What is the purpose of doing C1-C2?

Why pursue advanced French learning? Are the DALF C1-C2 courses really worth doing? 

“The French language is a woman. And this woman is so beautiful, so proud, so modest, so bold, touching, voluptuous, chaste, noble, familiar, crazy, wise, that she is loved with all her soul, and that one is never tempted to be unfaithful to her. ”

Anatole France

Why should you be interested in completing the advanced levels (DALF C1-C2)?

Before answering this question, where I’d talk about the many benefits related to DALF C1-C2 diploma certificates (in various fields: academic, professional and personal), I would like to share my own experiences by narrating a small story.

This was one of the questions I asked myself in 2017 when I could not decide whether or not to continue with advanced level certification in French language : DALF C1.

When I saw the official format of the final exam, it scared me all the more because the examination was supposed to be of more than four hours duration! It would indeed be impossible to concentrate for that long! I thought, like many other learners, I too will have to be content with completing the DELF B2 level and start looking for a modest job or even start giving private lessons or tutoring.

And there you go! I did launch my virtual classes for learners at beginner/intermediate level  until… !!

Even though I was confident and motivated in front of my students, I felt as if something was missing in my pedagogy, in my language. From time to time, I would face situations where my language skills were not good enough to convince the learners. This was the case during one of the classes where a school student wanted to discuss a summary writing activity to participate in an academic competition. That experience of not being able to help him sufficiently was quite difficult and disturbing for me!

Likewise, when I dreamt of finding a job as a translator (French / English or English / French) at the United Nations, the first criterion was language skills and the association made it compulsory to have the experienced level (DALF C2) for non-native French speakers.

(Have you experienced such challenges during your language learning journey ? If so, please share them with us in the comments section and motivate other learners with your experiences.
Keep reading to get encouraged and to persevere with your advanced level language learning.) 

So, this is how it became essential for me to resume my studies and complete these last two levels of diploma offered by the CEFR. 

With the aim of explaining the importance of the complete command/mastery of a language (in this case, the French language), I am writing this article to explain a plethora of advantages in different areas depending upon the goal to be pursued.

This article is divides into two parts :
PART I – Advantages
PART II – FAQs

PART I – ADVANTAGES

1. Academic benefits
   • Enter a University: People who have plans, dreams of enrolling themselves in major French or even Canadian universities such as Ecole Polytechnique, University of Montreal, University of Quebec. Possible to enroll in an University by having level B2 or higher without passing an additional test. You must have prerequisite knowledge even to be considered for registration.
   • Conduct research in various fields for which France, Canada and other francophone countries are recognized: scientific, agro-food, automobile, grand literature of the era of Victor Hugo, Molière or Claude Simone. The passion for research, or even for reading will certainly push you to continue with advanced levels of French.
     
2. Professional benefits
   • Find a well-paid job: Get a good job in the field of research, or translation with the help of professional job agencies such as Indeed, LinkedIn, French Job’s for me, Appjobs, etc. 
     (Without a doubt, expertise is the first criterion to land these jobs.)
   • Profit from passive income: Since Covid-19 is revolutionizing the educational world, it would be worthwhile to prepare your teaching videos and sell them on platforms like Udemy, Coursera, launch an independent channel on YouTube or even write a blog like mine.
     (If you don’t have a mastery of the target language and you make mistakes, you might lose out on your followers or even lose your credibility)
   • Evaluate with precision: Become a DELF-DALF examiner-corrector by following the DILF training.
     (Can one assess others with accuracy without having a complete knowledge of the evaluation system?)
   • Work in a specialized sector: Many French-speaking multinational companies are looking for multilingual professionals in several sectors: agrifood, automobile, mechanics, pharmaceutical industry, etc. 
     (Don’t you think that a complete proficiency in French language would not only promote the credibility of your CV but also improve your remuneration, especially during this era of globalization where companies are looking for candidates with several skills?)
     
