The Best DELF A2 Preparation in 2026: 6 Options Ranked for Paris

The best DELF A2 preparation is the one that gets you saying French out loud, to someone who answers, well before exam day. The DELF A2 has four papers worth 25 points each: listening, reading and writing, sat together in a group, and speaking, taken on your own.

The speaking paper is the one you cannot rehearse on paper. You sit it alone with two examiners. Before it starts, you draw two topics for the second part and two for the third, choose one of each and get 10 minutes to prepare them. Then the three parts run straight on. First you introduce yourself, with no preparation: family, friends, studies, what you like. Then you speak on the topic you chose. Then you play out an everyday situation with the examiner and sort it out, greeting and using polite forms as you go. To pass, you need at least 50 out of 100 overall and at least 5 out of 25 in every paper. A good written score does not carry a silent speaking paper.

This guide is for adults in Paris preparing for the DELF A2, including for a first multi-year residence card, comparing what each kind of preparation costs and how much speaking it actually gives you.

How we ranked them

We compared six ways to prepare on the five things that most help someone pass, the speaking paper above all:

1. Speaking practice per session: how much of the time you spend saying French yourself. For a class, at most the session divided by the group size.
2. Feedback: whether someone answers or corrects what you actually said.
3. Closeness to the exam: whether you work on the DELF A2's own tasks, papers and marking grids.
4. Flexibility: whether it fits round work, and how soon you can start.
5. Honest price: the published price for what you get, from each provider's own website.

The order puts the speaking paper first, because it is the one paper you cannot practise alone with a pen. School certificates did not count: on this route the diploma comes from the DELF itself. Prices were checked in November 2026.

We compare preparation for other languages' exams too: fide test preparation for German, DELE A2 preparation for Spanish, CIPLE exam preparation for Portuguese, inburgering exam preparation for Dutch and CILS B1 Cittadinanza preparation for Italian.

Should you use more than one?

Yes. With a minimum of 5 out of 25 in every paper, a fluent speaker can fail on a blank writing paper and a careful writer on a silent speaking paper. Use the free sample papers and their official marking grids for listening, reading and writing, and to see what the examiners score. Then practise speaking every day, because the first part gives you no preparation time and two examiners are waiting for your first sentence. Reading the examiner's document tells you what to say; saying it dozens of times is what lets you say it in the room.

When to upgrade from your first pick

There often comes a point when you know the three speaking parts from the sample and can manage the sentences, but have never drawn a topic, prepared for 10 minutes and then talked to two examiners. That is the moment for a few private hours to run it as a mock: French à la Carte, or a tutor from a marketplace such as Preply, about €31 an hour on average in Paris for a native speaker, though most are not DELF specialists. If you can study full-time for a week or more, ACCORD's intensive programme adds its DELF afternoons to daily morning classes, 25 hours a week for about €475. If you would rather build your French in a weekly class before turning to the exam, French classes in Paris compared sets the evening schools side by side.

Which one should you choose?

Pick the one that covers your weakest paper: below 5 out of 25 in any one of them, the exam is lost.

• You don't know what the exam looks like: the free sample papers from France Éducation international.
• You understand French but freeze when you have to speak: Echoa, every day, for €39 a month.
• You want a teacher's full attention, evenings or weekends: French à la Carte.
• You are free on weekday afternoons and want a DELF class: ACCORD.
• You want plenty of speaking class for very little and can follow a semester: the City of Paris A2 speaking workshop.
• You want to drill grammar and exam exercises alone: Lutèce Langue's platform.

If you are wondering whether a general French app would do the job, Babbel vs Duolingo for French compares the two.

Most people will want the sample papers and one other. If speaking is the paper that worries you, make the other one Echoa: lesson 1 takes about 15 minutes, and the first 3 lessons are free. No card needed.

Frequently asked questions

What does the DELF A2 involve?

There are four papers, each worth 25 points. Three are sat together in a group: listening (four exercises, about 25 minutes, with recordings of up to 5 minutes, each played twice), reading (four exercises, 30 minutes) and writing (two texts of at least 60 words each, 45 minutes). Together they take 1 hour 40 minutes. The fourth is the speaking paper, taken alone: 6 to 8 minutes, after 10 minutes to prepare. This page covers the adult version, the DELF tout public, set by France Éducation international for the French Ministry of Education; DELF junior, scolaire, Prim and Pro are other versions.

How is the DELF A2 marked?

You need at least 50 out of 100 overall and at least 5 out of 25 in each paper. Below 5 in any paper, you fail, however well the others went.

How much does the DELF A2 cost in Paris?

Each exam centre sets its own fee; there is no national DELF fee. At Alliance Française de Paris, 101 boulevard Raspail, the DELF A2 costs €190, including a €20 handling fee that its own students with a valid registration do not pay. It is for adults 18 and over, and you must leave at least 45 days between attempts at the same level.

When can I sit the DELF A2?

In France, the last 2026 date for the group papers is 1 December, at 14:00. In 2027 the dates are 12 January, 2 February, 16 March, 25 May, 15 June, 6 July, 3 August, 5 October, 16 November and 7 December 2027, group papers at 14:00. The centre sets the speaking test after the group papers, within 30 days and by the 15th of the following month at the latest. You register with an exam centre, which tells you its fee, dates and venue.

Is the DELF A2 enough for a residence card?

For a first multi-year residence card, yes. Since 1 January 2026 that card needs A2, a first 10-year resident card needs B1 and French nationality needs B2, in speaking and writing alike. The DELF is one of the diplomas accepted for the residence cards, alongside a TCF or TEF certificate covering all four skills; diplomas issued by a foreign authority are not. You also have to pass a civic exam, separate from the language proof. The language condition applies only to applicants under 65.

Should I take the DELF or the TCF?

Both are accepted for the residence cards. The difference is how long the result lasts: a DELF diploma never expires, while a TCF or TEF certificate counts for 2 years for these applications.

Does the DELF A2 expire?

No. The DELF diploma is valid for life. If you fail, you can ask the centre for your score sheet; the jury's decisions cannot be appealed.

About Echoa

French. Accelerated. Echoa is a speaking course on your phone or computer, in German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch and Italian. In each 15-minute lesson you build sentences and say them out loud, and Sam answers every one. The course reaches A2 speaking; the DELF also tests listening, reading and writing. It costs €39 a month for every language course, and the first 3 lessons are free.