France Éducation international registered 513,435 DELF and DALF candidates in 2025, spread across 167 countries and 18,727 exam sessions. The DELF is not one exam but four independent diplomas, each with its own length, oral format and price. This post covers the exam paper by paper, with 2026 fees, published pass rates and candidate volumes.

DELF Exam Structure

513,435DELF-DALF candidates registered in 2025

1,096accredited exam centres running sessions in 2025

18,727DELF-DALF exam sessions held during 2025

50/100pass mark, with a minimum of 5/25 on every paper

1 h 20 to 2 h 30collective written session, A1 through B2

€75 to €2052026 adult fee range across the three centres compared below

What Does the DELF Exam Structure Look Like at Each Level?

Every level tests the same four skills in the same order. Listening, reading and writing are sat collectively in one session; the oral is scheduled individually.

What changes up the ladder is time, not architecture. The collective session runs 1 h 20 at A1 and 2 h 30 at B2.

A2 and B1 each carry two valid durations because two exam formats remain in circulation. Beginners working through the A1 and A2 vocabulary lists can drill the same task types with these free French worksheets for beginners.

Level	Listening	Reading	Writing	Collective total	Oral
DELF A1	20 min	30 min	30 min	1 h 20	5–7 min
DELF A2	25 min	30 min	45 min	1 h 35 or 1 h 40	6–8 min
DELF B1	25 min	35 or 45 min	45 min	1 h 45 or 1 h 55	10–15 min
DELF B2	30 min	60 min	60 min	2 h 30	20 min max
DALF C1	40 min approx.	50 min	2 h 30	4 h	30 min max

Source: France Éducation international, Manuel du candidat (DELF A1, A2, B1, B2 and DALF C1), 2021–2022 editions

How Long Is the DELF Oral Exam at Each Level?

Preparation time stays flat at 10 minutes from A1 through B1, then triples to 30 minutes at B2 and reaches 60 minutes at DALF C1.

The jump tracks a change in task. At B2 the candidate delivers a 5-to-7-minute argued monologue and then debates it with two examiners, so a reliable grip on tense and mood matters more than at the lower levels.

What Sits Inside the B2 Written Session?

The 2 h 30 B2 collective session splits into three consecutive papers: 30 minutes of listening, one hour of reading and one hour of writing.

How Is the DELF Exam Structure Scored?

Each of the four papers is marked out of 25, for a total of 100. Candidates need 50/100 overall, and anything below 5/25 on a single paper is eliminatory regardless of the total.

The writing paper sets a hard floor on length that rises with the level. A2 asks for two short texts rather than one, so it sits outside the comparison below. Candidates drafting practice essays can check length against a French word counter before timing themselves.

Level	Minimum words in the writing paper
DELF A1	40 words
DELF B1	160 words
DELF B2	250 words

Source: France Éducation international, Manuel du candidat (DELF A1, B1, B2), 2021 editions

The diploma is valid for life and there is no cap on retakes. Candidates may also register directly for any level without holding the one below it.

How Many People Sit the DELF Each Year?

DELF-DALF registrations reached 513,435 in 2025, which France Éducation international reports as a 3% rise on 2024. The department’s full certification activity hit 863,591 candidates, up 8% on the year.

The TCF grew faster. France Éducation international puts its 2025 increase at 17%, with TCF Canada alone accounting for 124,650 candidates.

Certification	2024 candidates	2025 candidates	Change reported by FEI
DELF and DALF	498,463	513,435	+3%
TCF	257,592	310,436	+17%

Source: France Éducation international, Rapport d’activité 2025 and published 2024 certification figures

Ev@lang is counted differently. France Éducation international reports 38,161 Ev@lang tests sold in 2025 against 31,798 in 2024, which measures tests, not candidates.

For scale against another national proficiency ladder, this JLPT exam guide from N5 to N1 covers a test that drew 1.47 million applicants in 2024. Broader learner counts sit in this breakdown of the most studied foreign languages worldwide.

