French

Introduction to French

The Leaving Certificate Examination in French, at both levels, is comprised of three components:

An oral examination,
A written paper containing both reading comprehension material and a written production section
And a listening comprehension test

Breakdown of Leaving Cert French Honours Paper (400 marks)

Aural (80 marks) 20%
Comprehensions (120 marks) 30%
Written Expression (100 marks) 25%
Oral (100 marks) 25%

Breakdown of Leaving Cert French Ordinary Paper (400 marks)

Aural (100 marks) 25%
Comprehensions (160 marks) 40%
Written Expression (60 marks) 15%
Oral (80 marks) 20%

Oral Examination

The oral examination which takes place in the school is administered by external examiners. It takes place in March or April before the Leaving Certificate. It consists of a conversation of approximately twelve minutes duration during which candidates were given the opportunity to display their proficiency in the spoken language. Candidates have the option of bringing in a document of their choice. This could consist of a photograph or picture, a newspaper or magazine article, a literary text or a project. All candidates were marked out of a total of 100 marks, which were allocated as follows:

Pronunciation (20 marks)
Vocabulary (20 marks)
Structures (30 marks)
Communication (30 marks)

Useful Tips

Try to learn about 5 new words a day. Keep these in a Vocabulary notebook, either organised alphabetically or by topic.
Listen to French songs and news items. These will help with understanding French and also with pronunciation.
Practise reading and saying phrases, letters etc. as well as writing them. This will help with recalling material when necessary.
Make posters for your own home/bedroom wall or label items with post-it notes.
Practise, practise, practise! It is not possible to cram a language. Frequent practise of oral work in particular will reap the rewards.

Useful websites for students

**Columba College Killucan and LWETB are not responsible for the content of third party websites**