french model essays o level

French Writing Examples

The following shows writing examples at various proficiency levels. These were produced by real language learners and may contain errors. See Writing Section Tips at the bottom of this page.

French Proficiency Tests and Resources

Writing Examples

At this level, I am able to create individual words that have no extended meaning.

I can share some simple vocabulary, which deals with the prompt/task/situation, but I tend to struggle to connect those words to create meaning.

La me're ,la souer ,le frere

At this level, I am beginning to develop the ability to create meaning by grammatically connecting words.

Specifically, I can connect some basic subjects and verbs or verbs and objects, but I may be inconsistent at doing this.

I am often limited in my vocabulary to Novice level topics that I experience in my every-day life or that I have recently learned.

Jai une grande famille.

At this level, I can create simple sentences with very basic grammatical control and accuracy.

There are often errors in my responses, while at the same time I might have good control with some very simple structures and functions of the language that I have just learned or studied.

At the Novice levels, errors are expected as I try to create simple sentences. Generally, the sentences that I am able to create are very basic and simple with few, if any, added details.

Je voyage a japan. Pour la vacacion j'ai chemises et shorts. Japan est chaud.

At this level, I can create simple sentences with some added detail; such sentences help create VARIETY.

At the Intermediate Low level, simple sentences are enhanced by use of prepositional phrases, helping verb usage, as well as some adverbs and a variety of adjectives.

I generally create independent sentences (ideas) that can be moved around without affecting the overall meaning of the response. There are still a number of errors in my response, but I have fairly good control of more basic sentences. I am feeling more confident in using different structures and expanding vocabulary and taking more risks with my responses.

Je préfère l'été. Il fait chaud et je peux nager. Ma famille aime nager en été. Parfois, nous allons au lac pour nager. Je déteste l'hiver. Mais, j’aime faire le ski.

At this level, I can now create enough language to show groupings of ideas.

My thoughts are loosely connected and cannot be moved around without affecting meaning.

I can also create a few sentences with complexity and am able to use some transition words.  I am also able to use more than just simple present tense, but often make mistakes when I try to use other tenses.

My vocabulary use is expanding and I am able to use more than the usual, high frequency or most common vocabulary. I feel that I am able to create new language on my own and communicate my everyday needs without too much difficulty.

J’aime l’hiver parce que quand il fait froid je peux jouer dans la neige. J’adore la neige. Je peux faire les bonhomme de neige avec mes cousins à notre cabine. Aussi, pres de notre cabine il y a une station de ski où nous pouvons faire de ski. C’est très amusant parce que nous pouvons faire du ski ensemble. Dans l’été c’est aussi amusant a notre cabine. C’est très jolie dans les montagnes.

At this level, I have good control of the language and feel quite confident about an increasing range of topics.

There are still some occasional errors in my language production, but that does not hinder my ability to communicate what I need to share.

I can use circumlocution to explain or describe things for which I do not know specific vocabulary or structures. I can understand and use different time frames and am just beginning to develop the ability to switch most time frames with accuracy. I can use transition words and concepts with some ease. My language has a more natural flow, but I still may have some unnatural pauses or hesitations.

Je crois que des jeunes élèves ne devraient pas avoir des portables avec l'Internet. Ces enfants sont trop jeunes d'utiliser un portable. D'abord, on n'est pas responsable et ne comprendre pas l'Internet et ce qu'on peut trouver sur l'Internet à cette âge. L'Internet peut être dangereuse et ce n’est pas bon pour les enfants d'utiliser sans des parents les regardent. Si des enfants ont un portable, on a l'acces à l'Internet sans des parents. Ensuite, des enfants n'ont pas besoin d'un portable. Il vaut mieux que des jeunes élèves jouent au dehors ou s'amuser avec leurs amis. Beacoup de gens ont un portable et ne faire rien sauf utiliser leur portable. Ce n'est pas une bonne habitude.

At this level my response contains a number of complexities with higher degree of accuracy.

Such language allows me to address each aspect of the prompt more completely and with more depth of meaning.

I am able to use Advanced vocabulary or Advanced terms, conjugations etc. with confidence. I feel that I can create natural flow using as much detail and descriptive language as possible to create a clear picture. Errors with more complex structures may still occur. My ability to switch time frames begins to increase in accuracy.

Actuellement la présence des téléphones mobiles est en train d'augmenter. Tout les adultes, et presque tout les adolescents utilisent des «smart phones» aujourd'hui. Mais est-ce que les élèves de primaire devraient avoir des téléphones? Pour mieux répondre à cette question, il faut d’abord éxaminer les avantages que les téléphones pourraient avoir. Puis, on doit considérer la grand coût des développements technologiques. Alors, sans doute, les téléphones mobiles peuvent être utiliseé de faciliter la communication. Pour les enfants et les jeunes gens, les téléphones peuvent les aider à connecter avec leurs familles : les enfants qui ont des téléphones pourraient toujours appeler leurs parents s'ils devaient l'assistance. Tandis que pour les parents, c'est un moyen acceptable de donner l'indépendance, parce que tant que leurs enfants ont des portables, ils peuvent les contacter et ils peuvent toujours vérifier que leurs enfants sont sûrs. Mais par contre, ces commodités sont assez chères et pourraient ne pas être abordables pour toutes les familles. Chaque famille doit décider pour eux-mêmes.

At this level my response demonstrates my ease with the language.

I am able to create a response which not only addresses each aspect of the prompt, but delves into each point with clarity and concise language.

I am able to incorporate a number of more complex structures as well as Advanced vocabulary and Advanced phrases with a higher degree of accuracy throughout the majority of the response.

The language I create has a natural flow due to the way I incorporate a variety of patterns and complexities into my response. My response shows my ability to create language that has sophistication of language skills and syntactical density. My ability to switch time frames accurately is evident, if called for in the prompt.

L'utilisation des portables devient de plus en plus présente dans notre société. On trouve même les enfants d'un âge très jeune ayant les ordinateurs ou bien leurs propres portables. Avec cette croissance, il est nécessaire qu'on se demande: est-il juste que les enfants de l'école primaire aient les portables, soit avec l'Internet soit sans? Lorsqu'on se met dans plusieurs perspectives du monde, il est plus clair d'en résoudre et d'en répondre. En pensant des possibilités de l'éducation, de la mondalisation, et de l'interaction, il faut garder une équilibre entre l'utilisation de la téchnologie et des stratèges d'engager tête-à-tête. Je suis professeur au lycée, où j'enseigne le français et l'anglais comme langue étrangère. Il est vrai que je déteste quand mes élèves utilisent leurs portables en classe, malgré les règles qui existent. Mais, je crois aussi en l'utilisation de la téchonologie comme une source d'apprendre. Il existe plein de site-webs utiles, d'applications engageant, et de façons d'incorporer une variéte d'activités en classe. Avec cette perspective, il est indispensible que les enfants de cette société sachent utiliser la téchnologie, et surtout les portables, d'une manière appropriée et juste. Il commence à un âge tôt la téchnologie, et si les enseignants au primaire peuvent inclure des activités qui sont basées sur la téchnologie, les enfants commenceront à bénéficier du savoir qu'apportent les portables pour mieux apprendre le monde d'aujourd'hui.

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How to Write an Essay in French

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When it comes to expressing your thoughts in French , there’s nothing better than the essay.

It is, after all, the favorite form of such famed French thinkers as Montaigne, Chateaubriand, Houellebecq and Simone de Beauvoir.

In this post, I’ve outlined the four most common types of essays in French, ranked from easiest to most difficult, to help you get to know this concept better. 

Why Are French Essays Different?

Must-have french phrases for writing essays, 4 types of french essays and how to write them, 1. text summary (synthèse de texte).

• 2. Text Commentary (Commentaire de texte)

3. Dialectic Dissertation (Thèse, Antithèse, Synthèse)

• 4. Progressive Dissertation (Plan progressif)

And one more thing...

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Writing an essay in French is not the same as those typical 5-paragraph essays you’ve probably written in English.

In fact, there’s a whole other logic that has to be used to ensure that your essay meets French format standards and structure. It’s not merely writing your ideas in another language .

And that’s because the French use Cartesian logic (also known as Cartesian doubt) , developed by René Descartes , which requires a writer to begin with what is known and then lead the reader through to the logical conclusion: a paragraph that contains the thesis. Through the essay, the writer will reject all that is not certain or all that is subjective in his or her quest to find the objective truth.

Sound intriguing? Read on for more!

Before we get to the four main types of essays, here are a few French phrases that will be especially helpful as you delve into essay-writing in French:

Introductory phrases , which help you present new ideas.

	firstly
	firstly

Connecting phrases , which help you connect ideas and sections.

	and
	in addition
	also
	next
	secondly
	so
	as well as
	when, while

Contrasting phrases , which help you juxtapose two ideas.

	on the other hand
	however
	meanwhile, however

Concluding phrases , which help you to introduce your conclusion.

	finally
	finally
	to conclude
	in conclusion

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The text summary or synthèse de texte  is one of the easiest French writing exercises to get a handle on. It essentially involves reading a text and then summarizing it in an established number of words, while repeating no phrases that are in the original text. No analysis is called for.

A  synthèse de texte  should follow the same format as the text that is being synthesized. The arguments should be presented in the same way, and no major element of the original text should be left out of the  synthèse.

Here is an informative post about writing a synthèse de texte , written for French speakers. 

The text summary is a great exercise for exploring the following French language elements:

• Synonyms , as you will need to find other words to describe what is said in the original text.
• Nominalization , which involves turning verbs into nouns and generally cuts down on word count.
• Vocabulary , as the knowledge of more exact terms will allow you to avoid periphrases and cut down on word count.

While beginners may wish to work with only one text, advanced learners can synthesize as many as three texts in one text summary. 

Since a text summary is simple in its essence, it’s a great writing exercise that can accompany you through your entire learning process.

2. Text Commentary  (Commentaire de texte)

A text commentary or commentaire de texte   is the first writing exercise where the student is asked to present an analysis of the materials at hand, not just a summary.

That said, a  commentaire  de texte  is not a reaction piece. It involves a very delicate balance of summary and opinion, the latter of which must be presented as impersonally as possible. This can be done either by using the third person (on) or the general first person plural (nous) . The singular first person (je) should never be used in a  commentaire de texte.

A commentaire de texte  should be written in three parts:

• An introduction , where the text is presented.
• An argument , where the text is analyzed.
• A conclusion , where the analysis is summarized and elevated.

Here is a handy in-depth guide to writing a successful commentaire de texte,  written for French speakers.

Unlike with the synthesis, you will not be able to address all elements of a text in a commentary. You should not summarize the text in a commentary, at least not for the sake of summarizing. Every element of the text that you speak about in your commentary must be analyzed.

To successfully analyze a text, you will need to brush up on your figurative language. Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Here’s an introduction to figurative language in French.
• This guide to figurative language  presents the different elements in useful categories.
• This guide , intended for high school students preparing for the BAC—the exam all French high school students take, which they’re required to pass to go to university—is great for seeing examples of how to integrate figurative language into your commentaries.
• Speaking of which, here’s an example of a corrected commentary from the BAC, which will help you not only include figurative language but get a head start on writing your own commentaries.

The French answer to the 5-paragraph essay is known as the  dissertation .  Like the American 5-paragraph essay, it has an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. The stream of logic, however, is distinct.

There are actually two kinds of  dissertation,  each of which has its own rules.

The first form of  dissertation  is the dialectic dissertation , better known as  thèse, antithèse, synthèse . In this form, there are actually only two body paragraphs. After the introduction, a thesis is posited. Following the thesis, its opposite, the antithesis, is explored (and hopefully, debunked). The final paragraph, what we know as the conclusion, is the  synthesis , which addresses the strengths of the thesis, the strengths and weaknesses of the antithesis, and concludes with the reasons why the original thesis is correct.

For example, imagine that the question was, “Are computers useful to the development of the human brain?” You could begin with a section showing the ways in which computers are useful for the progression of our common intelligence—doing long calculations, creating in-depth models, etc.

Then you would delve into the problems that computers pose to human intelligence, citing examples of the ways in which spelling proficiency has decreased since the invention of spell check, for example. Finally, you would synthesize this information and conclude that the “pro” outweighs the “con.”