DELF Exam Structure Across the Centre Network

The network carried more candidates through fewer centres in 2025. France Éducation international ran DELF-DALF through 1,096 accredited centres, down from 1,182 in 2024.

Those centres held 18,727 sessions across 167 countries during 2025. For 2024, France Éducation international reported a pool of more than 41,000 accredited examiner-markers supporting the DELF-DALF and TCF networks.

What Are DELF Pass Rates by Level?

France Éducation international’s 2025 report gives no level-by-level pass rate. Individual centres publish their own, and the Alliance française de Paris released results for both of its 2024 sittings.

B2 moved most. Its pass rate at that centre went from 59% in March 2024 to 88% in July 2024, while B1 moved three points across the same two sessions.

Level	March 2024 session	July 2024 session
DELF B1	85%	88%
DELF B2	59%	88%
DALF C1	73%	63%

Source: Alliance française de Paris, DELF and DALF success rates, March and July 2024 sessions

These are one centre’s figures for two sittings and do not describe DELF results worldwide. DALF C1 also fell 10 points between the two sessions while both DELF levels rose.

How Much Does the DELF Exam Cost in 2026?

Pricing is set locally, and the gradient differs sharply between centres. The Institut français de Grèce charges a single €75 rate covering A1 and A2 and a single €160 rate covering B1 and B2.

Alliance Française de Cork instead steps every level, from €90 at A1 to €205 at DALF C2. It also runs a separate junior scale where B2 costs €110 against €145 for adults.

Exam centre	A1	A2	B1	B2	C1	C2
Alliance Française de Cork, Ireland	€90	€100	€125	€145	€195	€205
Institut français de Grèce	€75	€75	€160	€160	€180	€200
GoDELF (Centre Zenith), Bezons, France	€93	€115	€130	€150	€200	€200

Source: Alliance Française de Cork, Institut français de Grèce and GoDELF (Centre Zenith), published 2026 adult exam fees

The spread sits inside a wider pattern of uneven education funding across the continent, where public spending ranges from 2.89% of GDP in Romania to 6.86% in Sweden, as set out in these Education in Europe statistics.

What Changes in the DELF Exam Structure for 2026?

Two versions of the comprehension papers are still circulating, labelled format 1 and format 2 actualisé. France Éducation international states that both will remain in use for a few years.

The format determines the durations that vary in the table above. At B1 the reading paper runs 35 or 45 minutes, which is what moves the collective total between 1 h 45 and 1 h 55.

The scoring rules are unchanged: 50/100 to pass, 5/25 minimum per paper, diploma valid for life. Reading practice at B1 and B2 level pairs well with story-based French lessons.

FAQs

How long is the DELF exam?

The collective session runs 1 h 20 at A1, 1 h 35 or 1 h 40 at A2, 1 h 45 or 1 h 55 at B1, and 2 h 30 at B2. The individual oral is scheduled separately, from 5–7 minutes at A1 to 20 minutes at B2.

What score do you need to pass the DELF?

50 out of 100. Each of the four papers is marked out of 25, and a score below 5/25 on any single paper is eliminatory even if the total reaches 50.

How many people take the DELF each year?

France Éducation international registered 513,435 DELF and DALF candidates in 2025, up from 498,463 in 2024. Sessions ran in 167 countries through 1,096 accredited exam centres.

Are the DELF pass rates people quote on Reddit accurate?

France Éducation international’s 2025 report publishes no level-by-level pass rate, so figures circulating on Reddit cannot be traced to it. Centre-level data exists: the Alliance française de Paris recorded 59% at B2 in March 2024 and 88% in July 2024.

Is DELF B2 much harder than B1, as Reddit threads suggest?

The published structure changes at B2. Reading and writing each double to 60 minutes, oral preparation triples to 30 minutes, and the writing minimum rises from 160 to 250 words.