The Production ecrite (Writing) component of the DELF B1 tests your ability to write two different types of text in French: a personal document (letter, message, or email) and a longer, structured piece expressing your opinion. At B1 level, examiners are not looking for perfection — they want to see that you can communicate clearly, organise your ideas logically, and use a range of B1-level vocabulary and grammar. This guide covers both tasks, scoring criteria, model structures, and the most common errors that cost marks.
DELF B1 Production Ecrite – Module Overview
| Feature | Details |
| Duration | 45 minutes |
| Number of tasks | 2 tasks |
| Total marks | 25 |
| Pass mark | 5 out of 25 (overall DELF B1 pass: 50 out of 100) |
| Task 1 | Write a personal letter, email, or message (approximately 160–180 words) |
| Task 2 | Write a structured opinion text on a social or everyday topic (approximately 160–180 words) |
Task 1 – Personal Letter or Email
Task 1 asks you to write a personal document in response to a prompt. Typical scenarios include: responding to an invitation, writing to a friend about a recent experience, asking for information about a course or event, or making a complaint to a service provider.
| Scenario Type | What to Write | Key Language |
| Accepting or declining an invitation | Thank the person; give your decision; explain briefly why; suggest an alternative if declining | Merci beaucoup pour ton invitation / Je suis ravi(e) d’accepter / Malheureusement, je ne peux pas… |
| Describing a recent experience | Set the context; describe what happened; express your reaction; ask about the recipient’s news | Le weekend dernier, j’ai… / C’etait vraiment… / J’ai ete surpris(e) de… / Et toi, comment tu vas? |
| Making a complaint | State the problem clearly; explain consequences; request a solution; remain polite | Je vous ecris concernant… / J’ai constate que… / Je vous demande de bien vouloir… / Dans l’attente de votre reponse… |
| Asking for information | Introduce yourself; explain why you are writing; list specific questions; thank them | Je me permets de vous contacter pour… / Pourriez-vous m’indiquer… / Je souhaiterais savoir si… |
Task 1 – Structure and Word Count
A B1 personal letter should follow this structure consistently:
| Section | Content | Lines |
| Opening salutation | Cher / Chere [name], or Madame / Monsieur for formal | 1 line |
| Introduction | Why you are writing — reference the prompt directly | 2–3 lines |
| Main body | Address all the points specified in the task prompt — typically 3–4 elements required | 8–10 lines |
| Closing | Friendly or formal closing; invitation to respond or meet | 2–3 lines |
| Sign-off | Cordialement / Amicalement / A bientot + your name | 1 line |
Task 2 – Structured Opinion Text
Task 2 asks you to write a structured piece expressing your opinion on an everyday social topic — for example: “Do you think young people spend too much time on their phones?”, “What are the advantages and disadvantages of working from home?”, “Is it better to live in a city or the countryside?”
At B1, the expected structure is:
| Section | Content | Word Target |
| Introduction | Introduce the topic; briefly state what the question is asking | 25–30 words |
| Your position + first reason | State your view clearly; give one reason or argument with a brief example | 40–50 words |
| Second point or contrasting view | Add a second point supporting your position OR acknowledge a counterargument | 40–50 words |
| Conclusion | Summarise your position; optionally widen to a general statement | 20–25 words |
B1 French Phrases for Writing
| Function | B1 French Phrases |
| Giving your opinion | A mon avis… / Selon moi… / Je pense que… / Je trouve que… / Il me semble que… |
| Adding a point | De plus… / En outre… / Par ailleurs… / Egalement… / Il faut aussi noter que… |
| Contrasting | Cependant… / Mais… / Pourtant… / Malgre cela… / En revanche… / D’un autre cote… |
| Giving an example | Par exemple… / C’est le cas de… / On peut citer… / Notamment… |
| Concluding | Pour conclure… / En conclusion… / En resume… / Finalement… |
DELF B1 Writing Scoring Criteria
| Criterion | Points (per task) | What Examiners Look For |
| Respect of task requirements | 4–5 | All elements of the prompt addressed; appropriate register; correct text type (letter/opinion essay) |
| Coherence and cohesion | 3–4 | Logical organisation; connectors used correctly; ideas flow between sentences |
| Vocabulary range | 3–4 | B1 variety; no excessive repetition; correct word choice for context |
| Morphosyntactic accuracy | 3–4 | Verb conjugations; agreement; sentence structure; appropriate tenses used |
| Spelling and punctuation | 1–2 | Not penalised heavily at B1; major errors that impede comprehension are noted |
Most Common Errors in DELF B1 Writing
| Error | Why It Loses Marks | Fix |
| Missing task elements | Task 1 typically requires 3–4 specific things (e.g. accept, explain why, suggest an alternative); missing one loses task completion marks | Read the prompt twice; underline each required element before writing |
| B1 vocabulary used at A2 level | Repetitive use of “bien”, “bon”, “grand”, “penser” without variety | Keep a synonym list; aim to use each content word only once |
| No opinion expressed in Task 2 | A description without a personal position scores low on task achievement | Always include “A mon avis…” or “Je pense que…” within the first two sentences of Task 2 |
| Incorrect register mixing | Using “tu” in a formal complaint letter; using formal letter format for a message to a friend | Identify the register required by the prompt before writing; maintain it throughout |
Practice writing both tasks daily in the two weeks before your exam — set a 45-minute timer and complete both texts without stopping. Then compare your output against the scoring criteria and model answers. languagetest.in provides DELF B1 writing practice prompts with model responses and scoring notes for both Task 1 and Task 2.
References: DELF B1 official guide: ciep.fr/delf-b1 | languagetest.in DELF B1 writing preparation
Each post reviewed by the languagetest.in research team.