The key to success with this format is developing an outline before writing. The thesis must be established, with examples, and the antithesis must be supported as well. When all of the information has been organized in the outline, the writing can begin, supported by the tools you have learned from your mastery of the synthesis and commentary.

Here are a few tools to help you get writing:

• Here’s a great guide to writing a dialectic dissertation .
• Here’s an example of a plan for a dialectic dissertation , showing you the three parts of the essay as well as things to consider when writing a dialectic dissertation.

4. Progressive Dissertation ( Plan progressif)

The progressive dissertation is slightly less common, but no less useful, than the first form.

The progressive form basically consists of examining an idea via multiple points of view—a sort of deepening of the understanding of the notion, starting with a superficial perspective and ending with a deep and profound analysis.

If the dialectic dissertation is like a scale, weighing pros and cons of an idea, the progressive dissertation is like peeling an onion, uncovering more and more layers as you get to the deeper crux of the idea.

Concretely, this means that you will generally follow this layout:

• A first, elementary exploration of the idea.
• A second, more philosophical exploration of the idea.
• A third, more transcendent exploration of the idea.

This format for the dissertation is more commonly used for essays that are written in response to a philosophical question, for example, “What is a person?” or “What is justice?”

Let’s say the question was, “What is war?” In the first part, you would explore dictionary definitions—a basic idea of war, i.e. an armed conflict between two parties, usually nations. You could give examples that back up this definition, and you could narrow down the definition of the subject as much as needed. For example, you might want to make mention that not all conflicts are wars, or you might want to explore whether the “War on Terror” is a war.

In the second part, you would explore a more philosophical look at the topic, using a definition that you provide. You first explain how you plan to analyze the subject, and then you do so. In French, this is known as  poser une problématique  (establishing a thesis question), and it usually is done by first writing out a question and then exploring it using examples: “Is war a reflection of the base predilection of humans for violence?”

In the third part, you will take a step back and explore this question from a distance, taking the time to construct a natural conclusion and answer for the question.

This form may not be as useful in as many cases as the first type of essay, but it’s a good form to learn, particularly for those interested in philosophy. Here’s an in-depth guide  to writing a progressive dissertation.

As you progress in French and become more and more comfortable with writing, try your hand at each of these types of writing exercises, and even with other forms of the dissertation . You’ll soon be a pro at everything from a synthèse de texte to a dissertation!

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Programmes & Qualifications

Cambridge o level french (3015).

• Syllabus overview

Available in Administrative zones 4 and 5.

This syllabus is designed for students who are learning French as a foreign language. The aim is to develop an ability to use the language effectively for purposes of practical communication. The course is based on the linked language skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing, and these are built on as learners progress through their studies. 

The syllabus also aims to offer insights into the culture and civilisation of countries where French is spoken, thus encouraging positive attitudes towards language learning and towards speakers of foreign languages.

The syllabus year refers to the year in which the examination will be taken.

• -->2022 - 2024 Syllabus update (PDF, 185KB)

Important notices

We are withdrawing Cambridge O Level French (3015). The last examination for this subject will be June 2024. You may want to consider Cambridge IGCSE French (0520) as a possible alternative. We communicated this withdrawal decision to schools in June 2021. Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge O Level are both internationally recognised qualifications and are equivalent grade for grade. Find out more about the different features of these qualifications .

For some subjects, we publish grade descriptions to help understand the level of performance candidates’ grades represent.

We paused the publication of grade descriptions in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the temporary changes to the awarding standard in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

As the awarding standard has now returned to the pre-pandemic standard, we are working to produce up-to-date grade descriptions for most of our general qualifications. These will be based on the awarding standards in place from June 2023 onwards.

Check the Submit for Assessment page and the samples database for information and guidance on submitting moderated and examined work using Submit for Assessment.

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Genius High

FRENCH  Essays  Redactions en Francais

French model essays and notes.

ESSAY COUNT:

Quelques conseils pour rédiger une dissertation 

📚 Choisissez un Sujet Intéressant: Sélectionnez un sujet qui vous intéresse et qui offre suffisamment de matière à explorer.

🗂️ Organisez vos Idées: Avant de commencer à écrire, élaborez un plan détaillé avec une introduction, des paragraphes de développement et une conclusion.

📝 Rédigez une Introduction Captivante: Commencez par une introduction qui attire l'attention du lecteur et expose clairement votre thèse.

🧐 Développez vos Arguments: Dans les paragraphes de développement, présentez vos arguments de manière logique et structurée. Utilisez des exemples concrets pour étayer vos propos.

💬 Utilisez un Langage Précis et Convaincant: Évitez les phrases trop longues et compliquées. Utilisez un langage clair et précis pour communiquer vos idées de manière efficace.

🤔 Analysez en Profondeur: Analysez les implications de votre sujet et examinez-le sous différents angles. Faites preuve de réflexion critique dans votre analyse.

📊 Appuyez-vous sur des Données et des Statistiques: Si nécessaire, utilisez des données chiffrées et des statistiques pour renforcer vos arguments.

🎯 Restez Cohérent: Assurez-vous que chaque paragraphe de votre dissertation contribue à soutenir votre thèse principale.

✍️ Révisez et Corrigez: Prenez le temps de relire votre dissertation pour corriger les fautes d'orthographe, de grammaire et de syntaxe.

🌟 Concluez en Beauté: Résumez vos principaux arguments dans la conclusion et proposez éventuellement des pistes de réflexion pour l'avenir.

En suivant ces conseils, vous serez en mesure de rédiger une dissertation en français claire, bien structurée et convaincante. Bonne rédaction ! 📝🇫🇷

En quoi la recherche sur les cellules souches peut-elle révolutionner la médecine ?

Quelles sont les implications éthiques de l’utilisation de l’intelligence artificielle en médecine , devrait-on autoriser la modification génétique pour améliorer les capacités humaines , comment garantir la confidentialité des données médicales dans un monde numérique , quelles sont les raisons pour lesquelles le clonage humain soulève des préoccupations éthiques , le clonage thérapeutique devrait-il être autorisé pour produire des cellules souches à des fins médicales , comparez les avantages et les inconvénients du clonage reproductif., quelles sont les applications potentielles des modifications génétiques chez l’homme , comment les découvertes récentes en édition génétique crispr-cas peuvent-elles changer la médecine , quelles sont les implications sociales et éthiques des bébés génétiquement modifiés , comment les médias sociaux ont-ils transformé la communication entre les individus , quels sont les avantages et les inconvénients des plateformes de messagerie instantanée .

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Writing essays in French Cheat Sheet by JAM

Useful expressions to help structure your A level French essay.

Introd­ucing the first argument

Adding and listing arguments

Listing arguments - start.

Listing arguments - middle

Listing arguments - end

Indicating the reason for something

Expressing contrast / concession

Introd­ucing one's own point of view.

In conclusion

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• Languages: English français (French)
• Published: 21st September, 2013
• Last Updated: 26th February, 2020
• Rated: 5 out of 5 stars based on 9 ratings

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these are very helpful thank you

Simple et utile, j'aime.

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3015 OL French ECR Speaking (2022)

Topic outline.

• Introduction
• Assessment criteria grids
• High level response
• Middle level response
• Low level response

The main aim of this resource is to exemplify standards of Cambridge O Level French 3015, Paper 3 - Speaking, and show how different levels of candidates' performance (high, middle and low) relate to the subject's curriculum and assessment objectives. 

Candidate responses have been selected from the Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 Paper 03 from the June 2021 examination series. From 2022 the Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge O Level French qualifications include the same examination style and assessment criteria. 

The 0520 June 2021 Teachers' Notes 03 and Role Play Cards 03 are available on the School Support Hub.

The recording of each speaking test is followed by Cambridge moderator comments on how the test was conducted, and where and why marks were awarded or omitted. At the end of the test we provide further comments on how the teacher/examiner and candidate performance could improve. In this way, it is possible for you to understand how to conduct the test successfully and what candidates have to do to gain their marks and what they can do to improve their answers. 

Common mistakes and misconceptions are also listed for the Cambridge O Level French speaking test.  

A transcript of the audios with additional commentary is also provided. 

• Select activity Text and media area
• Select activity Speaking assessment criteria grids Speaking assessment criteria grids
• Select activity Assessment criteria grids Assessment criteria grids File 40.3 KB

Now that you have read the speaking assessment criteria grids, you may want to practise marking a speaking test. Listen to the candidate responses below, make a note of the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate and give a mark, before you read the examiner comments and marks below.

Please n ote:  Information about the candidate and centre has been removed from the recordings to protect the identity of the candidate.

• Select activity High level response High level response

Example candidate response transcript – high

Role play card 7 transcript

Teacher/examiner: À quelle heure est-ce qu’on va au centre commercial aujourd’hui ? [The teacher/examiner reads the first question exactly as printed.]

Candidate: A midi [A brief, appropriate answer]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Excellent. Et comment veux-tu aller au centre commercial ? [The teacher/examiner gives a brief reaction and then asks the second question exactly as printed.]

Candidate: En voiture [A brief, appropriate answer.]

Teacher/examiner: Quelle sorte de magasins préfères-tu et pourquoi? [The teacher/examiner does not mark the pause in the script. This question should be asked in two parts to give the candidate time to process the information.]

Candidate: J’aime les magasins de sport parce que j’aime de sport. [The candidate answers both parts of the question clearly. The incorrect partitive article is a minor error and does not impede communication.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Et qu’est-ce que tu as fait la dernière fois que tu es allé dans un centre commercial et c’était avec qui ? [The teacher/examiner does not mark the pause in the script.]

Candidate: J’ai achète … j’ai acheté un T-shirt et je suis allé avec ma mère. [The candidate successfully corrects the verb and answers both parts of the question in the appropriate time frame.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Et qu’est-ce que tu voudrais acheter aujourd’hui et pourquoi? [The teacher/examiner does not mark the pause in the script.]

Candidate: Aujourd’hui je voudrais un pantalon parce que je voudrais un pantalon. [ Acheter is not necessarily a requirement as the message is clear, but the second part of the task is addressed with a simple repetition so not a clear reason.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Allez. On va passer à la conversation. [The teacher/examiner ends the role play and announces the transition to the first topic conversation.]

Topic conversation 1 transcript - Topic 1 La santé

Teacher/examiner: Donc le premier thème de notre conversation c’est la santé. [Clear announcement of the first topic]

Teacher/examiner: Combien de repas manges-tu? [The teacher/examiner omits the last part of the question ( par jour ). All questions should be read exactly as printed.]

Candidate: Je mange trois repas par jour parce que je pense que manger … manger aussi de nourriture par jour est très important pour le santé. Donc mon repas préféré est le petit déjeuner parce que j’aime le lait et j’aime de céréales et normalement dans le petit déjeuner je mange le céréales. [The candidate gives a well-developed response including opinions and uses connectors to link ideas.]

Teacher/examiner: Ok. Et qu’est-ce que tu manges aussi au petit déjeuner à part les céréales ? Qu’est-ce que tu manges au petit déjeuner ? [The candidate has already mentioned les céréales in his response to question 1 so the teacher/examiner uses this to steer him back to the set question. However, it must be noted that the teacher/examiner must not supply vocabulary to the candidate.]

Candidate: De temps en temps quand je veux je mange … pardon … je mange un fruit ou d’un légume ou les crudités parce que c’est très bon pour le santé et je veux rester en bon forme. [Not just a simple repetition of vocabulary from the previous response but evidence of a range being used.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Et parle-moi des activités que tu as faites récemment pour garder la forme. Et où as-tu fait ces activités ? [When there is a pause in the script the teacher/examiner should let the candidate answer first and then ask the second question provided after the pause]

Candidate: Oui. Hier j’ai un course de éducation physique et on a joué au foot en groupe et on a un petit tournoi au foot et heureusement on a gagné et on a joué au foot dans le terrain de sport à l’école. [A clear answer in the correct time frame despite some verb errors and the mispronunciation of cours . The candidate is able to give relevant extra details and the adverb heureusement adds an opinion to otherwise factual information.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Excellent. Et selon toi, quel est le plus grand danger pour la santé des jeunes ? Et pourquoi? [The teacher/examiner does not mark the pause in the script.]

