The jump from A1 to A2 speaking catches people off guard. The exam looks similar on paper. Three parts, ten minutes of preparation, one examiner asking questions. Same shape.
Then you sit down, and the middle task has changed completely. At A1, you asked the examiner questions from word cards. At A2, you stand alone for two minutes and talk about a topic you drew thirty seconds of thought about. Nobody is helping you. That is the real A2 test.
The sample papers below show you both halves of that: what stays familiar and what genuinely gets harder. Every model answer adheres to A2 grammar, which includes the passé composé, futur proche, and simple connectors. Nothing you have not met yet.
If you are weighing A1 against A2 before booking a session, the four DELF levels set out what each one certifies.
What Is Different About A2 Speaking Compared to A1?
The middle task changes from asking questions to a two-minute solo monologue; the interaction becomes a genuine negotiation rather than a simple purchase, and the whole exam stretches to six to eight minutes. You also need past and future tenses, which A1 never demanded.
| DELF A1 | DELF A2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total speaking time | 5 to 7 minutes | 6 to 8 minutes |
| Part 1 | Guided interview, about 1 min | Guided interview, about 1 min 30 |
| Part 2 | Ask questions from cards, 2 min | Solo monologue on a topic, 2 min |
| Part 3 | Simple role play, 2 min | Interaction task, 3 to 4 min |
| Tenses expected | Present | Présent, passé composé, futur proche |
| Preparation | 10 minutes | 10 minutes |
The collective papers also grow. Listening runs about 25 minutes, with audio up to five minutes long; reading takes 30 minutes; and writing jumps from 30 minutes at A1 to 45 minutes with two separate productions. Total collective time is one hour and forty minutes. You still need 50 out of 100 to pass and at least 5 out of 25 in every paper. Official past papers with audio files are available for download on the France Éducation International A2 sample subjects page.
How Does the Examiner Split the 25 Marks?
Each of the three tasks is worth up to 4 marks, for a total of 12 marks for task completion. The remaining 13 marks are allocated to language: 5 for vocabulary, 4 for grammar, and 4 for pronunciation, judged across all three parts.
The band structure repeats at every level. You score 1 if you fall below A2, 2.5 if you meet A2, and 4 if you reach A2+. Vocabulary is the outlier with 3 and 5 in the top two bands, which is why it quietly yields more results than anything else.
What separates 2.5 from 4 in the monologue? The published descriptors are specific. At 2.5, your production is “globalement cohérente” when you stay on personal ground, and the examiner may still need to prompt you. At 4, you deliver a short, structured presentation, explain what you like and why, and your ideas hold together even without perfect connectors. In short: fewer prompts, more reasons.
The CEFR descriptors behind these bands are published by the Council of Europe’s language policy program, and reading the A2 spoken production scale is a useful reality check on how much is being asked.
Something I tell every A2 group in the first week: the monologue is not a memory test; it is a test of structure. Students who arrive from self-study usually have the vocabulary and no shape to put it in. Two weeks of building the same four-part skeleton across different topics fixes more marks than any vocabulary list, which is why our A2 batches drill structure before content.
These are the practice papers. For the underlying method, the listen-repeat-record-review cycle, and the full syllabus, see the DELF A2 speaking guide.
Sample Paper 1
Task 1: The Guided Interview
About one minute thirty. No preparation. The examiner opens with your details, then moves into your recent past and your plans.
Examiner questions
- Bonjour, présentez-vous, s’il vous plaît.
- Parlez-moi un peu de votre famille.
- Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait le week-end dernier ?
- Est-ce que vous travaillez ou vous étudiez ?
- Depuis quand est-ce que vous apprenez le français ?
- Quels sont vos projets pour l’année prochaine ?
Model answer
Bonjour. Je m’appelle Rohit Menon, j’ai vingt-huit ans et je suis indien. J’habite à Gurugram et je travaille dans une entreprise de logiciels. Ma famille n’est pas très grande : mes parents, ma sœur et moi. Ma sœur est médecin à Pune.
Le week-end dernier, je suis allé au cinéma avec deux amis. Nous avons vu un film français avec des sous-titres. Après, nous avons mangé dans un restaurant italien. C’était une bonne journée.
