First part of DELF A1 speaking test: guided conversation

​Guided conversation (entretien dirigé) is the first part of the DELF A1 speaking test. Below a video presenting the first part of DELF A1 oral production:

​As a reminder: DELF A1 speaking test proceedings and instructions have already been explained to the candidate by the supervisor before his preparation. Furthermore, the examiner (it is not on the video above) has also reminded the proceedings of the test during the reception of the candidate. To know more about the proceedings and instructions of DELF A1 oral production, you may watch ​this video and visit ​this page.

Below, you will find the transcription of the video of guided conversation (first part) of the DELF A1 speaking test:

Examiner: “On va commencer par l’entretien dirigé. Je vais vous poser quelques questions. Et vous répondez. Ca va ?”

Candidate: “Ca va.”

Examiner: “Comment vous vous appelez ?”

Candidate: “Je m’appelle Dung. D.U.N.G.”

Examiner: ”D.U.N.G, très bien. Est-ce que vous pouvez me parler de votre famille ?”

Candidate: “Ah oui. Ma famille nous sommes 6 personnes. Mes parents, ma grand-mère, mes parents, ma femme, ma fille et moi.”

Examiner: “Votre femme, donc vous êtes marié ?”

Candidate: “Oui, je suis marié. Ca fait 4 ans.”

Examiner: “4 ans déjà ?”

Candidate: “Oui.”

Examiner: “Comment s’appelle votre femme ?”

Candidate: “Ma femme, elle s’appelle Hang. En vietnamien, Hang ça veut dire le nom d’une fleur.”

Examiner: “Comme une fleur, oui d’accord. Et que fait votre femme ? Quel est son travail ?”

Candidate: “Ah oui, ma femme travaille en tant que secrétaire dans compagnie électrique à Hai Phong.”

Examiner: “Et vous ? Quel est votre travail ?”

Candidate: “Je suis soldat à l’office de la marine à Hai Phong.”

Examiner: “Soldat, dans l’armée ?”

Candidate: “Oui, dans l’armée.”

Examiner: “Très bien. Et vous avez une fille, c’est ça ?”

Candidate: “Ah oui. Elle a 2 ans. Elle s’appelle Hung Dang. C’est le plus cadeau de ma vie.”

Examiner: “Oh”

Candidate: “Je suis très content.”

Examiner: “Je comprends. Très bien. La première partie est terminée.”

Specifications on the first part of DELF A1 speaking test: guided conversation

Guided conversation (entretien dirigé) of DELF A1 oral production lasts about one minute. Here, you have to answer the examiner’s questions about you, your family, what you like and do not like or your activities. For example: “Comment vous vous appelez ?” (That means: “What is your name?”) “Quelle est votre nationalité ?” (That means: “What is your nationality?”) etc. The examiner asks questions one by one. Thus, when the examiner asks you one question, you answer and you wait for the next question. Normally the examiner must speak slowly and clearly. If you do not understand a question, do not hesitate to ask the examiner to repeat or rephrase. For example, you may say “Pouvez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît ?” or “Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement, s’il vous plaît ?”. That means: “May you repeat, please?” and “May you speak more slowly please?”. That is allowed at level A1 and will not penalize your mark.

Guided conversation of DELF A1 speaking test is on 5 points. The assessment criteria for this part is:

“Peut se présenter et parler de soi en répondant à des questions simples, lentement et clairement formulées.”. That means “Can introduce himself and talking about him by answering simple questions slowly and clearly asked.”.

Here, you will obtain the 5 points if you are able to answer the examiner’s question about you, your family, what you like and do not like or your activities and this even if you do not understand some questions the first time and that the examiner has to repeat. Do not worry if you can not answer one or two questions, it is possible that questions asked are at an upper level than level A1. In this case, the examiners will not take care about it during the marking. In every case, DELF A1 benefits from a very positive and kind evaluation which is not made to sanction but to highlight your first knowledge of French language.

Please note that generally, when possible, the examiner will try to build on your answers. For example, in the video of the guided conversation above, the examiner asks the question “Est-ce que vous pouvez me parler de votre famille ?”. That means: “May you speak about your family?”. In his answer, the candidate speaks about the different members of his family whose wife. Thus, then, the examiner ask “Votre femme, donc vous êtes marié ?”. That means “Your wife, so you are married?”.

To get an idea of the questions that can be asked during the guided conversation of DELF A1 oral production, do not hesitate to read again the transcription and to watch several times the video above and to watch other DELF A1 speaking test videos.

Marking of the first part of DELF A1 oral production: guided conversation

The first 45 seconds of the video below present you the examiners’ consultation for the performance of the candidate of the video in the beginning of this page for the first part, guided conversation, of DELF A1 speaking test:


Production orale DELF A1 Tous Publics Nguyen... par delfdalf


Here, the consultation is quick because the candidate easily answered at all the questions. Thus, he easily obtains the mark of 5 on 5 at the assessment criteria: “Peut se présenter et parler de soi en répondant à des questions simples, lentement et clairement formulées.”. That means “Can introduce himself and talk about him by answering simple questions slowly and clearly asked.”.

Please note that although both examiners possess a valid DELF-DALF examination certificate, the given mark depends on their judgment and was not calibrated by the CIEP (Centre International d’Etudes Pédagogiques). It is possible that the CIEP has a different opinion on the notation. As the day of the examination, the dialogue between the examiners took place directly after the speaking test. So, the notation is based on notes taken by the examiner-observer and on the immediate memory of the examiners. The latter did not see the video again to assign their marks.

Second part of DELF A1 speaking test: exchanging information

You will find all the information about this part by following this link.


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