Prepare for your DELF B1 French exam with this free practice test based on the format of the official examination. The test includes sample questions covering all four skills assessed at B1 level:
- Compréhension de l’oral (Listening)
- Compréhension des écrits (Reading)
- Production écrite (Writing)
- Production orale (Speaking)
How to use this practice test
- Complete each section before looking at the answers.
- Compare your work with the suggested model answers and explanations.
- Review the highlighted vocabulary and useful expressions.
- Identify any areas that need further practice before taking another mock test.
The aim of this practice test is not only to check your current level but also to help you understand why certain answers are correct and how you can improve your French for the DELF B1 exam.
At the end of the page, you’ll also find key vocabulary and expressions related to the test topic to strengthen your reading, listening, writing and speaking skills.
Thr Listening file can be found here.
Don’t leave this page yet!
Once you’ve finished the test, come back here to:
- analyse your mistakes;
- study the key vocabulary;
- review the transcript;
- identify your weakest skills.
1. Timing for the Practice Test
Set aside 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete the full test under exam conditions.
| Section | Time Allowed | Quick Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Compréhension de l’oral | ~25 minutes | You cannot control the pace. The recording plays automatically. Use the pause before each listening to read the questions carefully. |
| Compréhension des écrits | 45 minutes | Allocate 5-7 minutes for the short text, 10-12 minutes for each medium text, and 15-18 minutes for the long text. Keep 2-3 minutes for review. |
| Production écrite | 45 minutes | Use 5-10 minutes to plan, 25-30 minutes to write, and 5-10 minutes to review and correct. |
Pro Tip for the Listening Test: Do not panic if you miss an answer during the first playing. You have a second chance. Focus on the next question and use the second listening to fill gaps.
Pro Tip for the Reading Test: If you are stuck on a question, move on and come back later. Do not waste time on one question at the expense of others.
Pro Tip for the Writing Test: Count your words before submitting. You need at least 160 words. If you are short, add an example or develop your arguments further.
2. How to Use the Answer Sheet
The answer sheet is provided so you can check your work. Here is the structure of the answer sheet:
| Section | What You Will Find | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Listening – Exercise 1 | 6 multiple-choice questions | 7 points |
| Listening – Exercise 2 | 7 multiple-choice questions | 9 points |
| Listening – Exercise 3 | 7 multiple-choice questions | 9 points |
| Reading – Exercise 1 | 16 true/false questions (4 restaurants × 4 criteria) | 8 points |
| Reading – Exercise 2 | 7 multiple-choice questions | 8 points |
| Reading – Exercise 3 | 7 multiple-choice questions | 9 points |
Total: 50 points (25 listening + 25 reading)
How to Use the Answer Sheet:
Complete the test under timed conditions.
Do not look at the answer sheet or transcript until you have finished both sections.
Mark your answers honestly.
Count how many you got wrong in each exercise.
Identify your weak areas: Is it understanding conversations? Interviews? Longer reports? Short texts? Longer texts?
3. The Transcript and How to Use It
The transcript is provided so you can read exactly what was said in the listening recordings. Here is how to use it effectively:
Step 1: Listen Again Without Reading
Play the recording again (or have someone read it aloud). Can you understand more now that you know the answers?
Step 2: Read the Transcript While Listening
Read the transcript as you listen. Underline words or phrases you did not understand the first time.
Step 3: Analyse Your Mistakes
For each question you got wrong, find the relevant part of the transcript.
Read the sentence aloud.
Ask yourself: “Why did I choose the wrong answer? Did I mishear a word? Did I misunderstand the context?”
Write down the correct answer and the reason it is correct.
Step 4: Build Your Vocabulary
Look up unfamiliar words from the transcript.
Write them down with their definitions.
Create example sentences using the vocabulary.
4. Essential Vocabulary from Exercise 1 (Everyday Conversation)
Here are the key words and phrases from the first listening exercise. You need to understand these to answer the questions correctly.
