THE DELF/DALF

What are the DELF and the DALF? Official French language diplomas (DELF-DALF) Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française (DELF) Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française (DALF) The above are official diplomas awarded by the Centre International d’Études Pédagogiques (CIEP), a subsidiary of the Ministry of Education in France to certify foreign candidates’ proficiency in French language. They are only for candidates for whom French is a second language.

The diplomas: The diplomas are available to the general public at all levels: Le DELF/DALF tout public, Prim and PRO = professionnel etc) More importantly for teachers, there are a series of exams that specifically target elementary and high school students. The DELF scolaire. For general descriptions of the exams see:

Levels for the exams. There are diplomas for each level The DELF and the DALF system include six independent diplomas corresponding to the six different levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). Thus, candidates (or institutions) can chose the level corresponding to their proficiency and work their way up.

Equivalents of the levels in our system. A1 = total beginner A2 = advanced beginner – certain core students in Canada have been tested at this level in Grade 12 B1 = immersion Grades 9 and 10 B2 = immersion Grades 11 and 12 C1 = university level C2 = francophone level

Theoretical framework of the tests The tests and diplomas are based on the CEFRL The approach is action based (l’approche actionnelle). Students are asked to complete authentic tasks that they could face in real life. Examles of tasks: write a post card (A1) write an (A2) write a film critique, negotiate a price for goods at the market (B1) defend an argument (B2) synthesize articles (C1) This is the “savoir-faire”: knowing how to do something: describe, convince, defend, negotiate, synthesize etc.

Theoretical framework cont. The CEFRL also perceives the learner as an actor within a sociolinguistic framework. Learners are taught to complete tasks as if they were speaking with francophones. Ex. They are asked to know when to use tutoiement or vouvoiement whether to use neutral, familiar or formal language, what salutations to use etc. This is the savoir-être

Theoretical framework Using authentic documents, students use the inductive method to generate rules associated with certain linguistic structures (le savoir). Thus, grammar is never taught entirely out of its context.

Global framework The global inspiration for this framework seems to be the business world and the real world. There seems to be less emphasis on the cultural and literary component. Candidates can use their diplomas in the work and scholastic worlds.

Sources: For descriptions of the levels, test evaluation and answers to commonly asked questions, see the Réseau BELC. erlesexaminateurscorrecteursdude erlesexaminateurscorrecteursdude For the entire text of the CEFRL see: _FR.pdf _FR.pdf

Why take the DELF/DALF? A B2 level of the DALF gives access to all French universities and to an ever-growing number of European and francophone universities, eliminating the need for pre-admission French language tests. The DELF and the DALF are a plus to any résumé. Their quality is recognized all over the world, notably by French and European employers. Today, there are over 1000 DELF-DALF exam centres present in 164 countries throughout the world.

The DELF and the DALF in Canada The DELF and the DALF are available in 20 exam centres throughout Canada. This summer 6 Canadians (FI department heads, FI coordinators, Alliance Française coordinators) were asked to take the DELF/DALF training as formateurs/formatrices of these exams.

The Delf/Dalf exam centre in London In London, a new test centre at UWO has been created. The program coordinator for that testing site is Maureen Smith. The first set of exams will be the DELF/DALF tout public (for the general public) in November and possibly a DELF scolaire in the spring.

Why introduce the DELF into our school systems: the Ottawa pilot project Pilot projects in Ottawa and Calgary have met with great success: In Ottawa last year, 150 Grade 12 early immersion students were tested at the B2 level and the pass rate was 100%. Some late immersion students in Grade 12 were tested at a B1 level. The board covered the costs of the exams for the students and the training of correcteurs/correctrices, examinateurs/ examinatrices. Result: students were more motivated to take French. Assessment: teachers could identify how they could help their students improve in their program.

Calgary In Calgary a few years ago, the diplomas were introduced to counteract falling registration rates in immersion. Grade 12 immersion students were tested for the B2 level and achieved a 80% pass rate. The board paid for the testing. Participation in immersion has improved since then. This was also used as an assessment tool to identify the areas in which students needed the most help.

Advantages of the diplomas in a Canadian context. The French cultural attaché to Ottawa, Étienne Manuard, is trying to negotiate with universities so that eventually the B2 would replace French placement tests at Canadian universities. Eventually, the French embassy’s goal is to offer the B2 as the equivalent of a first-year university language course. It could thus replace the AP course which is becoming more and more expensive: $120 as opposed to $40-60

Is the DELF B2 better than an immersion certificate? The diploma is a better indicator of a student’s competence in a language for universities and potential employers because it indicates a candidate’s score in percentage format in all four areas of competence: la production orale, la production écrite, la compréhension des écrits et la compréhension orale.

An example of a week’s exam schedule (Alliance Française: Les sessions collectives: 1.Compréhension de l’oral 2.Compréhension des écrits 3.Production écrite Exemple of a DELF testing week: Examinateurs-correcteurs : Lisa St-Jarre et Anne-Geneviève Guiot (Alliance française) Horaire des sessions collectives Le lundi 12 avril Session collective (Compréhension de l’oral, Compréhension des écrits, Production écrite) Niveau B2 : (durée 2h30, plus 15 minutes de préparation) Débuter à 11h45, terminer à 14h30 Le mardi 13 avril Session collective (Compréhension de l’oral, Compréhension des écrits, Production écrite) Niveau B1 : (durée 1h45, plus 15 minutes de préparation) Débuter à 12h30, terminer à 14h30 Le mercredi 14 avril Session collective (Compréhension de l’oral, Compréhension des écrits, Production écrite) Niveau A2 (durée 1h40, plus 15 minutes de préparation) Débuter à 12h35, terminer à 14h30 Le jeudi 15 avril Session collective (Compréhension de l’oral, Compréhension des écrits, Production écrite) Niveau A1 (durée 1h20, plus 15 minutes de préparation) Débuter à 12h55, terminer à 14h30

Production orale Mardi – 8H30 – 11 H25 (B2) Mercredi 8H30 – 11H45 (B2) Jeudi – 8H30 – 10H10 (B2) Jeudi – 10H25 – 11H35 (B1) Vendredi 8H30 – 10H20 (A2) Vendredi 10H39 -11H35 (A1)

SAMPLE ADVICE TO STUDENT CANDIDATES… Bring picture ID. THIS IS CRUCIAL!!!! Without it you CANNOT be assessed. Be on time. If you are late you may not be admitted. If you miss one component of the DELF exam, you are disqualified. Do your best. Do not stress out about this. You need 50% to get your diploma for the level you have chosen. The examiners want you to succeed. You will do fine. Do NOT discuss whether or not you will be obtaining an immersion certificate or not, since that is an unknown until June. The examiners will not, in all likelihood, ask you this in any case. Remember ! You are building your CV and this will be a wonderful addition to it.

Discussion How could we introduce the DELF scolaire? How could we use it to help our students? How could we use it to help our programs? If we do, to what extent? Would anybody be interested in becoming a correcteur/correctrice? Would anybody be interested in becoming a formateur/formatrice?

USEFUL WEBSITES content/uploads/DELF_B2.pdf content/uploads/DELF_B2.pdf

Bonne chance à tous!