DALF C2 preparation: the exposé and the debate

The DALF C2 in a nutshell

The DALF C2 has two papers, each marked out of 50. The oral: within an hour of preparation you hear a recording of about ten minutes twice, then give the jury a structured exposé of about ten minutes and debate with them for about twenty. The written: three and a half hours to work through a dossier of texts and write one structured text of at least 700 words (an article, editorial, speech, report…). You need 50 out of 100 overall, and at least 10 out of 50 in each paper. You choose your field when you register: humanities and social sciences, or sciences.

The shape of an exposé

Juries expect a classic French plan. Introduction: a hook, a sentence on the recording, your problématique, and an announced plan. Two or three parts, each with a clear point and examples. Conclusion: answer the question, then open it up (une ouverture). Signpost every move out loud so the jury never gets lost.

• 🔊Nous verrons dans un premier temps…, puis dans un second temps…We'll first look at…, then…

The jury will push back on purpose

After your exposé, the jury challenges you, sometimes playing devil's advocate. They are testing how you argue, not whether you're « right ». The winning pattern: rephrase the question, concede what's fair, then restate your point with a new argument or example. Never simply give in, and never simply repeat yourself.

• 🔊Si je vous suis bien, vous pensez que…If I understand you correctly, you think that…
• 🔊Je vous l'accorde. Il n'en demeure pas moins que…I grant you that. The fact remains that…

Listen for the position, not the facts

The C2 recording is usually a radio debate, interview or lecture of several minutes. On the first listen, catch the topic, who is speaking and what each speaker defends. On the second, note the arguments, examples and tone. Your exposé must start from this document and then go beyond it with your own analysis, so note what is implied as well as what is said.

• 🔊La locutrice défend la thèse selon laquelle…The speaker argues that…
• 🔊Le ton est volontairement polémique.The tone is deliberately provocative.

Name the strategy

A C2 candidate doesn't just say what a speaker thinks, but how they persuade: an argument d'autorité (citing an expert), a rhetorical question, an anecdote, figures, irony. Naming these strategies, then reformulating the ideas in your own words, shows the jury you've understood the document in depth.

• 🔊Le locuteur s'appuie sur un argument d'autorité.The speaker relies on an appeal to authority.

One text, many sources

In the written paper you get a dossier of several documents and a task: write an editorial, an open letter, a speech, a report… for a named reader. Read the task first and underline the genre, the destinataire and the aim. Then group ideas from all the documents by theme, never summarise them one by one. Build a plan, keep a consistent register, and respect the length you're given.

• 🔊Vous rédigerez un éditorial pour un quotidien national.You'll write an editorial for a national daily.

Connectors that carry the logic

At C2, connectors show the reasoning, so pick them precisely. En outre adds an argument. Or introduces the fact that turns the argument. Dès lors and il s'ensuit que draw consequences. A text that moves from fact (or…) to consequence (dès lors…) reads as truly argued, not listed.

• 🔊Chacun veut des transports publics efficaces. Or, les budgets baissent. Dès lors, il faut innover.Everyone wants efficient public transport. Yet budgets are falling. Consequently, we must innovate.

Scene: Mateo's exam day

Mateo, a Brazilian translator from Salvador, sits the DALF C2 at a test centre in Rio. In the morning, the written paper on the theme « Les villes africaines face à la croissance ». In the afternoon, a recording on teaching in national languages, then the jury.