| French | English | Context from the Recording |
|---|---|---|
| un week-end sans enfants | a weekend without children | Célia’s children will not be there. |
| organiser | to organise | She is organising the weekend. |
| une dizaine | about ten | She will invite about ten people. |
| prêter | to lend | Her parents are lending their house. |
| discuter | to chat/talk | She wants to talk with everyone. |
| travailler | to work | Lilian works on Saturday. |
| prendre le train | to take the train | Lilian will take the train after work. |
| partager | to share | She wants to share this moment. |
| arriver juste à temps | to arrive just in time | She will arrive in time for the meal. |
| apporter | to bring | Everyone brings food. |
| s’occuper de | to take care of | Célia takes care of the drinks. |
| espérer | to hope | She hopes there will be snow. |
| un cadeau | a gift | She does not want gifts. |
| être présent | to be present | Their presence is the most important thing. |
| compter sur | to count on | Lilian confirms she will come. |
Key Verbs to Master:
| Verb | Meaning | Example from Recording |
|---|---|---|
| organiser | to organise | Je vais organiser un week-end. |
| prêter | to lend | Mes parents nous la prêtent. |
| discuter | to chat | Pour pouvoir parler avec tout le monde. |
| travailler | to work | Je travaille le samedi. |
| prendre | to take | Je peux prendre le train. |
| arriver | to arrive | Tu arriveras juste à temps. |
| apporter | to bring | Apporter quelque chose à manger. |
| s’occuper de | to take care of | Je m’occupe des boissons. |
| espérer | to hope | J’espère qu’il va y avoir de la neige. |
| compter sur | to count on | Compte sur moi ! |
Key Question Types to Recognise:
“Pourquoi Célia préfère-t-elle… ?” (Why does Célia prefer…?)
“Que va faire Lilian pour… ?” (What will Lilian do to…?)
“Qu’est-ce qui est le plus important pour Célia ?” (What is most important for Célia?)
5. Essential Vocabulary from Exercise 2 (Radio Interview – Social Topic)
Here are the key words and phrases from the second listening exercise. The topic is an association that helps visually impaired people.
| French | English | Context from the Recording |
|---|---|---|
| une association | an association | Un regard pour toi is an association. |
| malvoyant | visually impaired | Hayette is visually impaired. |
| un bénévole | a volunteer | Volunteers help with shopping. |
| faire du shopping | to go shopping | The volunteers help with shopping. |
| un vendeur | a salesperson | Salespeople are often too busy. |
| disponible | available | Hayette needs a salesperson who is available. |
| prendre son temps | to take one’s time | Hayette needs to take her time. |
| suggérer | to suggest | Volunteers suggest different styles. |
| s’habiller | to dress | She learns to dress differently. |
| un collègue | a colleague | Her colleagues ask where she buys clothes. |
| la société de l’image | image-obsessed society | We live in a society focused on appearances. |
| trouver sa place | to find one’s place | Clothing helps visually impaired people find their place. |
| une cinquantaine | about fifty | They have about fifty volunteers. |
| être à la recherche de | to be looking for | They are always looking for new people. |
| le bienvenu | welcome | New volunteers are welcome. |
| une réunion d’information | an information meeting | New volunteers attend a meeting. |
| un rendez-vous | an appointment/meeting | They prepare their first meeting. |
| à quel rythme | at what pace | Volunteers choose their own pace. |
| une sortie | an outing | They go on shopping outings. |
Key Verbs to Master:
| Verb | Meaning | Example from Recording |
|---|---|---|
| aider | to help | Des bénévoles qui les aident. |
| acheter | to buy | Pour acheter des vêtements. |
| suggérer | to suggest | Un bénévole me suggère une façon différente. |
| essayer | to try | J’essaie, et parfois c’est super. |
| s’habiller | to dress | J’apprends à porter d’autres choses. |
| se sentir | to feel | Ça nous aide à nous sentir bien. |
| trouver | to find | Pour trouver notre place. |
| aider | to help | Si je veux aider l’association. |
| décider | to decide | C’est vous qui décidez. |
Key Phrases to Recognise:
| Speech Act | Example from Recording | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Explaining a problem | “Quand je vais dans les magasins, je ne sais jamais si je vais trouver un vendeur disponible.” | This explains why Hayette created the association. |
| Describing a benefit | “J’apprends à porter d’autres choses.” | This explains what changed for her. |
| Giving a reason | “On vit dans une société de l’image.” | This explains why clothing matters. |
| Giving instructions | “D’abord, vous aurez une réunion d’information.” | This explains how to help the association. |
6. Essential Vocabulary from Exercise 3 (Longer Report – Business/Social Topic)
Here are the key words and phrases from the third listening exercise. The topic is a company that delivers meals.
