DELF B1 Speaking Structure & Evaluation Criteria | OralPrep Guide
The DELF B1 oral part (Production Orale) is often the most feared by students. Unlike written tests, here you have an examiner in front of you and time is ticking against you. However, passing is more about technique and knowledge of the structure than having a perfect French accent.
In this article, we break down the test, the timing, and most importantly, exactly what examiners are looking for (the famous “official criteria”).
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Structure of the Production Orale DELF B1
The test lasts approximately 15 minutes (plus 10 minutes of prior preparation for the third part) and is divided into three parts:
1. Guided Interview (2 to 3 minutes)
It is an informal presentation. The examiner will ask you questions about yourself, your past, present, and future (studies, hobbies, family). There is no preparation time.
Tip: Prepare answers about your tastes and projects, but don’t recite them like a robot.
2. Interaction Exercise (3 to 4 minutes)
It is a role-play. You have to solve a daily situation (buying a ticket, complaining in a shop, organizing a party) interacting with the examiner.
Objective: Demonstrate the ability to cope with unforeseen situations in daily life.
3. Expression of a point of view (5 to 7 minutes)
This is the most important part. You will be given a short inspiring text. You must present the topic and give your argued opinion for about 3 minutes. Then, the examiner will ask you questions.
Expected structure: Introduction, development with arguments and examples, and conclusion.
Official Evaluation Criteria
How is your grade decided? It is not subjective. Examiners use a grid with specific criteria. This is exactly what OralPrep evaluates in each simulation:
1. Morphosyntax (Grammar): Do you use verb tenses correctly (passé composé, imparfait, futur)? Is there gender and number agreement? Errors are tolerated as long as they do not impede comprehension.
2. Lexicon (Vocabulary): Do you have enough vocabulary to talk about the topic of the day? Do you avoid repetitions using synonyms?
3. Coherence and cohesion: Does your speech make sense? Do you use logical connectors (d’abord, ensuite, par contre, donc)? This is crucial in part 3.
4. Phonetics and fluency: You don’t need to sound native, but you must be understandable and not make excessively long pauses.
Example response (Part 3)
Topic: Le télétravail (Teleworking)
Poor response: “I like teleworking. It’s good. I look at home. I don’t like the metro.”
Level B1 response (Solid): “À mon avis, le télétravail a beaucoup d’avantages. D’abord, on gagne du temps parce qu’on ne prend pas les transports en commun. Ensuite, on est plus tranquille chez soi. Cependant, il est vrai que parfois les collègues nous manquent.”
The difference lies in the use of connectors (“À mon avis”, “D’abord”, “Cependant”) and sentence structure.
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