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How to approach the Written Examination
Section II: Writing in French
- Examination specifications
- Before the examination
- During the examination
- Some expressions you may find useful
Examination specifications
Purpose
Section II relates to Objective 1 and is designed primarily to assess your ability to present and support a point of view about the prescribed issues through the production of an original text in French.
| Objective | Outcomes |
|---|---|
| The student will: 1 present and discuss opinions, ideas and points of view in French |
The student: 1.1 discusses attitudes, opinions and ideas in French 1.2 formulates and justifies a written or spoken argument in French |
© Board of Studies, French Extension Stage 6 Syllabus, updated July 2008
Specifications
This section will be worth 15 marks.
You will be required to give an evaluative response, by presenting and explaining or justifying a point of view. Students will select ONE of two questions. Each question will specify an audience and/or a purpose and/or a context. The questions will be related to the prescribed issues.
You will be expected to write a short essay, article, script of a talk, formal letter or report of approximately 300 words in French.
The tasks will be phrased in English and French for a response in French. From 2010 both tasks will require the same text type.
Remember, you may use monolingual and/or bilingual print dictionaries in the Written Examination.
Criteria for judging performance
In your answer you will be assessed on how well you:
- present and support a point of view
- write for a specific audience and/or purpose and/or context
- demonstrate accuracy and variety of vocabulary and sentence structures
- structure and sequence ideas and information.
A high level response will present and develop a sophisticated, coherent argument, discussion or explanation, and be written effectively and perceptively for a specific audience, purpose and context. The response will demonstrate breadth and depth in the treatment of relevant ideas. It will be written with a high level of grammatical accuracy and breadth and sophistication of vocabulary and sentence structure.
Note: The Board of Studies NSW has developed French Standards Packages (2001 and 2002), 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 reviewing actual student responses is an excellent way to understand how the marking criteria are put into practice. This will demonstrate the standard expected. The packages are available at http://arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/hsc/std-packs/ 
Before the examination
You should familiarise yourself with the prescribed issues. Reading widely on various aspects of the prescribed issues will assist you to increase your range of vocabulary and develop the skills required to present your views. There are many items of interest in current magazines and newspapers which relate to the prescribed issues. The internet will also provide access to a wide range of up-to-date information and vocabulary.
You are required to produce an original text in French of approximately 300 words. Your response will present and explain or justify a point of view and should begin with an introduction, followed by the body of the text, where the argument is developed, and end with a logical conclusion.
In preparing for the examination, you should attempt as many practice questions as possible, covering a wide range of topics. This will increase your confidence and enable you to cope with any question in the examination. Thorough preparation is the key to success and there is much you can do to ensure you are able to deal with any question.
Creating your own list of vocabulary and expressions will help give your writing structure and flow. A good command of grammatical structures will underpin a good response, ensuring your ideas are well communicated. Some expressions you may find useful have been provided at the end of this document. Further examples can be found in a number of dictionaries.
You should aim to think in French to ensure your writing is as authentic as possible. A translation from English may be disjointed in French and is unlikely to create a very positive impression. On the other hand, the variety of language and expressions you use will reflect the breadth and depth of your knowledge and indicate your facility with the language.
It is important to be guided by your teacher's comments and advice when your practice essays are marked.
During the examination
You should:
- read the two questions carefully and then choose the question which allows you the most scope.
- avoid any temptation to take the question and re-model it into another question you prefer. You must address the question as printed on the paper.
- reflect on the topic you have chosen. Make a plan, even if sketchy, to ensure you keep your answer focused and relevant to the question.
- remain ‘cool’ and unflustered if faced with a topic you have not anticipated. Remember that the questions will be based on the issues you have studied and that, with calm thought, a clear head and planning, you will be able to respond to any question.
- keep your arguments logical and to the point. Do not be tempted to write more complicated French than your skills allow. This will not promote good communication and is likely to create a poor impression.
- know your capabilities. Do not include large slabs of pre-learned, complicated French which do not address the question or fit with your own level of language. If you do this, your answer is likely to be disjointed and difficult to understand.
- keep your answer relevant. An answer which directly addresses the question will be more impressive.
- stay calm and don’t change the plan of approach you have practised throughout the year. Thorough preparation is the key to success and will hold you in good stead on the day.
- allow sufficient time to review what you have written. Read over your work and check your spelling, language and structures. Reflect critically on what you have written and ask yourself if it makes sense. This is an important part of the writing process and enables errors to be corrected and additions to be made.
Some expressions you may find useful
Introductory remarks:
e.g.
- Pour commencer
- D’abord
- En premier lieu
- Prenons le cas de
- Commençons par examiner
- Certains pensent que
- D'autres au contraire estiment que
Presenting an opinion:
e.g.
- Selon certains
- En réalité
- D’une façon ou d’une autre
- Malgré tout
- D’après
- À en croire
- On ne peut nier
- À mon avis (jamais suivi de la première personne e.g. je)
- Il se peut que
- Je dirais que
- Je suis d’accord avec
- Il n’y a aucun doute que
Developing an argument:
e.g.
- Si on prenait l’exemple de
- Il est possible
- Il faudrait
- Il s’agit de
- De nos jours
- Il suffirait de
- Selon d’autres
- Prenons l’exemple de
- De plus
- Par ailleurs
- Contrairement à
- Bien que
- En outre
- D'une part…d'autre part
- Ensuite
- En revanche
- En ce qui concerne
- Au mieux
- Au pire
- Néanmoins
- Toutefois
- Cependant
Drawing a conclusion:
e.g.
- Il faut conclure que
- Tout bien considéré
- En conclusion, disons que
- C'est pourquoi
- En conséquence
- Donc, pour conclure
- Dans l’ensemble
- Finalement
- En dernier lieu
- Pour finir
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