A step by step guide to French

For both higher and ordinary-level students, the French exam is composed of three parts: the oral exam, the written paper (reading comprehension and written assignments) and the aural exam. The total marks at both levels is 400, and this breaks down as follows:

Higher level

Oral exam: 100 marks - 15 minutes approx. Written paper: 220 marks - 2 hours 30 minutes Aural exam: 80 marks - 40 minutes

Ordinary level

Oral exam: 80 marks - 15 minutes approx. Written paper: 220 marks - 2 hours 30 minutes Aural exam: 100 marks - 40 minutes

The difference between the requirements at higher and at ordinary level will be indicated below as they arise.

The oral exam

In the oral exam you will be asked straightforward questions about yourself, your opinions and your plans, and it should all take the shape of an informal conversation rather than an interrogation. If you wish, you can also choose to talk about a document, a photo or a project. Your performance in this exam will be assessed under four headings:

Structure (30 per cent)

Communication (30 per cent)

Pronunciation (20 per cent)

Vocabulary (20 per cent)

The written paper

There are two sections in this exam paper, and together they account for 220 marks (55 per cent) of the total exam at both levels.

Section I:

Comprehension ecrite (reading comprehension) - 120 marks for higher, 160 marks for ordinary

Section II:

Production ecrite (written assignments) - 100 marks for higher, 60 marks for ordinary

Section I - Reading comprehension

(Spend 30 minutes on each question)

Higher level

Section I is made up of Question 1 and Question 2, and each of these is subdivided into six tasks, ranging from multiple-choice questions to information retrieval questions. Each task relates to a precise section of the text. The difference between Question 1 and Question 2 lies in the nature of the text. In Question 1 the text is usually a literary piece, say from a novel, and takes a narrative form, often with a long piece of dialogue. Question 2 is usually a journalistic text dealing with contemporary matters. Note the following points:

The texts will have numbered sections, and the questions may direct you to these. Make sure you take your answers from the sections specified.

Don't try to impress the examiners by extending your answers beyond what you have been asked. This would be seen as an indication that you really didn't understand the question.

Watch your grammar. For instance if you are asked about the author of the text where he or she uses "Je", rephrase the comment using the appropriate pronoun.

Ordinary level

You must answer all four questions, each one worth 40 marks. As with the honours, the sub-questions will involve multiple choice and information retrieval. The texts used are usually taken from magazines and there is such a wide variety of topics and styles which can come up that it is impossible to predict. Bear in mind the following:

You may be asked to refer to the text. If so, use short quotes as the basis of your answer, but don't just translate the whole section where the answer may be found. This shows poor comprehension and will be penalised.

Make yourself familiar with typical instructions such as "donnez des exemples precis" (give precise examples) and "trouvez une expression/une phrase/le mot. . ." (find an expression/a sentence/the word).

Have a good grasp of the main grammar categories and the French terms for them, e.g. adjectif possessif; adjectif/determinant demontrastif (ce, cet, cette, ces, celle-ci, celui-ci); pronom personnel.

Section II - The written assignments

Higher Level

Section II is divided into four major parts, clearly numbered Question 1 (40 marks), Question 2 (30 marks), Question 3 (30 marks) and Question 4 (30 marks). Question 1 is compulsory, it stems directly from the comprehension text of Section I, and you have to write 90 words. You then have to answer two of the remaining three questions. The types of assignments you can expect include a diary entry, a formal or informal letter, a message, and an e-mail. A handy way to approach Question 1 is to divide it into three parts. First set out clearly what the topic under discussion is, then state, in an orderly way, the points you want to make and, finally, add a short conclusion.

A diary entry should be quite imaginative. Use familiar expressions if you can, e.g. "J'en ai marre car je n'ai pas de fric pour sortir avec mes copains" or "J'en ai ras-le-bol, j'ai trop de boulot a l'ecole".

In Questions 3 and 4 you are always asked for your response to a topic. Be able, therefore, to write well in the language of opinion. You may "resume" an article - reducing it to three or four main points (one from each paragraph) in your own words - or you may get a cartoon to respond to - deal with text, drawing, humour and message in your response.

Ordinary level

You have to do two assignments out of three - A, B, and C - and each of these has two parts, of which you must answer one. You can expect to have to do such things as write a diary entry, a message, a formal letter, a postcard, or complete a cloze-test. Divide your time equally between the two assignments, leaving yourself some minutes to check over your work. It is important to note that over-quoting won't be penalised for this section - as long as the answer is accurate. All the same, don't waste time doing it.

Pay close attention to the tense used in the instructions and make sure you match it in your own work. For example, if you are asked to state what you intend to do in the future, use such expressions as "J'aimerais bien. . . je voudrais vraiment. . . j'ai l'intention de. . . j'adorerais. . . cela me ferait vraiment plaisir si je pouvais. . ."

If you write a diary entry, make sure it sounds personal. Use expressions which indicate how you feel, e.g. Je suis super content(e) (I am very pleased with myself), Je suis heureux/heureuse (I am very happy), Ca m'a vraiment fait plaisir de (I was delighted with).

The aural exam

The listening comprehension takes place immediately after the written paper. It is worth 80 marks (20 per cent) to higher-level students and 100 marks (25 per cent) to ordinary-level students. It has five sections and it lasts 40 minutes. All instructions are in English and you must answer in English. Each of the sections might involve, for example, an interview, someone stating an opinion or a report. Note the following:

You will have some minutes to read the questions before the tape is played. Use this time carefully. Underline the key words in the questions (what, where, how) so that the task will be clearer in your mind.

The first time round, listen attentively to the whole extract to familiarise yourself with the topic and with the way the questions relate to it. (Usually the questions follow precisely the order in which the information is given on the tape.) Some students are tempted to write answers during the first listening, but this is a mistake as they aren't able to follow the extract while they're writing.

The second time the extract is played is when you should put down your answers. Each of the extracts will be separated by a beep. When the extracts are played for the third time, they are played straight through and this is when you should check over your answers. Watch out for Section 5 (news), however, as it is only played twice.

Try not to leave any blanks. Put something down. Who knows, you might be right!

Oral exam tips

The oral examination starts the minute you face the examiner, so try to make a good impression by greeting the examiner in a warm tone of voice when you enter the room: "Bonjour madame/monsieur".

Avoid monosyllabic answers (oui/non). For instance, if you are asked "Vous etes bien Peter Mahon?", you could respond, saying "Oui, c'est ca, c'est bien moi".

Try to answer questions in an easy and natural tone of voice. For instance if you are asked for your date of birth, instead of simply saying "le 18 juillet" try to make your answer lively: "Je suis ne(e) en novembre comme mon acteur preferee, Leonardo DiCaprio". Remember, it will do your cause good to sound friendly and to show a bit of a sense of humour.

If events have made big news in the period before your oral, be ready to talk a little about them (e.g. foot-and-mouth disease, big sporting occasions, etc).

Be conscious of the grammar points that are involved in discussing a topic. For example, when talking about your family you should make extensive use of pronouns (e.g. "La voiture de mon frere, c'est celle-ci, il la parque toujours devant la maison"). If you are asked about your weekends, you should know that your use of tenses is being examined ("Eh bien, j'en profite pour faire du sport, d'ailleurs, j'ai participe a un match avec mon club de football. Par contre, je ne fais pa seulement du sport. J'aime sortir aussi. Par exemple, le week-end prochain, j'irai certainement en boite avec mes copains.")

It's okay to make mistakes. Don't lose your head if this happens. Correct yourself, keep calm, slow down so as to avoid having your tongue trip over itself, and keep going with confidence.