Candidate: Je pense que il y a beaucoup de dangers pour le santé des jeunes tels que les matières grasses et aussi je pense que aujourd’hui les gens rester tout le temps devant leur  … oui leur écran et ne pas faire aussi de d’exercice. Et pour moi je pense que faire au moins trente minutes d’exercice par jour est très important. Aussi … de plus je aussi pense que manger beaucoup de plats avec de sucre n’est pas … n’est pas très bon pour le santé. [A very well-developed answer with opinions, examples and explanations. There is a good variety of vocabulary although the opinion expressions are a little repetitive. The verb errors and confusion between aussi/assez do not impede communication.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Excellent. Et à l’avenir, que pourrais-tu changer dans ta vie pour améliorer ta santé et pourquoi ? [The teacher/examiner does not mark the pause in the script.]

Candidate: Oui. A l’avenir je voudrais améliorer mon … ma santé. Par exemple je voudrais essayer un nouvel sport tel que le ski ou le basket parce que je voudrais devenir plus grande.  Et aussi je pense que je pourrais manger plus … manger plus de légumes et de crudités. Et aussi je pense que aujourd’hui je ne mange aussi de … non pardon je ne bois aussi de l’eau et à l’avenir je voudrais essayer boire plus de l’eau.   [A well-developed answer with opinions and justifications. The candidate can switch from a present to a future time frame. He self corrects successfully.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Excellent. On va passer à la deuxième conversation sur le thème de l’éducation. [Clear ending to Topic conversation 1 and transition to Topic conversation 2.]

Topic conversation 2 transcript – Topic 6 L’éducation

Teacher/examiner: Alors. Où se trouve ton école ? [The teacher/examiner reads the first question exactly as printed.]

Candidate: Mon école se trouve loin de centre ville et dans un quartier industriel. Et à côté de mon école il y a un supermarché et beaucoup d’autres … beaucoup d’autres collèges et aussi il y a un lycée pour les jeunes qui … pour les adultes qui veut devenir ingénieur. [Good extra details with a range of vocabulary. Structures include correctly used prepositions of place and a relative pronoun.]

Teacher/examiner: Ingénieur. Okay. Et combien d’élèves y a-t-il dans ton collège ? [The candidate mentioned ingénieur in his response. However, it must be noted that the teacher/examiner must not supply the candidate with vocabulary and must not correct the candidate.]

Candidate: Peux-tu répéter s’il vous plaît? [The candidate can ask for the question to be repeated if it has not been understood.]

Teacher/examiner: Combien d’élèves y a-t-il dans le collège ? [The teacher/examiner repeats the question exactly as printed.]

Candidate: Un jour … oui … pour un jour il y a quatre cours. [The candidate has not understood the question and gives an irrelevant answer.]

Teacher/examiner: Non. Non, non, non, c’est pas grave. Parle-moi de ce que tu as fait hier à l’école. [There is no alternative question to question 2. As the candidate has been unable to answer the question after one repetition the teacher/examiner moves on to the next question.]

Candidate: Hier j’ai quatre courses qui commencent à huit heures. J’ai la biologie, les mathématiques, l’informatique et l’histoire. Et particulièrement j’ai apprécié la biologie.   [The candidate understands the question and supplies relevant information, although there is some ambiguity as the verbs are in the wrong time frame and cours is mispronounced again. As this is quite a short, straightforward answer, the teacher/examiner could have asked an extension question to encourage a fuller response.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Alors pourquoi aimes-tu ton école, okay, et quels sont les inconvénients de ton école ? [The teacher/examiner does not mark the pause in the script.]

Candidate: Oui je pense que il y a beaucoup d’avantages de mon école tels que c’est très … non pardon,  il y a un terrain de jour pour jouer de sport. Il y a aussi un gymnase et une bibliothèque ou je peux … je peux gagner d’informations de quelque chose et il y a aussi un gymnase. Mais il y a … il est aussi trop loin de mon appartement. Normalement, un jour ça me prend vingt minutes d’aller à l’école en voiture. [The candidate communicates a good deal of relevant information. In spite of some errors in the choice of vocabulary the main messages come across and ideas are linked with connectors. There is also a correctly used object pronoun.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Et dans l’avenir, après avoir fini tes études, okay, qu’est-ce que tu voudrais faire et pourquoi ? [The teacher/examiner does not mark the pause in the script.]

Candidate: A l’avenir je voudrais devenir ingénieur parce que j’aime construit de quelque chose. Mais quand j’étais plus jeune je voulais devenir astronaute et … parce que j’aime l’espace et je pensais que c’est très cool. Mais je pense que ... oui, je pense que devenir ingénieur serait très dur mais je suis déterminé.   [The candidate demonstrates a good command of verbs and tenses and is able to switch from a future to a past time frame giving relevant information and opinions.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Excellent. Merci. [The teacher/examiner ends the conversation and the exam. There is no need to add up to two further questions as the conversation has lasted around 4 minutes.]

The teacher/examiner identifies herself and then, as required, gives the candidate number and name followed by the date. (This has been edited out). She then reads out the role play card number. This should be done for all candidates. The teacher/examiner greets the candidate using the prompts provided but does not ask the final warm-up question. All the provided prompts should be read for all candidates.

The teacher/examiner reads the scenario of the role play, task 1 and task 2 exactly as they are printed in the instructions. However, on tasks 3, 4 and 5, the teacher/examiner does not pause between the questions. Centres are reminded that when a [PAUSE] is indicated on the script, the teacher/examiner must pause after the first part of the task to allow the candidate time to answer.

After the role play has finished, the teacher/examiner correctly announces in French that it is time to move on to the topic conversations and gives the title of the first topic.

Centres should note that the role play does not need to be timed.   

Candidate response

Mark awarded for task 1 = 2 out of 2   The response is brief but communicates appropriately and unambiguously.

Mark awarded for task 2 = 2 out of 2   The response is brief but communicates appropriately and unambiguously.

Mark awarded for task 3 = 2 out of 2   The candidate says which kind of shop he likes and gives a relevant reason why.

Mark awarded for task 4 = 2 out of 2   The candidate starts to answer in an inappropriate time frame but then self corrects and answers both parts of the task relevantly and in appropriate time frames. 

Mark awarded for task 5 = 1 out of 2   The candidate is successful in saying what he would like in response to the first part of the task, but merely repeats this information for the second part of the task and adds nothing extra in the way of language or ideas. This is counted as partial completion of the task, as he is only successful on the first of the two set tasks.  

Total mark awarded = 9 out of 10

Topic 6: L’éducation 

Conduct of the test

The teacher/examiner reads the first question but misses the end ( par jour). It is important that the questions are read exactly as printed and not changed in any way . The candidate gives a very full response and tries to develop his answer, but without realising starts to cover the material required for the next question on task 2 about what he eats for breakfast. The teacher/examiner is aware of this and therefore cuts in at the end of his response to task 1 and asks the next question required for task 2. This task however is slightly rephrased. Each question should be read exactly as printed. On tasks 3, 4 and 5, there are two parts to each task. The teacher/examiner reads both questions out together and does not leave a pause during which the candidate can have the time to respond to the first question.

On tasks 3, 4 and 5, the candidate clearly understands the questions and therefore does not need the alternative questions. As the candidate is able to develop his answers fully, the examiner does not need to make use of any extension questions. This part of the test lasts for just over 4 minutes and no further questions are required.

The teacher/examiner announces in French that she is moving to the second topic which she identifies. On this topic, the teacher/examiner reads the first task as printed. On the second task, the candidate asks her to repeat the question, but he still does not answer relevantly. Therefore, the teacher/examiner moves on and starts task 3. On tasks 3, 4 and 5, the teacher/examiner misses the pause between the first and second parts of each task. The second topic ends after the candidate has responded to the last of the five set tasks. This part of the test also lasts just over 4 minutes and no alternative or further questions are needed.

After the response to the last question, the teacher/examiner thanks the candidate and ends the test.

The candidate approaches the first topic of la santé very confidently and even on the easier first two tasks he gives full responses which communicate relevantly. On the remaining harder three tasks he carries on developing his ideas and he consistently includes ideas and opinions. There is some occasional slight ambiguity of message due to incorrect time frames. On task 3, when the candidate has to talk about what he did recently to stay healthy, one or two utterances can be heard in a present rather than past time frame. He does however switch back to appropriate time frames. The candidate also shows he can justify and explain his answers at length, particularly on the last two tasks. He understands all questions with ease and does not require any alternative questions or invitations to extend his answers. In terms of language, the candidate can use a wide range of time frames, with only occasional errors, and can produce subordinated language in longer utterances using connectors, adverbial phrases and dependent verbs. He uses a good range of vocabulary about health and has very good pronunciation. Overall, at this point on the first topic, the performance would be in the 'Very good' level of descriptors for both Communication and Quality of Language.  

On the second topic, l’éducation, the candidate understands all questions, except on task 2 where he does not understand Combien d’élèves…? Even though   task 1 could be answered briefly, he gives some extra relevant factual details. On tasks 3, 4 and 5, he does not need the alternative questions. His answers are better developed and he can respond rapidly. In these responses, he communicates information which is almost always relevant and develops ideas and opinions well, giving reasons for some answers. Overall, on this topic, the performance would be at the very top of the 'Good' level for Communication. In terms of language, the performance is a little less consistent than on the first topic and would be at the very top of the 'Good' level, as the range of both structures and vocabulary are not quite as wide as in the first topic. His pronunciation and fluency are generally very good despite occasional errors.

The two topics are awarded one global mark for both topic conversations. The best fit over the two topics would put this candidate at the bottom of the 'Very good' level for both Communication and Quality of language.

Communication Mark awarded = 13 out of 15

Quality of Language Mark awarded = 13 out of 15

Total mark awarded = 35 out of 40

How the teacher/examiner performance could improve

The candidate is clearly and correctly identified by the teacher/examiner and the test itself is conducted at a brisk pace, which is appropriate for a candidate of this ability, but which weaker candidates could find a little too demanding. Timings are generally correct. The teacher/examiner makes the different stages of the test very clear to the candidate and links the different sections of the test correctly in French. In terms of improvement, the teacher/examiner should always adhere to the printed script and not insert or miss out parts of the set tasks. It is also essential that, where a [PAUSE] is indicated on tasks with two parts, the teacher/examiner leaves the candidate enough time to answer before the second part of the task is asked. The pause is given so that candidates have time to think and make sure they answer relevantly. It is harder for candidates if both parts of a task are asked together as they must keep more information in their heads and process more in a short space of time. Tasks are often split to ensure that candidates have the opportunity to approach them in a logical way and this approach should, in the interests of fairness, be observed for all candidates, whatever their ability

How the candidate performance could improve

• The question  Combien de  is not always well answered by even the most able candidates. 
• Candidates also often find it difficult to use the past participle of the verb  avoir  correctly .

For further details about how candidates performed in this particular examination series please refer to the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers .

• Select activity Middle level response Middle level response

Example candidate response transcript – middle

Role play card 6 transcript

Teacher/examiner: Bonjour Mademoiselle. [The teacher/examiner begins the first question as printed.]

Candidate: Bonjour. [The candidate responds naturally but this is not a requirement of the task.]

Teacher/examiner: A quelle heure arrive votre taxi ? [The teacher/examiner asks the first set question.]

Candidate: Le taxi arrive à le quatre heures. [A clear appropriate answer, although a brief answer would also have been appropriate here. The incorrect definite article is a minor error and does not impede communication.]

Teacher/examiner: Où allez-vous aujourd’hui en taxi? [The teacher/examiner reads the question exactly as printed.]

Candidate: J’ai allé … j’ai allé … [The candidate attempts an answer but gets into difficulty.]

Teacher/examiner: Où allez-vous aujourd’hui en taxi? [The teacher/examiner repeats the question to give the candidate the opportunity to work for the available marks.]

Candidate: J’ai allé où avec mes amis. [An irrelevant answer. It seems the candidate has not understood the interrogative où .]

Teacher/examiner: Hier, qu’est-ce que vous avez fait comme activités à notre hôtel ? [As the teacher/examiner has already repeated question 2 once, she moves on to the next question.]

