Leaving Certificate French Oral
Your oral exam will take place between March and April.
Marking Scheme
Have you forgotten how the Leaving Cert Oral is marked?
Quick Reminder below:
The oral is marked out of 100 marks allocated as follows.
Vocabulary – strive to use a wide variety of expressions, you only have one chance to stand out on the day (20)
Pronunciation – respect the sounds of the language especially when using tenses, expose yourself to as much French as possible between now and April (20)
Structures – correct use of tenses is vital, genders and agreements - Don't be afraid to ask the examiner to repeat the question if you're unsure of the tense (30)
Communication – smile and show a willingness to speak and attempt to answer all questions and you will succeed, not bad for 30 marks eh? (30)
A good study aid for the oral is a book called 'Accent Francais' by Cian Hogan - it's a little on the expensive side - 21 Euro.
I've 2 copies of it in Room 3 for anyone who wants to borrow it!!
|
To the left, you will find a list of questions that appear in the oral exam
|
To the right, you can download this checklist for the mock orals - aim to prepare 5 sentences on each topic
|
|
www.leavingcertificatefrench.com - Check it out!!!!
Thanks to leavingceertfrench.com for allowing me to use their image.
For some of their tips and advice on the Leaving Cert French Oral, click here ....
For some of their tips and advice on the Leaving Cert French Oral, click here ....
Audioboo - Part one
Last minute tips for the French Oral
Tips;
Upon entering the room, be polite;
"Bonjour madame". When asked if you have a document, respond "non je n'ai pas de document, merci"!
First of all, remember that the examiner is NOT there to catch you out – More than likely, they have a group of students in the same boat and will want them to get on well too! Remember you start with 0% and every time you open your mouth, the more communication marks you will be awarded. If you feel like you've left your prep until too late, my advice would be to prepare a few sentences on each topic. You could still do well!!
NERVES ARE GOOD!! Of course you are going to be a little nervous. And besides, you always perform better when a little nervous right? After the first two/three minutes into the conversation, you should find yourself relaxing. The examiner will always begin with a nice open-ended question; "parlez-moi de votre famille/votre quartier" to put you at ease.
Take a few deep breaths before you go into the room, place both feet on the ground and give it your best. Do not start huddling together in groups carrying out a post mortem; "What were you asked?" "Oh she asked me about ...", "She never asked me anything on ... and I spent ages preparing for that". Sorry but this is what I usually hear when I'm trying to mark a candidate who has just left the room. It doesn't help !!! If there is a common question that has been asked, of course ask your teacher to prepare a few lines on it with you.
If the examiner asks you something topical and you don't have an opinion on it (in French), keep it simple;
Agree with them; Oui, c’est un problème sérieux. A mon avis c’est difficile pour tout le monde.
Selon les journaux, c’est une situation inquiétante (worrying).
Å vrai dire – je n’ai pas de temps pour regarder la télé. J’étudie tout le temps pour le bac.
If the examiner asks “Aimez-vous la lecture?” and you have nothing prepared on this.
Be clever and respond with “Je n’aime pas la lecture. Pendant mon temps libre, je préfere ……….” and speak about an area you have prepared (music/sport/tv) . Do not say that you love reading or sport if you have nothing prepared on these topics. Surprisingly, a lot of students do this in the exam.
Lastly – SMILE!!!! It cost nothing, it’s contagious and may possibly gain you some communication marks lol! If you smile, the examiner will smile back – all good feelings in the room!!!
Bonne Chance!
Upon entering the room, be polite;
"Bonjour madame". When asked if you have a document, respond "non je n'ai pas de document, merci"!
First of all, remember that the examiner is NOT there to catch you out – More than likely, they have a group of students in the same boat and will want them to get on well too! Remember you start with 0% and every time you open your mouth, the more communication marks you will be awarded. If you feel like you've left your prep until too late, my advice would be to prepare a few sentences on each topic. You could still do well!!
NERVES ARE GOOD!! Of course you are going to be a little nervous. And besides, you always perform better when a little nervous right? After the first two/three minutes into the conversation, you should find yourself relaxing. The examiner will always begin with a nice open-ended question; "parlez-moi de votre famille/votre quartier" to put you at ease.
Take a few deep breaths before you go into the room, place both feet on the ground and give it your best. Do not start huddling together in groups carrying out a post mortem; "What were you asked?" "Oh she asked me about ...", "She never asked me anything on ... and I spent ages preparing for that". Sorry but this is what I usually hear when I'm trying to mark a candidate who has just left the room. It doesn't help !!! If there is a common question that has been asked, of course ask your teacher to prepare a few lines on it with you.
If the examiner asks you something topical and you don't have an opinion on it (in French), keep it simple;
Agree with them; Oui, c’est un problème sérieux. A mon avis c’est difficile pour tout le monde.
Selon les journaux, c’est une situation inquiétante (worrying).
Å vrai dire – je n’ai pas de temps pour regarder la télé. J’étudie tout le temps pour le bac.
If the examiner asks “Aimez-vous la lecture?” and you have nothing prepared on this.
Be clever and respond with “Je n’aime pas la lecture. Pendant mon temps libre, je préfere ……….” and speak about an area you have prepared (music/sport/tv) . Do not say that you love reading or sport if you have nothing prepared on these topics. Surprisingly, a lot of students do this in the exam.
Lastly – SMILE!!!! It cost nothing, it’s contagious and may possibly gain you some communication marks lol! If you smile, the examiner will smile back – all good feelings in the room!!!
Bonne Chance!