Official DELF past papers are free, and they come from France Éducation international and the Alliance Française and Institut français sites that mirror it — not from the exam-prep sites that charge for them. But there is a trap in the free ones that costs candidates real marks: the comprehension papers were reformed, many of the sample papers still online are from before the reform, and nothing on the page tells you which is which. This guide explains where the papers are, how to tell an old one from a current one in about ten seconds, and how to use them so the practice transfers.
How to tell a pre-reform paper from a current one
Check the listening and reading sections. If the questions are entirely multiple choice, the paper is current. If you see open questions where you have to write an answer in your own words, or true/false items with a "justify your answer" line, the paper is from before the reform.
The reform changed the two comprehension papers only. Writing and speaking were left alone, so a pre-reform production task is still perfectly good practice. It is specifically the listening and reading papers you should not rehearse on if they are the old version — not because the French is different, but because the skill being tested is. Writing a justification in your own words and choosing between four options are not the same task, and practising the first will not prepare you for the second.
Official sites often host both. Where a level offers "exemple 1" and "exemple 2", the older file is usually exemple 1 — several carry 2019 in the filename — and the newer one is exemple 2. Open both and check the question types rather than trusting the numbering.
What the current DELF B2 looks like
B2 is the level most people are chasing, so it is worth laying out precisely.
| Paper | Duration | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | about 30 minutes | Three exercises over five recordings, all multiple choice. Longer recordings are played twice, short ones once. |
| Reading | 1 hour | Three exercises: press articles and an online forum. Multiple choice and matching. |
| Writing | 1 hour | One argued text of at least 250 words. |
| Speaking | 20 minutes, after 30 minutes of preparation | Individual, and may be scheduled on a different day. |
The three group papers run to 2 hours 30 minutes and are taken in one sitting. Each paper is marked out of 25 for a total of 100; you need 50 overall to pass, with a minimum of 5 out of 25 in every paper. That minimum is what catches people — a strong reader who cannot speak does not pass B2, no matter how high the total.
Where the official papers are
The sample papers live on France Éducation international's own site and are mirrored by national Alliance Française, Institut français and French embassy sites, which are often easier to navigate. Search for "exemples de sujets DELF" alongside the country you are in.
Every level and every version has its own set, and the versions are not interchangeable:
| Version | Levels available | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| DELF Prim | A1.1, A1, A2 | Children in primary school |
| DELF Scolaire and Junior | A1, A2, B1, B2 | Secondary-school candidates |
| DELF Tout public | A1, A2, B1, B2 | Adults — the default version |
| DELF Pro | A1, A2, B1, B2 | Workplace and professional contexts |
| DALF | C1, C2 | Advanced, above DELF |
A typical download set contains the collective papers as a PDF — that is listening, reading and writing together — the individual paper as a separate PDF, which is the speaking task and the examiner's instructions, and the sound recordings for the listening section. Some levels add the audio transcripts.
Two things to be aware of. The individual paper contains the examiner's brief, which means it tells you how the speaking test is run and sometimes how it is marked — useful, and routinely overlooked. And unlike the TOPIK releases, DELF sample papers do not come with a full answer key for the production tasks: you get the marking grids, not model answers.
Use the version that matches your exam. A Tout public B1 and a Junior B1 certify exactly the same level and are equally valid for life, but the topics differ — Junior papers are built around school, family and friendships, Tout public around work, housing, media and public life. Practising on the wrong one gives you vocabulary you will not use.
Making the practice actually count
Sit the collective papers in one block, timed, in one sitting. Two and a half hours of sustained French is itself the test. Splitting a paper across three evenings measures your French; sitting it whole measures whether you can produce it at hour two.
Play the listening recording the number of times the paper specifies, and then stop. It is the single most common way candidates flatter themselves, and it makes the practice worthless as a measurement.
Mark the comprehension papers with the key and the production tasks with the grid. The marking grids published with the sample papers are the actual criteria examiners use. Reading the B2 writing grid before you write is worth more than another hour of writing — it tells you that coherence markers and register carry marks you might otherwise assume go to vocabulary.
Rehearse the speaking task out loud, on a timer, with the preparation time respected. Thirty minutes of preparation sounds generous and is not. Candidates who have never used it under pressure arrive with notes they cannot read.
If the papers say you are not ready
Past papers diagnose; they do not teach. Where they consistently point for English speakers at B1 and B2 is the verb system — our guides to the passé composé versus the imparfait and to present-tense conjugation cover the two areas that cost the most marks in written production.
For what the levels themselves mean and how DELF relates to DALF, see our guides to DELF B1 and B2 and DALF C1 and C2. If you are choosing between French certifications for Canadian immigration rather than for study, the TEF Canada versus TCF Canada comparison is the relevant one — the DELF is not used for Express Entry.
And for the question underneath all of this, which is how long it will take: the FSI language difficulty ranking puts French in Category I, around 600–750 class hours to professional working proficiency. B2 sits meaningfully below that. If a past paper has just gone badly, the useful question is not whether you are capable of this but how many of those hours you have actually done.
Frequently asked questions
Are DELF past papers free?
Yes. The official sample papers, their audio and their marking grids are free from France Éducation international and from Alliance Française and Institut français sites worldwide. Sites charging for them are reselling public files.
How many official DELF sample papers are there per level?
Usually one or two per level and version. It is a much smaller pool than for exams like IELTS, which is why using each paper once, properly, matters so much.
Do the sample papers include answers?
The comprehension sections come with answer keys. The writing and speaking tasks come with marking grids rather than model answers — read them before you attempt the task, not after.
What score do I need to pass DELF B2?
50 out of 100 overall, with at least 5 out of 25 in each of the four papers. The per-paper minimum is what fails otherwise-strong candidates.
Can I use Junior papers to prepare for the Tout public exam?
For listening and reading mechanics, yes. For writing and speaking, no — the topics are built around school life and will not give you the register the adult exam expects.
Does the DELF expire?
No. A DELF diploma is valid for life, at every level. That is its main advantage over tests like the TCF and TEF, which expire after two years.