Leaving Cert French: Plenty of challenges for students targeting a top grade

The higher level Leaving Cert French exam was a “fair” paper which posed challenges for students hoping for a top grade, according to teachers.

Corinne Gavenda, a French teacher at the Institute of Education said students had plenty of opportunities to secure marks with lots of relevant topics that reflect the lives and unique experiences of this year’s group.

However, the comprehensions had trickier elements, but this was paired with “manageable and productive” writing prompts.

“In general, I believe this was a fair paper which gave every student a chance to represent their ability on the page. Those aiming for top marks will have found interesting topics and non-standard vocabulary, while others will have found accessible questions. Those that took the time and did not rush will have been able to find questions that best suited them,” she said.

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Richard Britton, a teacher at Castlerea Community School, Co Roscommon and ASTI subject representative, said that overall it was “very accessible”,

“Most students would have been very happy with it. It was a doable, manageable and accessible,” he said,

The written production section contained topical subject material which would have pleased many students, he said.

“Some of the topics that came up included the impact of social networks and social media on young people, dealing with university life and online education being a success or a failure. They were all very relevant and students would have been very happy,” he said.

“Some might have hoped for other topics to come up. It’s the same every year. You look at what is in the news and hope it comes up. They might have hoped for homelessness, migrants/war and diesel cars.”

Elizabeth Lyne of Frenchnotes.ie and a teacher at CBS Colaiste Mhichil, Limerick City, said the reaction from students overall was that the paper was “okay”.

“The first reading comprehension was ‘lovely’ but the second was a ‘bit difficult’,” she said. “Some students maintained that the written pieces were not varied enough or broad enough to allow for creativity in writing.”

Ms Gavenda said the first comprehension text – holidaying at home – was a very approachable topic which allowed them the use of context clues when answering the trickier vocabulary questions.

In the second text, some specific vocabulary choices might have caused students to miss a vital aspect of the piece.

The verb “pique”, for example, means “to steal/take without permission” but many students, unfamiliar with the French root, will likely confuse it with the English word meaning “to cause interest/reaction”, she said.

“As such, many will miss the element of secrecy that runs through the text, and thus find the question on Nina as a complex character challenging,” she said.

The prompts in section B, question 1, were “clear if not uninspiring”.

“Previous years had questions on topics like the impact of young people in society, while this year had them weighing up staying home or going on holiday. This was rather simplistic, and while offering many a chance to reuse material learned for the oral, stronger students would have had to creatively seek out opportunities to show off and distinguish themselves,” she said.

“The question on friendship was equally welcoming but did require students to talk about friendship abstractly, so those who relied only on anecdotes will find themselves missing a central aspect of the question.”

The final section of the paper was really relevant to the lives of the students, she said.

“They had the chance to write a diary about the debs – something no doubt creeping into the minds the closer they get to finishing their exams,” she said.

“Indeed, question 5 on the college life ahead gave them loads to say and reflected this moment in their lives. Those who had prepared material on the cost of living would have been able to adapt and really make the most of that work.”

She said question 6 was the most appealing and relevant as it asked them to reflect on their experiences of online school.

“This year’s experiences of secondary school were shaped by online school and the integration of that into this exam is a thoughtful touch by the examiner,” she said.

Listening

In the listening section, Elizabeth Lyne said the some vocabulary may have caught students out while some of the accents were harder to understand than others.

“Some students maintained that it was hard to hear. In the listening component, sections A, B and C were okay but D and E were tricky,” she said.

Similarly, Ms Gavenda said aural was accessible, particularly parts A, B, and C. The vocabulary was basic and familiar – chores, homework, computer etc.

“Things were more complicated in section D, as questions hinged on less common words (allowance, shutters). What will really differentiate students is the fine details of expression. The ability to hear the quickly expressed negative in section D and ‘without’ in Section E really tested how finely tuned the students’ ears are,” she said.

Ordinary level

In the ordinary level paper, Richard Britton said it was “predictable and straightforward”.

“Students that did a bit of work should have found it an accessible paper. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Students who would have done solid work during the year would have been rewarded. All of the material would have been covered by teachers,” he said.

Elizabeth Lyne of Frenchnotes.ie said that, as with other years, a solid foundation in grammar and vocabulary would have helped French students achieve a decent result in this year’s.

The feedback from students generally was “very happy” with “no curveballs”, she said,

Try this one at home:

– Leaving Cert French (ordinary level)

Leave the following message in French for Claude/Nicole with whom you are on holidays in La Rochelle.

In the message include three of the following five points: The sun is shining and it’s very hot; You have gone to the swimming pool in the sports centre; You met his/her cousin Anna this afternoon; You will go to the supermarket to buy food; You will cook dinner in the apartment tonight.