Production écrite DELF B1 (writing): our advice to succeed!

Production écrite DELF B1

Last updated on June 25th, 2023 at 02:52 pm

The writing part (or production écrite) corresponds to 25% of the DELF B1 total mark.
You have 45 min to complete an assignment of about 180 words around general themes (essay, letter, article, etc.). You will be able to get practical information about where you can take the exam and how to register on the DELF official website.

Today, we’ll see how is your DELF B1 writing assignment evaluated, then you will find some sample exams to get a better idea of what kind of assignment we’re talking about, finally we’ll give you some practical tips to succeed.

DELF B1 production écrite (writing): the criteria

1. General Criteria
Following the rules: your essay answers the question asked and is written with the required length of words.
Ability to present facts: You are able to describe facts and events accurately.
Ability to express your thoughts: you are able to express your ideas, your feelings and your response to a topic in a clear and accurate way.
Consistency: your ideas and the structure of your essay is logical.
2. Vocabulary Skills
Vocabulary Scope: your vocabulary is large enough to allow you to write about general ideas. If you’re missing a word, you know how to express it in a different way.
Vocabulary Accuracy: basic vocabulary is well used even though it’s still a bit hard to express more complex ideas.
Spelling: spelling, punctuation, the paragraphes allow you to easily follow your essay.
3. Grammar skills
How complex are your sentences: you know how to use the main sentence structures from the simple ones to the more complex ones.
Choosing the right tenses: You know how to use the correct tenses even though, sometimes, you get influenced by your mother tongue.
Grammar based spelling: you know how to use the singular and plural forms, the feminine and masculine form, you can use the right pronouns, etc.

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Production écrite DELF B1 Writing: samples

Sujet n°1:
Essai:
A votre avis, quels ont été les changements les plus importants des vingt dernière années dans votre pays. Quels sont ceux qui ont été positifs ou ceux qui ont été négatifs selon vous?
Vous écrirez un texte construit et cohérent sur ce sujet (160 à 180 mots).

Sujet n°2:
Vous recevez ce mail de Louisa, une amie française :

Salut,
Mon entreprise me propose de quitter Brest pour aller travailler à New York. C’est une bonne nouvelle,
mais comment je vais faire dans une si grande ville alors que j’adore la nature ! Il y a aussi
les problèmes de la langue, du logement, des amis… Je me sens un peu perdue. Tu en penses quoi ?
A très vite !
Louisa

Vous répondez à Louisa. Vous lui donnez votre opinion en lui donnant des exemples d’expériences
diverses. (160 mots minimum)

Production écrite DELF B1 Writing: Our tips to get a good mark

1. Don’t write straight away: think about the subject, write down all your ideas on paper.
2. Get the right structure: what is your logical plan? Think how you’re going to deal with every part of your essay from the introduction to the conclusion before you start writing.
3. Show you understood the format of the assignment: if you need to write a letter, make sure you use the right words usually written in a letter.
4. Use what you know: for the real exam, it’s not time to take risks. Use the sentence structures you know. It’s better to write simple sentences correctly than to try complex structures full of mistakes.
5. Read over your work to make sure you haven’t missed a lot of mistakes! You should particularly pay attention to mistakes you are used to doing but that you can easily avoid. For example, s in plural, check that every sentence has a verb, etc.

The writing part (as well as the oral exam) is very hard to prepare by yourself as opposed to the listening comprehension and the written comprehension where a good book is probably enough to help you.
At Live-French.net, you can prepare the DELF B1 writing part with one of our online French teachers in order to:

    • help you reach the B1 level before the exam so that you know the grammar points you are supposed to be confident with (tenses, structures, vocabulary, etc.).
    • rehearse on sample test that will help you undertand what is expected from you and to improve while you practice,
    • get personalized advice on what you need to pass the exam.

Feel free to register for a free trial lesson, discuss your needs with our team of teachers and get a free evaluation.

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Author: Live-French.net Thanks for visiting our blog! Go a step further and see how we can help you improve your French and register for a FREE trial lesson by Skype or by phone with one of our online French teachers.