauses before each extract. Use the first playing for gist and the second for detail. Answer every item, even if you are unsure. Confirm the exact playing procedure with your centre.
Skim the questions first, then the texts. Do not get stuck on one item; mark it, move on, and come back at the end.
Plan for a few minutes, write clearly within the stated word limit, and reserve the final minutes for checking verbs, agreement and spelling.
Report at the time you were given even if the written papers finished long before; slots often run late, so stay reachable. Use the preparation time to write keywords and a structure, not full sentences to read aloud.
Greet the examiners, speak clearly, structure your answer, and if you do not understand something, ask politely for a repetition or reformulation rather than staying silent.
Rules to check
You cannot sit the exam without valid photo ID matching your registration. Check the accepted documents with the provider before the day.
Phones, smartwatches and any connected device must be switched off and out of reach. Using or even holding one during a test can lead to your paper being cancelled; confirm the exact sanctions with the provider.
Follow the invigilators' instructions at all times: no talking during the tests, raise your hand if you need something, and stop writing immediately when time is called.
No dictionary, notes, textbooks or prepared material of any kind are allowed in the exam room.
Timing is fixed by the centre. Extra time is only possible where an accommodation has been approved in advance; ask the provider well before the exam if you think you need one.
Scoring: each of the four parts is marked out of 25, for a total of 100. You need at least 50/100 overall and a minimum mark in each part (commonly 5/25) to be awarded the diploma; confirm the current pass rule with your centre.
Results are not given on the day. They are released by the centre, and the diploma follows later; ask the provider for the expected dates and how results are communicated.
Your oral may be scheduled at a different time or on a different day from the written papers. Treat the whole slot as committed and do not leave the centre until you have confirmed your oral is done.