| French | English | Context from the Recording |
|---|---|---|
| une entreprise | a company | Baluchon is a company. |
| exister | to exist | The company has existed for two years. |
| un repas | a meal | They prepare and deliver meals. |
| livrer | to deliver | They deliver meals to companies. |
| les salariés | employees | Employees are the customers. |
| cuisiner | to cook | Employees do not have time to cook. |
| un sandwich | a sandwich | Employees are tired of sandwiches. |
| un ordinateur | a computer | Employees eat in front of their computers. |
| se rendre compte | to realise | François realised employees take less time. |
| déjeuner | to have lunch | Employees take less time to have lunch. |
| productif | productive | A proper meal makes you more productive. |
| mettre en valeur | to highlight | They highlight local products. |
| cultivé | grown | Products are grown naturally. |
| les produits chimiques | chemicals | They avoid chemicals. |
| le chômage | unemployment | They help people who are unemployed. |
| une formation | training | Employees receive two years of training. |
| la restauration | catering/restaurant industry | They train people for catering jobs. |
| accéder à | to access | To access the training, you need basic skills. |
| compter | to count | You need to be able to count to one hundred. |
| le maire | the mayor | The mayor lent them a kitchen. |
| prêter | to lend | The mayor lent them a kitchen. |
| central | central | The kitchen is centrally located. |
| un cuisinier | a cook | They have 30 cooks. |
| préparer | to prepare | They prepare between 400 and 1,000 meals. |
| commander | to order | You must order 48 hours in advance. |
Key Verbs to Master:
| Verb | Meaning | Example from Recording |
|---|---|---|
| exister | to exist | C’est une entreprise qui existe depuis deux ans. |
| livrer | to deliver | Des repas qu’on livre dans les entreprises. |
| cuisiner | to cook | Qui n’ont pas le temps de cuisiner. |
| se rendre compte | to realise | Je me suis rendu compte que… |
| déjeuner | to have lunch | Les employés prenaient de moins en moins de temps pour déjeuner. |
| mettre en valeur | to highlight | Mettre en valeur des produits locaux. |
| aider | to help | J’avais envie d’aider des gens. |
| former | to train | Ces personnes sont formées pendant deux ans. |
| accéder à | to access | Pour accéder à nos cours. |
| prêter | to lend | Le maire nous a prêté une cuisine. |
| commander | to order | Pour commander, téléphonez. |
7. Essential Vocabulary from the Reading Section
Reading Exercise 1: Restaurant Descriptions
| French | English |
|---|---|
| la cuisine régionale | regional cuisine |
| un menu | a menu |
| sans viande ni poisson | without meat or fish |
| un lieu | a place |
| calme | calm/quiet |
| le service | the service |
| de qualité | quality |
| un restaurant | a restaurant |
Reading Exercise 2: Bilingual Children
| French | English |
|---|---|
| bilingue | bilingual |
| monolingue | monolingual |
| le vocabulaire | vocabulary |
| les capacités | abilities |
| maîtriser | to master |
| les résultats scolaires | school results |
| une compétence | a skill |
| développer | to develop |
| l’anglais | English |
| l’importance | importance |
Reading Exercise 3: Delivery Services
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une livraison | a delivery |
| un immeuble | a building |
| les dépenses | expenses |
| augmenter | to increase |
| les commerces de proximité | local shops |
| disparaître | to disappear |
| provoquer | to cause |
| le passage | traffic/passage |
8. How to Analyse Your Answers
After completing the test and checking your answers, follow this process to identify your weak areas:
Step 1: Calculate Your Score
| Section | Your Score | Points Available |
|---|---|---|
| Listening – Exercise 1 | ____ | 7 |
| Listening – Exercise 2 | ____ | 9 |
| Listening – Exercise 3 | ____ | 9 |
| Reading – Exercise 1 | ____ | 8 |
| Reading – Exercise 2 | ____ | 8 |
| Reading – Exercise 3 | ____ | 9 |
| Total | ____ | 50 |
Step 2: Identify Patterns
Which section did you score lowest on?
Did you struggle with understanding conversations, interviews or longer reports?
Did you struggle with short texts, medium texts or long texts?
Did you make more errors in true/false questions or multiple-choice questions?
Step 3: Review Your Mistakes with the Transcript
For each listening question you got wrong, find the relevant part of the transcript.
Read the sentence aloud.
Ask yourself: “Why did I choose the wrong answer?”
Write down the correct answer and the reason it is correct.
Step 4: Build Your Vocabulary
For each unfamiliar word you encountered, write it down with its definition.
Create a vocabulary list organised by topic (conversations, social topics, business, restaurants, language, urban issues).
Quick Checklist for Test Day
| Task | Done? |
|---|---|
| I know how much time to allocate for each section. | ☐ |
| I read the questions before the first listening. | ☐ |
| I use the second listening to check my answers. | ☐ |
| I read the questions before reading the text. | ☐ |
| I underline keywords in the questions. | ☐ |
| I skip difficult questions and come back later. | ☐ |
| I write at least 160 words in the writing section. | ☐ |
| I review my answers before submitting. | ☐ |
Final Thoughts
This practice test is a tool to help you understand the DELF B1 format and identify your weak areas. Do not be discouraged by mistakes. Each error is an opportunity to learn. Use the transcript to understand what you missed, build your vocabulary from the texts and recordings, and practise again.
Now, take a deep breath. Complete the test under timed conditions, check your answers and come back to this guide to analyse your results.
