Jump to content

French Oral Exam Tips please!


Hermione Granger

Recommended Posts

Hey there! IB French HL student here! I've just taken my oral this morning, with my professor awarding me sixes in both areas that we're judged on, which is less than what I was hoping for. I'll tell you what I did and what I wish I would have done:

 

  • Review vocab! Obviously one of the hardest things of mastering a language is learning the words to communicate with. The biggest mistake I made today was to fumble with my words because I couldn't think of the french translation of my thoughts.
  • Say it out loud! While you're reviewing vocab, read them out loud to yourself. If you're not sure how to pronounce it, look it up or ask your teacher. The better accent, the higher you'll score.
  • Look at the differences in culture. This is both the easiest, and the hardest thing to do. If you've spent a few years studying the modern French culture, it's easy to fall back on your past knowledge; however, it's hard to not make generalities about the francophone countries. Remember, not every American eats Big Macs daily, and not every Frenchman drinks wine all day. 
  • Just remember that you have to speak about your picture and how it applies for 3 minutes! It's really not that long, especially when you're nervous! If you speak with an even pace, the time will just fly by. I never thought I'd ever be able to speak in French for that long, but I spoke for approximately five today.
  • Take a few deep breaths before you start. This is the corniest advice anyone could ever give, but it's so true! Focus on slowing down you're heartbeat and relaxing. The more nervous I got, the more I'd hesitate and stumble, which would make me even more nervous. It's an awful cycle, but if you start out confident, a little slip-up won't mean much in the big picture.

From what I've read on what you're doing so far, you seem waaaaay more prepared than what I was for mine! Good luck on your oral, and just remember to be confident in your mistakes! It's only 20%. You can do this! You can always ask me any other questions you have!

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...