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How To Approach the Exam:

Advice on the Reading and Responding Section (40 marks)

Remember that you have more than just the Reading Skills section to do as part of your written examination so leave adequate time for the Writing Skills.

Q: What will I be expected to do in the exam?

There will be two parts to this section. You must complete both of them.

Part A (25 marks)

You will be required to read two texts in French (500 — 600 words in total) and to answer questions to demonstrate that you have fully understood the material. The questions and your answers will be in English.

They may involve:

Extracting information e.g. working from an advertisement, you may have to detail the conditions under which a certain product can be bought at the advertised price.
Summarising information e.g. working from an article, you may be required to give a brief outline of the events that led to a certain situation.
Evaluating information e.g. working from a diary entry, you may have to describe how the writer feels about the events that have taken place.

Part B (15 marks)

You will be required to read a short text in French (about 150 words). The text could take the form of an advertisement, a memo, a letter, an e-mail etc.

In Part B you will have to write a response to the text. You will be provided with guidelines in English. Use these to respond in French in approximately 150 — 200 words.

You may be asked to produce any of the following:

conversation
description
diary entry
e-mail
fax
informal letter
message
note
narrative account
personal profile
postcard
recount
report
scripted speech or talk (e.g. monologue)

For example, you may be asked to comment on and expand arrangements for a trip, in response to an e-mail invitation from a friend.

As in any real exchange of information, you may need to respond directly to questions, react to information, make further suggestions, express your own ideas after having analysed what has been said, or add your own questions, etc.

Be careful: sometimes there are gaps in the text to allow your response to fit in. This can occur, for example, in an exchange of e-mail messages. Make sure that you lead into the next element of the text.

Q: How can I get as many marks as possible for this section?

Part A

Take particular note of the title of the text, if there is one, and of any illustration(s) accompanying it. These often provide support in the understanding of the overall sense of the text and may even help with the translation of a key word.

Read the questions before reading the text. Be sure you understand them as they can give useful clues about the text.

Read the text straight through once, not concerning yourself with difficulties in the structures or vocabulary, but merely as a means of getting a general idea of what the text is about.

Write out your answers after a second reading (perhaps one section at a time). Bear the following in mind:

If there are specific words of which you are unsure, try to deduce their meaning from the question, the words around them or from the title. You wonÕt have time to look up every unknown word in the dictionary. Use it only if other strategies fail.
When answering open-ended questions, give all the information you think is relevant. You will not be penalised for giving too much detail. However, donÕt write more than is necessary. The key ideas can be presented in point form rather than in long, elaborate sentences. There is no need to rewrite the question in a statement form. Your time is precious.
Remember that no two questions should require exactly the same information. However, be aware that some questions may require you to draw various pieces of information together.
If you find that you have not used a large section of the text in any of your answers, double-check your answers. You may well have omitted to answer a question, or may have omitted some relevant information from the answer.
Most key ideas in the text will be exploited. Make sure you have not omitted any. Answer all parts of every question [i.e. (i) (ii) etc].
On a more general note, make sure your handwriting is legible. Your answers have to be written in booklets. Number the question clearly and write your answers so as to make it easy for someone else to read. Check with other people now whether your handwriting is easy to decipher and do something about it if it isn't.
In your answers to open-ended questions, remember that you are demonstrating your understanding of ideas (i.e., giving the sense of the text), not just translating words in isolation. To do this well you should consider the context, purpose and target audience of the text.

Part B

The criteria used to mark this section will include:

Your ability to demonstrate your understanding of the text, both in general and in detail
Your ability to analyse and respond to the information in the text
Your understanding and use of vocabulary, idiom, colloquialisms, grammar, text type and levels of language
Your ability to use language authentically and creatively.

The text in Part B is not merely a source of information but more of a springboard for you to use French in a communicative way. You still need to have a good understanding of the text in order to respond to it appropriately.

Don't rush into writing your response. Ensure that you understand the text well before starting. Identify its major points.
Allocate a few minutes to draft a brief plan. The plan should include a specific response to each major point, within a logical progression.
Avoid lifting whole phrases from the given text. Use paraphrases, synonyms and other devices whenever possible.
For example:
Text: "J'ai l'intention de travailler pendant les vacances. Et toi?"
Response: "Eh bien, moi, je cherche un emploi depuis longtemps mais je n'ai encore rien trouvé".
Use the opportunity to show off! Your writing will be more interesting if you:
- Vary the length of your sentences
- Use interjections, questions, interruptions etc. Liven it up!
- Include your knowledge of various structures, tenses and interesting vocabulary, as long as it is relevant.
Take note of the text type required for your response and make it sound as authentic as possible.
For example, if required to write a quick note, you may end it with something like: "Zut! Il est déjà midi! J'y vais!"
Keep it simple, accurate and interesting. Do not try to be overly ambitious and attempt complex structures, which are beyond your level of French. Stick to phrases and ideas that you can express confidently.
Avoid bizarre or excessively humorous situations. Your intention is often obscured and it falls flat. Make situations plausible!
The suggested word length is 150 — 200 words. Make sure you reach this and avoid writing excessive amounts. Remember that quality is better than quantity. Avoid wasting time counting words during the exam. You should become familiar with the number of lines you usually take to make up at least 150 words.
Allow yourself time to check your work thoroughly towards the end of the exam. Don't just scan it. Take the following into account when doing your final check:
- Consistency with " tu" and "vous" including "ton", "ta", "tes", "toi", "s'il te plaît" etc.
- Accuracy of verb endings, e.g. "Je prends" not "Je prendre"
- Agreement of nouns and adjectives e.g. "les vieilles maisons"
- Pitfalls especially in using the English "ing" form, e.g. "Je regarde la télé" and not " Je suis regarder la télé"
- Full answer. Have you written about all the points required?

Q: How do I best prepare for this section?

Be familiar with each of the text types you are expected to produce in written form. The target audience and the purpose of the text will determine the sort of language you use.

Read widely in French, particularly on recent developments or issues relevant to the prescribed themes and topics

Build a bank of vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, on all the topics prescribed in the syllabus

Practise writing responses to any written material you encounter in French, such as e-mails from your French friends, articles and advertisements from magazines, film reviews, letters, etc.

Familiarise yourself with the list of grammatical items prescribed in the syllabus. Highlight those which you need to practise more

Maintain a daily journal in which you summarise the events of your day in French.

Bon Courage!