Oral Exam Structure

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The format of the oral examination consists of a conversation of approximately 12 minutes, on a wide range of topics concerning the daily lives and the world of young people. Candidates have the option of bringing in a document of their choice. This can consist of a photograph or picture, a newspaper or magazine article, a literary text or a project.

All candidates are marked out of a total of 100 marks, which are allocated as follows:

• Pronunciation: 20 marks
• Vocabulary: 20 marks
• Structures: 30 marks
• Communication: 30 marks

You can check the Examiner’s report on the www.examinations.ie website for a full report on candidates’ past performances during the oral examination.

Tips

1. Avoid Oui/Non answers. You’re supposed to lead the conversation so try to develop your answer. You will realise that the examiner often asks open questions to avoid that kind of situation:

• Parlez-moi de… (Tell me about…)
• Pouvez-vous expliquer…? (Can you explain…?)
• Que pensez-vous de…? (What do you think of…?)
• Décrivez… (Describe…)

2. Ask the examiner to repeat the question(s). There is nothing wrong about that, and NO you don’t get penalised for that. (Unless you don’t understand every single question) Excusez-moi, je n’ai pas compris la question. (I am sorry, I didn’t understand the question) Pouvez-vous répéter la question s’il vous plaît ? (Can you repeat the question please?) Pardon, qu’est-ce que vous avez dit ? (I am sorry, what did you say?)

3. There is nothing wrong in correcting your mistake if you are aware of it. Do it immediately and the examiner will be impressed.

4. Listen carefully to the whole question the examiner asks, not just to one word that you recognised. When asked about the past weekend, ‘vous êtes allé au cinéma?’ it is common to hear students reply ‘j’ai allé…’ The examiner is giving you the correct version with Etre + past verb, so take your time and answer ‘je suis allé’.

5. Remember that if you do not say a lot during the test, or keep repeating ‘je n’ai pas d’opinion sur ce sujet’, your marks in pronunciation, vocabulary, structure and communication will all be affected.

6. Do not make the mistake of reciting long passages learned by heart: quite often the vocabulary is good, but because students are often unable to pronounce words correctly, both marks (pronunciation and vocabulary) will be affected. Use this website to increase your vocabulary, but the most important part for you is the ‘J’improvise pendant une minute’ section at the end of each PDF file, where you must show a natural ability to converse.

7. Revise topics concerning basic information about you. Even the most able candidates experience difficulty with everyday vocabulary (numbers, time, food, and description of their house…). You are supposed to have covered those topics for the Junior Certificate! You might want to impress the examiner with some abstract topics, but if your everyday vocabulary is poor, your overall mark won’t be much better.

8. Revise the three main tenses: présent, futur et passé-composé. (The examiner will automatically ask you questions using those three tenses). It’s always impressive to show the ability to move easily between them: ‘Non cette année je n’ai pas de petit boulot mais l’année dernière j’en avais un’ or ‘Le week-end dernier je n’ai rien fait mais ce week-end j’irai au cinéma avec mes amis…’ Listen carefully to the tense used by the examiner. Too often, when asked questions about the future, candidates tend to use the phrase ‘je voudrais’ or ‘j’espère’ and therefore avoid giving a future tense.

9. Why not repeat a part of the examiner’s question? For example, if the examiner asks you ‘il faisait beau en France?’ don’t make the mistake to answer with ‘ah oui il fait beau’ as it is often the case! Repeat the same verb ‘il faisait…’ showing your abilities to use the right tense and to understand the examiner, and then develop your answer a bit more.

10. However, be careful with the ‘echo response’! It is a common mistake for students to copy the form of the verb given in the question. ‘Qu’est-ce que vous préférez?’ or ‘Je préférez’ instead of the correct form ‘Je préfère’. Always remember to use the first person of the verb ‘Je…’.

11. Make yourself a list of short sentences using Conditional and Subjunctive tenses. Check out the abstract section for many types of questions using those tenses.

12. Revise your adjectives (beau, intelligent…) and prepositions (avec, dans, de…). Try to master the use of Y and EN as in ‘j’y suis allé’ or ‘je fais du sport, j’en fais tous les samedis’.

13. Make sure that your communication is spontaneous, flowing. Don’t wait for the examiner to ask you millions of questions. If you’re stuck trying to find a word/expression, start with a new sentence. Don’t show any sign of weakness by saying in English ‘I can’t remember’ or ‘I don’t know’…

14. Don’t worry if the examiner asks you more difficult questions at the end of the exam. There is no intention from the examiner’s part to destabilise or penalise you but it’s a way of assessing your communication and vocabulary skills; an examiner only has 12 minutes to assess all four skills, therefore an abstract question might help him/her put a higher mark depending on your accurate answers.

15. Remember that some simple questions about a particular topic may develop into a more in-depth discussion between you and the examiner. If at all possible, take the opportunity to express personal opinions, reactions and feelings…

16. You may choose to bring in a document. It is not assessed separately, but if you are competent in discussing it, it will be taken into account in the final mark out of 100. The document is the best way for you to show off your vocabulary and communication skills. But remember that this exercise is not about reciting large chunks of learnt-off inappropriate material! Usually, candidates who bring in a document are less nervous and more confident once they’ve spoken about their document. In the exceptional case that your examiner has forgotten to talk about your document, once he/she has pressed stop on the tape recorder, you have the right to mention it to him/her. They should put the tape on again for an extra minute to assess you on your prepared document.

17. Start your document in January, not one or two weeks before the oral exam or at the last minute. You should be able to answer these two questions: ‘Parlez-moi de votre document’. ‘Pourquoi avez-vous choisi ce document?’

18. At home, in front of a mirror, try to speak to yourself for 12 minutes, in French…; choose 12 topics and practice each of them for 1 minute. If you manage to speak non-stop for 12 minutes on your own, on any given subjects, imagine what you will be able to say in front of an examiner.

And remember...

• Smile and greet the examiner (bonjour Monsieur/Madame) when entering the room, be positive and smile during the exam. It’s a difficult task for an examiner to assess 15 to 20 candidates a day and remain on the edge all the time. Therefore it’s always nice to have candidates with a bubbly personality, who smile and look like they enjoy the exam.
• When you leave the room, why not say ‘Merci et bonne journée’ if you have your exam in the morning or ‘Merci et bonne après-midi’ if you have your test in the afternoon.
• Also, there is nothing worse than having a conversation with someone who stares at the wall/floor trying to remember the paragraph learned off. A bit of eye contact would be appreciated.
• NEVER say to the examiner that you’re bad at French! Sentences like ‘je suis mauvais en français’ or ‘je suis nul’ do not give the right impression to the examiner. You are a WINNER already because you’ve made it to the Leaving Cert Oral exam.