J’apprends le français depuis un an et demi. L’année prochaine, je vais passer le DELF B1, et je voudrais travailler dans le bureau de mon entreprise à Paris.
Notice the tense mix in the sample. One paragraph present, one passé composé, one futur proche. Examiners are listening for exactly that range, and a candidate who stays in the present tense throughout will be marked below level on grammar, no matter how fluent they sound.
Task 2: The Monologue Suivi
You draw two topic cards and choose one. About two minutes of solo speaking. This is what your preparation time is mostly for.
Sample card drawn
Sujet 2 : Vos loisirs Qu’est-ce que vous aimez faire pendant votre temps libre ? Pourquoi ? Est-ce que vos loisirs ont changé depuis quelques années ?
Model answer
Pendant mon temps libre, j’aime surtout deux choses : la lecture et la cuisine.
Je lis presque tous les soirs avant de dormir. Je préfère les romans policiers parce que l’histoire avance vite et je ne m’ennuie jamais. En ce moment, je lis un livre en français. C’est difficile, mais j’apprends beaucoup de vocabulaire.
J’aime aussi cuisiner le dimanche. Je prépare souvent des plats indiens pour ma famille, mais depuis l’année dernière, j’essaie aussi des recettes françaises. J’ai fait une quiche le mois dernier et tout le monde a aimé.
Mes loisirs ont un peu changé. Avant, je jouais beaucoup aux jeux vidéo. Maintenant, je préfère des activités plus calmes, parce que je travaille toute la journée devant un ordinateur.
Task 3: The Interaction Task
Three to four minutes. You draw a scenario card and play it out with the examiner. At A2, this is no longer a simple purchase. You have to explain, request, negotiate, or persuade.
Sample card drawn
Un cours de cuisine Vous êtes en France. Vous voulez vous inscrire à un cours de cuisine française. Vous téléphonez à l’école. Vous demandez les horaires, le prix et le niveau nécessaire. Vous expliquez pourquoi ce cours vous intéresse. L’examinateur joue le rôle du secrétaire de l’école.
Model dialogue
- Candidat : Bonjour monsieur, je vous appelle parce que je voudrais m’inscrire à un cours de cuisine.
- Examinateur : Très bien. Vous avez déjà suivi un cours chez nous ?
- Candidat : Non, c’est la première fois. Est-ce qu’il faut un niveau particulier ?
- Examinateur : Non, nous avons un groupe débutant.
- Candidat : Parfait. Et quels sont les horaires, s’il vous plaît ?
- Examinateur : Le mardi soir de dix-neuf heures à vingt et une heures, ou le samedi matin.
- Candidat : Le samedi matin, c’est mieux pour moi, parce que je travaille en semaine. Ça coûte combien ? Examinateur : Deux cent quarante euros pour dix séances.
- Candidat : D’accord. C’est un peu cher, mais ça m’intéresse beaucoup. J’habite en France depuis six mois et je voudrais apprendre la cuisine d’ici. Est-ce que je peux payer en deux fois ?
- Examinateur : Oui, c’est possible.
- Candidat : Très bien, alors je m’inscris pour le samedi. Merci beaucoup pour votre aide. Au revoir !
Sample Paper 2: A Second Set to Practice Cold
Run this one without reading model answers first. That is the only way to know where you stand.
Task 1 questions: Comment s’appelle votre ville ? Qu’est-ce qu’on peut y faire ? Décrivez votre journée typique. Qu’est-ce que vous avez appris récemment ? Où voulez-vous voyager et pourquoi ?
Task 2 topic card: Les transports. Comment est-ce que vous vous déplacez tous les jours ? Est-ce que vous préférez les transports en commun ou la voiture ? Pourquoi ?
Task 3 scenario card: Un problème à l’hôtel. Vous êtes à la réception d’un hôtel à Nice. Votre chambre est trop bruyante et la climatisation ne marche pas. Vous expliquez le problème et vous demandez une autre chambre. L’examinateur joue le rôle du réceptionniste.
The second scenario is the harder type, and it is common at the A2 level. You have to complain politely, which requires softer language: “Excusez-moi de vous déranger, mais…”, “Est-ce qu’il serait possible de…”, “Je suis désolé d’insister.” Blunt complaints score badly on the sociolinguistic side of the grid.
