TCF IRN or DELF A2 — which to choose, and how each one is marked
6 min read
Two objects come up when you need to prove the A2 French required for a first carte de séjour pluriannuelle: the TCF IRN and the DELF A2. They are not the same kind of thing — and above all they are not marked the same way at all. That is the point almost every page on the subject gets wrong.
Information verified on 12 August 2026, from the official France Éducation international documents (DELF A2 tout public papers, Manuel du candidat DELF A2, Manuel du candidat TCF version M of May 2025, Grilles de niveaux du TCF). Confirm the current format with your centre before you register.
Two different objects
| TCF IRN | DELF A2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | a test: it positions you on the CEFR scale | a national diploma: you get it or you don't |
| What you receive | an attestation stating a level | a diploma |
| Can you "fail"? | no, strictly speaking — see below | yes |
| Validity | 2 years | for life |
| Levels covered | one test, calibrated A1 → B2 | one diploma per level (A1, A2, B1, B2…) |
| Time to result | roughly 2 to 4 weeks | results in a few weeks, the paper diploma 3 to 6 months later |
The DELF A2 pass rule: 50/100, plus an eliminatory floor
DELF A2 has four épreuves, each marked out of 25, for a total out of 100. The rule is printed on the cover page of every official paper:
« Seuil de réussite pour obtenir le diplôme : 50/100 · Note minimale requise par épreuve : 5/25 »
and, in the Manuel du candidat DELF A2: « Attention : une note en dessous de 5 points sur 25 dans une épreuve est éliminatoire. »
In other words: 50/100 overall AND at least 5/25 in each of the four épreuves. An excellent reading score does not rescue a 4/25 in speaking — the diploma is refused.
| Épreuve | Time | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Compréhension de l’oral (listening) | 25 min | /25 |
| Compréhension des écrits (reading) | 30 min | /25 |
| Production écrite (writing) | 45 min | /25 |
| Production orale (speaking) | 6 to 8 min + 10 min preparation | /25 |
| Collective épreuves total | 1 h 40 | /100 |
Two DELF formats are in circulation at the same time. France Éducation international says so on its own pages: « Deux formats des épreuves de compréhension de l’oral et des écrits du DELF sont diffusés dans les sessions officielles ». Format 2 is entirely multiple-choice; format 1, older but still sat, keeps open short answers and vrai/faux with a written justification. Our practice material is written to the TCF IRN format — 4 options, exactly one correct — not to the DELF format, which uses 3 options and matching grids. The content and the level still help if you are preparing for the DELF, but supplement it with DELF-format papers. The widely-copied claim that this coexistence ended in 2022 is contradicted by FEI's live pages.
The TCF IRN has no pass mark
This is the decisive difference, and it is stated plainly in the Manuel du candidat TCF:
« L’attestation de résultat d’un test linguistique indique le niveau de compétence obtenu par le candidat. La notion de réussite ou d’échec est liée exclusivement au niveau exigé par l’organisme auquel l’attestation est destinée (université, préfecture, employeur, etc.). »
So there is no "score you need to pass the TCF". The préfecture sets the bar: global level A2 for the carte de séjour pluriannuelle, B1 for the carte de résident, B2 for naturalisation. Be wary of any site quoting you a TCF pass percentage — there is none.
The TCF IRN is scored from 100 to 499 (not out of 699: the IRN version is capped at B2).
| CEFR level | MCQ score | Writing / speaking mark |
|---|---|---|
| A1 not reached | 0 to 99 | — |
| A1 | 101 to 199 | 1/20 |
| A2 | 200 to 299 | 2 to 5/20 |
| B1 | 300 to 399 | 6 to 9/20 |
| B2 | 400 to 499 | 10 to 13/20 |
(FEI's published table skips the value 100; the artefact appears in both of its documents.) The mapping from the number of correct answers to the 100–499 score is not published — the test is item-calibrated. No simulator, ours included, can therefore output a real TCF score: what can be given is a level estimate, and it must be labelled as one.
The TCF IRN format changed on 12 May 2025
Many pages still show the old numbers. Since 12 May 2025:
| Épreuve | Current format |
|---|---|
| Listening | 25 questions / 20 min (previously 20 / 15 min) |
| Reading | 25 questions / 35 min (previously 20 / 20 min) |
| Writing | 3 tasks / 30 min — 30–60 words, 40–90 words, 40–90 words |
| Speaking | 3 tasks / 10 min, with no preparation time |
| Total | 1 h 35 (previously 1 h 15) |
All four épreuves are « obligatoires et insécables » — you cannot sit only part of the test. And there is no grammar paper in the IRN: the structures de la langue section exists only in the TCF tout public.
Three practical differences that win marks
- The audio. DELF plays each recording twice (« Il y a 2 écoutes »). The TCF IRN plays it once, and the question comes after the recording. That is not a detail — it is a skill you can train.
- Word counts. In TCF IRN writing, a task that misses the required word count can have the whole script marked « A1 non atteint ». In DELF A2 writing the same mistake costs 0.5 point on a single criterion. The penalties are not comparable.
- The calendar. DELF runs in monthly sessions; the TCF runs on demand, centre by centre. If your préfecture appointment is six weeks away, the DELF paper diploma may not arrive in time.
So which one?
- In a hurry → TCF IRN. A usable attestation in 2 to 4 weeks, but valid for only 2 years.
- You have time → DELF A2. Cheaper, and permanent — though the paper diploma can take 3 to 6 months.
- Planning ahead (carte de résident, naturalisation) → the TCF IRN also serves B1 and B2: one object to learn.
Either way the task types overlap heavily, so one round of preparation serves both. Start with our free TCF IRN-shaped practice sitting, then work on writing and speaking with AI marking — the two épreuves free resources cover worst, even though they are half the exam.
Fees, waiting times and centres are covered in registering: where, when, how much.