DELF A1 Writing: How to Prepare for Production Écrite (2026)

After 15 years of coaching DELF candidates at LanguageNext, I tell every student the same thing about the A1 writing test: this is your best chance to earn high scores. The section is easiest with a simple scoring system.

A focused candidate can expect to get 20-25. Most students who score lower on the DELF A1 writing test do so because they don’t review their work carefully, not due to a lack of French language skills.

This complete guide covers everything: the official syllabus, grammar, word list, topics, sample questions with graded model answers, and a realistic 6-week timeline. If you prefer a trainer-led path with regular mock tests, our online French DELF A1 course or the one at the Noida center covers it all.

The DELF A1 Writing Syllabus and How to Prepare?

France Éducation international (FEI), on behalf of the French Government, administers DELF. The Alliance Française network conducts the test.

The duration of the Production Écrite at A1 is 30 minutes and is worth 25 marks out of the total 100. The two tasks sit firmly inside the A1 CEFR descriptors: “can write simple isolated phrases and sentences” and “can write a short, simple postcard.”

Exercise 1 is a form to complete, called a fiche de renseignements, and carries 10 marks. Usually, each correct entry on the fiche scores 1 point. Ten fields, ten points. If you miss a field or write in the wrong format, you lose a point.

You fill in personal data on a sample form: name, surname, date of birth, address, nationality, telephone, profession, marital status, hobbies, etc.

Exercise 2 is a short guided writing task of 40–50 words for 15 marks. It usually has a postcard (carte postale), a carton d’invitation (invitation), a note, or a short e-mail to a friend or family member.

Exercise 2 is graded on six criteria. Each criterion has a clear descriptor that examiners tick against.

1. Respect for the instructions (2 marks): Text matches the situation and meets the 40-word minimum.
2. Sociolinguistic correction (2 marks): Use basic greetings and sign-offs (Salut, Bonjour, Au revoir, À bientôt)
3. Capacity to inform and describe (4 marks): Pen down exactly what the question or information asks for.
4. Lexique and spelling (3 marks): A1-level vocabulary fit for the topic
5. Morphosyntax (3 marks): Using simple present-tense sentences with correct subject-verb agreement and gender.
6. Coherence (1 mark): How the text reads and flows in a logical order.

Full A1 Grammar Syllabus for the A1 Written Exam

The grammar of A1 Production Écrite is narrow but non-negotiable. Cover at least these 15 areas fully before attempting mock papers:

1. Present tense of -er, -ir, and -re regular and irregular verbs, such as avoir, être, aller, venir, faire, dire, voir, lire, écrire, devoir, pouvoir, vouloir, savoir, partir, sortir, dormir, boire, ouvrir, offrir, mettre, prendre, etc.
2. Pronominal verbs like s’appeler, s’amuser, se lever, se brosser, se laver, se coucher,s’asseoir, etc
3. Futur proche (aller + infinitif) for all future ideas
4. Recent Past (venir + de + infinitif) for all near past actions
5. Present progressive (être en train de + infintif) (to do something now)
6. Future simple (something that can happen in the future)
7. Imperative tense for order and request
8. Articles: definite (le, la, l’, les), indefinite (un, une, des), partitive (du, de la, des), contracted (au, à la, à l’, aux, du, de la, de l’, des)
9. Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)
10. Possessive adjectives: mon/ma/mes, ton/ta/tes, son/sa/ses, notre/nos, votre/vos, leur/leurs
11. Negation: ne… pas, with correct placement around the verb
12. Gender and number agreement: le masculin, le féminin, le singulier, le pluriel on nouns and adjectives. Un petit garçon / une petite fille.
13. Basic question forms: est-ce que, qu’est-ce que, où, quand, quel, quelle, quels, quelles, d’où, depuis quand, comment, pourquoi, que, qui, combien, combien de.
14. Conjunctions like mais, et, ou, donc, alors, ni, car, ensuite, etc.
15. Prepositions of place and time: à, en, au, chez, avant, après, dans, sur, devant, derrière, pour, contre, de, etc.