Ten Monologue Topics That Keep Coming Back
A2 monologue cards stay inside daily life. Prepare across these ten, and very little will surprise you.
- Vos loisirs et votre temps libre
- Votre ville ou votre quartier
- Les vacances et les voyages
- La nourriture et les repas
- Le sport et la santé
- Le travail ou les études
- La famille et les amis
- Les fêtes et les traditions
- Internet et les téléphones portables
- Les transports et les déplacements
Build one two-minute answer for each. Reuse the same skeleton every time: state your preference, give two reasons, add one past example, and end with a short comparison to before. That structure fits any of these topics, and it maps neatly onto what the descriptors reward.
Our DELF A2 course works through all ten in mock conditions, because topic familiarity is what removes the panic in the preparation room.
The same topic families feed the other three papers, so preparing them together saves real time. The DELF A2 listening papers use these situations in audio, and the DELF A2 reading papers reuse the same vocabulary in adverts and short articles.
Which Grammar Do Examiners Expect to Hear at A2?
Passé composé with both avoir and être, futur proche, reflexive verbs, comparatives, and the connectors parce que, mais, alors and depuis. Imparfait appears in strong answers but is not required to reach the target band.
Three constructions do most of the work:
- Passé composé for anything you did. Get the être verbs right, because agreement errors on “je suis allé” and “nous sommes partis” are the most audible mistakes at this level.
- Futur proche for plans. “Je vais passer le DELF B1 en décembre.” Simple, safe, and it demonstrates the future without risking the futur simple.
- Depuis for duration. “J’apprends le français depuis deux ans.” French uses the present here where English uses a perfect, and getting it right flags real A2 control.
- Add comparatives once you are comfortable. “Le train est plus rapide que le bus, mais il est moins pratique.” One well-placed comparison noticeably lifts a monologue.
If your written work lags behind your speaking, DELF A2 writing papers use the same topic families, so preparing one paper supports the other.
What Goes Wrong in the A2 Monologue?
Candidates run out of things to say around the ninety-second mark, drift into unrelated topics, or list facts without giving a single reason. All three are structural problems, not language problems.
- Running dry. Two minutes is longer than it sounds. Without a plan, you will hit forty-five seconds and stall. The four-part skeleton above fixes this.
- Listing without explaining. “J’aime le cinéma. J’aime la musique. J’aime le sport.” That is A1 output on an A2 task. Every statement needs a parce que behind it.
- Drifting off topic. A card about transport is not an invitation to talk about your holiday in Goa. Examiners mark task completion first.
- Ignoring the second question on the card. A2 cards usually ask two or three things. “Pourquoi ?” and “Est-ce que ça a changé ?” are part of the task, not decoration.
- Memorized delivery. A monologue recited from memory has a flat rhythm that examiners recognize instantly, and it damages the pronunciation score. Learn the structure, not the sentences.
Candidates heading for Canada often reach A2 and then discover they need a different exam entirely. TCF and TEF exams in India explain which test each pathway accepts.
Does DELF A2 Help With Canadian Immigration or French Nationality?
DELF A2 supports French residency applications and school pathways, but Canadian immigration points are based on TEF Canada or TCF Canada, not DELF. A2 is also a requirement for certain French residence permits, making it more than a practice level.
For learners in India, the practical value is different depending on your goal. Students heading to a French-taught program usually need B1 or B2, so A2 is a checkpoint on the way. Working professionals at companies with French clients often find A2 sufficient to handle routine calls and emails, and it serves as a visible credential on a CV.
If Canada is the target, plan the switch early. The oral skills carry over, but the exam formats do not, and candidates who prepare for the DELF for two years then discover they need the TCF lose months.
Common Questions About the DELF A2 Oral Exam Format
Turn These Sample Papers Into a Real Score
Sample papers show you the format. What they cannot do is tell you whether your passé composé holds up under pressure, or whether your monologue runs the full two minutes.
Our DELF exam prep course runs timed mock orals against the same grid examiners use, in batches of six to ten so everyone gets speaking time in every session. Join us at the Noida center, or take our live online French course with the same teacher and the same mocks.
Call or WhatsApp 7011164582 for a free demo and a level check before you book a session date.