DELF or Parlez-vous français?

The DELF (Diplôme d'études en langue française) is a series of 4 independent certifications (A1, A2, B1, B2) designed for non-native speakers to demonstrate their level of knowledge in the French language. There's also an advanced set of certifications beyond the B2 level called the DALF (Diplôme approfondi de langue française).
Each exam consists of suprisingly well designed sections on reading, writing, listening and speaking. I'll paraphrase what each level (A1, A2, B1, B2) means so you get an idea of what is being measured:

• A1: One step above an Englishman. Able to recognize the language is French and fill in a simple questionnaire.
• A2: Ability to order a carafe of house wine and dinner in a menu without pictures. Also able to unintentionally offend your French acquaintances who have invited you to a party.
• B1: Able to write a beautiful apology letter to your French acquaintances for offending them when they invited you to their party and you drank too much wine, which led to mistaking the dog for the lady of the house. Oops.
• B2: Able to successfully start a bar fight by expressing an eloquent opinion about the World Cup. Able to the explain the situation to the police prior to discharge from the hospital.
  

While I'm sure both France's International Centre of Pedagogical Studies (CIEP) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR) would glare disapprovingly at my DELF level descriptions...they do give you something of the "flavor" each level encompasses.

For 2 hours, we took the reading/writing part of all 4 DELF exams--A1, A2, B1 and B2--to see where we were. Whew! Talk about brain fry....Even our teacher was tired by that point.

We were thrilled to find we were both pretty solidly in the A2 level for reading/writing and beginning B1. The goal is to get to B1 by the time we leave school. While we didn't do any of the speaking/listening sections, it's clear that's where we're both weakest.

So, more listening and speaking for us in the near future! And reading...And writing....