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How To Approach the Exam:

Advice on the Speaking Skills Section (20 marks)

This section will test your ability to communicate information and ideas by sustaining a general conversation in French.

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

The examination consists of a conversation between the examiner and you.

The examination will last approximately ten minutes.

The examination will be about your personal world. Topics of conversation may range from talking about yourself and your world, your family and friends, your school life and aspirations, your leisure and interests to significant moments in your life, etc.

You can expect the examiner to ask you a number of questions from which a conversation can be developed. Questions may be graded in difficulty, starting with simple and fairly predictable ones such as "Tu étudies quelles matières cette année?".

There are no right or wrong answers to the questions. If you feel that you have not answered a question fully, this will not necessarily be detrimental to your overall marks, as you may perform much better in a subsequent question.

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

The criteria used in marking this section include:

How effectively you communicate
Your level of grammatical accuracy
The breadth and sophistication of the vocabulary and structures you have used
Your level of confidence and fluency
The correctness of your intonation and pronunciation
Your usage of idiomatic expressions
Your consistency in communicating relevant information, your opinion or a comment.

Suggestions to help you to work towards a high standard:

Ensure you have thoroughly practised speaking about the set topics (under the theme titled "The individual"). Remember the old adage: "Knowledge is power".
Avoid long pauses and frequent repetitions during the exam.
Do not answer a question simply with "Oui" or "Non". The whole idea of the question is to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge.
Try to bring in a variety of structures and vocabulary (relevant to the question, of course), as you develop your answer.
If your mind goes blank on a particular word, try to communicate what you want to say in another way. At all costs, avoid using any English in your conversation. It is preferable to describe an object or an action in French, after explaining with something like: "Je ne me souviens pas du mot, mais ..."
Do not rely on prepared speeches. Make sure that your answer relates to the question.
You may ask the examiner to repeat the question if you are not confident about having understood it clearly. Use phrases such as: "Pouvez-vous répéter cela s'il vous plait", "Je vous demande pardon. Je n'ai pas bien compris ce que vous m'avez demandé", etc.
The examination is a formal situation and you should speak accordingly e.g. address the examiner as "vous" not "tu"; avoid the use of slang.
Try to organise your thoughts to reply in a logical manner. Sequencing and structuring words and expressions such as "tout d'abord", "premièrement", "enfin", "finalement", "d'habitude", will help you to do this.
Don't rush straight into speech. You can make good use of conversational fillers such as "Oui, en effet", "Voyons..." to gather your thoughts.
Think about your delivery. There is no need to speak very quickly. It is best to speak clearly and at a steady pace. However, your speech will sound more natural and interesting if you use appropriate intonation and take care with your pronunciation.
Note that the examiners are not there to penalise or trick you. Their aim is to help you to achieve your highest standard.

Q: How can I best prepare for the examination?

The first step is to build up a solid bank of vocabulary and structures for each of the set topics. Without them, you will not be able to say very much.

Use every opportunity to communicate orally in French, whether in the classroom or in the community. This will help identify your strengths and weaknesses and determine the areas on which you should focus.

Practise all the questions prepared by your teacher or available on this site. Why not record your answers on tape, and play them back to evaluate your performance? Make up additional questions and answers yourself and exchange them with a fellow student.

Use authentic models to practise your pronunciation and intonation. (See suggestions for Listening Skills resources). Your efforts in attaining a good French sound are bound to impress.

Practise saying the same thing in different ways.

Practise describing an object or action without using the word e.g. "C'est l'objet dont on se sert pour servir la soupe" (une louche)

Practise "fall-back" phrases, such as:

"Je ne sais pas exactement",
"Je ne suis pas tout à fait sûr(e)"
"C'est difficile à dire"
"Pas forcément"
"Oui, jusqu'à un certain point"
"Que voulez-vous dire par cela?"
"Est-ce que ma réponse est suffisante?"

Practise using different tenses in your responses, For example:

Q: "Fais-tu attention à la mode?"
A: "Quand j'étais petit(e) je ne faisais pas attention à la mode, et c'était facile de s'habiller. Mais maintenant je m'y intéresse beaucoup et je lis tous les magazines de mode."

Push yourself to say more than a couple of sentences for each answer. After all, you should have a lot to say about yourself and your personal world. Bear in mind that the examiner does not know you and everything you say will be of interest. Ensure that you are familiar with all the grammatical items listed on pp17—19 of the syllabus.

Practise livening up your speech with exclamations, questions or comments like "Voici une question intéressante". Also enrich your answers with descriptions and details. Instead of "J'ai un chien", say "Depuis trois semaines, nous avons un petit berger allemand à la maison. Il est vraiment adorable!"

Le silence est d'or ... mais pas pendant cet examen!