French Oral

AbsentPonderer

How was everybodys French examiner? ours was a HORRIBLE, RIGID, ODD woman who caused tears....

niamhallen

Ours was lovely

partyatmygaff

Ours was great. She had a bit of a lisp though...

That and she asked some really awkward questions about people's documents.

Sunny!!

Ours was lovely:D

luciemc

really nice, didnt ask anything difficult!!

AbsentPonderer

ugh, how lucky! mine kept ploughing on about continuous assessment! and we spent minimal time on the document.. principal had to follow it up there were so many tears!

luciemc

thats horrible, she didnt spend much time on my document now that i think about it... but the conversation was going well so i dont really mind!

flyaway.

Ours was lovely.

He was seriously so nice! He was really friendly and it was SO relaxed. I'm usually so nervous and make mistakes because of that, but it was just so calm and way easier than any practice orals I've done with my teacher.

Sorry you got unlucky. That's quite unfair!

plein de force

Ours was lovely
She was quite young which made it easier to converse with her and didn't ask anything really weird. Asked me a few difficult questions to test my ability but they were grand and it was just a really nice conversation.

brownlad

mine was MINT ...if i forgot a word he would mouth it to me :P and the and he was in a rush so he just let me talk from the get go ...didn't interrupt with horrid questions ...i was delighted with it.... he was a rugby head and dats pretty much what we talked about

oneshotfinch

Ours was inconsistent among the students. Lovely to me, but one poor bastard was cut off and moved onto a new subject for almost every question.

Mysteriouschic

My examiner was really nice and she actually helped you out if you didn't know what to say. She helped me like four times she'd like whisper in english so I know what to say. I think I still did terrible I made so many stupid mistakes and forgot everything. She asked me the basic stuff .

John Sugrue

oneshotfinch wrote: »

Ours was inconsistent among the students. Lovely to me, but one poor bastard was cut off and moved onto a new subject for almost every question.

Nah, I wouldn't say he was inconsistent. It's more than likely that you made the French sound genuine and your friend sounded blatently learned off, hence, the jumping from subject to subject.

John Sugrue

AbsentPonderer wrote: »

How was everybodys French examiner? ours was a HORRIBLE, RIGID, ODD woman who caused tears....

Don't worry about. The oral is marked quite easy and you can have the tape listened to by another examiner if you want to get it rechecked in August. So it's not just her opinion that matters.

I remember when I came out of my oral. I had a person similar to the one you're describing and I was furious. I went back to class and kicked over a table. No teacher present thank God :P. In the end I got an A1 in honours even though I thought I had fecked the oral up completely.

partyatmygaff

Now that the orals are all over...


I've a question for everyone who used the verb "répéter" in any way, shape or form throughout the exam.

Did you pronounce it "ray-pit-ay" or "ray-pett-ay"? If you pronounced it "ray-pett-ay" that would actually be the verb répêter which means "To fart again".

So "Madame/Monsieur, Pouvez-vous répêter la question s'il vous plait, je ne l'ai entendu pas la première fois" would actually mean "Madame/Sir, could you please fart the question again? I didn't hear it the first time."

I'm so glad I didn't need to ask my examiner to repeat any questions now

John Sugrue

partyatmygaff wrote: »

So "Madame/Monsieur, Pouvez-vous répêter la question s'il vous plait, je ne l'ai entendu pas la première fois" would actually mean "Madame/Sir, could you please fart the question again? I didn't hear it the first time."

I'm so glad I didn't need to ask my examiner to repeat any questions now

Got your negative wrong Mr. Smartass. It's "je ne l'ai PAS entendu".

partyatmygaff

John Sugrue wrote: »

Got your negative wrong Mr. Smartass. It's "je ne l'ai PAS entendu".

First of all, I copied that sentence from somewhere else to include the diacritics.

Second of all, there's no need to be nasty. I was only letting people know about a funny mistake that a lot of people could have made. I would have warned people before the orals but I only found out at the end of last week.

randylonghorn

John Sugrue wrote: »

Got your negative wrong Mr. Smartass. It's "je ne l'ai PAS entendu".

Leave it out.

John Sugrue

randylonghorn wrote: »

Leave it out.

I have to say I consider this disciplinary action most inappropriate for a number of reasons. Firstly, I used the term 'Mr. Smartass' jokingly as the user came across as arrogant and was boasting about his own examination performance while others on this thread were clearly worried and upset about their own. Secondly, I have read much more controversial and slanderous commentary on this website that has gone totally unpunished.

What's more, how was the decision reached that my comment was inappropriate? Was it a matter of opinion of an individual or was there an actual official and transparent process followed? Also, how long will I have to tolerate this demeaning yellow card on all of my posts?

I do not expect a response to this query. I demand one.

NotExactly

John Sugrue wrote: »

I do not expect a response to this query. I demand one.

Chill out.:rolleyes:

partyatmygaff

John Sugrue wrote: »

I have to say I consider this disciplinary action most inappropriate for a number of reasons. Firstly, I used the term 'Mr. Smartass' jokingly as the user came across as arrogant and was boasting about his own examination performance while others on this thread were clearly worried and upset about their own.