Candidate: Nous avons joué au tennis et nous avons fait de la natation et nous avons mangé beaucoup de nourriture. [The candidate gives three pieces of relevant information in the correct time frame when one piece of information would have been enough. Short, appropriate answers are preferable in the role plays to avoid errors leading to ambiguity.]

Teacher/examiner: Que pensez-vous de votre chambre ? [The teacher/examiner reads the first part of the question and marks the pause in the script to give the candidate time to answer.]

Candidate: Ma chambre est très claire et le … le … ma chambre est très claire et très grande et très confortable et le scenery de mon chambre est très belle. [The first part of the candidate’s answer would have been enough to fully complete this part of the task. But the extra information contains details that make the response as a whole ambiguous.]

Teacher/examiner: Pourquoi? [The teacher/examiner reads the second part of the task.]

Candidate: Parce que le hôtel est un près de un océan et parce que est très belle. [Again, the candidate gives more detail than she needs to, but some relevant information is communicated.]

Teacher/examiner: Voudriez-vous revenir dans cette région l’année prochaine? Voudriez-vous revenir dans cette région l’année prochaine ?   [The teacher/examiner repeats the question before giving the candidate time to respond. It is important to give candidates time to hear the question and process the information before repeating if necessary.]

Candidate: Oui, je … [The candidate begins her response.]

Teacher/examiner: Pourquoi? [The teacher/examiner asks the second part of the task.]

Candidate: Oui , j’aime revenir dans cet hôtel parce que est très bon et nous avons beaucoup s’amuser dans cet hôtel. [This answer indicates that the candidate had understood the first part of the question. But the verb errors in the justification lead to ambiguity as the time frame is incorrect.]

Teacher/examiner: Très bien. Merci. Maintenant on va passer au premier sujet de la conversation. [Clear end to the role play and transition to the first Topic conversation.]

Topic conversation 1 transcript – Topic 3 Les loisirs

Teacher/examiner: Le thème c’est les loisirs. [Clear announcement of the first topic.]

Teacher/examiner: Qu’est-ce que tu fais souvent comme passe-temps ? Qu’est-ce que tu fais souvent comme passe-temps ?   [The teacher/examiner repeats the question before giving the candidate time to respond. It is important to give candidates time to hear the question and process the information before repeating if necessary.]

Candidate: Je fais écouter de la musique et je jouer au basket et nous avons joué pendu et je visite le parc. [Several relevant details. Some ambiguity due to incorrect verb forms.]

Teacher/examiner: Le soir, après les devoirs qu’est-ce que tu fais en famille ? [The teacher/examiner reformulates the question slightly. Each question should be asked exactly as printed.]

Candidate: Nous avons regardé la télé et nous avons mangé les bonbons et nous avons parlé avec nos jours et nous avons joué le X-Box. [Again, this is a good attempt to add extra detail, without repeating vocabulary from the previous response. But there is no range of connectors to link ideas and the incorrect time frame leads to ambiguity.]

Teacher/examiner: D’accord. Parle-moi de ce que tu as fait le weekend dernier pour t’amuser avec tes copains. [ The teacher/examiner reads the question exactly as printed. ]

Candidate: Le weekend dernier nous avons allé à la … un parc d’amusement et nous avons joué beaucoup dans le parc d’amusement. Et après le amusement parc nous avons allé à le restaurant et nous avons mangé le poulet, du riz, le ratatouille et nous avons boire jus de fruit. [The candidate has recognised the need for a past time frame although there are some errors of conjugation. She communicates several pieces of information, but the response remains factual with no opinions or justifications.]

Teacher/examiner: A ton avis, les loisirs sont-ils importants pour les jeunes ? [The teacher/examiner could have asked the candidate for more details in answer to Task 3 to encourage some simple opinions and/or explanations.]

Candidate: Oui … [The candidate begins an answer but is hesitant.]

Teacher/examiner: A ton avis, les loisirs sont-ils importants pour les jeunes ? [The teacher/examiner repeats the first part of the Task.]

Candidate: Oui le loisirs est très important. [A short answer indicating the candidate has understood the question.]

Teacher/examiner: Pourquoi? [The Teacher/examiner asks the second question of task 4.]

Candidate: Parce que est-ce assiste moi relaxer et pour le travailler lendemain. [The candidate has understood what is required but has difficulty expressing her ideas.]

Teacher/examiner: A l’avenir, quels autres passe-temps voudrais-tu essayer ? A l’avenir, quels autres passe-temps voudrais-tu essayer ? [The teacher/examiner moves on to the first part of task 5 without an extension question to encourage a simple opinion on the importance of hobbies. She repeats the question immediately before giving the candidate time to respond.]

Candidate: Je … je lis les bandes dessinées et je … je me regarder le laptop. [It is unclear whether the candidate has fully understood the question. The verb errors lead to ambiguity, as does the interference from another language, although les bandes dessinées is good vocabulary.]

Teacher/examiner: Pourquoi voudrais-tu essayer ces passe-temps ? [The teacher/examiner asks the second part of Task 5.]

Candidate: Parce que après les devoirs je me relaxer et je … je me garde.   [The candidate’s answer contains an attempt at a relevant justification, but the time frame and vocabulary errors lead to ambiguity.]

Teacher/examiner: D’accord. On passe maintenant au deuxième thème de la conversation. Le sujet c’est le travail. [Clear end to Topic conversation 1 and transition to Topic conversation 2.]

Topic conversation 2 transcript – Topic 5 Le travail

Teacher/examiner: Qui travaille dans ta famille? [The teacher/examiner reads the first question as printed.]

Candidate: Mon père travaille dans ma famille. [Clear, straightforward answer. No attempt at development.]

Teacher/examiner: Le soir, combien d’heures de devoirs fais-tu ? [The Teacher/examiner reads the question as printed.]

Candidate: J’ai six heures de devoirs et j’ai beaucoup de devoirs dans l’école. [The candidate gives an appropriate answer and adds an extra detail. There was the opportunity here to give an opinion about homework: too much / not enough / easy / difficult, etc.]

Teacher/examiner: Parle-moi des matières scolaires que tu as étudiées l’année dernière. [The teacher/examiner reads the question as printed.]

Candidate: J’ai … [The candidate begins an answer but is hesitant.]

Teacher/examiner: Parle-moi des matières scolaires que tu as étudiées l’année dernière. [The teacher/examiner repeats the question.]

Candidate: L’année dernière j’étudie les mathématiques parce que j’ai beaucoup de … de devoirs dans les mathématiques et j’ai finissais les devoirs … derniers. [The candidate has understood the need for a past time frame. She tries to give an explanation but errors in verbs and word order lead to ambiguity.]

Teacher/examiner: D’accord. Est-ce que tu penses que les études supérieures sont nécessaires pour trouver un bon travail ? [The teacher/examiner reads the first part of task 4 as printed.]

Candidate: Oui le … [The candidate begins an answer but is hesitant.]

Teacher/examiner: Est-ce que tu penses que les études supérieures sont nécessaires pour trouver un bon travail ? [The teacher/examiner repeats the question.]

Candidate: Oui l’écoute supérieure est nécessaire pour le travail [There is clear ambiguity in this response. The mistaken use of écoute in place of étude makes it unclear whether the candidate has understood the question.]

Teacher/examiner: Pourquoi? [The teacher/examiner asks the second part of task 4. Given the ambiguity of the candidate’s response to the first part the Teacher/examiner could have asked the alternative question provided.]

Candidate: parce que le … est très assiste pour le continuer un promotion dans le travail et … [The candidate attempts an answer but does not have the necessary command of the language to express her ideas.]

Teacher/examiner: Dans l’avenir, aimerais-tu travailler à l’étranger? Dans l’avenir, aimerais-tu travailler à l’étranger?   [The teacher/examiner reads the question as printed. She repeats the question immediately before giving the candidate time to respond.]

Candidate: Oui, j’aimerais travail dans l’étranger [A clear, straightforward answer in the correct time frame with no explanation or opinion.]

Teacher/examiner: Pourquoi? [The teacher/examiner asks the second part of task 5.]

Candidate: Parce que j’aime le travail [A simple opinion but it does not really answer the question.]

Teacher/examiner: Est-ce que tu peux me dire un peu plus? [The teacher/examiner asks an extension question to encourage a fuller response.]

Candidate: Parce que moi et mes amis travailler dans le office [The candidate tries to give a justification, but it is unclear from this response whether she has fully understood the question and again there is interference from another language.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Quelle profession tu veux faire plus tard ? Quelle profession tu veux faire plus tard?  [As the conversation has lasted less than 3.5 minutes the Teacher/examiner asks a further question on the same topic. She repeats the question immediately before giving the candidate time to respond.]

Candidate: Je veux un commencer et j’aime le commencer parce que j’ai commencé le commencement pour le dernière année et le … [A very ambiguous answer giving no indication that the candidate has understood the question.]

Teacher/examiner: D’accord. Est-ce que tu penses aller à l’université dans ton pays ou dans un pays étranger ?  [The teacher/examiner can ask up to 2 further questions at the end of the 5 set questions up to a total time of 4 minutes. This must be the final question of the conversation.]

Candidate: Je pensais le … [The candidate attempts an answer but hesitates]

Teacher/examiner: Est-ce que tu voudrais faire tes études dans ton pays ou dans un pays étranger?  [The teacher/examiner repeats her final question with a slight reformulation. It is not an entirely different question so this can be permitted.]

Candidate: Je pensais dans un pays étranger parce que est assiste pour mon étudies supers  … supers et le lycée pour un travail bon. [The basic message is communicated but the attempt at a justification is unclear.]

Teacher/examiner: D’accord. Merci beaucoup. Votre épreuve est terminée.  [The teacher/examiner ends the conversation and the examination.]

The teacher/examiner identifies herself and then, as required, gives the candidate number and name followed by the date. (This has been edited out.) She then reads out the role play card number. This should be done for all candidates. The teacher/examiner then greets the candidate using the prompts provided.

The scenario is read out clearly, exactly as printed in the instructions.

Tasks 1-4 are read out precisely as printed, at a good pace and clearly. Task 2 is repeated once by the teacher/examiner as the candidate is struggling to reply. On task 4 the [PAUSE] in the script is respected and the candidate has time to respond before the next part of the task is read out. On task 5, which also has two parts, the teacher/examiner reads the first part but immediately repeats the question before the candidate has the chance to respond. The question should only be repeated if the candidate is clearly unable to respond. The teacher/examiner asks the second part of the task too quickly.

Centres should note that the role play does not need to be timed.    

Mark awarded for task 1 = 2 out of 2   The response communicates an appropriate answer and is unambiguous.

Mark awarded for task 2 = 0 out of 2   The candidate misunderstands the question and gives an irrelevant answer, eventually saying who she went with rather than giving a destination.

Mark awarded for task 3 = 2 out of 2   The candidate understands the question well and also develops her answer well. All the verbs are in an appropriate time frame.

Mark awarded for task 4 = 1 out of 2    The candidate gives several messages which are relevant (some with minor errors) but introduces a word in another language during part of the task which leads to ambiguity.

Mark awarded for task 5 = 1 out of 2    The candidate does not recognise the future time frame (a conditional tense is used). There is a notion of wanting to come back expressed and an attempt to say why. The message is only partly communicated in language which is not totally appropriate to the situation and contains more than minor errors. 

Total mark awarded = 6 out of 10

Topic 3: Les loisirs

Topic 5: Le travail

The timing of this topic starts as the first question is asked. The first question is read out clearly but is repeated immediately before the candidate has time to answer. The teacher/examiner changes the interrogative form on the question on task 2 but reads out tasks 3 correctly. On task 4, the teacher/examiner repeats the initial question straight after the candidate responds “ oui ”. A little more thinking time could have been given to the candidate here. There is, however, a chance given by the teacher/examiner for the candidate to give a fuller statement in support of her thinking that leisure activities are important before the teacher/examiner moves on and asks for a reason why. The teacher/examiner does not make use of extension questions to encourage the candidate to develop her responses and does not ask any further questions of her choice on this topic. The timing on Topic conversation 1 is consequently too short.

