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How to approach the Written Examination

Introduction

You will have two hours (including 10 minutes reading time) to complete the Written Examination paper. You will be required to complete two sections:

Section I: Response to prescribed text Part A and Part B; and
Section II: Writing in French.

You should consider the allocation of marks and organise your time accordingly.

Suggested approach:

Question	Marks	Time
Section I: Response to prescribed text (Part A)	15	45 min
Section I: Response to prescribed text (Part B)	10	30 min
Section II: Writing in French	15	45 min

Make sure you allow sufficient time to:

plan your answers before you commence
revise your work and check the quality of your responses, ensuring your intention is clear and there are no ambiguities.

To ensure that you are fully prepared for the French Extension examination paper, you could ask yourself the following questions:

Do I have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the prescribed text?
- Jean de Florette (Marcel Pagnol), 18 extracts
Am I able to discuss questions in English relating to the themes, characterisation, language features, style, context and issues, etc?
Am I able to respond personally and creatively in French to the prescribed text?
Am I familiar with the three prescribed issues?
- The outsider versus social order
- The power of attachment
- Our relationship with the environment
Have I developed the skills required to write in the text types prescribed for both the French Continuers Stage 6 Syllabus (Section 8.3)and the French Extension Stage 6 Syllabus (Section 8.3)?
Am I able to write a response in approximately 300 words to present, explain or justify opinions, ideas and points of view in French?

Remember, you may use monolingual and/or bilingual print dictionaries in the written examination.

Note: The Board of Studies NSW has developed French Standards Packages of CD-ROMs, which contain detailed information on the level of achievement for each performance band, including examples of student responses. While these are not the current prescribed issues, hearing and reading actual student responses are excellent ways to understand how the marking criteria are put into practice. This will reassure you of the standard expected. The packages are available at http://arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/hsc/std-packs/