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How to self-study for the DELF B1: the format, a 12-week plan and the part you cannot do alone

By Ren · Updated October 20, 2026

The short answer to how to self-study for the DELF B1: three of the four papers can be prepared at a desk with free official material and one good book. The speaking test is the exception. You sit it alone in front of two examiners, and 13 of its 25 points are for the French you produce, not for completing the tasks.

The exam in one table

France Éducation International (FEI) sets the DELF. Its candidate handbook, dated July 2026, gives the current format:

The first three are collective papers, run back to back for 1 h 55. According to FEI's B1 page, you pass with 50/100, but a paper below 5/25 is eliminatory. So 22 + 20 + 18 + 4 = 64 is a fail. The handbook adds that the diploma is valid for life.

Two formats are in use, and you find out on the day

FEI's sample-paper page is plain about it: "Deux formats des épreuves de compréhension de l'oral et des écrits du DELF sont diffusés dans les sessions officielles."

The Format 2 paper also states the pauses. Documents 1 and 2: 30 seconds to read, listen, 30 seconds, listen, 1 minute. Document 3: 1 minute to read, 3 minutes after the first listen, 2 after the second.

FEI's position is "Aucun format n'avantage ni ne désavantage", so practise both.

How the marks work

Writing. The official writing grid has five criteria: task completion, coherence and cohesion, sociolinguistic appropriateness, lexis, and morphosyntax, each scored 0, 1, 3 or 5. Two hard edges: a script of 79 words or fewer scores 0 on everything, and a completely off-topic script scores 0 on task, coherence and sociolinguistic appropriateness.

Speaking. From the speaking grid:

Completing all three tasks perfectly is worth 12 at most. The other 13 depend on your French throughout.

Reading traps. Per the handbook, a true/false item that asks for a justification (as in the Format 2 sample) scores only if both the choice and the copied sentence are right. In exercise 1 you tick criteria for each advert, then answer a question; if the answer contradicts your ticks, you lose 1 point.

Week 0: a diagnostic with the free official paper

1. Download the Format 1 collective paper, its MP3s and the answer key from the sample-paper page. Save the Format 2 paper for week 9.
2. Sit it in one go: 1 h 55, each recording twice, no dictionary.
3. Mark listening and reading with the answer key, and the writing against the grid.
4. Record yourself answering "Parlez-moi de vous" with no preparation. The handbook's rubric for part 1 expects at least 1 min 30 to 2 min on your own, with detail.

Then apply these rules in order:

• Any paper under 5/25 gets a daily block until it clears 5.
• Under 160 words in 45 minutes is a speed problem. Start timed writing in week 1, not week 5.
• Silence before 1 min 30 moves the first tutor session forward to week 3 or 4.
• Otherwise, the lowest of the three marked papers gets the extra block.

The 12-week plan

On a day with no time, keep the vocabulary review and one listening exercise; cut new grammar first. Never cut the mock orals. For the full B1 grammar list, see the CEFR content inventory on FEI's site.

Listening: training for exactly two listens

The three documents are an everyday dialogue, a radio programme on a professional subject, and one on a general subject. The sample papers give 6 minutes as the maximum length of the recordings.

1. Read the questions first and underline what each wants: a person, a reason, a time, a number.
2. First listen: who is speaking, to whom, about what. Per FEI's training page, the first question of each exercise tests general understanding.
3. Second listen: fill the gaps and check the rest.
4. If you lose a question, let it go. Questions follow the order of the recording, so the next answer is coming.

Before the book, work through the model exercise for each listening task on that page, with its MP3 and tips. For daily material, RFI's Journal en français facile is a news bulletin in simple French, posted Monday to Friday with a transcript. Listen twice, note who, what and why, then read (the method is in understanding spoken French).

Reading: speed for exercise 1, care for the article

• Exercise 1 is a search task in a brochure, advert or menu. Scan for the criteria; do not read every line.
• On the article, underline evidence on the first pass and copy justifications word for word. A paraphrase risks the whole point.
• Start with any exercise and answer every question; the training page says wrong answers carry no penalty.
• Keep 5 minutes to check, as FEI advises.