The teacher/examiner then announces in French that she is moving to the second topic. The questions on tasks 1 and 2 are read out as printed. On task 3, the candidate starts to respond but falters and the examiner repeats the question quite quickly. The teacher/examiner also repeats tasks 4 and 5 quite quickly. On task 5 the teacher/examiner makes use of an extension question and invites the candidate to add to her answer. The teacher/examiner is aware that the timing is short and that she needs to ask up to two further questions of her own on the same topic. She asks a first question about the candidate’s desired future profession and then asks her a further question about whether she wants to study abroad (which is quite similar to the set question on task 5). As this question is not immediately understood by the candidate, the examiner rephrases it slightly rather than just repeating her original question. The speaking test ends after 4 minutes of conversation on the second topic.  

On the first topic, the candidate understands some questions quite well and attempts a response to all of them but there is frequent ambiguity of message due to the time frames used in her responses. Although she can recognise and use a past time frame appropriately (as in task 3), there are some inaccuracies which impede communication in responses to other questions. Her performance is inconsistent, and the responses sometimes require an effort to understand fully on the part of the listener.  

On tasks 1 and 2, the time frames used in responses sometimes lead to ambiguity. In Task 3, the candidate recognises the time marker of le week-end dernier and makes some successful attempts to respond relevantly. The information given however is very factual. There is an attempt at an explanation in task 4 but there are no opinions expressed. The response to task 5 is ambiguous due to the candidate not recognising that the question points to a future time frame. She does however always try to develop her answers to all the questions and the examiner does not need to resort to the use of the alternative questions to elicit an answer.

In terms of language, the candidate is sometimes aware of appropriate time frames and attempts to answer some questions not just in the first person singular. There is evidence of her using some time frames appropriately and accurately and she also shows that she can conjugate some verbs in past tenses in plural forms. Her use of vocabulary is satisfactory but there are errors. Her pronunciation is also generally satisfactory despite some errors.  

Overall, at this point on the first topic the performance would be at the top of the 'Satisfactory' level for Communication and Quality of Language. It should also be noted that she shows that she can understand questions quite well without needing alternative questions and she always attempts to develop her answers which is one of the descriptors for the 'Good' level. This needs to be taken into account when deciding upon a final mark for the two topics together.

On the second topic of le travail , the candidate answers the first two tasks quite well, but on the remaining tasks she seems to show less understanding of the questions. The answer to task 4 is very ambiguous and there is only partial communication on task 5. Her responses on the two further questions are at an equal level of performance. She does attempt to convey some simple ideas on this topic but there is little explanation of them and there is some irrelevance. In terms of language, the candidate shows only a limited awareness of future and past time frames and finds such structures difficult to use accurately. The use of tenses is insecure. There are also gaps in her vocabulary at times which prevent her from expressing her ideas. Generally, the performance on this second topic is weaker than on the first topic.   

The two topics are awarded one global mark for both topic conversations. The best fit over the two topics would put this performance at the top of the 'Satisfactory' level for Communication and in the middle of the 'Satisfactory' level for Quality of Language.

Communication Mark awarded = 9 out of 15

Quality of Language Mark awarded = 8 out of 15

Total mark awarded = 23 out of 40

The candidate is clearly and correctly identified by the teacher/examiner and the test itself is conducted in a calm and sympathetic way. The teacher/examiner has prepared her role but needs to leave adequate time for her candidates to process her questions and to respond before repeating the questions in both the role plays and topic conversations. It is also important to adhere precisely to the wording of the questions in the instructions, to ensure fairness to all candidates.

The transition to the conversation topics is done efficiently but the teacher/examiner should make more use of extension questions, especially during the responses to tasks 3, 4 and 5 on the topic conversation tasks. More use of extension questions and use of further questions could be made on the first topic to make sure that the timing was taken up to the full 4 minutes. On the last topic, the second further question asked was very similarly to one of the set questions, and this may have confused the candidate. A different question should have been used. In the preparation time for the teacher/examiner before the test it is well worth the teacher/examiner making a list of differentiated questions on each conversation topic which do not crossover with set questions. Care needs to be taken with further questions to avoid the need to rephrase them. Further questions should enable candidates to explore different aspects of the topic and cater for candidates of different abilities to show what they know and can do, and should be clearly and carefully worded.  

It is also advisable to make sure that candidates themselves realise that there is a hierarchy of difficulty in the set questions on each topic and that the first two tasks do not require tenses other than the present tense to be used.

To improve, the candidate needs to have more practice in identifying the time frames used in questions, as the verbs used in response to questions were often insecure across the tenses in their conjugation in the first person. This would help to ensure that a correct time frame is used, which would help improve marks for both Communication and Quality of Language. Work on associating appropriate time frames with time markers could help here, e.g. À l’avenir with a future time frame, la semaine dernière with a past time frame. The candidate also needs to be able to express more simple opinions and start to connect simple ideas with some simple connectors. Further work on giving simple reasons for an action would also add interest to the performance. Thorough learning of vocabulary for each topic would also help the candidate to avoid the use of words in another language for commonly met words.

• Candidates at this level of ability need to listen very carefully to the tense used in the question, as they frequently resort to using time frames inappropriately and often confuse present and perfect tenses. 
• Importance needs to be given to sounding out the accent on past participles as its omission can lead to ambiguity of message, e.g.  j’ai étudie  is heard instead of  j’étudie  or  j’ai étudié . 
• The verb  assister  is often used instead of  aider.  
• Some confusion is also heard over the use of the correct auxiliary verb used with the verb  aller  in the perfect tense. 
• The irregular past participle  bu  is not known and  nous avons bois  is heard rather than  nous avons bu.  
• The very common mispronunciation of  jus d’orange  as  juice d’orange  is also evident . 
• There are also examples of using  pourquoi  in reponses where a  parce que  or a  car  would be required.
• Select activity Low level response Low level response

Example candidate response transcript – low

Role play card 2 transcript

Teacher/examiner: A quelle heure est-ce qu’on va au centre sportif? [The teacher/examiner reads the question exactly as printed.]

Candidate: A dix heures. [A brief, appropriate answer]

Teacher/examiner: A dix heures.  Et quel sport veux-tu faire ? [The teacher/examiner repeats the candidate’s answer before asking the next question. It is best for teacher/examiners to avoid this to ensure that they are not supplying the candidate with vocabulary or correcting them.]

Candidate: Je fais le sport à patinoige. [There is some element of response here, but the meaning is ambiguous as there is uncertainty between patinage and patinoire .]

Teacher/examiner: Le patinage. Okay. [The teacher/examiner should not correct the candidate. He could have moved on to task 3 here as a longer response is not a requirement of the role play.]

Candidate: parce que c’est … j’adore le froide et ma grand-mère est un patinage professionnel pour trente ans. [The candidate tries to develop her answer with a justification and opinion, but this adds to the ambiguity of the overall response.]

Teacher/examiner: Wow ! Incroyable ! Quand est-ce que tu es allé à un centre sportif pour la dernière fois ? [The teacher/examiner gives a brief reaction and then asks the first part of task 3 exactly as printed.]

Candidate: Could you repeat the question? [The candidate asks for a repeat of the question in English. Candidates can ask for a question to be repeated once but they should learn to do it in French to maintain the target language throughout the speaking test.]

Teacher/examiner: Quand est-ce que tu es allé à un centre sportif pour la dernière fois ? [The teacher/examiner repeats the question]

Candidate: La dernière fois je … je suis à centre sportif pour … [The candidate is unable to give an appropriate answer.]

Teacher/examiner: C’était avec qui? [The teacher/examiner has already repeated the first part of the task once, so he moves on to the second part.]

Candidate: Avec ma mère. [The candidate gives an appropriate response to the second part of the task.]

Teacher/examiner: Bien. Est-ce que tu préfères les sports d’équipe ou les sports individuels ? [The teacher/examiner gives a brief reaction and then asks the first part of task 4 exactly as printed.]

Candidate: Les sports individuels. [The candidate responds clearly and appropriately.]

Teacher/examiner: Pourquoi? [The teacher/examiner asks the second part of task 4.]

Candidate: parce que c’est … je n’aime pas les sports d'équipe parce que c’est très ennuyeux et je n’aime pas le sport … je n’aime pas le sport grand. [The first part of the candidate’s justification is clear and appropriate to the task and if she had stopped after je n’aime pas les sports d’équipe she would have fulfilled all the requirement of the task. However, the last part of her response is ambiguous and therefore task 4 is only partially completed.]

Teacher/examiner: Après avoir fait du sport, qu’est-ce que tu voudrais faire ce soir ? [The teacher/examiner asks the first part of task 5 exactly as printed.]

Candidate: Je fais à manger au restaurant parce que c’est  … j’ai très … [The verb form leads to some ambiguity between manger / faire à manger . The candidate begins a justification but then hesitates.]

Teacher/examiner: Pourquoi? [The teacher/examiner asks the second part of task 5. If the candidate had successfully given a justification in the first part of her answer it would not have been necessary to ask Pourquoi? ]

Candidate: Pourquoi c’est très fatigant et ma … et  j’adore le … et je mange … et … [The justification is not successfully communicated and therefore task 5 has only been partially completed.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Maintenant on passe au thème À la maison. [Clear end to the role play and transition to the first Topic conversation with an announcement of the topic to be discussed.]

Topic conversation 1 transcript – Topic 2 À la maison

Teacher/examiner: Combien de personnes habitent chez toi? [The teacher/examiner reads the first question exactly as printed.]

Candidate: Six personnes. [Clear, appropriate answer with no development.]

Teacher/examiner: Six personnes. [The teacher/examiner repeats the candidate’s answer. It would have been better to ask for more details instead.]

Candidate: Ma mère, mon père, mes deux soeurs et mon frère et moi. [The candidate adds some more details about her family demonstrating some knowledge of topic specific vocabulary.]

Teacher/examiner: Le soir, que fais-tu dans ta chambre ? [The teacher/examiner reads the next question as printed.]

Candidate: Dans ma chambre est mon … mon tableau et à côté de mon sœur chambre et … à ma chambre je texto mes amis et je joue aux vidéos avec mon sœur … ma sœur et je dormir. [After some irrelevant information the candidate gets back on task. There is some evidence of correct verb usage despite some errors.]

Teacher/examiner: Qu’est-ce que tu as fait récemment comme tâches ménagères chez toi ? [The teacher/examiner reads the next question as printed.]

Candidate: Je ménagère … Could you repeat the question? [The candidate tries to respond but has not understood the question. She asks for a repeat of the question in English. Candidates can ask for a question to be repeated once but they should learn to do it in French to maintain the target language throughout the speaking test.]

Teacher/examiner: Oui. Qu’est-ce que tu as fait récemment comme tâches ménagères chez toi ? … Ou la semaine dernière, qu’est-ce que tu as fait pour aider à la maison ? [The teacher/examiner repeats the question but then asks the alternative question provided before giving the candidate time to respond.]

Candidate: Je … je … je … le chien à pied … à pied. [There is an indication here that the candidate has understood the alternative question better, but she is unable to communicate clearly.]

Teacher/examiner: Penses-tu que les jeunes doivent aider leurs parents à faire le ménage ? [The teacher/examiner moves on to task 4.]

Candidate: Could you repeat the question? [Again, the candidate asks for a repeat of the question in English.]

Teacher/examiner: Oui. Penses-tu que les jeunes doivent aider leurs parents à faire le ménage ? [The teacher/examiner repeats the question.]

Candidate: Je aider mes parents le ménatage … avec le … avec … la … le … [It seems the candidate has difficulty understanding the meaning of ménage .]

Teacher/examiner: Et pourquoi? [The teacher/examiner could have asked the alternative question provided for task 4 which the candidate may have found easier to understand but he moves on to the second part of task 4.]

Candidate: Parce que c’est … j’adore mon parents et c’est … j’adore mes parents. [The candidate expresses a simple opinion, but it is not clear from this response whether she has really understood the question that was asked about the importance of young people helping at home.]

Teacher/examiner: Où aimerais-tu vivre plus tard dans la vie ? [The teacher/examiner asks the first part of Task 5.]

Teacher/examiner: Oui. Où aimerais-tu vivre plus tard dans la vie ? [The teacher/examiner repeats the question.]

