Reading was one of the sections that boosted my score on this exam (I scored 22/25), so I’ll start by discussing test-taking strategies for the reading section.

Before getting into the strategies, I still want to emphasize that DALF C1 reading tests two things: vocabulary and the ability to reformulate in writing. Vocabulary here refers not only to breadth (which determines how much of the text you can understand), but also to your command of different synonyms (which determines your ability to understand and reformulate the questions).

Test-Taking Strategies

Order for Answering the Questions

Read three questions, then locate the answer to the first one and mark it beside the relevant part of the text. You do not have to answer it immediately. Next, locate and mark the answer to the second question, and then do the same for the third. You can then start answering them. Once you have finished, read the next three questions (do not read too many at once, because you will forget them). Most answers should appear in the same order as the questions (although I have also seen questions that do not follow the text’s order in the official sample papers, so this is not an absolute rule).

Can You Copy the Original Text Word for Word?

You may quote the original text for true-or-false questions, but not for any other questions, or you will lose points. When quoting the original text, remember to put it in quotation marks. If the quoted passage is too long and some parts are unimportant, you can replace them with “…”, but if you have time, it is best to write out the full quotation. Note that there may be one or two summary questions. In other words, you will not be able to locate a specific answer in the text and therefore cannot simply reformulate it; instead, you will need to summarize the main idea of a particular paragraph.

How to Reformulate

You can replace words with synonyms, switch between verbs and nouns, change active constructions into passive ones, or add subordinate clauses. This shows that, ultimately, success in reading comes down to vocabulary plus writing ability.

When I did the official sample paper in January, I had no idea how to reformulate my answers, and there were even some questions I could not understand. After building my vocabulary for two months, I practiced with four past papers in total and was generally able to finish within 50 minutes.