The usual hypocrisy. It's fine for you to presume that I was being boastful and arrogant but you complain after getting a warning for calling someone "Mr.Smartass". You, of course, meant it in a jovial manner. We all should have known. How terrible of everyone to presume you meant what you said.

My previous post

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Second of all, there's no need to be nasty. I was only letting people know about a funny mistake that a lot of people could have made. I would have warned people before the orals but I only found out at the end of last week.

I don't see how mentioning a potentially funny minor pronunciation mistake is an any way boastful or arrogant. Not only that but I went in to the exam completely unaware of the potential mistake myself. I even said at the end of my post that I would have warned everyone else had I known beforehand. Perhaps that is your understanding of arrogance but it certainly isn't mine.

Secondly, I have read much more controversial and slanderous commentary on this website that has gone totally unpunished.

Just because they were missed by the moderators does not mean they would not have warranted a warning.

What's more, how was the decision reached that my comment was inappropriate?

Comprehension of the English language?

Was it a matter of opinion of an individual or was there an actual official and transparent process followed?

The "actual official and transparent" process on any internet forum is moderation. Were you expecting an online court sessions just for a forum post or something?

I do not expect a response to this query. I demand one.

Good luck with that.

randylonghorn

John Sugrue wrote: »

I have to say I consider this disciplinary action most inappropriate for a number of reasons.

I don't.

That's fine in itself, you have every right to disagree, but if you do and you wish to argue the point, this is not the place to do so.

Despite your small number of posts, you have been around Boards long enough to know that site policy is (and always has been) that you don't argue moderation decisions in thread, as it only results in dragging the thread off-topic.

I would suggest a thorough perusal of the Boards.ie FAQs, which cover this and many other useful points.

John Sugrue wrote: »

Firstly, I used the term 'Mr. Smartass' jokingly as the user came across as arrogant and was boasting about his own examination performance while others on this thread were clearly worried and upset about their own.

Firstly, that's not how his post came across to me.

Secondly, it's obviously not how his post came across to other people, as no-one reported it ... which is the correct method to draw the attention of a moderator to a post which you feel is problematic. Again, the FAQs cover this point.

Thirdly, even if your reading of his post were to hold up, that does not give you permission to call him names ... again, you will find this kind of issue dealt with in detail in the FAQs.

John Sugrue wrote: »

Secondly, I have read much more controversial and slanderous commentary on this website that has gone totally unpunished.

Then you should have reported the post, which is the correct method to draw the attention of a moderator to a post which you feel is problematic. I may have mentioned this point already ...

Moderators are volunteers, and don't always have the free time to read every post in their forums. That is why there is a Report Post function.

You should also be aware, however, that forums vary to some extent as to the amount of leeway allowable. LC has always been and always will be quite tightly moderated in comparison to some other forums, in order to ensure that it provides a useful and calm environment for the discussion of issues pertaining to the Leaving Cert, something which is in itself sufficiently stressful for most people undertaking it without having to endure a stressed and antagonistic atmosphere in this forum.

John Sugrue wrote: »

What's more, how was the decision reached that my comment was inappropriate? Was it a matter of opinion of an individual or was there an actual official and transparent process followed?

The decision was reached by one of the people charged with making those decisions (i.e. moderators) ... in this case, by me. That IS the official process. What did you expect, a plebiscite?

John Sugrue wrote: »

Also, how long will I have to tolerate this demeaning yellow card on all of my posts?

What demeaning yellow card on all of your posts?

The yellow card is attached to one post and one post only, the problematic one above.

It will remain attached to that post and that post only.

John Sugrue wrote: »

I do not expect a response to this query. I demand one.

Really? On what basis do you "demand" a response?

On the basis that you pay an annual fee for the use of this website? Oh, wait, you don't.

On the basis that moderators are "staff" paid to respond to your demands? Oh, wait, we're not.

On what basis then do you "demand" a response? Because I don't see any basis which gives you the right to "demand" anything from me, from the moderators or from Boards itself as a privately owned site which you are accorded the *privilege* of using for free ... provided, of course, you don't abuse that privilege.

Obviously, I have chosen to respond to you anyway ... not because you "demanded" it but as a matter of courtesy, and because I happen to believe that the world would be a much better place if there was a little more courtesy in general circulation.

In fact, I have chosen NOT to hand you another of those demeaning cards (red, this time) which would be the normal response as a matter of general Boards policy for those who break the rule about starting an in-thread argument about moderation.

Consider that as further evidence of my determination to be calm, courteous, indeed, positively saintly even in my response to rude demands!

If you still feel you were hard done by, feel free to post in the Dispute Resolution Forum for review by a Category Moderator / Admin.

However, be very clear that no further discussion of this matter will be tolerated on-thread in this forum (that includes other posters as well, so please take note!).

TigerIsa

OP - we had a really nasty oral examiner for Spanish at our school (I did my leaving last year) and everyone came out really upset myself included.
However everyone was shocked with their results, most people did far better than they thought they would - although she seemed like a mean b*tch she actually marked people really nicely and everyone was happy in the end, don't worry too much I bet you did way better than you think you did!

Best of luck with your exams