You need to show a foreign language proficiency to your employer or you are looking for a job in France ? Then you must start your preparation for the DCL.
What means DCL ?
DCL stands for Diplôme de Compétence en Langue Etrangère Professionnelle. It is a diploma issued by the French Ministry of Education and recognised by french companies and state to use a foreign language at work. The diploma is valid all your life and is also a professionnal certification registered in France Compétence. You can book today one-to-one language courses to prepare the DCL exam.
Who can take the DCL exam ?
Firstly, DCL can be taken by all adults, students or professionals to validate their ability to work in the chosen language, from level A2 to C1.
Additionnally, candidates will have to perform a professional situation where they will have to demonstrate their skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. The tasks will be specifically oriented towards communication skills such as taking part in a meeting, understanding a message, writing an email, analysing documents, taking decision, expressing your opinion.
Finally, DCL is designed to validate your level in French, but also in English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian and Mandarin. DCL is a valid certification for candidates who succesfully passed the exam (CRPE, CAPES, CAPET, CAPLP) to become a teacher in french primary schools, secondary schools and high school as they have to provide a certificate of proficiency in a foreign language at B2 level according to the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
How to prepare for the DCL exam ?
Obviously, our language teachers at 195 ILSA can prepare you to the DCL exam with one-on-one online courses and specific exercises so that you are ready to pass this proficiency test of foreign language. The day of the exam, you will have 1h30 to read the assignment and analyze written and/or audio professional documents, followed by 20 minutes of oral interaction (via telephone or videoconference) with an interlocutor as specified in the scenario, to assess oral expression and interaction skills. Then, 40 minutes will be given to summarize the exchange and produce a professional written piece related to the assignment.
That’s why we will basically work on real exam subjects from the previous years.
Where to take the DCL exam ?
After your preparation for the DCL exam, you can take the exam in any certified examination center in France, such as universities or Greta.
DCL gives you a certification from A2 to C1 level.
You won’t need to tell your level at the registration since your score will determine which proficiency level you validate for the language.
When should you register for the DCL exam ?
You can have a look at the calendar 2026 to know the next day of exam for each language. Don’t miss the limit day of registration for your language exam.
The next session for DCL in German is November 23rd, 2026 (last day of registration September 23rd).
The next session for DCL in English is November 25th, 2026 (last day of registration September 25th).
The next session for DCL in Arabic is December 2nd, 2026 (last day of registration October 2nd).
The next session for DCL in Mandarin is December 4th, 2026 (last day of registration October 4th).
The next session for DCL in Spanish is november 27th, 2026 (last day of registration September 27th).
The next session for DCL in French is December 7th & 14th, 2026 (last day of registration October 7th & 14th).
The next session for DCL in Italian is December 11th, 2026 (last day of registration October 11th).
The next session for DCL in Portuguese is December 16th, 2026 (last day of registration October 16th).
The next session for DCL in Russian is December 9th, 2026 (last day of registration October 9th).
How much does it cost to take the exam ?
Registration fees are only 100 euros.