Task 2 of the DELE Oral Test scares many people for a simple reason: they give you a picture with a photograph, a statement and questions, a lot of questions, and, with the stopwatch running, you have to transform all that into a clear and natural speech. The good news is that it is not a question and answer test, but an invitation to build a believable story based on the questions posed. If you understand that these guidelines are signs to guide your description and not boxes that need to be checked one by one, the exercise changes completely.
In this guide, I explain exactly what they give you when you sit down, how to read the guidelines so that they work for you, what strategy to follow in the preparation room and how to order your intervention so that it sounds fluid, with well-placed connectors, precise vocabulary and a structure with principle, development and closure. In addition, I leave you a B2-style practice model for you to record today and verify that, with method, the film ceases to intimidate and becomes your best ally.
What do they give you and what is each part for
At the beginning they give you a sheet with a photograph, a statement that places the scene and a list of guidelines in the form of questions. The photo and the statement mark the context. The guidelines are not a questionnaire that you must answer point by point or in the exact order. Think of them as signs that help you build a complete and coherent discourse.
This is an example of Task 2 from Test 4 of the DELE B2 Exam
How to read the guidelines so they work for you
Each guideline opens up a big idea and is usually accompanied by two or three smaller questions that give clues to causes, consequences or details. Your real obligation is to develop the main idea, imagine what is happening and propose reasonable hypotheses, all with good vocabulary, clear connectors and a structure that has a beginning, development and closure. If a sub-question doesn't fit or doesn't fit in time, you leave it out.
Practical strategy in the preparation room
Start by locating the most global pattern. It will help you to open. Decide on a logical order for the rest and think about how you're going to link the blocks with sequence and contrast markers. Set aside a brief closing that takes up your main hypothesis and anticipates what might happen next. If time is tight, answer the first question of each pattern you have left and avoid getting lost in details. The priority is to be fluent, not to fragment the discourse and keep the thread going, not to recite a list.
Real example of guidelines and how to interpret them
Situation
The president of a neighborhood community communicates the complaints of the rest to one neighbor. Imagine and describe the scene for two or three minutes.
Guidance guidelines
What problems the neighbors have had and since when. What are the relationships between neighbors and where they live. What lifestyle does a man lead and whether that influences complaints. How both of you feel during the meeting. What recommendations are proposed by the president and if he will accept them. What will happen after the conversation.
How to use it
Each line is a thematic block. Within each block, sub-questions are ideas that you can select. The goal is to spin a believable story, not to answer mechanically.
What the court assesses as you speak
- Global coherence of your speech.
- Ability to describe and make hypotheses.
- Sufficient lexical variety for the topic.
- Grammatical variety that shows control of times, subordinates and perimaphrases.
- Cohesion with sequence, cause and contrast markers.
- Pronunciation that does not hinder understanding.
How to squeeze the model in 10 minutes
One minute to read and mentally order the guidelines.
Two or three minutes to write a minimum outline with start, develop and close connectors.
Three minutes to record yourself doing your homework and control the time.
Two minutes to listen to your audio and note down lexical repetitions, mismatches and missing connectors.
Two minutes to repeat with the corrections applied.
Task 2 is not a form. It is a well-told story that responds to the set of guidelines with logic and naturalness. If you choose a clear order, combine ideas with good markers and show lexical and grammatical variety, your intervention scores points in all the columns of the rubric. Practice with the model, record yourself, correct and try again. With three sessions like this you'll notice the jump. Go for the DELE.
