Recommendations to Teachers and Students

The comments below refer to both levels unless otherwise specified. The depth of understanding and level of mastery required of candidates at Ordinary level is obviously less than that expected at Higher level.

Preparing for the examination Teachers should:

• use French as the language of communication in the classroom as much as possible, in order to attune the student’s ear to the language
• impress on students the importance of good pronunciation, and teach it systematically from 1st Year onwards
• ensure that students are able to manage a conversation, and able to express incomprehension, and ask for repetition or clarification, if necessary
• practice question words (who, where, when, how many, etc.) so that students become accustomed to hearing them
• remind students that they should be prepared to enter into conversation and to give their own, personal response to the oral examiner’s questions
• encourage students to strive for authenticity, rather than relying on long paragraphs memorised from notes, which they may struggle to reproduce accurately
• practice the Present, Passé Composé and Future tenses as often as possible, and ensure that students are accustomed to respond to questions in at least these three basic tenses
• revise Junior Certificate vocabulary regularly, rather than focusing mainly on abstract concepts or topical issues
• encourage students to prepare a Document for their oral examination, and help them select one which is suitable to their level of French, on a topic which interests them
• encourage students to read French literature, so as to be become accustomed to following a story line in the Reading Comprehensions in the written paper
• ensure that students are familiar with key words such as trouvez, relevez, citez, mot, phrase, and expression, which will often occur in the Reading Comprehension passages
• emphasise the need to read the comprehension questions carefully, and to avoid writing excess material in their answers
• ensure students are familiar with the main grammatical terms, and thus able to pick out specific grammar elements within a sentence
• constantly revise basic grammar, including the main verb tenses, agreement of adjectives, plurals, and negative and interrogative forms
• encourage students to strive for accuracy in both grammar and spelling in their written work
• help students become aware of the different registers of language, i.e. colloquial (for a diary or when writing to a pen pal), and formal (when writing to adults or responding to a discussion question)
• ensure that students are familiar with the different types of stimuli that might appear on the examination paper, including the format needed for both informal and formal letters
• practice creative writing with students, so they will be able to deal with a récit, i.e. able to write a clear, logical story, using the different past tenses
• train students in how to look for key words in a written question, and to focus carefully on writing an answer that is fully relevant
• advise students not to try to memorise paragraphs or essays from textbooks or sets of notes, but instead to write a personal response, adapting vocabulary and phrases that they already know.

Students should:

• remember that pronunciation and intonation are important, and that the oral examiner may not understand poorly-pronounced words
• ensure that they can understand the main question words and recognise which tense the oral examiner has used
• avoid memorising long paragraphs from textbooks or sets of notes, as these can sound artificial and may not be fully relevant to the question asked
• learn the necessary vocabulary to talk about themselves, their friends and family, and their main interests
• choose a Document on a topic which interests them, and with which they are comfortable from a language point of view
• prepare their Document well, and try to anticipate the type of questions which the oral examiner may ask
• make time to read French short stories or novels, in order to get used to following a story-line and to understand implicit meanings
• practice answering comprehension questions, understanding whether manipulation or direct quotation from the text is required
• ensure they are familiar with key grammatical terms, and can identify the different elements in a sentence
• strive for accuracy in written work, constantly practicing basic tenses, verb endings, agreement of adjectives, and correct genders
• become familiar with the requirements of different types of written production, e.g. cloze-tests, form-filling, narrative writing, diary entries, messages, e-mails, letters, personal accounts, and questions which require some discussion.

In the examination Candidates should:

• remember that the oral examiner is there to assist them perform as well as they can
• treat the oral examination as a normal conversation, and be willing to respond to all questions
• ask the examiner to repeat or clarify a question if necessary, or say if they don’t understand it
• correct an error straight away if they become aware of it, for example, a wrong tense or gender
• listen carefully to the full question, and note the tense used (looking out for key words such as dernier or prochain), rather than focusing on a single word
• understand that the examiner may intervene gently if they are reciting a memorised passage, to try and elicit a more authentic response
• show a willingness to communicate, even if a question appears difficult, and try and develop their answers, rather than sticking to oui / non
• read the Comprehension texts carefully several times before starting to write their answers
• note whether a Reading Comprehension question requires direct quotation (e.g. Citez, Relevez, Trouvez) or whether reformulation is needed
• be careful of transcription errors when copying an answer directly from the text
• remember that answers must make complete sense, so be careful where to begin and end a quotation
• ensure that they refer closely and relevantly to the text when answering the final Reading Comprehensions questions (Q.8 on the Ordinary Level paper or Q.6 on the Higher Level paper)
• read the written production questions carefully and note exactly what they are being asked to do, by underlining the key words
• plan the structure of their answer before they start writing, jotting down the key points they will need for each paragraph
• avoid writing out a complete rough-work answer first, and then copying it out in full, as this wastes time
• answer only the required number of written questions, and spend any additional time reviewing and refining their answers, rather than attempting an extra question
• write their answer in their own personal style, expressing their own point of view, and avoid including proverbs, clichés, or ‘showy’ pre-prepared phrases for their own sake
• focus on accuracy, and carefully check their verbs, agreements, and spellings (including accents) when they give a final read-through
• read the instructions for the listening test carefully in the five minutes allowed before the CD is played
• listen for the idea or concept in the whole sentence, rather than for single words
• write their answers only during the second or third hearing, as they will have a better grasp at that stage of the detail required
• make sure that the letter a, b c or d which they select for a multiple-choice answer is clearly written, and that any crossing-out does not make it ambiguous for the examiner
• avoid using pencil, as it will fade and may be difficult for an examiner to read.