Candidate: Je aimerais … mon … mon grand sœur parce que c’est … elle est très confident et très rigolo. [The candidate attempts an answer that includes a justification, but it is an ambiguous response to the question that has been asked.]

Teacher/examiner: Et comment serait la maison de tes rêves ? [The teacher/examiner could have asked the alternative question provided for task 5 to encourage a less ambiguous response, but he moves on to the second part of task 5.]

Candidate: Mon rêve … dans ma maison mon rêve est … ma chamber … ma chambre parce que c’est très … est très confortable et très … pas froide. [The candidate attempts a justification and includes a relevant adjective but the overall message is unclear.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Maintenant on passe au deuxième thème : L’Éducation. [Clear end to Topic conversation 1 and transition to Topic conversation 2.]

Teacher/examiner: Où se trouve ton école? [The teacher/examiner reads the first question exactly as printed.]

Candidate: A ma l’école … [The candidate begins her answer but then hesitates.]

Teacher/examiner: Où se trouve ton école? [The teacher/examiner repeats the question.]

Candidate: Ma trouve c’est ma l’école est … ma l’école est à dix ans. [The candidate has clearly not understood the question.]

Teacher/examiner: Et combien d’élèves y a-t-il dans ton école? [At the teacher/examiner has already repeated the question once and, as there is no alternative question provided for task 1, he moves on to task 2.]

Candidate: Dix. [The candidate gives a number, but it does not seem appropriate to the question.]

Teacher/examiner: Dix? [The teacher/examiner repeats the candidate’s answer. It would have been better to repeat the question.]

Candidate: Dix-neuf. [Again, it is unclear whether the candidate has understood the set question.]

Teacher/examiner: Et parle-moi de ce que tu as fait hier à l’école ? [The teacher/examiner moves on to task 3.]

Candidate: Hier à l’école je … je jouer au vidéo et je étudie et je … je fais mes devoirs. [The candidate recognises the need to answer in a past time frame. She is able to communicate some simple, factual information in spite of the inaccurate verbs.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Il y a plus de détails de ce que tu as fait hier à l’école ? [The teacher/examiner asks an extension question using language that is on the card to encourage a fuller response.]

Candidate: … [The candidate is unable to add any further details.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Pourquoi aimes-tu ton école ? [The teacher/examiner moves on to the first part of task 4.]

Candidate: J’aime ma l’école parce que c’est très … très intéressant et très grande. J’adore les grands … les grands l’école parce que c’est … j’aime …. [There is a little more development here with a simple opinion although the end of the response is unclear.]

Teacher/examiner: Quels sont les inconvénients de ton école? [The teacher/examiner asks the second part of task 4.]

Candidate: Inconvénients? Les toilettes c’est loin la classe. [A simple response that demonstrates some understanding of the question.]

Teacher/examiner: Et dans l’avenir, après avoir fini tes études, qu’est-ce que tu voudrais faire ? [The teacher/examiner asks the first part of task 5.]

Candidate: Je voudrais au université parce que c’est … je … je … [The candidate recognises the need for a future time frame but her response is ambiguous and there is no main verb.]

Teacher/examiner: Pourquoi? [The teacher/examiner asks the second part of Task 5.]

Candidate: Pourquoi … sorry … parce que … je … je … je … je être un scientifique. [As in the rest of the conversation, the candidate attempts an answer even when she has difficulty with the questions. In her final answer she is able to give an element of explanation in spite of inaccuracies.]

Teacher/examiner: Okay. Merci beaucoup. [The teacher/examiner ends the conversation.]

The teacher/examiner correctly identifies himself and then, as required, gives the candidate number and name followed by the date. (This has been edited out.) He then goes on to read out the role play card number. This should be done for all candidates. The teacher/examiner then greets the candidate using the prompts provided.

The candidate is clearly nervous, but the teacher/examiner approaches the role play well, in a sympathetic and calm manner. He reads the questions clearly and observes pauses on all of the tasks where necessary. He gives a brief, natural and encouraging comment when she communicates something of interest on task 2. On task 3, he reads the question out and repeats it once in French when the candidate struggles to answer and asks for a repetition of the question. He correctly carries on to the next part of the task in task 3 when the candidate does not respond to the first part. His pace is steady. The rest of the role play is conducted correctly and when he sees she is unable to answer he moves on to the next tasks.

Mark awarded for task 1 = 2 out of 2   The response is brief but appropriate and the message is unambiguous.

Mark awarded for task 2 = 1 out of 2   The candidate manages to communicate the partially complete message that the sport is at the ice rink and then tries to develop her answer. The verbs used are not always in an appropriate form.

Mark awarded for t ask 3 = 1 out of 2   The candidate does not complete the first part of the task but gains some credit for being able to say (she went) with her mother.

Mark awarded for t ask 4 = 1 out of 2   The candidate manages to convey that she prefers individual sports but is unable to give a clear message about why. The task as a whole is therefore only partially complete.

Mark awarded for task 5 = 1 out of 2   In the first part, the candidate conveys some idea of going to the restaurant. The second part is ambiguous, and the message is only partly communicated in language which is not totally appropriate to the situation and contains more than minor errors. 

Topic 2: À la maison

Topic 6: L’éducation

Tasks 1 and 2 are clearly read out exactly as printed. On task 3, the candidate is clearly confused and unsure how to answer. She again asks in English for a repetition of the question. The teacher/examiner carries on in French and repeats this first question and, still seeing her confusion, moves straight away to the easier set alternative question, to which she is able to attempt an answer. On task 4, the teacher/examiner reads the question, and the candidate again asks in English for it to be repeated. He correctly repeats the question in French. After she attempts an answer, he then asks the final question on task 4, to which she offers some information. On task 5, the candidate again asks for a repetition of the question in English. The teacher/examiner carries on and manages to give her the opportunity to say something. At this point, the timing is 4 minutes, so the examiner announces that he is moving on to the second topic.

Tasks 1 and 2 are read clearly as printed and the teacher/examiner does not rush the candidate but maintains a steady pace. He repeats questions where necessary. At the end of the response to task 3 he invites the candidate to add more detail. The candidate is unable to do this, so he moves on to the next task. On task 4, he observes the [Pause] given in the script and gives the candidate the time to answer. He then moves on and reads the first part of task 5. He is aware of when she can add no more information to the first question on task 5 and then asks the final question.

The timing on this last topic is 4 minutes so the teacher/examiner does not need to add further questions.

On the first topic, the candidate communicates quite well on the simpler opening question. On task 2, she starts to give irrelevant detail and starts to describe the contents of her bedroom but then goes on to say what she does in her room. Her answers to the remaining more open and challenging questions gradually become more ambiguous as her answers contain irrelevant material. She frequently asks for a repetition of the question in English. However, despite having difficulty with many questions, she continues to attempt to answer and can, in earlier questions, communicate some simple information. She also gives the occasional simple opinion such as c’est ennuyeux . She shows a limited range of structures in this topic, and they are often incomplete. There is frequent ambiguity, but she makes a fair effort at pronunciation. At this stage of the test the performance is in the 'Weak' level for both Communication and Quality of language.

On the second topic, the performance is very similar. She finds difficulty in responding relevantly, even to the first two simpler questions, but is able, despite her hesitations, to give some simple details on the latter questions and a few simple opinions. She has some notions of a few verb conjugations but is generally unable to use appropriate time frames for verbs. The range of vocabulary and structures remain limited with a stilted delivery.

The two topics are awarded one global mark for both topic conversations. The best fit over the two topics would put this performance in the middle of the 'Weak' level for both Communication and Quality of language.

Communication Mark awarded = 5 out of 15

Quality of Language Mark awarded = 5 out of 15

Total mark awarded = 16 out of 40

The teacher/examiner conducts the test well. He is aware of when to repeat questions and when to ask alternative and extension questions. He tries to interact and encourage the candidate and remains calm whilst maintaining a measured pace. He is clearly aware of when the candidate may be able to say something more and when she is not able to respond further. He is not distracted by the candidate asking in English for repetitions but could have prepared the candidate during teaching time to ask for questions to be repeated in French. Generally, timings in the test are well observed and the recording is clear. It should be noted, however, that some background noise could be heard at one stage in the test. Centres are reminded of the need to find as quiet a place as possible for recordings. 

Careful learning of all interrogative adverbs is needed, together with revision of vocabulary on familiar topics (e.g. the names of sports) on the list in the syllabus. The candidate could also study forms of the common verbs in the first person and make sure she can relate these to the clues of time markers such as d’habitude , récemment and prochain(e) when these occur in questions. These could be learnt as vocabulary items if accurate conjugation of verbs in different tenses proves too challenging. One useful technique is to look through a range of possible questions at the end of each topic studied and identify which time frame is being used. Learners can then work in pairs and match possible answers from a list provided by the teacher or work on possible answers together depending on the level of support needed. This can help build confidence and give vital extra practice in speaking. One other useful technique to master would be the giving of simple opinions as the candidate is insecure in this area. It is crucial that candidates of all abilities learn how to ask for a repetition of questions in French so that they do not have to resort to using another language to seek help during their test. 

Candidates also need to be very familiar with the format of the speaking test and realise that there will always be two easier starter questions on both the role play and the topic conversations which can be answered briefly (and in the present tense if they choose to use a verb). On the remaining three tasks, there will always be at least one task which enables them to use a past time frame, at least one task which requires a future time frame and at least one task which requires an opinion.

• The meaning of interrogative forms such as Quel…? and Où…? is not understood well. At this level of achievement, candidates frequently show a need to listen more precisely to the interrogative adverb so that they make any information they give relevant to the question. Irrelevant material does not gain credit. 
• The difference in pronunciation of j’ai and j’aime is also confused at times and, consequently, messages can become ambiguous. 
• Sometimes, instead of attempting to conjugate verbs, the candidate uses the subject pronoun in front of an infinitive (e.g. je dormir ). 
• The candidate also finds it difficult to say that she walks her dog. She is, as many candidates are in this situation, unsure in her use of the verb promener and instead tries to use pied.  

Polyglot Life

Become bilingual – Deviens bilingue

DELF writing exam: how to prepare (DELF, DALF, TEF, TCF)

Summary – French exams: what you are really tested on – How to write a French essay – Why it’s important to structure your texts and use logical connectors – How having structure lowers the stress level – Why work with a coach to prepare an exam – 4 typical outlines to write a French essay

The DELF writing exam and the oral presentation can seem like daunting tasks but with good preparation, you can succeed!

There’s one thing to keep in mind when you’re taking a French test like DELF, DALF, TCF or TEF . You’re evaluated both on the “mechanical” quality of your language (grammar, spelling, pronunciation) AND your ability to express your point of view . The following advice work both for the writing and oral tasks.

As you move further up the levels (B2, C1, C2), the language becomes a tool to express convincing thoughts . You need to showcase a wide range of vocabulary and grammatical structures. You also need to organise your production to showcase your analytical skills and your opinion.

This is “French culture 101”: the French have an opinion about everything and they looooove exchanging views and arguing. In the 17th century the French aristocracy popularized the concept of “ salons ” or discussion circles. There, aristocrats, poets and well-educated guests would gather to talk about anything (grammar, philosophy, current affairs, etc). It’s at that time that French became the language of choice of most European courts (including Russia).

French essays and exposes, like French conversations, are “something like an English garden. It’s highly cultivated to look and feel natural.” The Bonjour Effect, Julie Barlow – Jean-Benoît Nadeau (2016)

And that’s why you should know the rules of the “game” and practice, practice, practice before taking the DELF writing exam.

Watch the video or keep reading

How a French essay differs from an English essay

Many things have changed since then but the education system has perpetuated this tradition for reasoning . As early as middle school, French kids learn how to write formal essays with an introduction, a conclusion and well-organized paragraphs about just about anything (litterature, philosophy, history…). As you enter secondary and post-secondary schools, you’ve acquired the structure so well that, when facing a “ problématique ” (a complex question), you immediately start to envision a 2 or 3-parts essay (see at the end of this post for the detailed breakdown).

In a French essay, you’re supposed to pick a side and clearly state your personal answer to the problematique but not before you’ve examined the pros and cons and explained why we should value some aspects over others.