The passé composé, imperfect, conditional, subjunctive, and various pronouns and adverbs are not part of the A1 syllabus. Using them on DELF A1 written exam day usually costs marks rather than earns them.

Complete A1 Vocabulary and Topic Syllabus

The A1 vocabulary syllabus includes a diverse range of personal and everyday themes. Build 100 to 250 useful and working words. You can try studying and using them in short phrases rather than as isolated terms.

• Personal information: nom, prénom, âge, adresse, numéro de téléphone, etc.
• Family: père, mère, frère, sœur, fils, fille, enfant, mari, femme, etc.
• Numbers and dates: cardinal 0–100, ordinals 1er–20e, months, days, seasons, time.
• Professions: étudiant, ingénieur, médecin, professeur, boulanger, employé, coiffeur, boucher, avocat, artiste, mécanicien, policier, etc.
• Nationalities and countries: indien, canadien, espagnol, allemand, français, japonais, chinois, italien, le Canada, la France, L’Inde, etc.
• Weather: il fait beau / froid / mauvais / soleil, il pleut / neige / etc.
• Hobbies and sports: lire, danser, voyager, jouer au football, faire du yoga, regarder des films, écouter de la musique, dessiner, écrire, etc.
• Food and drink: pain, riz, légumes, fruits, eau, thé, glace, confiture, beurre, chocolat, sandwich, poulet, viande, bière, vin, lait, café, etc.
• Housing and daily routine: maison, appartement, chambre, cuisine, se lever, dormir, salle de bains, salon, salle à manger, nettoyer, etc.
• Greetings and politeness: bonjour, salut, merci, s’il vous plaît, à bientôt, bises, de rien, bienvenue, avec plaisir,

5 DELF A1 Writing Sample Questions, Examples & Answers

Below are five past-style Exercise 2 prompts, each with a model answer in the 40–60-word range.

In 15 years of correcting A1 papers, I have seen that answers scoring 15+ almost always share four features: correct greeting, two to three concrete details, clear reasons for writing, and proper conclusion. Watch for that pattern in each example.

Q1. Vous êtes en vacances. Vous écrivez une carte postale à un(e) ami(e) français(e). (40 mots minimum)

Salut Anjali! Je suis en vacances à Goa avec ma famille. Il fait très beau et la plage est magnifique. Nous nageons tous les matins et nous mangeons du poisson le soir. Demain, nous allons visiter un vieux temple. À très bientôt ! Priyanka.

(Examiner note: full greeting and sign-off, weather + activities + future plan, all present tense and futur proche. ~14/15.)

Q2. Un(e) ami(e) fête son anniversaire. Vous l’invitez à une petite fête chez vous. (40 mots minimum)

Coucou Rahul ! Samedi, c’est mon anniversaire. J’organise une petite fête chez moi à 19 heures. Il y aura de la musique, des snacks et un gâteau. Mes amis de l’université viennent aussi. Tu peux venir ? J’attends ta réponse. Bises, Ankita.

(Examiner note: clear invitation, time, place, guests, polite question, and sign-off. Hits all six criteria.)

Q3. Un(e) ami(e) vous a offert un cadeau. Vous le ou la remerciez par message. (40 mots minimum)

Salut Léa ! Merci beaucoup pour ton joli cadeau. J’adore le livre ; c’est exactement ce que je voulais lire. Tu me connais très bien ! Je vais le commencer ce soir. Quand est-ce qu’on se voit pour un café ? À bientôt, Arjun.

Q4. Vous écrivez un mail pour vous présenter à un(e) nouvel(le) correspondant(e) français(e). (40 mots minimum)

Bonjour Camille ! Je m’appelle Neha. J’ai 22 ans et j’habite à Noida, en Inde. Je suis étudiante en informatique. J’apprends le français depuis six mois. J’aime la musique, les films et voyager. Je voudrais visiter Paris un jour. À bientôt ! Neha.

