Exam Tips for Crossing the D-C Boundary

Exam tips for crossing the D-C boundary

How do I improve my marks in Listening?

You should practise listening skills for different reasons:

To get used to French pronunciation.
To progress from understanding short sentences to understanding longer and more complex sentences.
To familiarise yourself with the types of tasks that make up your Listening exam.
To develop techniques that allow you to produce correct answers.

You will be asked to answer multiple-choice questions of various types e.g. choose from A,B,C or D, choose between true, false or not mentioned in the text (T,F,?), choose from positive, negative or positive and negative attitudes (P,N,P+N), etc. You may have to select three true statements out of six for instance or answer questions in English.

Remember that you will listen to the recording twice. After the first listening, you may have worked out some of the answers. When you listen to the recording for the second time, focus on what you have not yet worked out. Before you listen to a recording, make sure you have read the questions that you will have to answer and try to listen for the answers. In other words, listen with a purpose in mind. Do not leave questions unanswered.

How do I improve my work in Reading?

The main differences between the Listening exam and the Reading exam are:

You have the French text in front of you for the duration of the exam.
If you find it difficult to understand a text because of the pace of delivery or French pronunciation, those difficulties will not arise in Reading.

Your preparation however should remain the same as it was for the Listening exam. Read the questions first so that you know what you are reading for. Search for the answers to the questions in the text. Do not be put off by the fact that there are words in it that you may not understand. If that is the case, you may not need to understand them to get to the answers.

If you are required to write an answer in English, make sure that your answer makes sense and actually answers the question. Do not forget to write legibly.

How do I improve my work in Speaking?

In Speaking (and in Writing), you have a very good chance of doing well, provided you have prepared yourself thoroughly for it.

The Controlled Assessment for Speaking consists of two tasks, taken at different times in your GCSE course.

In Speaking, you will not be given a task that you have never seen before (as in Listening and Reading).

The task is made up of five or six bullet points. You will discuss the task in class and you will work on your Speaking Plan. Your Plan can include up to a maximum of 40 words. If you use verbs in your Plan, they have to be in the infinitive. You are not allowed codes e.g. j. s… a… for je suis allé(e) or any visuals. Although it is more useful to use only French words on your Plan, you may choose to use English words instead, or a mix. The purpose of your Plan is to remind you of what you intend to say next. It is extremely useful and you should practise your Speaking task with it thoroughly. You will have your Plan in front of you in the actual exam.

It is very important that you know how your Speaking exam will be marked and that you are aware of what the examiner is looking for.

Here is a list of what you should attempt to do:

Give a good amount of information.

You will have prepared for each bullet point in the task. Your teacher will ask you a starter question for each bullet point. Aim at answering using two or three sentences. Treat each subsidiary question for that bullet point in the same way. Use the same approach for each bullet point.

Express your points of view and develop them.

You must ensure that you give your opinion at least twice during the test. Do it more often if you can, using different phrases: e.g. j’aime, j’adore, je déteste, c’est… and develop your opinion by explaining it, for instance by using parce que. e.g. J’aime le week-end parce que je peux sortir avec mes copains.

Use a range of vocabulary.

Try to avoid repeating the same words e.g. il y a, c’est.

Example of a very ordinary answer:

Question: Comment est ton collège?

Answer: Mon collège est bien. Il y a mille élèves. J’aime mon collège.

A better answer would be: Moi, j’aime beaucoup mon collège parce que je vois mes amis tous les jours. Nous sommes mille élèves.

What do you think is better about the second answer?

Include some complex sentences.

A complex sentence at its simplest level is a sentence that includes connectives e.g. et, mais, parce que, car. Read the ‘better’ answer in the point mentioned above.

Include complexity if you can, but make sure that what you say is correct. It is better to use simple sentences that are correct than incorrect complex sentences.

Refer to past, present and future events.

In order to get a grade C, it is essential that you show that you can refer to past, present and future events.

Learn some verb forms by heart: Je suis allé(e) (I went), J’ai fait (I did), Je vais + a verb in the infinitive (I am going to …).

Take care with your pronunciation.

You are not expected to sound like a native speaker! However, what you say must be understandable. Try not to rush what you are saying and think about French pronunciation. You will know many rules such as not sounding the final ‘s’ of a word or the letter ‘h’. If possible, when you practise for your Speaking exam, record yourself and listen to your own pronunciation.

Try to speak with fluency.

Do not confuse fluency with speed. Fluency is to do with hesitancy. Try to respond to your teacher’s questions readily. If you need a second or two before you give your answer, you can occasionally use ‘gap fillers’ such as eh bien… voyons…

Give a good response to the !

The exclamation mark tests you on something that you have not prepared. You guess what you might be asked as it usually logically follows on from what has been discussed before. Practise guessing what you might be asked at that point. Select two possibilities and include three words for each in your Plan.

Bonne chance!

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original.