When I went to Ireland to study for a year, I had to “re-learn” how to write an essay. Over there, I was supposed to pick a side at the beginning and defend my choice. Two or three supporting arguments explained why why my choice was the best option. Although you include some cons or limitations, it wouldn’t take up as much space as in a French essay. It’s possible to use the same patterns to write essays in English and in French. However I think the most common patterns differ from one country to another. I’m not an expert in writing English essays so I could be mistaken…

The importance of signposting in your DELF writing exam

Once aspect that’s common to all good essays is the importance of structuring your thoughts .

The French essay will mix a lot of contradicting ideas and include nuances. In order not to lose your audience, you need to have a very clear structure. You need to take them by the hand at the beginning and constantly let them know where you are , how you got there and where you’re going next .

Think of this as driving… When you’re going from point A  to point B , you use a map and sign posts . You also use your signals (turn, headlights, stop) to communicate your intentions to other drivers…

Well it’s exactly what you need to do to get a great score at your test . Be very clear about your map and constantly share your “directions” . That way the reader/audience can understand where you are and the logic of your thoughts. 

“Articulateurs logiques”: logical connectors are essentials in your DELF writing exam

To signpost, you’ll need what we call “articulateurs logiques”. They can be adverbs, conjunctions, expressions… So, make sure you learn a few connecting words for each concept (opposition, concession, addition, sequencing…) so that you’re not always using the same ones.

The higher level the exam, the more variety you’ll need . Learn 2-3 connecting words for each concept at B1 level, 4-5 at B2 level . For C1 and C2 try to learn some fancy connectors you’ll only see in the newspapers. Make sure you work with your coach or a qualified tutor to understand all the nuances between these words. Linking words are not always interchangeable.

How signposting keeps the brain calm

Especially in the oral exam , this will have a beneficial effect both on your brain and on the examiner’s . On one hand, you’ll be calmer as you won’t get confused about what to say next. On the other hand, the examiners will follow your train of thoughts clearly. They will be more relaxed as they don’t need to figure out where the heck you’re going with this.

You will provide context and direction . Even though your sentences may not be 100% correct, it will be easier for them to understand . If they don’t, they may ask for clarification after so you’ll get a second chance to get it right.

In the writing exam, you won’t waste precious time while writing the essay. You’ll know what you want to say, your thoughts will flow faster.

And you’ll score points for your ability to organize your thoughts and be convincing. Honestly, these are easy extra points to get if you practice complying with the format .

An exam is already a stressful process. T he last thing you want is to go through it with your brain in “panic mode” .

You might also like to read this post: 3 ways to calm your brain

How to prepare for your French exam

Don’t think you can “wing it” on the day of the exam. It’s not something you can improvise on the day of the exam, you do need to practice .

Some strategies will help and make your training a lot more efficient in the long run. 

The principles of the best strategies are: 

• Acquire knowledge (read, listen…) about the most frequent exam topics
• Take notes and organize your knowledge into your brain: for example with mindmaps, flashcards, memory palace…
• Practice finding a “ problématique ” (a complex question) on a topic and brainstorm to draft an outline . You can invent one and/or use past exams samples .

If you do that, you’ll accumulate efficient hours of practice thinking about these topics and organizing your thoughts. You’ll already have arguments and examples, therefore you’ll feel more confident on the day of the exam.

Once that’s done, you can focus on the form and produce the best French you can. 

A convincing expose or essay for a French proficiency test is roughly 1/3 knowledge, 1/3 methodology and 1/3 language skills* * grammar, vocabulary + enunciation if oral

The benefits of working with a Neurolanguage coach

We understand the necessity of keeping the brain calm and strive to remain in this state during the sessions . We provide tools for you to achieve this state when you study independantly and then when you’re taking the exam.

I find it can be useful to mix working with a tutor or teacher and with a language coach.

With the first one, learn specific aspects of the language, correct some exercises and get extra speaking practice.

When you meet with your coach , you can work on 3 aspects . First, you can fine tune your understanding of a concept. Neurolanguage coaches constantly focus on making grammar “digestible” for your brain. We have in-depth knowledge of the mechanics of the language. We will encourage you to create connections with concepts you already know. Then, we work on your fluency by practicing focused conversation. Finally we’ll draft up together a customized plan to improve.

Your coach will steer the conversation to practice what you need to and facilitate the creation of the connections in your brain . The end goal is that you learn how to think in French naturally.

Instead of lecturing about French essays, we’ll make sure you can embrace the exercise with your own style and your own words .

Types of French outlines (called plans )

Now that you know why it’s important, here are some concrete resources to help you. These are 3 examples of typical French essay or expose outlines.

PATTERN A: it unfolds like a Moliere play – Part 1: Exposition / Facts – Part 2: The action , what problems are we facing because of Part 1 facts – Part 3: The resolution

PATTERN B: everything in life is relative, a philosopher’s reflection – Part 1: “Yes/White” (thèse = thesis, which reflects the direction you’re leaning toward to answer the question) – Part 2: “No/Black” (antithèse = antithesis) – Part 3: “Yes but,/Grey” (synthèse = synthesis, from the arguments in part 1 and 2, find a middle ground or opening to an answer that’s neither of the extremes)

PATTERN C: “YES, BUT…” It’s also acceptable to do 2 parts only: – Part 1: 2 or 3 arguments in favour of your point of view (YES) – Part 2: Limitations of Part 1’s arguments (BUT, why it’s not ideal) Your conclusion would emphasize the upsides of your arguments and how we could overcome the limitations.

PATTERN D: Chronological – Part 1: Phase 1 or Before /The past – Part 2: Phase 2 or Now /The present – Part 3: Phase 3 or After /The future

Which outline should you choose for the DELF writing exam?

There is no “right” pattern, it will depend on what you have to say . The content needs to be divided into balanced parts .

• Pattern A is efficient because there’s tension , your audience wants to know the end of the play.
• On the other hand, pattern B might be the most difficult . You may end up not being convincing enough in conveying your opinion to your audience.
• Pattern C is maybe the most accessible if you’re used to writing English-style essays.
• Pattern D is a rather obvious choice when you’re dealing with a topic spread across a period of time with distinct phases. Make sure you include argumentation, not just facts !

Troubleshooting: If you’ve decided to do 3 parts but end up with 2 long ones and a short one, it means you should do 2 parts only or find more material for your 3rd part. If you were going for a 2-parts outline but have a lot of sub-parts (paragaphs within each section), you should probably divide them up in 3 parts. That’s why it’s important to think and plan before you start writing your DELF exam.

Keep in mind the word count range you’re allowed at the test you’re taking and practice the format.

Watch this video explaining the process leading to writing a good outline

About Cathy

Related post, gifts for learners of french who are afraid of speaking, best resources to immerse yourself in the french language, french conjugation rules: the big picture.

French – Model Essays

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We have scanned a small selection of French O Level, GCSE and A Level syllabuses, question papers, mark schemes and examiners’ reports for you to access online. Please note there are no mark schemes for any exam subjects before 1991 and only a limited number of examiner reports for subjects from 1957.

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GCE O/L French Past Papers with Answers

Download GCE O/L French Past Papers with Answers . You can download O/L French Papers as a PDF files from the links below. MCQ, Structured, and essay official answers are available with these PDF files. We have a large collection of previous Past Papers with a Marking Scheme from the O/L French Past Papers with Answers subject.

O/L French Papers with Marking Schemes

• 2022(2023) O/L French Past Paper
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• O/L French Model Papers with Answers

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Comments 17

Please if you can submit 2020 paper as well

Please can you submit 2020 paper

If you have any model french papers for O/L can you send me please

can u submit the 2021(2022) paper plz

Can you submit the 2021(2022) O/L paper

Please submit 2021 paper immediately

https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ah8Yj65_W-uUjnlEVvsKVUJ6fMwS?e=rLOtTi

Here is the link of 2021 French paper

thank you very much

plz can u submit the answer sheets of 2017 , 2016 french papers

can u submit the answer sheets of 2017 and 2016 french papers?

J’ai contact [email protected]

please upload the 2022 (2023) O/L French paper immediately!

please upload the 2022 o/l french paper

please upload 2022(2023) marking scheme

please send me a short note for French

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French Essay: Topics, Tips, and Examples [2024 Updated]

Nowadays, knowing several foreign languages is no longer surprising. For example, learning French is common for English-speaking countries. So, getting an assignment on this subject won’t be a surprise for a student.

Writing a French essay, you can dwell into:

• the history of the French language;
• various dialects;
• its grammatical features;
• similarities between French and English (or another language);
• the distribution of the language around the globe.

One studying the language may penetrate the rich French culture and comprehend the nation itself. Besides, writing a French essay can develop the author’s writing skills and broaden their outlook. And even if you make mistakes doing so, it’s not the end of the world. The fact that you’re able to recognize them is already good enough, and you can fix complex errors using a free essay rewriter .

Our writers prepared French essay topics and tips for you to nail your task. See the examples below for better understanding.

📯 French Essay Topics

Are you one of those who are assigned to write French essays? Then we suggest you pick out some of the following problems to investigate:

• History of the French language;
• Dialects of the French language;
• French phonology ;
• French orthography;
• French grammar ;
• French alphabet.

The suggested topics are too vague and need narrowing. You may single out some aspects and analyze it in your paper. An excellent French essay topic should be:

• Broad for you to have enough room to develop your arguments;
• Narrow enough for you to be able to concentrate on one or several points;
• It should also be creative and original. You want people to enjoy reading it, right?
• Most importantly, the topic should be interesting for you.

If the essay topics seem too formal to you, study, for example, your progress in analyzing the French language. Alternatively, you can state what attracts you in the language and explain why. You may also do a comparative analysis of French and some other languages. Comparing French with English may turn out to be a fascinating task to cope with. Both languages will benefit from your French essay writing.

Here are some topics and French essay examples you can consider writing about:

• Your progress in learning the French language . Here you can write about your personal experience learning the French language. What techniques do you apply, and what motivates you personally? You can explain why you have to learn how to speak French.
• How are the French language and culture in Southern France different from Parisian? In this essay, you can compare the Southern French dialect and culture with the one in Paris. What are some of the critical phonetic, grammar, and linguistic characteristics of Southern French?
• Parisian dialect as a standard of French. When people think about the French language, the Parisian variant immediately comes to mind. In this essay, you can analyze why Parisian French became the standard version.
• Why do you enjoy learning French? This essay focuses on your personal preferences and likes in the process of learning.
• What makes it fun and enjoyable? Is it French movies, French literature, or understanding French written work documents?
• French influence on English . Although English is a Germanic language, it looks and sounds a lot like French. The influence which French had on English is significant. Look at some historical reasons (the Norman invasion in particular) and why English benefited from it.
• French language in 19th century Russia. Not everyone knows that French was the official language of the Russian elite in the 19th century. Discuss the reasons why and what influence French culture had on Russian literature, music, and language.
• The effect of the French language on the development of English writing . More than 10,000 French words came into the English language. Not only did the vocabulary of English get more prosperous, but the French way of spelling and letter convention influenced English orthography.
• What caused French to become an aristocratic language in Europe? The reasons why the French language became so dominant throughout Europe are broad. In this essay, you can focus on economic grounds, cultural or political reasons.
• An analysis of Canadian French. This essay can be a comparative analysis of Canadian and European French. What are the main differences? What are some similarities between the two variants?
• Is there any similarity between French and German ? All of the languages in the Indo-European language family have some similarities. Therefore, French and German are not exceptions. You can focus on sentence structure, word order, pronunciation, or phonetics.
• The popular strategies in English-French translation .
• Describe the challenges of French language acquisition.
• Analyze the peculiarities of French vowel pronunciation.
• Cultural events and their traditions in French-speaking countries .
• Discuss the advantages of learning French.
• Examine the semantic peculiarities of the French language.
• Explore the role of watching movies in the French language learning process.
• Comparison of language education theories.
• Analyze the impact of French language learning on your personality.  
• Describe the methods you’ve used to improve your French language fluency and which turned out to be the most effective.
• Similarities and differences between realism and naturalism in Spanish and French literature .
• What is the role of the French language in the modern world?
• Advantages and disadvantages of knowledge of multiple languages .
• Discuss the role of the French language in the United States.
• The specifics of learning French in early childhood.
• Compare the grammar peculiarities of English and French languages.
• How is the concept of friendship interpreted in American and French cultures?
• Analyze the correlation between the history of France and French language development.
• Explore the origin of the French language.
• Verbal and non-verbal communication in French culture.
• Examine the crucial role of French literature in learning French.
• Describe the relationship between French culture and language.
• Is it a good idea to integrate bilingual programs in early childhood education?
• Discuss the best ways to prepare for the speaking exam in French.
• The role of audiovisual materials in learning French.
• What difficulties did you face when learning to write in French?
• The essential role of sociocultural context when translating from French.
• Compare the customs of French, Chinese, and Hispanic cultures.
• The best methods of learning the second language .
• Describe the best ways of promoting language development for French language learners.
• Analyze the methods of French word formation .
• Would you like to become a French language teacher?
• Analysis of the food words in English and other European languages.
• Examine the specifics of the French language in former French colonies.