Q5. Un(e) ami(e) vous invite au cinéma samedi. Vous ne pouvez pas. Vous refusez poliment. (40 mots minimum)

Salut Thomas ! Merci pour ton invitation. Je suis vraiment désolé, mais je ne peux pas venir au cinéma samedi. J’ai un examen important lundi et je dois réviser. On peut aller au cinéma dimanche prochain ? Amicalement, Vikram.

Notice how every answer stays in the present tense or futur proche, respects the 40-word floor, and closes properly. That is the French DELF A1 writing standard.

How long does it take to prepare for the DELF A1 Writing Test?

You should plan 6 to 8 weeks for DELF A1 writing preparation if you already have basic French, and 2 to 4 months if you are starting from zero. The CEFR benchmark is around 60 hours of study to reach A1. This is roughly a quarter that should be dedicated specifically to production écrite.

Here is a realistic 6-week timeline to ace the DELF A1 writing test with flying colors:

Exam-Day Tips To Write Better to Protect Your Marks

• Read the instructions twice. You can underline every requirement the task lists: weather, activities, feelings, and who you are writing to.
• Tick them as you write. Count your words before finishing. Under 40 words, you lose task-respect marks. Over 50 wastes time and often introduces errors.
• Leave 5 minutes at the end purely for proofreading and revision.
• Hunt in this order: verb endings, correct tenses, accents, agreement (masculine/feminine, singular/plural).
• Capital letters. For example, on days and months (French does not capitalize them, English does, a common error).

Write neatly. Examiners are human. A clean handwritten message reads as more competent than a messy one with the same content.

Mistakes to Avoid for DELF A1 Writing

I often see the same common mistakes that most beginner-level French learners make when answering A1 writing questions.

Some of the usual errors are written below. Try to fix these in weeks 1–2 of preparation, not on the morning of the exam.

• Writing “je suis 25 ans” or “nous sommes froids” instead of “j’ai 25 ans” or “nous avons froid” (English interference).
• Mixing tu and vous in a single message.
• Forgetting accents entirely. (like “J’achete” instead of “j’achète”).
• Missing the final s on plurals (“mes ami” instead of “mes amis”).
• Writing “je suis étudiant en Inde” without the article un when it is needed, or with it when it is not. French usually needs articles:
• Writing too few or too many words. The usual limit is around 40–50 words. Less than 30 words = not enough information; more than 60 words = more chances of mistakes and unnecessary words.
• Forgetting the greeting and closing salutations.
• Using English sentence structure in French. For example, “Je aime jouer football” instead of “J’aime jouer au football”
• Wrong use of prepositions, gender or spelling mistakes, and using complex words that are not needed to pass the A1 writing section.

Why Trainer-Led Preparation Improves Your DELF A1 Writing Score

DELF A1 writing is easy to self-study but hard to self-correct. Issues such as register (tu vs. vous), sociolinguistic fit, subtle agreement errors, and coherence gaps are almost invisible to the writer but obvious to a trained French examiner. That is where an experienced teacher makes a difference.

If you are deciding on a foreign language institute for DELF A1, look for three things.

1. A trainer or French learning center with years of French teaching experience for DELF candidates.
2. Small batches that guarantee written feedback and personal attention.
3. A curriculum built around the official FEI (Diplôme d’études en langue française) grille rather than a generic beginner syllabus.

Ready to Pass Your Writing Exam of DELF A1?

You now have the full syllabus, the vocabulary, grammar, and topics, five graded sample answers, and a week-by-week timeline. Follow the plan, drill the templates, self-score honestly, and book the exam only when three mocks in a row hit 15+/25.

If you want that plan with trainer corrections and small-batch attention, LanguageNext runs DELF A1 batches offline in Sector 18, Noida, and online across India. You can also book a free demo or plan your DELF preparation journey for the entire A1-B2 levels.

Bonne préparation et bonne chance !

You can also check our complete guides to: (i) How to prepare for DELF A1 speaking, (ii) DELF A1 listening preparation, and (iii) How to pass DELF A1 reading to understand the full exam pattern and prepare with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions for A1 Writing Section