The short answer
They are one family of diplomas split by level. The DELF (Diplôme d'études en langue française) covers the first four levels of the CEFR scale, A1 to B2; the DALF (Diplôme approfondi de langue française) covers the top two, C1 and C2. Both are issued on behalf of France's Ministry of Education and run by France Éducation international through test centers around the world — Alliances françaises, universities, French institutes. So "DELF or DALF" is really "which level": if you are aiming at B2 you sit the DELF B2, and at C1 the DALF C1.
Every level is its own exam, and you can register straight for the one you want — you do not need the DELF B2 to sit the DALF C1. Each tests listening, reading, writing and speaking at that level, scored out of 100, and you pass with 50 as long as no paper falls below its minimum. A pass is a diploma for life. A fail is no diploma at all: there is no lower level awarded instead.
Every level at a glance
From A1 to C1 the four papers — listening, reading, writing, speaking — are worth 25 points each, and you pass with 50 out of 100 as long as none falls under 5. The first three are sat together, one after the other, in the times above; speaking is an individual test with examiners, sometimes on another day. C2 is built differently: two papers of 50 points, one oral and one written, each mixing understanding and production, and you pass with 50 out of 100 as long as neither falls under 10. The 2009 regulation gives the B1 written papers as 1 h 45; test centers publish 1 h 55 today, and that is what the table shows. Below A1 there is also a DELF A1.1 for first steps.
| Diploma | Written papers | Speaking |
|---|---|---|
| DELF A1 | 1 h 20 | 5–7 min, after 10 min to prepare |
| DELF A2 | 1 h 40 | 6–8 min, after 10 min to prepare |
| DELF B1 | 1 h 55 | 15 min, with 10 min to prepare the last part |
| DELF B2 | 2 h 30 | 20 min, after 30 min to prepare |
| DALF C1 | 4 h | 30 min, after 1 h to prepare |
| DALF C2 | 3 h 30 | 30 min, after 1 h to prepare |
DELF B2 vs DALF C1: what changes
The jump is less about harder words than about more sources. At B2 you answer one prompt; at C1 you read several documents, pull them into one synthesis and then argue from them, on paper and out loud — and the C1 writing paper alone is as long as the whole of the B2 written exam. That is why the C1 asks you to pick a field: the documents come from it. If your French is solid but you have never written a synthesis, practice that format before you book the DALF C1.
| Exam | What changes |
|---|---|
| DELF B2 | Listening — 30 min: recordings such as interviews, news, talks and documentaries |
| DALF C1 | Listening — About 40 min: one long recording of about 8 minutes heard twice, then several short radio items heard once |
| DELF B2 | Reading — 1 h: texts on general topics, informative and argumentative |
| DALF C1 | Reading — 50 min: one text of ideas, literary or journalistic, of 1,500 to 2,000 words |
| DELF B2 | Writing — 1 h: take and argue a position — a contribution to a debate, a formal letter, a critical article |
| DALF C1 | Writing — 2 h 30: a synthesis of several documents (about 1,000 words in all), then an argued essay on them |
| DELF B2 | Speaking — 20 min after 30 min to prepare: present and defend a point of view from a short document |
| DALF C1 | Speaking — 30 min after 1 h to prepare: a presentation built from several written documents, then a discussion with the examiners |
| DELF B2 | Written papers in all — 2 h 30 |
| DALF C1 | Written papers in all — 4 h |
| DELF B2 | Choose a field? — No |
| DALF C1 | Choose a field? — Yes, for writing and speaking: arts and humanities, or sciences |
DALF C1 vs C2
The C2 drops the four-paper shape. Its oral paper starts from a recording you hear twice: you report what it said, develop your own view on the problem it raises, then debate it with the examiners — 30 minutes, after an hour to prepare. Its written paper hands you a dossier of documents of about 2,000 words and three and a half hours to turn it into a structured text of your own: an article, an editorial, a report or a speech. Each paper is out of 50, and you pass with 50 out of 100 as long as neither falls under 10. As at C1, you choose a field — arts and humanities, or sciences.
So a DALF C1 holder meets a different exam at C2, not a longer one: two papers, both built on documents, both asking you to take a position and hold it.
DELF and DALF vs the TCF and TEF
The difference is the question each one answers. A TCF or TEF asks "what is your level today?" and always gives an answer, which is why immigration systems use them and why the Canadian versions expire: a level today is not a level in five years. A DELF or DALF asks "can you do B2?" — or C1 — and either certifies it for good or gives you nothing. For Express Entry that settles it, because IRCC takes only TCF Canada and TEF Canada. For a French university, an employer or your own record, the diploma that never expires is usually the better buy.
Is the TCF easier than the DELF? Not in the French it asks for, but in the risk: someone hovering around B2 always walks out of a TCF with a result, while the same person can miss a DELF B2 by a few points on one paper and leave with no diploma.
| DELF / DALF | TCF / TEF | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A diploma at the one level you chose | A score that places you on the scale, whatever your level |
| Can you fail? | Yes — under 50/100, or one paper under its minimum, means no diploma | No pass mark: every candidate gets a score |
| How long it lasts | For life | Two years for TCF Canada and TEF Canada results |
| Results | In 2–4 weeks; the printed diploma 4–6 months later | About 4 weeks for TCF Canada, about 2 for TEF Canada |
| Canadian immigration (Express Entry) | Not accepted | TCF Canada and TEF Canada are the two French tests IRCC accepts |
Which should you take?
For Canadian permanent residence, neither — book TCF Canada or TEF Canada. For a degree taught in French, check the program's own page: B2 is the level French universities usually ask for, and the DELF B2 is the usual proof of it; a DALF C1 goes further and exempts you from language tests for entry to French universities and grandes écoles. For a job or your CV, take the highest level you can pass now — the diploma lasts, so there is no prize for waiting. And if you are between two levels, sit the lower one: a pass at B2 is worth more than a fail at C1.
Before you book
Dates and fees are set by each test center, so look up the centers near you first; places are limited. The three written papers are sat together and the speaking test is booked separately — often the same day, sometimes another day close to it. Arrive early: at Simon Fraser University's center, for one, a candidate who arrives once the listening paper has started is not let in. Results come in about two to four weeks, and the printed diploma takes four to six months to reach you.
Where your French is now
The vocabulary test at the top of this page estimates how many French words you know and the CEFR band that usually goes with that number — an estimate, not a certification, and the same bands Nivelo uses for English and Spanish. On that chart B2 sits at roughly 3,000 to 5,000 words you recognize on sight. If the test puts you a band below the diploma you want, plan months before booking; if it puts you at that level or above, book it and spend the time on what a vocabulary test cannot see — writing to the clock and speaking from a document. The French vocabulary test page has the full chart, and TCF Canada vs TEF Canada covers the two tests for Canada; French CEFR levels says what each level means and how long it takes to reach.