Zelda's 2019 French Log

[Klara]

Bonne courage et bonne chance !!!

[Cavesa]

Bon courage! Tu seras merveilleuse, j'en ai aucun doute.

[zjones]

Ça y est !

Before the exam I got dressed up so I'd feel more confident. I ate a quick breakfast, had some coffee, and left the house.

The entire thing felt unreal. There was only one other candidate for the DELF B1, and there was little to no instruction for the exam. Throughout the different parts, I had to face my fear of not being in control: this was the real thing, it wasn't a mock exam that I could just shrug off. I am going to explain the experience but rest assured I will not give any specific information about topics or exam content.

Listening: I know I won't get a perfect score on the listening part, and I even forgot to answer one of the questions (I noticed it as I flipped the page... whoops). Overall it wasn't bad, but because the audio was played over a speaker it was a little harder to understand. Note to self and others: practice DELF/DALF listening comprehension over speakers and not with headphones.

Reading: This went super well, everything felt clear and easy. I'm not expecting a perfect score but I wouldn't be surprised if I get a 25/25.

Writing: During the second part of the exam (the reading part) I could hear the other candidate writing while I waited to be informed when the writing part was supposed to start. I asked the proctor when we were going to be notified to start the writing part of the exam, and she replied that the reading and writing parts had already started. So I wasted at least 15-20 minutes just reviewing my reading questions. From everything I've read online and in DELF prep books, the reading and the writing parts are separated, but maybe I misunderstood. Like I said there was no instruction about anything except not to ask the proctor for help. Luckily I still had 45 minutes left for writing, but unfortunately the essay topic was about a subject that required a lot of past tense (my weak point). I don't feel like I did my best, mostly because I felt stressed about not being notified when to start.

Break: Then I had a 1-1/2 hour break, so my husband and I walked to a café and got a sandwich. There was a park and garden behind the Alliance Française building, so we walked around and my husband asked me questions in English which I answered in French.

Speaking: I was so nervous that I was trembling the whole time! I picked a topic for the monologue and then spent 10-15 minutes furiously scribbling notes. After that I was called into the exam room with two judges. They spoke to me in French, which I knew was going to happen but was somehow still shocking. We talked a little about myself, then I did the exercise in interaction. I think I did pretty well. The monologue was okay but I felt rushed... and I was warned not to read off the page, another whoops. The whole thing went by very fast. At the end they took my horrible scratch paper notes, which I felt upset about. I understand why they took them, but I had an irrational fear that they were going to judge me on my notes.

I joked with my husband that they forgot to mention the 5th section of the exam: driving in Seattle traffic.

The employee of the AF said that should get my results in the next couple weeks, and if I pass I will get a signed certificate in the mail in 4-6 months/weeks? I think it's months, but I can't really remember because my memory of the speaking part is really fuzzy.

So... the exam over, which feels totally weird. In the middle of the exam I remember thinking that I'm not sure I want to do this over again. If I lived in Seattle, it would be better. But several hours in the car + sleeping in a bed that's not my own + driving in really horrible traffic? I still want to get a book to prepare for the DELF B2 regardless of whether I end up taking the B2 later this year, or if I opt for the C1 in 2020. I feel like preparing for these exams is a great way to learn useful skills, structures and vocabulary.

Tomorrow I'm going to treat myself to clothes shopping , then we'll head back home.

[Klara]

Congratulations and welcome to the club

It is really great news! You may get the results within weeks, with the "Attestation de réussite" and the certificate within 4-6 months.

[MamaPata]

Woo! Congrats, it sounds like a positive experience.
Yes, my experience is that for all the exams, there is no division between reading and writing - it’s up to you how you organise your time.

[StringerBell]

Wow, I am so impressed that you did this; doing actual prep with the book consistently is one thing (that I couldn't even bring myself to do), but to actually drive so far away and do the exam...I'm just really impressed with your commitment. It is so cool to get to read what your experience with the exam was like. I have no doubt that your abilities are probably much higher than B1, so if you don't pass for any reason, it's obviously not due to language skills but due to issues with the test itself (ambiguous/nonexistent directions, performance anxiety, etc...), and I hope you feel proud either way.

I've started to do some writing in Italian, which I think in large part was inspired by reading about your writing in French. I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to discuss your routines and strategies, because it prompts me to rethink some things I'm doing. If I can ever get myself to improve on a few grammatical areas/verb constructions, maybe I'll follow your lead and do some test prep or even take an actual certification exam (I can't see that happening, but I also couldn't picture myself wanting to start writing, so who knows?)

[Cavesa]

i totally agree, this is an awesome log.

don't worry, the exam really leaves quite a lot of room for mistakes. in your case, they are much more likely to be due to the test format and starting writing late, not the language. your preparation for the exam has been significantly above the average.

don't let this discourage you from future exams. my delf b2 and dalf c2 were completely different experiences! and no, not only because of my skills but also the testing center behaved a bit differently and it was no longer a new experience to me. your next exam is likely to be more comfortable.

but it is early for that, now is time to celebrate! you've been awesome the whole time! congratulations on all the progress you've made!

[Lawyer&Mom]

You picked a wonderful day to be in Seattle! I hope you are having some fun now that the exam is behind you!

[zjones]

Thanks everyone, I am pretty proud of myself -- not necessarily for my level in French but for all the effort I put into the exam. After I wrote my last log post, I tried not to think about the exam at all. I spent some time in the sun and did some shopping. I spoke to my husband in French a few times.

There are a couple of different ways I could move forward from this point. I could purchase a book for the DELF B2 and get started on that right away, I could stop working on productive skills and spend some time listening and reading, or I could just do whatever is fun. I'm thinking a lot about the last option. I've gotten to the point where I default to French in listening, reading and writing, so I'm not worried that I'll stop being exposed to it. I tend to be less studious in spring and summer anyway, because I can spend more time outdoors in nature.

I really wish I could buy a French book or course that is advanced but also fun and unique. Not like a full grammar book, although I wouldn't mind working on some of those finer details. I'm not sure that "fun" advanced French textbooks exist, but if anyone has recommendations I'd be happy to hear them. CLE has some courses that don't look too bad: Communication Progressive Niveau Avancé, Expression Écrite 4 Niveau B2 or even this Écho textbook which is not meant for self-study, but is incredibly colorful and has lots of neat little exercises.

[MamaPata]

If I were you, I’d definitely go for the relaxed option. And then when you get your results, you can decide if and when this is an experience you want to repeat. I suspect if you do decide to do another exam, you may want to jump straight to C1 but you might feel more secure about that after the results.