Leaving Cert French: Positive reaction as listening exam avoids last year’s sound problems

The Leaving Cert higher level French exam offered excellent choice and was very approachable, according to teachers and students.

Liz Lyne, founder of FrenchNotes.ie, a teacher at Coláiste Mhichíl in Limerick, said she received positive feedback from her students.

“About 80 per cent of my students said that the listening part of the exam was really lovely, although some found it hard,” Ms Lyne said, who is author of French textbook Bonne Chance

“After some issues with the sound quality last year, it was a relief that there were no such issues this year.”

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Corinne Gavenda, a French teacher at the Institute of Education, said the paper was friendly and topical with some little twists that required students to read the questions fully.

“There was excellent choice on the paper,” Ms Gavenda said. “The instructions at the start of the paper, which were in both English and French, were extremely clear. The way the paper was printed was a little bit off-putting.”

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Ms Lyne said a diary entry on having your wallet stolen was “very doable” for students and that they would have enough vocabulary to tackle it.

“There was a question [asking students to write] an email about ecological schools which made reference to protests against global warming,” Ms Lyne said.

“Although the form of an email may have been unusual, a question on the environment was well-flagged and I would have flagged it with my own students too.”

Ms Gavenda said the environmental question was “nice and topical”.

“But students would have had to make sure they read until the very end of the question, where they were asked to congratulate their French friend on the fact that his school received a recent prize,” she cautioned.

Ms Gavenda said the comprehension — about a girl who wanted to be a nurse but ended up in a job in emergency accommodation for children — was very relevant to students as it was about work experience and careers.

“The language was extremely approachable, and students would have had no problem understanding the text,” Ms Gavenda said.

“The second comprehension, about a woman trying to find her mother, was more difficult to understand.

“Question four will probably be the most popular. It was about replacing the Leaving Certificate with a continuous assessment and most students will have prepared something on this topic.”

On the ordinary level paper, Ms Lyne said that it was very nice and accessible.

“The French was not difficult,” Ms Lyne said. “The postcard was about a winter holiday in the Alps, which is different from the more familiar summer holiday question. Students were also asked to write a formal letter to a tourist office looking for information. Overall, nothing out of the ordinary.”

Try this one at home:

Leaving Cert French, higher level

Vous êtes allé(e) en ville faire vos achats de Noël. Vous découvrez que votre portefeuille a été volé avec tout votre argent et votre carte bancaire. Qu’est‐ce que vous notez à ce sujet dans votre journal intime? (75 mots environ)