3. Personal benefits
   • Develop critical-analytical thinking skills: This is the primary goal with which I have started my blog. While learning a foreign language, it is not just about discovering a dialect, a culture, a heritage, a history, a way of thinking, but much more than you might even imagine.
     “Development of a critical mind in the face of new trends in society. “
     This enables us to become aware of our actions. And this is what I achieved in my pursuit of the DELF-DALF courses and my success in the highest level diploma exam : DALF C2* at the very first attempt.
   • A sense of victory: Once you have mastered the language of Molière as a foreigner, it is a very original and distinct achievement.
   • Acquire a precise style of expression: With digital advancement, it is the software that advises us our next words while writing a message, an email. Do you remember applications like the Google keyboard, Grammarly, bonpatron that automatically correct us? Don’t you think that due to this automation, we have forgotten how to express ourselves independently?
     Here, the dedicated and focused learning process of preparing for these high level exams would play a big role in refining your expression.

4. Other benefits 
   • Settling abroad: Without any doubt, many of us dream of immigration (to Canada, to France, to francophone African countries) either for a better quality of life or for various financial, personal reasons. 
     And this is when a high level of French is required.
   • Follow fashion: Understanding the details, big and small, of the particularity of Parisian fashion, undoubtedly requires the best knowledge of the Gallic language. 
   • Love for cinema and French gastronomy. Back to menu

So now, try to reply to the question posed by the man in the image below!!!

PART II – FAQs

1.  What is DALF?

The DELF and the DALF are the official diplomas issued by the French Ministry of National Education, to certify the skills of foreign applicants and French people from a non-French speaking country in the French language, who do not hold a teaching diploma in French public secondary or higher.

DALF stands for Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française and consists of 2 independent diplomas, corresponding to the two levels of the European Framework of Reference for Languages ​​(CEFR).

2. How can I understand my language level and assess myself in order to decide if I am ready to appear for DALF?

In order to guide learners, teachers and other users of the education system towards a practical goal, a more detailed overview is required.
We invite you to study this table. It outlines a self-assessment pool of pointers and aims, firstly, to help learners decode their proficiency level (like A1/A2/B1…) and then, with the help of detailed descriptors, they can self-assess their language skills (Written comprehension, Listening Comprehension, Spoken, Grammar…).
You could also assess your proficiency in French language on these platforms at no additional cost: rfi savoirs, French course, etc.

3.  What do the DALF C1-C2 levels signify?

i. DALF C1 –
A user who has reached this level can easily:

• Understand a wide range of long and demanding texts 
• Grasp implicit meanings
• Express themselves spontaneously and fluently without appearing to search for words
• Use the language efficiently and flexibly in social, professional or academic life 
• Express themselves in a clear and well-structured manner on complex subjects
• Demonstrate their control of organization, articulation and cohesion of speech.

For more information (such as the exam format, tips for passing it, DALF C1 topics) on this level, you could click here.

ii. DALF C2 –
A user who has reached this level can easily: 

• Understand effortlessly virtually everything they read or hear
• Reproduce facts and arguments from various written and oral sources by summarizing them in a coherent way
• Express themselves spontaneously, fluently and in a precise way 
• Distinguish between fine nuances of meaning in complex subjects.
  For more information (such as exam format, tips for passing it, DALF C2 topics) on this level, you could click here.

4. Where are the DALF C1-C2 exams held?

Registrations are done directly in various examination centers, everywhere abroad like  in France.

5. Is the DALF valid everywhere? For how long is the DALF certificate (if you passed) valid?

Yes, it is globally recognised. The DALF benefits from the recognition of all official diplomas issued by the French Ministry of National Education.
And yes, the DALF certificate (C1 / C2) is valid for life.

6. What is the format of the DALF C1 – C2 exam?

You could find out about the exam format on the official CIEP website here.

7. How was I able to clear DALF C1 and DALF C2 in the first attempt and get the diploma certifications? What was my journey? How was I able to stay motivated during the preparation?

These are some questions that every learner is interested in.
Please be patient, my dear reader(s)! I look forward to sharing all of this information with you in my upcoming articles.

8. Which are the best french learning classes ? 

There are many of them. But we recommend digital learning platforms/classes like french today, babbel, mosalingua for finding a teacher suited to your specific needs. Back to menu

Credit for sources:
1. https://www.scribbr.fr/category/fle/
2. https://www.france-education-international.fr/delf-dalf
3. https://lewebpedagogique.com/ressources-fle/pourquoi-apprendre-le-francais/

Credit for images : 
1. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/vectors/illustration“>Illustration vector created by stories – www.freepik.com</a>
2. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/vectors/business“>Business vector created by freepik – www.freepik.com</a>

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