DALF C2
The DALF C2 and its two papers
Two papers marked out of 50, each combining comprehension and production. The highest level of French, and the most demanding exam.
The C2 level in a few words
At C2 level, you convey the finest shades of meaning precisely, thanks to a wide range of hedging expressions: « il semblerait que » (it would seem that), « force est de constater » (one has to acknowledge), « non sans réserve » (not without reservations). You handle idiomatic expressions with an awareness of their connotations. And when you come up against a difficulty, you get around it and rephrase so naturally that the person you are talking to hardly notices.
The two papers
| Paper | Duration | Mark | In short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral comprehension and production | 1 h of preparation, 30 min in front of the examiners | /50 | A recording heard at most twice, then a report, a personal argument and a debate with the examiners. |
| Written comprehension and production | 3 h 30 | /50 | A structured text of at least 700 words, based on a set of documents of about 2,000 words. |
What changes compared with the C1
- No separate comprehension paper. Your comprehension is assessed through what you produce: a faithful report, an argument informed by the documents.
- Long formats. A text of at least 700 words, an oral in three stages.
- The monolingual French dictionary is allowed in both papers, lent by the centre.
- A choice of topic in the written paper, between two options.
Marking
Each paper is marked out of 50. To obtain the diploma, you need at least 50 points out of 100 and at least 10 out of 50 in each paper.
In this section
- Oral comprehension and production Two hearings, one hour of preparation, then thirty minutes in three stages: report, develop your point of view, debate.
- Written comprehension and production Three and a half hours to work with a set of documents of about 2,000 words and write a structured text of at least 700 words, in a required genre.
Updated on 10 October 2026