PREPARING FOR FRENCH LANGUAGE CERTIFICATIONS
You want to pass a DELF/DALF or TCF language certification. Here is a description of these exams as well as some advice on how to prepare for them.
Description
Listening comprehension aims to assess learners’ level of listening in a foreign language. In DELF/DALF type exams, you have to listen to long documents and answer a series of questions. The audio document is precisely chosen according to the level of the learner. For the TCF exam, you will have to listen to several short documents, it is a MCQ and the exercises range from the simplest to the highest level.
Some tips
Of course, acquiring good skills requires regular practice: watching films or documentaries in French, listening to the radio at home, attending exhibitions with commentary in French, etc. Many sites on the internet can also help you with self-corrected exercises and you will find a large number of dedicated manuals in bookstores. At ISMAC, we regularly offer oral comprehension activities adapted to your level, in addition our “Preparation for DELF / DALF / TCF” workshop focuses on the standard oral comprehension exercises for these exams.
Description
The reading comprehension test aims to assess the reading level of learners with questions relating to specific points of a text. As for oral comprehension, in the DELF or the DALF, these are fairly long texts, such as newspaper articles, chosen according to the level of the student with a series of questions. For the TCF, the student must read a series of short texts, from the simplest to the highest level and answer a few MCQ questions for each small document.
Some tips
The reading comprehension test is also a matter of time, so you have to be strategic! Read the questions asked carefully before starting to read the text and then search of the information requested in the document. At ISMAC, we work on numerous authentic written comprehension documents to best prepare students for the various themes and lexical fields they will encounter in the exam. Our workshop “Preparing for the DELF / DALF / TCF” is also an opportunity to see typical exercises and to fully understand the questions asked in these exams.
Description
The examiners here wish to assess your ability to speak French. It is therefore an interview with one or more teachers. The exercises vary according to the levels and it can be speaking by oneself or in dialogue with a teacher, like a role play. Generally, a document is given to the student and it is based on this document that he is asked to imagine a dialogue or make a presentation. The standard TCF does not include an oral expression test unless you are asked to do so, by a university for example, in which case you will have to register for the TCF DAP which offers this test.
Some tips
In oral expression, you have a short time to prepare your presentation or dialogue, so it is important not to try to write a whole text during the preparation time because otherwise you will not have enough time. It is therefore necessary to write down ideas, a plan with key words and to speak spontaneously, moreover it is not recommended to read a text but rather to speak in a natural way. In addition, for level B2, C1 or C2, it is essential to respect the methodology, this is precisely what we teach at ISMAC in our oral expression workshops. Our phonetics workshop will also allow you to improve your pronunciation which will be carefully listened to by your evaluators.
Description
Writing expression test is a key moment in your exam and you must therefore prepare well for it. Each level of the DELF or DALF has its specific objectives with an expected form of text: writing a postcard using the past tense, a personal opinion from a short document, a formal letter in a polite way or even a summary of several documents. This exam brings together skills in sentence structure, conjugation, vocabulary, pragmatics (situation of enunciation) or even French culture. As for oral expression, writing is not compulsory for the TCF, so you may be asked to present a TCF DAP.
Some tips
Writing is often dreaded by students because, in fact, French has its own spelling rules! One of the most important points is reuse, show your abilities to your evaluator by reusing everything you learned in class and don’t be afraid to take a few risks. Indeed, a B2 level student, even if he makes few errors, may see his mark drop if he only uses simple forms in writing. Your written expression is the showcase of your level, show that you can use the key points of your level and above all carefully study the form adapted to each type of text. Don’t panic, our courses and our writing workshop will allow you to understand and practice with the advice of your teacher during your training at ISMAC.
Description
The so-called “Structure of the language” test consists of a series of exercises on grammar and vocabulary. This is a TCF test, the DELF / DALF exams do not include grammar exercises, even if it is assessed in the four skills EO, EE, CO and CE. These exercises can focus on syntax, conjugation, vocabulary words (often similar, watch out for pitfalls!) and for more advanced levels on idiomatic expressions. As with the other TCF tests, this is a MCQ and the exercises range from the simplest to the highest level.
Some tips
As far as grammar is concerned, it is mainly a question of properly analyzing the proposed sentences. The answer is often in the question! Observe carefully the subject of verbs, the gender and number of words, the construction of sentences, the need for prepositions, etc… It is also about vocabulary, again, clues are given in the sentence, it is it is rare for an answer to be random. ISMAC offers its students a grammar workshop which allows them to understand and assimilate the specificities of the French language and the teachers regularly offer TCF subjects in their “DELF/DALF/TCF Preparation” workshop in order to work on the small pitfalls that you may encounter review.
