Recommendations for writing tasks / essay writing

As each of your piece of writing are going to be marked by different markers fro the HSC , you need to show your knowledge in grammar and vocabulary in every question. To do so, you need to keep and eye on the following:

• continuity: if you start with “vous” then you need to continue
• language register: formal, informal, slang with friends
• tense: present, passé compose, imparfait, subjonctif, conditional, futur proche et simple
• linking words: donc, par consequent, de plus etc
• French expressions
• varied vocabulary: avoid repeating the same words over and over

Make sure you have time to proof read yourself as this is really important. While proof reading, check that subjects and verbs are matching and that all your accents are in the right place and on the right side.

Avoid going over the word limit as doing so will reduce the possibility of making more mistakes.

How to study

Write as many as writing tasks as you can during the year. You must do at least one writing task per week over the course of the year. Once finished with your HSC, Trials, drafts and in-class tasks, proof read then compare your work to the subject outline and check that everything is included. Then improve your writing task. Always keep a soft copy so that you can make changes as you go along.

Recommendations for reading tasks / reading comprehension

Read the questions first! Doing so will:

• give you an idea of what the text is about
• allow you to screen out any incorrect answers (a good time saver)

Only use a dictionary to look up a word if the word is required in order to answer the question as referring to your dictionary takes time. In some cases the question may be testing your grammatical abilities by specifically choosing words that you probably won’t be aware of.

The mark on a question does reflect the number of elements need to be included in your answer. A 1-point question may require a two or three element answer. For language questions, don’t forget to use technical terms. If you are unsure of a term’s meaning or usage then don’t use it. Falling down while showing off is a sure way to unimpress the marker.

How to study

Read a French newspaper online. Practise comprehending sentences by putting together the bits you do understand to take an educated guess at the meaning of the sentence. When you’ve finished, use a dictionary to check the words you didn’t understand and try to make your guesses more accurate the next time.

Recommendations for reading and responding

The purpose of this task is not to write about a subject (this is the purpose of the writing task). For this one, you read your provided text and respond to it. Answer questions, give advice/opinions. Everything you need to write about is in the text and/or headings.

The recommendations for this section are the same as for the writing task:

• continuity: if you start with “vous” then you need to continue
• language register: formal, informal, slang with friends
• tense: present, passé compose, imparfait, subjonctif, conditional, futur proche et simple
• linking words: donc, par consequent, de plus etc
• French expressions
• varied vocabulary: avoid repeating the same words over and over

Make sure you have time to proof read yourself, this is really important. While proof reading, check that subjects and verbs are matching, that all your accents are at the right place and on the right side.

Avoid coming over the word limit as it will increase the possibility of making more mistakes.

Recommendations for speaking task

First of all there is no need to learn new expressions the day before your assessment of HSC. It will only cause you stress and you will end up not using them or using them in the wrong context.

Flo’s pointers:

• Be calm, confident and smiling.
• Be chatty. There is nothing more painful for you and the examiner than a student who says “yes” and “no” to everything.
• Elaborate on your answers. For example: parle - moi de ta meilleure amie? You describe your best friend first and then explain where she leaves, goes to school, what you do together then talk about other friends. You can also expand on your family.
• Use all tenses and French expressions. The same recommendation prevail for all types of tasks.
• If you don’t understand the question, don’t be afraid to ask the examiner to repeat the question more slowly or to rephrase.

How to prepare

Take one speaking question and do a brainstorming/flow chart like the following: (click it to see it in a larger size)