DELF exams

It's a big week for Shawnigan's French Department, with a third of the School sitting DELF exams.

 

The Diplome d'etudes en langue francais (DELF) is language proficiency course certified by the European Commission and delivered by France's Ministry of Education.

 

Offered across the globe, these exams evaluate students' listening, reading, writing and speaking skills using a precise and well-established evaluation system.

 

At the lowest level (A1), students are given 10 minutes to prepare their thoughts on a simple topic, before speaking about it for a few minutes. They also complete a fairly simple exam for reading, writing, and comprehension.  The A1 is the beginning of the process, and provides a scaffolding for developing language skills.

 

At the advanced level (B2), students are given 30 minutes to prepare for a 10 minute presentation followed by an intensive question-and-answer period, on top of 2-3 hour written exams.  At their highest levels, DELF certifications can be used for admittance to university courses for aspiring linguists and teachers.

 

In fact, one multilingual Grade 12 student is now working towards taking the rare C1 exam when she returns to Europe this summer, opening a world of opportunity and giving her a significant leg up on competitors for jobs and university admittance.

 

DELF supervisor Jean-Jacques Receveaux says Shawnigan has now been offering the DELF exams for seven years, with tremendous feedback from students and alumni. Mr. Receveaux also points out that the process gives students valuable practice in formal conversational settings like job interviews and negotiations.