Higher Level French

subway_ie

Just starting to prepare some sample reaction questions/written pieces for the higher french exam. I'm thinking crime, pollution, EU, Olympic Games, leaving cert/exams, war, sport, college and careers. Anything else you can suggest I should prepare?

stuey

From what I have heard a good bet is pollution, racisim, technology, smoking, youths and drugs and alcohol. I'd say Iraq and terrorism is very unlikely. It would be far too controversial if it came up

elle

yeah thats pretty much what i'm learning, social problems (drugs crime smoking alcohol etc) and hobbies. Such a crap subject to study for!

subway_ie

I don't think Iraq and terrorism would come up sepcifically, but maybe something general around the war thing. I'm just going to look over some phrases and stuff for it anyway. Health/obesity is a possibility too, along with money and the rich/poor divide - although that came up before, so maybe not.

Has anybody else been watching TV5 to prepare for the aurals? I've been watching the news every second or third day, it's pretty good really.

penguincakes

L'interdiction sur les voiles et l'autre symbolisme religeuse, peut-etre?

penguincakes

And anyway, surely the best thing is just to write what you'd write in english in french? Works for me most of the time...

DEmeant0r

Not really bothering preparing questions. They could ask anything tbh. Although I probably will end up preparing hobbies, Olympics and sports. The usual stuff I prepared for the oral as well, hope they give us an easy letter and a note or diary entry to write and not another opinion question. They're really easy.

Smellyirishman

Ye have somethin on olympics or hobbies or games, ITs come up in ALL the language tests so far, english fun and games Irish it was a whole essay and in the tape.

Suaimhneach

I'm fect. FECT I TELLS YA!

Memorising everything.

conZ

For the reaction and obligatory questions, write your answer out in English first, then try translate as much as possible into French.

Add all those ****ty little phrases in.

French is one of those subjects you can stay in 'til the end in. So stay in 'til the end, refining answers and ****e.

Hmm, I must listen to that CD I got with the exam papers over the next day or two.
Listening comprehension may be a bollox (I tend to do decent enough at them), but hopefully the reading comprehensions are decent enough.

subway_ie

Originally posted by conZ
For the reaction and obligatory questions, write your answer out in English first, then try translate as much as possible into French.

That's probably the worst advice you can give somebody trying to do a reaction question - you should *never* try to translate something like that from english into french. Never. Maybe write out english key-words in your plan, but always start writing it in French. It's stupid to try to translate it.

French is one of those subjects you can stay in 'til the end in. So stay in 'til the end, refining answers and ****e.

Ummmmm. You can stay in all of them to the end... that's why it's "the end".

elle

Originally posted by conZ

For the reaction and obligatory questions, write your answer out in English first, then try translate as much as possible into French.

Totally agree, this is the worst thing you could possibly do in the exam. The whole point of a language is that you are supposed to think in that particular language, fair enough use similar ideas but if you're gonna do a rough draft for god sake do it in french!