Writing: 160 words in 45 minutes

The task is a personal point of view on a general subject, as a letter, email, newspaper article or forum post. FEI suggests about 10 minutes to plan, 30 to write and 5 to check. The draft sheet is not marked, and you write your word count at the bottom of the script.

Count the FEI way. On the training page, a word is a group of characters separated by a space: "J'ai fait des travaux chez moi" is 6 words and "rendez-vous" is 1.

1. An opening that matches the format: "Chère Claire," or "Madame, Monsieur,".
2. The situation, in the past: passé composé for events, imparfait for background.
3. Your opinion with two reasons and one example, linked with "quand", "comme", "si", "qui", "que".
4. A suggestion in the conditional: "Il faudrait…", "Je vous conseillerais de…".
5. A closing and a made-up name: the handbook forbids signing or using your real name.

Keep tu or vous consistent. To mark your own scripts, PUG's Production écrite book follows the current grid and has answer keys.

Speaking: the part you cannot do alone

A book cannot argue back in part 2, ask an unexpected question in part 3, or hear your liaisons. The speaking plan needs a person.

Choosing a tutor. On italki, trial lessons cost less for first-time students. You get 3, each with a different teacher, and not every teacher offers one; tell the teacher your level and goal beforehand. The satisfaction guarantee returns the credit for a disappointing trial, up to two times, if you contact support within 48 hours and before the lesson is marked complete (not for lessons bought with vouchers). Start by finding a French tutor who offers a trial lesson.

Running the mock oral. Send this before the lesson:

Bonjour, je prépare le DELF B1 tout public. Je voudrais faire un examen blanc de la production orale : les trois parties dans l'ordre, avec 10 minutes de préparation pour la troisième. Pouvez-vous jouer le rôle de l'examinateur, ne pas m'aider pendant l'épreuve et me poser des questions après mon exposé ? Ensuite, j'aimerais un retour avec la grille officielle. Est-ce que je peux enregistrer le cours ?

Attach subjects from the official sample oral: insisting on a refund when a shop offers only an exchange, or a hotel room that does not match the booking when the hotel is full. In the lesson, follow FEI's advice: greet the examiner, ask them to repeat or slow down when needed, match tu or vous to their role, propose solutions in part 2, and in part 3 note ideas rather than sentences.

Record it and mark it. An italki Classroom lesson can be recorded if both sides agree, in Chrome, Edge or Firefox; the file stays on your computer for personal review. Score it against the grid and fix one thing before you book the second mock oral.

Lessons can be cancelled or rescheduled only more than 24 hours ahead, so book mock orals with a margin. Between sessions, shadowing and recording yourself (speaking practice alone) keep part 1 fluent.

Prep books worth buying

All five appear on FEI's bibliography of DELF preparation resources.

Buy one core book and one PUG book for your weaker productive skill. PUG's author notes show all four of its authors working with FEI on the exams.

Booking and exam day

Per the handbook, each centre sets its own dates and fees (FEI has a centre map). Results take up to 2 months, and you can re-register only after receiving them. Arrive 30 minutes early with your convocation, photo ID that is neither digital nor a photocopy, and a black or blue non-erasable pen.

Some centres run practice tests (listening and reading only, 1 h 25 at B1), marked by FEI, with results within 7 days.

Questions people ask

Can I take B1 without A2? Yes. The handbook says each level is a separate diploma.

Is B1 enough to live in France, or for citizenship? Since 1 January 2026, non-EU applicants under 65 need B1 for a first carte de résident of the types listed there (A2 for a first carte de séjour pluriannuelle), plus a civic exam. The DELF is accepted and does not expire, whereas test attestations such as the TCF are valid for 2 years. Naturalisation now requires B2, spoken and written, so B1 is not enough for citizenship.

What if I am below A2? Build the basics first: starting French alone covers the first months.