Do not treat your French essay as an ordinary task to undertake. Make it as creative as possible!

🖋️ How to Write a French Essay

Note that writing on some language problems requires more than your knowledge of the subject matter. It also tests your abilities to present them in terms of academic writing.

Special care should be taken concerning the following:

• The structural organization of your French essay.

Mostly, it is similar to any other academic essay :

• It should start with a hook . In simple terms, it is the opening sentence or two of your writing. It can be a quote, a short story, or a catchy statement that grabs the reader’s attention.

Here’s an example of from the sample essay:

Every language is a mirror of society, a living organism that exists and changes under the influence of historical, political, and social conditions.

• The next part of your essay is a thesis statement . Typically, it should be placed at the end of the first paragraph. The thesis statement’s purpose is to state the central idea in one or two phrases.

Here is a thesis statement from our French essay example:

Today, it is common to study English as a foreign language, as an international means of communication. However, this does not diminish the importance of learning other foreign language like French.

• After that, the body of the essay should start. This part of the composition usually has three separate paragraphs. These paragraphs can include research, supporting evidence, and arguments that prove the point of view.
• The conclusion brings together all the points of the essay. It goes back to the thesis statement and explains the broader importance of the topic. It is the last chance to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

Here is an example form our French essay sample:

To conclude, the above discussion provides evidence and arguments that maintain the position according to which learning French is a necessity nowadays. The crucial points are as follows; first, French has a long tradition of international language; second, French is spoken around the globe; third, it is a language of international relationships. The opposing position that English is sufficient for appropriate global communication was claimed unreasonable – an emphasis in this regard was on the essence of cultural and language diversity.

• The logical organization of your French essay .

There are some ways in which you can coherently write your essay. The following three aspects can guide you when organizing your French essay:

• Topic sentence : you should mind linking elements within the paragraphs and between them. First of all, each section should include a topic sentence. It aims to identify the central idea and express an overall direction in which the writer will develop the paragraph.

The demand for knowledge of a language has changed in recent years.

• Concluding sentence: each paragraph should also include a concluding sentence. It asserts the main idea of the section and sums up all the information said in it.

It may be claimed that in a period of rather an aggressive introduction of the Anglo-American language in the world, the French need to persistently and resolutely defend their language, their national interests, and calls on other nations to preserve linguistic diversity.

• Linking words: it is crucial to use linking words in your essay. Linking words show relationships between ideas. It can be used to build sentences together to develop a cohesive paragraph.

To see the full essay sample, check the link below:

• Grammar, spelling, and vocabulary.

The last step in writing an A+ French essay is proofreading and editing. Before submitting your academic paper, make sure to pay attention to grammar, spelling, and vocabulary mistakes . Without proofreading, your writing can contain typos and errors that will not leave a good impression.

Good luck with your French essay writing! We hope the article was helpful. If so, share it with your peers and leave a comment below to let us know what you think.

This might be interesting for you:

• How to Write an Expository Essay in Simple Steps
• Nursing Reflective Essay Example and Guidelines for Students
• Essay on Dengue Fever: How to Write + Free Examples
• Objective Essay Writing: How to Write, Topics and Examples
• Organizing an Essay: Jerry Plotnick, College Writing Centre, University of Toronto
• Organizing an Essay: Study Guide Zone
• Paragraphs & Topic Sentences: Writing Guides, Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University Bloomington
• Thesis Generator: Ashford Writing Center
• Proofreading: The Writing Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Basic Essay and Paragraph Format: Utah Valley University
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It is not helpful to me.

Thanks for the help with out this i wouldn’t even know what to do on my essay

Hi, do you also do French powerpoint presentation?

Good advice. Thanks.

This was a very great help. I’m writing a French essay, and I know, thanks to your post and the provided tips on French essay writing, I will pass!

Hi! I just want to thank you for your ideas and tips for writing French essays! Write a French paper in English or write an essay for the French by an American) Funny.

Thanks a lot for the help.

No problem, Sash:) Good luck!

GCSE Writing Exam - Model Answers

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All activities in this section are designed and written by Andrew Balaam. If you spot a mistake or have any comments, please send me an e-mail

The activities in this section are based on aqa's higher tier writing exams. i have written model answers for them, then developed those answers into interactive activities. some of these activites practise other skills you need in other parts of the exam, such as translation. they also aim to give practice in vocabulary, verbs and general grammar consolidation, as well as focussing on the technique for how to answer questions., 1. question 1 - temps libre, 2. question 1 - ma région, 3. question 1 - mon collège, 4. question 1 - mon petit job, 5. question 1 - santé.

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[O Levels] English Essays

Hi. Hello. Yes. This is the person who made this post a while back. I'd like to start off by sincerely apologising to the people I've ghosted since then as I logged off this account for a while for the sake of my mental health, but I'm back today because it's the actual exam tomorrow and this post might be of help to any soul here.

A few have come forward asking for my essays, so I'll be linking two of them here . The first essay's my prelim essay, for which I scored a 29, while the second one's an essay I wrote for practice, so it's ungraded. They aren't the best, but the first essay might serve as a good gauge for what to expect as it was also written under exam conditions.

Tomorrow's going to be a daunting day, but I hope/wish/pray for all of us to have clear minds as we sit for our papers. All the best, and may the words flow right out of us.

Edit: I just wrote another essay . It's a very informal piece, so do excuse the...lack of decorum.

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How to cite ChatGPT

Use discount code STYLEBLOG15 for 15% off APA Style print products with free shipping in the United States.

We, the APA Style team, are not robots. We can all pass a CAPTCHA test , and we know our roles in a Turing test . And, like so many nonrobot human beings this year, we’ve spent a fair amount of time reading, learning, and thinking about issues related to large language models, artificial intelligence (AI), AI-generated text, and specifically ChatGPT . We’ve also been gathering opinions and feedback about the use and citation of ChatGPT. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and shared ideas, opinions, research, and feedback.

In this post, I discuss situations where students and researchers use ChatGPT to create text and to facilitate their research, not to write the full text of their paper or manuscript. We know instructors have differing opinions about how or even whether students should use ChatGPT, and we’ll be continuing to collect feedback about instructor and student questions. As always, defer to instructor guidelines when writing student papers. For more about guidelines and policies about student and author use of ChatGPT, see the last section of this post.

Quoting or reproducing the text created by ChatGPT in your paper

If you’ve used ChatGPT or other AI tools in your research, describe how you used the tool in your Method section or in a comparable section of your paper. For literature reviews or other types of essays or response or reaction papers, you might describe how you used the tool in your introduction. In your text, provide the prompt you used and then any portion of the relevant text that was generated in response.

Unfortunately, the results of a ChatGPT “chat” are not retrievable by other readers, and although nonretrievable data or quotations in APA Style papers are usually cited as personal communications , with ChatGPT-generated text there is no person communicating. Quoting ChatGPT’s text from a chat session is therefore more like sharing an algorithm’s output; thus, credit the author of the algorithm with a reference list entry and the corresponding in-text citation.

When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023).

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

You may also put the full text of long responses from ChatGPT in an appendix of your paper or in online supplemental materials, so readers have access to the exact text that was generated. It is particularly important to document the exact text created because ChatGPT will generate a unique response in each chat session, even if given the same prompt. If you create appendices or supplemental materials, remember that each should be called out at least once in the body of your APA Style paper.

When given a follow-up prompt of “What is a more accurate representation?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “different brain regions work together to support various cognitive processes” and “the functional specialization of different regions can change in response to experience and environmental factors” (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).

Creating a reference to ChatGPT or other AI models and software

The in-text citations and references above are adapted from the reference template for software in Section 10.10 of the Publication Manual (American Psychological Association, 2020, Chapter 10). Although here we focus on ChatGPT, because these guidelines are based on the software template, they can be adapted to note the use of other large language models (e.g., Bard), algorithms, and similar software.

The reference and in-text citations for ChatGPT are formatted as follows:

• Parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023)
• Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023)

Let’s break that reference down and look at the four elements (author, date, title, and source):

Author: The author of the model is OpenAI.

Date: The date is the year of the version you used. Following the template in Section 10.10, you need to include only the year, not the exact date. The version number provides the specific date information a reader might need.

Title: The name of the model is “ChatGPT,” so that serves as the title and is italicized in your reference, as shown in the template. Although OpenAI labels unique iterations (i.e., ChatGPT-3, ChatGPT-4), they are using “ChatGPT” as the general name of the model, with updates identified with version numbers.

The version number is included after the title in parentheses. The format for the version number in ChatGPT references includes the date because that is how OpenAI is labeling the versions. Different large language models or software might use different version numbering; use the version number in the format the author or publisher provides, which may be a numbering system (e.g., Version 2.0) or other methods.

Bracketed text is used in references for additional descriptions when they are needed to help a reader understand what’s being cited. References for a number of common sources, such as journal articles and books, do not include bracketed descriptions, but things outside of the typical peer-reviewed system often do. In the case of a reference for ChatGPT, provide the descriptor “Large language model” in square brackets. OpenAI describes ChatGPT-4 as a “large multimodal model,” so that description may be provided instead if you are using ChatGPT-4. Later versions and software or models from other companies may need different descriptions, based on how the publishers describe the model. The goal of the bracketed text is to briefly describe the kind of model to your reader.

Source: When the publisher name and the author name are the same, do not repeat the publisher name in the source element of the reference, and move directly to the URL. This is the case for ChatGPT. The URL for ChatGPT is https://chat.openai.com/chat . For other models or products for which you may create a reference, use the URL that links as directly as possible to the source (i.e., the page where you can access the model, not the publisher’s homepage).

Other questions about citing ChatGPT

You may have noticed the confidence with which ChatGPT described the ideas of brain lateralization and how the brain operates, without citing any sources. I asked for a list of sources to support those claims and ChatGPT provided five references—four of which I was able to find online. The fifth does not seem to be a real article; the digital object identifier given for that reference belongs to a different article, and I was not able to find any article with the authors, date, title, and source details that ChatGPT provided. Authors using ChatGPT or similar AI tools for research should consider making this scrutiny of the primary sources a standard process. If the sources are real, accurate, and relevant, it may be better to read those original sources to learn from that research and paraphrase or quote from those articles, as applicable, than to use the model’s interpretation of them.

We’ve also received a number of other questions about ChatGPT. Should students be allowed to use it? What guidelines should instructors create for students using AI? Does using AI-generated text constitute plagiarism? Should authors who use ChatGPT credit ChatGPT or OpenAI in their byline? What are the copyright implications ?

On these questions, researchers, editors, instructors, and others are actively debating and creating parameters and guidelines. Many of you have sent us feedback, and we encourage you to continue to do so in the comments below. We will also study the policies and procedures being established by instructors, publishers, and academic institutions, with a goal of creating guidelines that reflect the many real-world applications of AI-generated text.

For questions about manuscript byline credit, plagiarism, and related ChatGPT and AI topics, the APA Style team is seeking the recommendations of APA Journals editors. APA Style guidelines based on those recommendations will be posted on this blog and on the APA Style site later this year.

Update: APA Journals has published policies on the use of generative AI in scholarly materials .

We, the APA Style team humans, appreciate your patience as we navigate these unique challenges and new ways of thinking about how authors, researchers, and students learn, write, and work with new technologies.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

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